Tainan, Taiwan, July 4th, 2011

Prof. Chuan-Wen Sun from the Department of Architecture at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has won an outstanding award and a prize of NTD$500,000 in an international urban design competition, proposing a new perspective on the old and desolated Kaohsiung Port Station.

The Kaohsiung Port Station Urban Design Competition, organized by the Urban Development Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, has in total selected 2 excellence awards, 3 outstanding awards and 5 merit awards among at least 170 teams.

The Kaohsiung Port Station, formerly called “Dagouyi” or “Kaohsiungyi”, is situated next to the Kaohsiung Port in Yancheng District of Kaohsiung City and was the first train station built by the Taiwan Governor-General Office during Japanese occupation to commence the sea-land transportation.

In 1908, it became the terminal station of Taiwan north-south railway line to serve the needs for passenger transport and freight transport of large machines needed by the newly built sugar factory in Southern Taiwan.

After today’s Kaohsiung Train Station was built in 1941 as the city developed, the passenger transport service shifted to the new station and the freight transport service was terminated in 2008, putting an end to the service of Kaohsiung Port Station.

Since then, Kaohsiung Port Station area has been designated as one of the benchmark projects for national urban renewal by the Executive Yuan, Taiwan.

According to Chuan-Wen Sun, the design site area is 15.42 hectares and is bounded by Wufu Road on the north, Gushan 1st Road on the west and the railway on the south, and it neighbors the old Yancheng community on the east.

In his design titled Trans Park, Chuan-Wen Sun sees urban park and activity as the priority and thus builds shops, cafes and flower stands along the railway which are both practical and heart-warming.

Sun also connects Kaohsiung Port Station with Kaohsiung Harbor and relocates Cijin Ferry Pier to the station to restore the past image of ferries sailing in and out in the harbor.

In addition, the area along Wufu Road is being mapped out as a commercial district with business buildings and activities.

“I have spent a long time residing in Kaohsiung and have discussed the proposal frequently with Prof. Seog-Jeong Lee, my good friend from Hanyang University, Korea,” said Chuan-Wen Sun. “The design is highly feasible and I am more than happy to contribute my ideas whether or not the Kaohsiung City Government decides to adopt the design in the future.”