;
;
Fubon Tower is a new mixed-use development in Taipei’s Xinyi district. Standing at 265m tall, the building is a slender 54-storey development that achieves ambitious sustainability aspirations with the potential to change the architectural future of Taiwan.
The client sought a landmark headquarter tower of the highest architectural quality, with exceptional seismic and typhoon resistance and the most comfortable interior environment. At the same time, the client wanted high floor plate efficiency and the project to realised at a competitive construction cost.
Arup has worked in collaboration with Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Kris Yao Artech to design Fubon Tower, which will provide office space, a rooftop events area, retail facilities, public gardens and a museum of contemporary modern art. Our engineering design has balanced the client aspirations with the demanding architectural aesthetic whilst remaining committed to high sustainability targets and achieving a Taiwanese Green Building Certification (EEWH) Gold rating.
Project Summary
265m high tower
2,000sq. metersof contemporary and modern art galleries
Building vibrant working spaces
Arup has been instrumental in defining the solutions that have formed the design of Fubon Tower, including the unique diagrid structure. Our multidisciplinary team has closely integrated our structural engineering and buildings services with the architectural vision to create comfortable working environments focused on the user. The slender tower has floor to floor heights of 4.2m providing greater flexibility in office layout and ensures high-quality daylighting levels in the office floorplates.
Responding to a challenging climate
Taipei’s humid subtropical climate places strain on systems to maintain comfortable working temperatures within their buildings. Drawing upon international best practice in tall tower design, the HVAC systems have been designed to respond to these conditions through the application of the latest low carbon technologies, including dry fan-coil units, heat pumps and thermal ice storage within the foundations of the tower, to minimise energy consumption.
The closed water systems are subdivided to conventional building pressure zones, allowing standard HVAC equipment to be installed, reducing costs, maintaining efficiency and improving overall safety over the life of the building. The public health design minimises water consumption through the use of low flow fitting and extensive rainwater harvesting systems, which irrigate the generous public realm around the base of the Tower and roof
“This project continues our longstanding collaborative relationship with Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Working together we’ve designed a slender, efficient and sustainable complex that will set new standards for high-quality design in Taipei ”
William Algaard Director, Building Engineering UKIMEA
Challenging seismic conditions and high wind loads
The structural design incorporates significant technical innovations such as tapering perimeter columns that respond to the variation of loading over the height of the building and a bracing system that distributes foundation demands. The design uses exceptionally large Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) to maximise seismic resistance, limiting overturning forces and thereby minimising column sizes and foundation demands. We undertook significant research around Wind-Seismic Interaction and the impact of this on Structural material use. This research confirmed the load reductions achieved through wind sculpting the tower corner notches, which, when combined with the development of the seismic design strategy, allowed us to achieve a highly efficient primary structure.
Despite the exceptionally onerous wind and seismic environmental loading, the structural steel tonnage and cost were substantially below local benchmarks and below the client’s budget. This allowed the budget to be reallocated to add an active facade providing clear views and transparency while at the same time effectively managing solar control and cooling loads.
Related
Projects
