Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo by BIAS Architects and Associates

Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo by BIAS Architects and Associates is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award in Zilver in Evenement en Happening Ontwerp Competition Category.

ZilverEvenement· 2021

Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo

by BIAS Architects and Associates

Client: Hsinchu City Government & Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs

A' Design Award in Zilver Winner in Evenement Category

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The Design

About Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo

De Design Expo is een jaarlijks designevenement gepromoot door de centrale overheid van Taiwan. Het doel is om nieuwe energie te brengen in de lokale ontwerpsector. In 2020 was Hsinchu gastheer van het, dat wil zeggen een stad met een levendig Science Park en meer dan 300 jaar geschiedenis. In deze context transformeerde BIAS de Expo tot een stedelijk evenement. In plaats van een enkele tentoonstelling op gang te brengen, zorgde deze keuze ervoor dat een reeks plekken in de stad tijdelijk opnieuw werd vormgegeven. Het doel was om mensen de diversiteit van de stad te laten ervaren en een nieuw stedelijk verhaal te laten zien, twee dingen die uiteindelijk de sociale kracht van design benadrukten.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Zilver

Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Zilver, een buitengewoon prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan topontwerpen die prachtig en indrukwekkend zijn. Winnaars in Zilver zijn enorm briljante en uiterst creatieve werken die de uitmuntende expertise, het talent en de scherpzinnigheid van hun ontwerpers illustreren. Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo wordt verwacht een prachtig paradepaardje te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en diepgaand innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Zilver heeft gewonnen, is een hoogst opmerkelijke, bewonderde uitvinding die baat en de grenzen van kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie verlegt. Check-in Hsinchu Stads- En Designexpo is een zeer benijde creatie die verlangens oproept, positieve gevoelens brengt en verbazing en verwondering doet ontvlammen.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Taiwan Design Expo is an annual design event promoted by the central government of Taiwan. It aims to bring new energy to the design sector in relation to various fields of industry, society, and culture. In 2020, it was hosted by Hsinchu, a city that holds both a vibrant Science Park and more than 300 years of history. In this context, BIAS decided to transform the Expo into an urban event, a bold move that, instead of triggering a single exhibition, brought to re-imagine -although temporarily- a line of places across the city. The aim was to make people concretely experience the various aspects of the city's culture and trigger a change in their perspective towards the urban space.
Dimensions & Packaging: Total exhibition area: 410,000 sqm
Tags: design expo, social design, public space, city, urban culture, urban identity
Production Technology: To implement the Expo at a city scale, besides redefining the notion of exhibition areas, BIAS curated a strategic set of interventions that could guide people across the city. A 'performance route' was organized, two plazas were made into playgrounds, and a series of iconic large-scale inflatable sculptures, nicknamed the 'Monsters of Hsinchu,' served as landmarks symbolizing the new identity of the city. A digital orientation system was also developed thanks to an ad-hoc smartphone app, that offered digital access to all the contents and their location across what has become the sort of a 2-km long virtual urban promenade. Finally, a shuttle bus was created to offer better accessibility to all gender and ages of people.
Design Challenge: The hardest challenge of the project was the development of the narrative, due to the political implications of the project. Due to this, a large number of stakeholders have been involved and an ad-hoc managerial system had to be developed. In particular, a system of consultants that could participate in the creative process and have socio-political influence was created.
Research: The project implied research on various aspects, as of the following. First, it was implemented research on the city of Hsinchu, including aspects of history, politics, planning, and expected developments. Then, it was implemented research on the key stakeholders involved in the active definition of urban identity. Also, research was implemented in terms of key actors that could contribute to design discussion and exercise socio-political influence. Finally, it was developed design research concerning the temporary revitalization of public space, and exhibition concepts tht could deliver the message of the Expo
Inspiration: The Expo program was developed in the context of an urban promotion campaign, and it was based on a socio-cultural investigation of the place. By researching Hsinchu city's background, BIAS found that a large portion of the local population moved in because of the flourishing Science Park. Unfortunately, this Park is socio-culturally segregated from the historical urban center. So, BIAS imagined a new narrative for the whole city, i.e., to reconsider the city itself as a 'material database' that registers both the old and the latest happenings. Through such a narrative, no matter the reason behind the participation in the city, everyone can join, and a hybrid living style can finally develop by integrating both the idea of memory and the idea of innovation.
Project Duration: The Expo started on 1st November 1st, 2020, and finished on November 11th, in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Operation Flow: The Expo operated as a 2km-long line of events and temporary exhibition spaces, that delivered a new narrative for the city of Hsinchu, but also toured the citizens and the visitors across various areas of the city. The main aim of this narrative and 'guided tour,' was to combine the Taiwan Design Expo, i.e., an annual occasion for promoting the design sector in Taiwan, with a festival capable to 'reconnect' diverse aspects and areas of the city. This way, it was finally showcased how design can intervene in society and the 'software' of the urban realm.
Team Members: Main Curator: BIAS Architects & Associates
Executive Organizer: Taiwan Design Research Institute & Grand Vision
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Kris Kang, 2020
Image #2: Photographer Jian-Lin Li, 2020
Image #3: Photographer Yi-Hsien Lee, 2020
Image #4: Photographer Pei-Cih Chen, 2020
Image #5: Photographer Kris Kang, 2020