KPF has designed the TCC DAKA Renewable Resource Recycling Center in Hualien County, Taiwan.

The TCC DAKA Renewable Resource Recycling Center is a living laboratory that demonstrates the connections between culture, industry, the built and natural environments.

This mixed-use development, located next to an operational cement factory, includes a waste-to-energy plant, a visitors centre, a public park and Taiwan's largest seed conservation centre.

"How often do we consider what happens to the trash we throw away?" asked KPF. "Here, instead of hiding the process, visitors are invited to engage with waste disposal and the natural beauty of the site."

As a result, processing can be observed at close quarters and a series of landscaped spaces – home to a collection of rare ferns – put nature at the forefront of the centre.