The newly unveiled Flower Expo Pavilions shine bright—explore Taiwan’s most beautiful rooftop

The “2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition” will officially kick off on November 6 this year, with various pavilions currently under construction. Four main exhibition venues are set to make their stunning debuts, highlighting Taiwan’s four major themes: “floral and horticultural excellence,” “cultural and artistic characteristics,” “environmental and ecological care,” and “cutting-edge technological achievements.” This exposition is also the largest event in Taiwan since the centennial of the Republic.

Located in the Xinsheng Park area, the Dream Pavilion, Future Pavilion, and Life Pavilion—the first-ever revealed “Xinsheng Trio”—are a unified design of green architecture. With “harmony between nature and humanity” as its core architectural concept, the design incorporates alternative energy use and the preservation of existing old trees on-site, making it a rare green building gem in Taiwan. The Discovery Channel’s special program “Taiwan Green Living: Building Eco-Taiwan – Green Architecture” even featured an exclusive interview with architect Chang Ching-hwa from 911 Architecture & Design Associates, delving into the green building design philosophy of the “Xinsheng Trio” and taking viewers on a tour of Taiwan’s most beautiful rooftop.

During the design process, architect Chang Ching-hwa made a point to preserve the old trees on the original site, allowing the main buildings to recess and create space. The overall design features a rare curvilinear form. The design integrates with the existing resources and environment, blending harmoniously with the surrounding tree landscape, while striving not to sacrifice a single tree that helps the Earth breathe—making it Taipei’s most inconspicuous yet ecologically sound structure. Visitors can follow the park route up onto the green roof to watch planes take off and land, and enjoy the rooftop and vertical garden walls, deepening interaction with the environment.

The “Xinsheng Trio” incorporates several cutting-edge architectural techniques. For example, the greenhouse roof uses ETFE film cladding material—same as that of Beijing’s Olympic swimming venue, the “Water Cube”—along with LOW-E glass and other energy-saving, heat-insulating materials. These increase the building’s daylight exposure, allowing natural light and essential ultraviolet rays for plant growth to pass through, while blocking most of the radiant heat. Large-scale solar photovoltaic panels are also used to generate solar power, making it the largest renewable energy installation in Taipei City to date. Additionally, the “Xinsheng Trio” employs high-permeability bricks to collect rainwater and has installed a rainwater recycling system to reduce the use of tap water, allowing visitors to witness firsthand the wonders of renewable energy.

The “Xinsheng Trio” makes excellent use of green vegetation—not only on the roof but also on the walls—which is estimated to lower indoor temperatures by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius. Ventilation openings are designed on the roof to enhance indoor air circulation. Coupled with an intelligent temperature control system, along with features like ground cooling, misting, water walls, and skylights, the design achieves auxiliary cooling and energy-saving, carbon-reducing effects. Everyone is welcome to come and experience this top-tier eco-friendly masterpiece, which has earned the prestigious Diamond-Level Candidate Certificate for Green Buildings.

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Further reading: Discover Tadao Ando’s magical architecture (provided by Tripass Attractions)