Hsinchu East Gate
新竹東門城
The Yingxi Gate, known as the East Gate, is located in the Heart of Hsinchu. Completed in 1999, the sunken plaza utilizes underpasses, once historic canals, to provide pedestrians passage to the open space. This was considered an innovative idea at the time. Twenty years later, I have decided to remove the glass bridge in the center of the plaza as an attempt to clarify the relationship between pedestrians and the city and to create a more flexible and open urban space. The plaza also serves as a retaining basin for the city during heavy rainfalls.
新竹之心竹塹城迎曦門，於2000年完成。下沉式的廣場 和串聯城市歷史渠道的地下通道，在當時可謂前所未見。二十年後，我決定拆除當年所建造的玻璃橋體，企圖釐清行人與城市之間的關係，創造一個更大更自由更彈性的都市核心空間，其本身巨大豪雨下仍能扮演都市滯洪池的功能。
By means of “reduction”, the glass bridge in the center of the plaza was removed to achieve separation of pedestrians and vehicles. Addtionally, the previously covered ancient bridge pier is now exposed for viewing.
Reducing the flower bed resulted in a more open and complete plaza that spaciously accommodates public events and provides practice grounds for street dancers. The elliptical pathway surrounding the plaza serves as an envelope to separate people and vehicles. Reflective stainless steel used for the underpasses to enhance spatial dimensions, coincidentally turned the underpasses into a popular spot for street dancing. This material is then extended into the interior of the plaza to increate capacity for dancers.
東門城廣場以減法將玻璃空橋拆除，達到人車分離。人與車各成一系統，關係才會變好；而古蹟橋墩在移除遮掩物後，重見天光，廣場之意與古蹟連接，至為自然！
退縮的花台讓廣場更開闊和完整，除了可作為市民舉辦集會和練舞表演的重要公共空間，並更加鞏固弧形坡道之圍塑感，區隔人與車。地下道採用鏡面不鏽鋼，營造出寬敞的空間，成為青年練舞的熱點，為了容納更多青年朋友，鏡面材質被延伸至廣場中央。
AxB
Pedestrian domain B begins from the first step of the stairs leading down towards the underpasses. The reflective stainless steel underpasses allow pedestrians to go beneath vehicle zone A, and exit into the plaza. Represented by X, the elliptical sloped path and the flower beds are the interface between the plaza and the city. The changes in density of the interface are created by the changing elevation of the sloped pathway. When walking inside X, pedestrians are able to sense the different conditions between the city and the plaza; a change from hearing traffic to gradually seeing the streetview.
空間領域B屬於行人的範圍，從下樓梯的第一踏開始，穿越鏡面不銹鋼的通廊，延伸到道路A下方，在廣場中央匯集成一個低於都市道路高程的下凹廣場。廣場與都市的邊界X，由坡道及植栽綠帶所構成，透過坡道內不同的高程，創造出介面的密度變化，有時只聞喧囂，有時看見街道，讓人感知都市與廣場漸變的關係。
X
INTERFACE BETWEEN A & B
X = COMPOSITE SPACES, GRADIENT OF DENSITY
A & B的交界
X = 複合式的空間、漸層的密度
SKETCHES
手稿
