Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex, Building, Project, Design, Image Biolab Squadron Design by Studio Nicoletti Associati in Taiwan, Asia e-architect			World Architecture : index Design architect: Studio Nicoletti Associati Architecture News
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex : Architecture
Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex : shortlisted + honor mention Studio Nicoletti Associati 21 Apr 2009 The Biolab Squadron consists of two units of laboratories protected and sealed within two similar elements evoking the "Nautilus" shell of different sizes. In nature, the interior of this shell is an authentic marvel formed by a sequence of interconnected chambers, lined with beautiful mother-of-pearl, whose geometry is a perfect logarithmic spiral. Such a masterpiece of nature hides one of the most horrible looking cephalopod molluscs. The two shells, forming the Biolab Squadron, are a metaphoric example of the highest formal and technological sophistication of the most advanced laboratories conceived and the extremely harmful pathogenic viruses of our planet which are studied within themselves. The Biolab Squadron outer skin pattern is made of interlacing geometric incisions reproducing the four conventional symbols attributed to the DNA sequence of the bacteria being studied. The result is a surface perfectly homogenous and uniform in its overall material, but mysteriously engraved by symbols illegible by most people. A sense of arcane volumetric unity bearing an enigmatic and indecipherable message emanates from this surface treatment. This effect reproduces what the common people feel towards the terrible pathogenic agents. They are invisible to the naked eye and can be really observed only under powerful electronic microscopes or when they cause devastating effects on populations. By engraving the genetic code of the most destructive viruses of our era on it's Centres for Disease Control Complex building's skin, Taiwan is giving a clear Message to the world: EPIDEMIC PREVENTION IS A WAR THAT WE INTEND TO WIN. The three-story "C" shaped Administration Centre is conceived like an "artificial hill" covered and protected by a green cloak with different kinds of grass and bushes which provide a perfect insulation and blending with the landscape. The internal layout of the three-story Administration Centre recalls the geometry of a micro-organisms cultivation visible under a microscope. The various functional elements, located on each floor, seem to float like real cells in a homogeneous fluid representing, in the building, the connective and social tissue between different functions. Within this metaphoric frame, the Administration Centre forms a kind of "tail" or "scourge" with respect to the two large buildings of the laboratories housed within the two Biolab shells. Thus the Biolab Squadron shells emerge in their full iconicity. The whole project has been designed to be the first building of it's kind to achieve a Gold Rating under the LEED and under EEWH (Ecology, Energy saving, Waste reduction and Health) certification systems. Biolab Squadron Taiwan - Building Information: Team Leader: Studio Nicoletti Associati, Rome - Manfredi Nicoletti & Luca Nicoletti Project Manager: Luca Maugeri Local Partners: ARCO Architects and Designers Ltd., Taipei - Tony Y.T. Chen Consultants: Medical consultants: Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani, Rome, Dr. Giuseppe Ippolito Structures + Facades: RFR Stuttgart -Paris, Mathias Kutterer and Henry Bardsley Facades: Permasteelisa, Vittorio Veneto, Riccardo Casini Lighting: Laura Borsani, Rome Sustainability: HOARE LEA, London, Thomas Lefevre Local Consultants: Plants: Parsons Brinckerhoff International, Inc. Taiwan, Charles Tan Medical and labs: LD Asia - Llewelyn Davies Hong Kong, Yin Lee Chong - Dti Arch. & Designers, Robert Chao Structures: Federal Engineering Consultant Inc. Taiwan, Eric Chyng.Maw Su Landscape: SOHO Lansdcape architecture, Taiwan, John YC Chen Traffic: Everest Engineering Consultants, Inc., Taiwan, Jeff Lee Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex images / information from Studio Nicoletti Associati 210409 World Architecture : e-architect - a guide to key buildings across the globe Architecture Studios Comments / photos for the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex Architecture page welcome: info@e-architect.co.uk Taiwan Centers for Disease Control Complex : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt			Buildings by this architect: Arezzo Law Court Astana Auditorium Performing Arts Centre Taiwan Putrajaya Waterfront Shanghai Italian Pavilion Key Building Links: Skyscrapers New Houses Contemporary Interiors Taiwan Architecture Awards Office Buildings Architects Hospital Buildings Taiwan Architecture