Construction has started on the second phase of MVRDV’s Hoowave Water Factory masterplan in Huwei, Taiwan. The project, which began construction in 2023, aims to modernise the town’s waterway network. The town will soon have a system that captures and stores water for use and gives space to the river, to nature, and to urban life. These changes will reverse the water pollution that had resulted from the town’s urban and agricultural growth, and better prepare it for the floods and droughts that will come as a result of climate change – while creating new cycle paths, cultural amenities, and ecological systems that connect the people, nature, and the river.

Officials and project participants at the ceremonial groundbreaking of phase 2 of the Hoowave Water Factory masterplan.

The first phase of the masterplan, which is scheduled to be completed in November, focused on the Beigang River Park, transforming the dike that separates the town from its river into an accessible urban space and opening up the area between for public use with a series of paths that weave through the site, following the topography to minimize soil movement and disruption of nature.

The main focus of phase two will be the Anqing Waterland, in the heart of Huwei. The Anqing channel – a partially closed-over waterway running through the town – will be opened and naturalised, creating a park in the abandoned terrain alongside the town’s former alcohol factory. Along the rest of the channel’s length, between the park and the sugar factory railway, the channel will be uncovered and paired with a parallel path that connects the entire site. These changes will activate the area, making water accessible and visible for everyone, and encouraging a greater respect for the town’s water resources.

Read more about the masterplan for Hoowave Water Factory here.