The Railway Bureau of the Taiwan Ministry of Transportation and Communications recently launched a tender for the “High-Speed Railway Section Development Project for the Taichung Station Area”, which was finally awarded to the Di Yi Da International Development Company. The NTD 20 billion project is expected to commence by the end of this year and the complex will be completed and opened in 2026. The Chairman of Di Yi Da International Development, Mr Eiichi Harashima, announced: “A world-class, upscale fashion department store and shopping mall is coming to Taiwan! ”
The development site is located at Xinwuri Station in Taichung, and covers an area of nearly 159,000 square meters, and enjoys the advantages of fast and convenient transportation links including high-speed rail, conventional rail and MRT rapid transit, as well as excellent road access via multiple national motorways and expressways that connect it to the entire Greater Central Region of Taiwan within 30 minutes.
Gregory Kovacs, Design Director, explains the aspiration for the development:
“Our goal was to create a holistic and sustainable vision for the Taichung Station area. A mega development that not only respects the environment but is deeply anchored in the local culture while creating a buzzing new commercial centre that weaves together a broad range of different live-work-play functions, all interlinked with a major transportation hub.”
The project is led by world-famous UK architect firm Benoy, which has been in designing iconic destinations for 75 years around the world, and with local Taiwanese designers invited to join the design team.
Benoy’s core concept is based on the unique topography of Taichung, with architecture and an interior environment that showcase majestic mountain-like volumes, a cloud-like roof, and spaces that flow like water. The heart of the entire entertainment centre and shopping mall is a five-story department store that combines shopping, global dining and a Broadway-class multiplex cinema, together with an international multi-function exhibition venue, conference centre, shared offices, animé-themed stores, grade‑A offices, a smart business hotel and an international five-star hotel. It will also incorporate an extra-large green landscaped area, roof garden and solar power equipment in line with climate change policies, turning it into a green, low-carbon landmark on par and rivalling other world-class developments.
Di Yi Da International Development hopes that the project will generate employment for 16,000 people and kickstart the development of Xinwuri Station and the surrounding area, creating a sustainable, comfortable urban area that provides a sense of arrival and leads the way towards a new interactive lifestyle.
Project Overview
Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Scope of Service: Masterplanning, Architecture, Retail Planning
Category: Mixed-Use (including office, residence, shopping centre, hotel, conference center)
GFA: 473,208 sq m
Project Director: Gregory Kovacs
Project Leader: Nana Liu
Project Manager: Vicky Wang
Design Team: Alien Chan, Sampson Ip, Gracie Guo, Leevan Huang, Amy Tan, Grace Chan
Client: Di Yi Da International Development Company
