Three videos, three projects by Reiser + Umemoto

Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China, 2010

Winning Entry, Two-stage Open Competition
Scheduled Construction, 2014
Type: Cruise Ship Terminal and Port Service Center
Structure: Multiple.

"Shenzhen stands at a crossroads. Already with an unsurpassable technology sector fueling the economic engine of China, the next great leap will be in ideas and services: Cultural Capital. Our vision is predicated on this future. The architecture for T3 Shenzhen Airport will epitomize intelligent environments; an architecture that embraces everything from life and work, to culture and ecology. Indeed the new terminal is poised to become the symbol of the new China. The “high-tech” architecture which has colonized emerging economies world-wide has had its day - a new architecture which resonates in culture, symbolism and an intelligent future has come to fore. The airport, perhaps the quintessential modern typology, has paradoxically found itself in a state of arrested development with the prevailing style being “high-tech”. An Architectural style emulating the aviation technology of the 1960’s, high-tech has since spread to become a worldwide cliché. Being the standard architectural response to the airport wherever one goes, this worn style speaks neither to the specifics of place nor to the specifics of experience. The spaces of high-tech are spatially and structurally homogeneous. We propose a 21st century paradigm. Instead of the bland monoculture of high-tech, we propose spaces for travelers that are locally diverse and unique yet globally coherent. These are spaces that humanize technology rather than merely represent it; spaces that are ultimately attuned to diverse needs, moods, and aspirations of the traveler. Consequently, we have fundamentally rethought the space of the Shenzhen Airport through the transmutation of a quintessentially earthbound material: concrete. Rather than the predictable pastiche of hi-tech materials, Shenzhen Airport will employ a traditional (modern) material concrete but fabricate it using the new conceptual paradigms in engineering and the technology of mass-customization in formwork and fabrication. The shift from standardized construction (Modernism) to mass customization will result in a range of architectural form, organization and effects for T3 impossible just a few years ago."

Project Credits
Design Stage (Phase I)

Principals
Jesse Reiser + Nanako Umemoto
Project Architect
Mitsuhisa Matsunaga
Design Team
Mitsuhisa Matsunaga, Kutan Ayata, Michael Overby, Roland Snooks, Neil Cook, Michael Loverich
Interns and Assistants
Steven Lauritano, Juan De Marco, Lindsey Cohen, Luis Costa, Yan Wai Chu, Roselyn Shieh, Max Kuo, Robin Liu, Devin Jernigan, Robert Soendergaard
Structural Engineer
ARUP New York

Technical Development Stage (Phases II & III)

Principals
Jesse Reiser + Nanako Umemoto
Project Architect
Mitsuhisa Matsunaga
Technical Development Team
Mitsuhisa Matsunaga, Kutan Ayata, Michael Overby, Juan De Marco, Neil Cook, Michael Loverich, Lindsey Cohen, Jonathan Solomon, Luis Costa, Devin Jernigan

Structural Engineer
ARUP New York, ARUP Hong Kong / Shenzhen
Architect of Record
AEDAS New York, AEDAS Hong Kong
Facade Consultant
FRONT, Inc., New York

The Taipei Pop Music Center features a gradient of mixed-use spaces, from the fully public realm to the interior of the auditorium, and allows the visitor to partake of the event dynamic however they choose to visit this complex. Whether they plan a night of music or are browsing the myriad shops, markets, cafes, and restaurants, the complex will be a 24-hour attraction independent of the schedule of performances in the theaters. The TPMC features a new elevated public ground, which bridges the two building sites presently divided by Xinsheng Rd. Corridor. The elevated public space is a pedestrian zone creating a coherent public space distinct yet connected to the life of the city, and effectively joining the three major zones of the complex, the Main Concert Hall, Outdoor Amphitheater, and the Hall of Fame. The public space is in itself a focus for outdoor events, surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops. Here, the spectacle of pop music can be celebrated and broadcast to the world.