This time around, these two awards respectively recognize TIPC’s achievements with respect to the Gaoyuan New Village Historic Harbormaster’s Dormitory Building Restoration Project and the Port of Kaohsiung Wharf A6 Shoreline Reinforcement and Land Reclamation Project, once again reaffirming the high quality of project work undertaken by TIPC.

Beyond restoring the physical building and premises, by linking together collected documents, historical materials, and personal records (including ongoing efforts to collect oral histories) spanning over a century of port history and by creating links with other area historical sites (e.g., the Harbor Founding Monument), the historic restoration project undertaken at Port of Keelung has invested new and meaningful purpose into an important heritage building while bringing new attention to relevant cultural and historical connections. At various times during the project, officials from the MOC’s Bureau of Cultural Heritage were invited to the site to review project work. Based on their recommendations, building elements were repaired and/or strengthened using materials and processes as similar as possible to those originally used in order to faithfully restore the building and site to their original appearance while allowing the integration of new electrical systems and other conveniences in line with modern standards and needs.

Original building wood, exterior flora, and landscape materials were saved and reused as much as possible not only to save on costs and reduce the project’s carbon footprint but also to preserve the site’s historical character and charm.

The second PCC-awarded project was designed to further integrate Port of Kaohsiung’s shipping advantages with the area’s strong manufacturing and industry support base. The new wharf (A6) subsequently built along the southern shoreline adjacent to the port’s second entrance is set to become a key link in the country’s growing offshore wind turbine production and supply chain. The new wharf, which facilitates both ship-based crane and self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) activities, will comprehensively support the transport and loading of fully assembled wind turbine support structures.

In addition to handling the needs of normal commercial shipping, Wharf A6 is able to accommodate stern-berthing on its western flank, significantly enhancing its operational range. The 580m-long wharf is built to accommodate heavy transport and piling vessels up to 43,500DWT in side, stern, or other berthing configurations. The foundations of the wharf, in line with Port of Kaohsiung’s unique natural challenges, have been engineered to provide high tolerances against both wave erosion and tectonic activity. Moreover, wave-dissipating caissons work to maintain static stability in the surrounding water area.

TIPC has been a regular recipient of both Public Construction Golden Quality and Golden Safety awards since its founding in 2012. The implementation of quality and safety measures and programs as well as the achievement of timing, quality, environmental protection, and safety goals are critical to optimizing the quality of public construction projects. PCC award recognition not only recognizes the recent achievements of TIPC project teams and engineers but also encourages their continued efforts to maintain project work quality and achieve new milestones.