Architect: Reiser + Umemoto
Client: Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau, Ministry of Transportation
Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Completion: 2014

The curvilinear forms and patterned skin of the competition-winning proposal for a new cruise ship terminal in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan may evoke for some aquatic life. For the architects at Reiser + Umemoto (RUR), the project grew out of a desire to balance good urban design with a strong architectural statement.

“We approached it as an urban planning issue, as part of the redevelopment of the larger waterfront,” Jesse Reiser, a principal at RUR, told AN. “We were looking at how you can create an object building that functions as a part of a larger terrain.” An accessible, raised esplanade allows access on top of the building, while arriving and departing passengers circulate at grade. According to Reiser, three large wings offer “destination views” of the harbor, the coastline, and the city itself. Circulation and structure are concealed within the building’s double skin, which also prevents heat gain through the large expanses of glazing.

Alan G. Brake