Alishan Mountain Railway

Tawiwan

Erwinpin is the seventeenth stop along an old logging train line that now carries tourists to the top of Mt. Alilshan to view a spectacular sunrise and sunsets. Though the flattest stop on the Alishan line, Erwinpin is contained by steep slopes that often give way during heavy rains. Engulfing the site is a Hinoki pine forest planted in a perfect grid in the early 1900’s. This project used a new design process to explore potential relationships. The transformation of a defined geometry, a square mesh, drove the design process and establish new relationship between the landscape and built environment. The mesh as a way to retain and release the site I heightened the physical inclinations of the site while using the mesh to organize a new programmatic relationship between local economy and tourism.


All content copyright Kira Appelhans.