Phase Shifts Park in Taichung, Taiwan, has been designed by French landscape architects Mosbach Paysagistes and combines nature and technology to create a refuge from the heat and pollution of the city.
The park, built on the site of Taichung's old airport, includes undulating surfaces that channel rainwater, as well as outdoor play areas for families and sports facilities, all connected by winding pathways.
Winding pathways crisscross the 70-hectare park
Mosbach Paysagistes collaborated with Philippe Rahm Architectes and Ricky Liu & Associates Architects + Planners for the project, which is also known as Jade Eco Park.
The project has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the landscape project category.
The old airport has been turned into a park for the city Taiwan has a humid subtropical climate, warmed by the Kuroshio ocean current. The park is designed to create pockets of fresher, cleaner air through landscaping and technology.
The design team began by producing a series of maps using data from three computational fluid dynamics simulations. One map covers heat distribution across the site, another humidity and the third air quality.
Undulating surfaces channel rainwater
Cooling technologies used in Phase Shifts Park include misting devices that release clouds of water vapour, and underground heat exchangers that blow cool air at people as they walk through the park.
Drying devices use silica gel to absorb water from the air before circulating it, while air f...