The atrium of the new Taichung
City Hall's Huizhong Building.

A plum blossom-shaped city
symbol and lush plants on
display.

New Taichung City Hall atrium wire protective fence offers improved, safer environment for staff and residents

Words by Jan Ling
Photos provided by National Taichung Library
Translated by Angel Pu

Since Taichung's new city hall was completed on Oct. 10, 2010 and opened for use on Dec. 25 the same year, the Taichung City Government has continuously improved the building's software and hardware in order to provide even higher-quality services to its residents. Due to expressions of concern about the safety of the glassed-in stairways on both ends of the city hall atrium, the government decided to make improvements to the stairs in hope that the structure will not only be attractive, but also safe for the public to use.

The Taichung City Government Secretariat has planned and carried out several construction projects that are aimed at providing safety, a beautiful exterior, bright ambient lighting, and multifunctional usage. After some considerations, they decided to use stainless-steel wire protective fence as it is pervious to light and safer. Besides these considerations, the fence has also been embellished with the Taichung City symbol and other beautifully-designed parts. This remodeling/improvement effort has allowed visitors and city employees to experience a brighter, more artistic environment as they move around the city hall.

In addition, resolving another problem of stairway glass being too transparent for female workers wearing skirts, the Secretariat has applied a matte, dark film to the glass under the stairway railings.

The improvement project is being completed in June, 2011 and is already presenting additional advantages, such as the fact that the 5mm stainless wire fence is very useful for hanging banners, plants and other objects, according to the needs of different offices.

Left： The new city hall atrium.
Right: The wire fence