Awards

• 2022 National Outstanding Construction Award – Grand Award, Affordable Housing Category
• 2022 National Outstanding Construction Award – Silver Award, Comprehensive Planning Category
• 2017 Taiwan Landscape Architecture Awards (5th Edition) – First Prize, Planning and Design Category
• 2012 National Outstanding Construction Award – Gold Award, Best Planning and Design, Residential Category

Core Environmental Planning Concept: Living in a Waterside Forest

The Banqiao Fuzhou Affordable Housing Development occupies approximately 11 hectares, with 29 residential buildings situated within 6 hectares of ecologically rich green open space. Together with surrounding schools, green corridors, road landscapes, and public parks, the project creates a vibrant urban oasis that has transformed the identity of the Fuzhou district.

The landscape design moves beyond the inward-looking character typical of many residential developments, aspiring instead to create an open, distinctive, creative, and internationally minded urban community. Conceived as a small-scale town-making project, the development integrates local cultural resources, ecological systems, educational facilities, neighborhood character, and urban context into a comprehensive network of streets, plazas, parks, and public open spaces.

The design encourages a wide range of outdoor activities, including recreation, environmental education, exercise, social gatherings, and cultural events, enhancing both the quality of daily life and the overall identity of the district.

Sustainability is a fundamental planning principle. The project promotes residents' connection with nature through extensive tree planting, biodiversity-enhancing landscapes, and a zero-runoff stormwater management strategy that supports water retention and reuse. Human-centered design also plays a key role, with clear separation of pedestrian and vehicular circulation and a barrier-free pathway system throughout the site. Together, these elements create the experience of walking through a forest beside the water, which defines the project's unique character.

Preserving Local Landscape and Cultural Heritage

The site was formerly an industrial complex operated by the Veterans Engineering Agency. Although relatively few buildings remained, the area contained numerous semi-open industrial structures and mature trees.

To preserve the site's history and cultural identity, selected steel truss structures were retained and adaptively reused as community activity spaces. Existing mature shade trees were preserved wherever possible, while rows of established trees were incorporated into continuous green corridors. The overall site plan was carefully adjusted to accommodate significant trees and integrate the historic structures into parks and public spaces. Trees adjacent to neighboring properties were selectively pruned and maintained to create safe and welcoming shaded pedestrian routes.

Integrating Local Resources to Create an Artistic Community

The development is surrounded by valuable cultural and natural assets, including National Taiwan University of Arts, Fuzhou Railway Station, Nanzigou Creek, and the Dahan River Wetlands.

The planning incorporates public art installations and cultural programs developed in collaboration with faculty and students from National Taiwan University of Arts, creating a living environment enriched by artistic expression and community engagement.

Ecologically, the project strengthens connections between the eastern and western water systems through extensive planting and water landscapes, helping to establish a larger ecological network that supports biodiversity while enhancing the quality of the urban environment.