Meeting Richard Rogers in the Kaohsiung MRT Central Park Station

A French publication named “La Défense”, which I got for free from a theme Expo many years ago, introduces the constantly evolving of a great city in terms of its main buildings. With so many exquisite pictures within this book, it really intrigues me to explore more about architecture.

From this book, I read about the spirits of the millennium year has offered architects new prospects in their designs. I then go deeper to get the concept of Millenarianism from Wiki (Millennium is from the Latin mille, “one thousand” and annus, “Year”,) and understand how its main idea from the religious belief--the expectation of a new better future in the world, influence people. Therefore, to welcome Millennium, architecture is designed to display innovation, renewal with high-end technology and evolved materials, especially the shape of the building can be very surreal: tormented, curved, complex or out-of-box… beyond your imagination!

Among the superb Millennium-concept architecture, one of the great masters is Richard George Rogers, best known for his great work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris and Millennium Dome in London. Can you believe it? He once was dyslexic and was always at the bottom of his class in his early days, but he attended the AA (Architectural Association School of Architecture) in London later, and finally was rewarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize – architecture's highest honour! 

The Pompidou Centre in Paris, France (source:wikipedia)

Millennium Dome in London, UK (source: wikipedia)

His work is noted for the modernist and functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. Words like urbanism, controversial, sustainability, safety, and vitality, controversial and iconic are often used to describe his work. Luckily, there is one building in Taiwan- the Kaohsiung MRT Central Park Station-designed by British architect Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside. 

the Kaohsiung MRT Central Park Station

A mini water cycle pouring down in a waterfall off the top

Its surrounding natural landscape contrasting with the high-tech engineering science spreads out an ambience of hard and soft, urban and nature, speaking for our better future.