The China Development Headquarters is strategically located on the green urban axis of Dunhua North Road, conveniently close to the Taipei Arena, Municipal Stadium and Nanjing business district. The area is home to many office buildings, and a breeding ground for the growing recreation and entertainment industries of the city. It steps back from the busy Dunhua North Road, opening up much of the ground level to an expansive park, a space the client gifted to the public. It serves as a place where workers and residents can mingle amid the greenery, and spatially connects with its event-filled neighbors to form an urban green belt. The belt would act as a social catalyst for better community interactions, hoping to bring forth an open and friendly vibe to the urban business-and-commercial district.

The China Development Headquarters rises 18 stories above ground and plunges 5 stories below. The main entrance, which faces Taipei’s Dunhua North Road, serves the offices on the first 12 floors and the executive suites on the top floor. A second entry to one side provides access to the five-star hotel housed on floors 14 to 17, isolating its circulation from the offices for security and management purposes. The façade adopted a low-emissivity, super-white laminated glass and ceramic-fused glass in combination with aluminum panels and gray granite to create a shimmering crystalline effect that combines transparency and immateriality. Its lightness is further enhanced by single panes of glass projecting up to screen rooftop services, which give the building a feathered silhouette against the sky.

Time has left its mark on three old trees—preserved from the original site—that silently stand guard over the new occupant. Around them, a well-executed landscape design assembles plants, pools, benches, and pavements to create an open and fluid space for the public to enjoy. After dark, the glass cube facing it glows like a light box, catching the attention of passersby on foot and in cars, and injecting new energy into the nighttime cityscape.

Sustainable measures played a major role in the building’s design. Retention ponds were dotted around the site to regulate the microclimate, recycle and reuse rainwater, and establish a water-diversion system. The project also included the systematic control of sensor lights and electric double-layer curtain louvers to achieve the desired daily energy savings. Together these decisions have produced a modern office complex that performs well and is highly sustainable.