Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), in collaboration with C.Y. Lee & Partners, has unveiled the design for the National Innovation, Creativity and Finance Center in Taipei. The 175,000 m² complex will consolidate the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the Taipei Exchange, the Taiwan Futures Exchange and the Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation within a single integrated development in the Beimen district.

The site occupies a prominent urban junction at Zhongxiao West Road and Bo’ai Road, steps from Taipei Main Station, one of the city’s busiest transport interchanges. Positioned between the historic Beimen Gate and the 1930-built Taipei Beimen Post Office, the project responds to a dense pedestrian environment shaped by daily commuter flows.

Urban guidelines for the district emphasize improved walkability and stronger public space. ZHA’s proposal organizes the ground plane as a permeable landscape of plazas, shaded walkways and open courtyards. A sequence of “outdoor rooms” extends the surrounding street network through the block, maintaining long views toward Beimen Gate and reinforcing pedestrian connectivity.

The restored Beimen Post Office will remain in place along the eastern edge of the site. Its masonry façade and decorative detailing are preserved, with the building set to become a museum and cultural venue. A glazed canopy inserted between old and new structures shelters a central courtyard designed for performances, gatherings and daily public use.

Rising 47 stories above this civic base, the tower adopts a stepped profile inspired by the fluted geometry of Taiwan’s native Phalaenopsis orchid. Vertical pleats define the façade, reducing apparent bulk while casting shifting shadows throughout the day. Beyond aesthetics, the pleated envelope modulates solar gain and supports natural airflow, enhancing energy performance in Taipei’s humid subtropical climate.

The project positions financial infrastructure within an open, publicly accessible urban framework, merging heritage conservation, environmental performance and contemporary high-rise design.