It’s certainly not the most beautiful building. But neither is the sight of plains covered in solar panels. And this is not just an aesthetic issue; it is primarily an environmental one, because fertile land is destroyed. In Taiwan, they found this solution.
From Solar Home ·
It’s certainly not the most beautiful building. But neither is the sight of plains covered in solar panels. And this is not just an aesthetic issue; it is primarily an environmental one, because fertile land is destroyed. In Taiwan, they found this solution.
The building belongs to the state-owned energy company Taipower and is located in an industrial area on Taiwan’s west coast. In other respects, it is a building with offices, a maintenance workshop, storage areas and a public gallery, but its exterior surfaces are entirely covered with photovoltaic panels. It has been named Sun Rock and serves as a manifesto for Taipower’s goals.
The building, designed by the Dutch firm MVRDV, is primarily intended for the storage and maintenance of sustainable energy equipment. Its location receives significant solar radiation throughout the year, so Sun Rock’s rounded shape was designed to maximize the amount of sunlight that can be harnessed for energy.
On the south side, it slopes gently downward, creating a large surface that is directly exposed to the sun during the day. At the northern end, its domed shape maximizes the area exposed to the sun in the mornings and evenings.
The angle of the panels is adjusted across all parts of the façade to maximize energy production. As a result, the building can generate 1,2 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually—an amount equivalent to burning more than 100 tonnes of crude oil—making the building fully self-sufficient. There is, however, potential to increase production to 1,7 million.
“Naturally, we aim to make all our projects as sustainable as possible. However, projects can go beyond simply being sustainable. This project has unique and exciting potential,” says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “The client is an energy company, which allowed us to do more than usual. We covered the entire façade with photovoltaic panels, maximizing energy gains so that the facility is not only self-sustaining for its own use, but also allows the building to become an energy-generation tool, exporting electricity to the grid. This is achieved through the efficient, data-driven placement of the panels.”
At the heart of the building is the Data Room, a raised atrium with screens displaying real-time data about Taipower’s activities and the amount of renewable energy the company produces. On the first floor, a gallery overlooks the maintenance workshop, allowing the public to see up close the machines that make sustainable energy possible, from solar panels to enormous wind turbine blades. An additional exhibition gallery is located on the top floor, while at roof level, beneath a canopy of solar panels, there is a terrace where Taipower visitors and employees can relax.
The design cleverly combines functional spaces with a series of galleries. The building therefore serves as an important communications tool for Taipower, allowing it to publicly demonstrate its ambitions for a greener future. In total, it incorporates more than 4.000 square meters of photovoltaic panels. The result is an active skin: architecture adapted for performance.
