This Taiwan Apartment Block Actually Eats Up City Smog

In a city filled with CO2 emitting vehicles, it’s a welcome relief to see that some of the future high rises of Taipei may help reduce the city’s smog. While Taipei 101 is doing all it can to become a completely green building, this new luxury apartment block will tackle the air pollution around it.

Set in the exclusive Xinyi neighborhood and just a short stroll from the Hyatt and Taipei 101, Tao Zhu Yin Yuan (The Retreat of Tao Zhu) hopes to set the trend for the developers currently rapidly altering Taipei’s skyline.

The brainchild of Belgian sustainable architect Vincent Callebaut, this 21 floor apartment building will open in September of 2017. The twisted form, based on the double-helix structure of DNA, is not the only striking thing about the building’s appearance. It will also feature some 23,000 plants and trees that will grace the rooftop gardens, the façade, and its many balconies make it a truly innovative design in a city overcome with masses of concrete.

The trees will help to reduce some of Taipei’s pollution and will come as a welcome boost to the local government who are trying their best to reduce CO2 emissions, most notably through a huge expansion in the city’s Youbike network.

But it’s not just the trees that will make this a truly green building. There will be rainwater recycling, rooftop solar panels, and natural lighting and ventilation, which in theory will drastically reduce the carbon footprint of the building’s lucky (and quite possibly extremely wealthy) inhabitants.

There will be over 40 luxury apartments and more amenities than a five star hotel. Residents will enjoy a swimming pool, fitness center, high-speed elevators, and glass covered sky garages.

The intent of the architect was to reduce the building’s carbon footprint and even with all these luxury amenities, he will do exactly that. The pool and fitness center will feature natural lighting, and with the solar panels supplying power to run the elevators, it’s the truly green building that Taipei needs and one that will hopefully encourage more local developers to follow suit.
Songyong Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110