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Architects: KRIS YAO | ARTECH
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Photographs:Jeffrey Cheng
Text description provided by the architects. Located in downtown Taipei, the KeltiCenter is a complex that houses corporate offices, an event hall on the top floor and commercial spaces on the lower levels. Adopting the existing narrow rectangular form from the site with an east-west orientation, the building is set back from the street on the west side, enabling space for a generous open plaza with wide platform stairs.
Two low-rise volumes flanked by the service cores on each side and a high-rise structure suspended from the “portal frame” make up the entire complex. The space between the lower volumes forms the building’s entrance. The high-rise structure resembles crystallized rock with alternating dark and light-colored glazing, and is supported by the service core enclosed by a stone façade, creating an image of trendy elegance and light-hearted tectonics.
The building’s lower commercial levels are designated for showrooms and restaurants. The middle section houses the corporate offices, and the top floor is a sky-lit, 13.5-meter-high event hall with a spectacular view to the city. Natural sunlight streams into the restaurants in the basement from the expansive first floor lobby. The service cores are located on the north and south sides to give maximum flexibility for the spaces in between.
