N24 Taipei Ark

The coexistence of past and present, reconfiguring the spatial layout. "N24 Taipei Ark" was originally part of Taipower's central warehouse complex, serving as the Matsuyama Factory of Taiwan Electric Power Co., Ltd. during the Japanese colonial period, and later as Taipower's Matsuyama Repair Plant after the war. Initially, the building was used as a warehouse, thus its design lacked good natural lighting and ventilation. After understanding the functional requirements and structural characteristics, the design team, in line with the East District Gateway Project, designated office use as the design objective. The renovation involved detaching and extending the warehouse volume outwards to allow more natural light into the interior. The raised ceiling on the rooftop level reconfigured the office space, allowing vertical relationships to unfold. Introducing new functions and responding to new era trends. The design team adopted the concept of community flow, breaking spatial layout restrictions and planning flexible functional spaces for offices, discussions, and leisure, allowing users to maintain freedom of communication and interaction while working. Additionally, considering the building's historical status, the design team, during restoration, not only carried out hardware reinforcements such as steel structure strengthening and seismic wall construction, but also preserved the exterior materials and overall traces of use. New steel structures were introduced to complement the original materials' appearance. This restoration approach, which respects the historical context by preserving parts of the original appearance, allows us to see the mottled walls and the marks left by time from various perspectives. Furthermore, ascending to the second floor into the "Blockchain Incubation Center" office space, the design team chose seismic walls as point-like structures to address issues arising from the old building's age, while also preserving the beauty of the original reinforced concrete structure. Following the light and the central courtyard spiral staircase, one arrives at the rooftop area. The elevated, angled volume of the rooftop atrium was designed with side windows by the team to allow ample light into the atrium. The design of this volume's shape also echoes the "Ark" imagery of "N24 Taipei Ark," becoming the representative symbol at the park's entrance. Extension of context, redefining community space. Based on contemporary observations of community connections and with "N24 Taipei Ark" serving as a blockchain center office space, the design team expanded the definition of "community" space to "social group" interaction. This relationship, whether physical or otherwise, truly depicts future modes of human interaction and is also a key development trend. Combining core concepts with design techniques, the restoration of the space created a "human-centered" architectural environment, bringing the space's charm back to life.