The Peinan Cultural Park

The Architecture and Landscape of Peinan Cultural Park

The introduction to the Peinan Site presented in the Visitor Center, the guide map at the entrance, The Lookout, Outdoor Performance Hall and the landscape gardening are meticulously designed for the convenience and enjoyment of the visitors. The displays in the Visitor Center and Excavation Site provide an insight to the excavation for all visitors. From The Lookout, you can witness the geological features that have lasted for thousands of years.

Besides the purpose of academic research, Peinan Cultural Park opens to the public for social educational purpose on preservation of the Excavation Site and artifacts, as well for relaxation and recreation.

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is situated on a slope at the west side of the park. It is the main exhibition hall for historical artifacts, and the main facility for visitors' service. The building is situated on the highland, yet it merges well into the landscape with light gray rooftop appearing indistinctly in the woods. The design of the Visitor Center is rather concise with pillars forming the main structure. To achieve space-efficiency and reduce the volume and weight of the crossbeams, crossbeams with U-shaped sections, high-performance concrete of 6000psi, and back-pulling prestressing force have successfully reduced the size of crossbeam sections to the minimum and expanded the pillar intervals to 16m. The crossbeam surface is coated with as-cast-finish concrete for a smooth touch, and painted with transparent protective coating for finishing. The roomy space together with the long and thin prestressed beam creates an elegant ambience for the building.

One of the characteristics of this building is the arched girder of the ceiling. Since the use of log is avoided, integrated materials made with small cemented wood boards are cemented into large timber for advantages of lightweight and high intensity. The materials are treated for fireproof so that they are only carbonized on the surface but not burn to the inside even at the burning point. Arched girders are positioned in interval of 2m, and arrayed on the ceiling to create a magnificent yet warm look.

The French windows made with tempered glass on four sides of the building grasp the picturesque sceneries from the outside. Outside of the exhibition hall and over the small bridge is the semi-outdoor learning area. The roof over the bridge is formed by an array of wood beams suspended by metal truss. The opening on the roof indeed adds a slight flavor to it.

The Visitor Center carries out functions of exhibition, information research, excavation, and administration. It is indeed a miniature museum that provides the visitors with important information, and is the heart of Peinan Cultural Park.

Open-air Amphitheater

The Open-air Amphitheater holds activities and performances for the public. The marble surface of the square contains the design of jade earring that is significant to the Peinan Culture and used as the museum logo. The Open-air Amphitheater blends into the landscape well and offers an extensive view. Two native plants are preserved at the two verges of the square, and the axis formed by the plants is pointing toward the Tulan Mt., the mysterious holy mountain to the ancient people on this land.

The Lookout

The Lookout is a fantastic sightseeing spot along the way to the park. The exhibition of slate coffins is added after the coffins were unexpectedly unearthed during the excavation. The Lookout is built with a solid cobbled base, and fireproof and dyed araucaria. It is a 2-story wood structure with the slate coffins exhibition on the first floor and the sightseeing platform on the second floor. Visitors can enjoy a view of the entire park, as well as the wavy mountain ranges and vast plains.

Excavation Site

At the end of the winding path is the excavation site. To protect the staff working on the site, an easily assembled shack is installed. The shack is surprisingly lightweight, and uses gravity foundation and tension structure to stabilize the canopy to provide a shelter for the staff while excavating the archeological sites. Outside of the Excavation Site is the workstation built with the same concept.