Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Mayor Hau Lung-bin attended the meeting of the Committee for the Development of Creative Industry on August 10. He expressed high hopes for working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Taiwan Design Center to promote the future Songshan Tobacco Plant Cultural Park, making it into a catalyst for the development of Taipei’s creative industry.

The new cultural park will be the work of Japanese architect Ito Toyo. The team headed by the famous architect will create a new look for the city’s historical site.

According to the construction plan, the park will be divided into A and B sections; section A, comprising the main building, will undergo renovation with funding provided by the government. The B section, which does not include the area dedicated as the city’s historical site, will be the center of a BOT (build, operate, and transfer) project that will serve as the future foundation and resource of the creative industry.

Renovations for the structure in section A is slated for completion in 2010. The building, which will reopen as the Taiwan Design Hall, will serve as the venue for the 2011 International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress Taipei. The event will be co-organized by Taipei City Government, MOEA, and Taiwan Design Center.

He also expects the facilities in section B to be up and operating by 2013.