Circular tower proposed for Taichung City, Taiwan

Chicago-based STL Architects is hoping to impact the identity of Taichung City with its impressive Taiwan Tower concept. The designs have been submitted as part of the Taiwan Tower competition, where architects have been challenged to design a monument that would enhance the urban culture for Taichung citizens. STL's dramatic design would create a monument in the center of the city in the form of a circular tower.

The building would soar 320 meters (1,049 feet) above a central parkland, incorporating sustainable energy initiatives such as solar energy and CO2 filters. The central lobby would feature a cultural museum, and visitors would have the opportunity to go up to the sky-deck, looking out over the park and Taichung city.

The exterior of the tower would be pixilated with glazed openings, with light degradation varying between 20 and 60 percent. This would create the lighting required for the central section of the structure, and would save resources by using fewer materials. Minimal structural beams would be positioned to support the building's shape, in order to avoid dead weight zones.

The foundations would be embedded several stories into the earth, to prevent the overall structure from twisting in on itself, thus ensuring that the tower will resist lateral movement and prevent the possibility of it falling. The low center of gravity creates a lean at the top of the tower, perfect for the planned observation deck.

"The twisting of the conventional idea of a tower and tilting of the complex structure occurs as an attempt to contextualize the building into a new technological era," says STL.