TAIWAN ARCHITECT | NO.556 Matsu : From Mysterious to the Magical

2021-08-06

The development of the project was influenced by three important aspects: The first is the interests of the visitors, making the project attractive for both children and adults.

The location, the surroundings and the Tunnels’ depth influenced the creation of skylights and exits to the surface throughout the circuit. In addition, native plants are used in the design.

This is a mysterious island. The site is divided into two parts by the “Transition” and thus, establishing two types of playground with different feelings for the users.

Immersed in the depths of an island near mainland China, there is an underground world with a past of war. After decades of confinement, the secrets of these tunnels inside Matzu Islands will finally manifest and change our perception of places.

All the spaces of the design have a series of features and common characteristics that allow us to see them as unique and autonomous entities. The main characteristic of all these spaces is the power that they exerts over visitors owing to the play with space and natural light inside.

“To Adapt”

The space plays with the users. They must “adapt” to the space in which they operate and not the other way around. Thus, when users enter to the tunnels, spaces may be narrow, but high, and others are bigger and opened to the sky, making people feel smaller, adding activities where they need to climb and jump. Then, when the “transition” is passed, everything goes back to normal。

Due to the depth in which some areas of the tunnels are located, it is not advisable to excavate them. Nonetheless, in places where the depth is equal to or less than 3m, it has been opened either totally or partially as skylights.

The circuit of tunnels has been divided into different Senses for each place. Among them are:

1.五感戰壕 The Hunger Game (Sensible low line playground) Inside these places is where senses are awakened. Mixing colors, shapes, and textures.

2.幽浮戰城 Half buried tunnels (A 3D playground rolling up & down) Creates new walking paths on the surface by opening and digging up some tunnels and remodeling the existing path in the site. Moreover, to place endemic plants in the site.

3.迷宮戰陣 (Tunnels becoming labyrinth trenches) To remove partially or totally the land on top of the tunnels to create new spaces with completely different feeling among the enclosed tunnel.