Archinect - News

Strict building codes prevented a larger catastrophe in earthquake-prone Taiwan

2024-04-03T19:22:00-04:00

The 7.4 magnitude that struck eastern Taiwan yesterday has provided evidence as to how the country’s reputedly strong building codes and regulations prevented significant losses of life and property 25 years after another tragic seismic event led to widespread change.

"Taiwan’s earthquake preparedness is among the most advanced in the world," Stephen Gao, a seismologist and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, told the AP. "The island has implemented strict building codes, a world-class seismological network, and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety."

This state of preparedness is credited to government action following a September 1999 earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 that caused 2,400 deaths and damage to over 50,000 buildings on the island. Another factor within this are business and governmental conditions inside Taiwan, which is worth comparing to Turkey's response to an earthquake that occurred there the month before the same year...

OMA unveils design for Metropolitan Village residential tower in Taipei

2023-11-09T12:56:00-05:00

OMA has revealed plans for its first post-pandemic residential design in Taipei. The new Metropolitan Village project is being designed by OMA Managing Partner David Gianotten and Taiwan Project Director Chiaju Lin and calls for a 23-story tower comprised of interconnected volumes arranged around a central core.

Image: © WAX Architectural Visualizations, courtesy of OMA

Gianotten says: “Housing has become increasingly multi-functional since the pandemic. For many, it is no longer only a space for domestic activities but also for work, for socializing, for sports, among other happenings. Different than typical residential towers with identical living units, Metropolitan Village has different types of spaces that encourage the residents to define their own lifestyles. The result is a vibrant vertical Metropolitan village with a mix of activities.”

Image: © WAX Architectural Visualizations, courtesy of OMA

Metropolitan Village will be oriented front to back, with its front elevation add...

MVRDV completes stunning new green-roofed wholesale market in Taiwan

2023-02-23T12:41:00-05:00

MVRDV has shared photos of its just-completed “ambitious architectural experiment” wholesale produce market project in Tainan, Taiwan.

The firm’s second foray into the country, open-air Tainan Market features a publicly-accessible green roof, punctuated at one end by an office structure, that can be further adapted for agricultural use while providing users a stepped vista onto the market floor and surrounding landscape beyond.

Image © Shephotoerd

The design team says: “Tainan Market represents an ambitious architectural experiment. Here, MVRDV reinvents the typology of the wholesale market — a building type that is usually housed in simple metal sheds — and turns it into a mixture of a market and a public green space. In doing so, the design takes an often-prosaic part of the food industry and elevates it into a place for the public to experience food and appreciate views of the landscape.”

Image © Shephotoerd

The market is ...

OMA's Taipei Performing Arts Center officially opens

2022-08-08T15:54:00-04:00

The new Taipei Performing Arts Center by OMA has opened to the public in the city’s Shilin Night Market. Led by Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, the project comprises three theaters: a spherical 800-seat Globe Playhouse, a 1,500-seat Grand Theater, and an 800-seat Blue Box, connected to a central cube.

Previously on Archinect: OMA's role-defying new theater design debuts in Taipei

The cube houses the stages, backstages, and support spaces of the theaters, which allows the Grand Theater and the Blue Box to come together to form a Super Theater.

Image © Shephotoerd Co. Photography, courtesy of OMA

Image © OMA

The Globe features a unique proscenium that supports experimentation with stage framing. The opaque façades of the theaters juxtapose the animated and illuminated central cube that is clad in corrugated glass.

Image © Shephotoerd Co. Photography, courtesy of OMA

Image © OMA

A landscaped plaza sits beneath the central cube, which is lifted off the ground to accommodate t...

OMA's role-defying new theater design debuts in Taipei

2022-05-16T13:20:00-04:00

New photos have been released of the recently completed Tapei Performing Arts Center by OMA.

Now a part of the capital city’s Shilin Night Market, the new Center houses two 800-seat theaters and a larger 1,500-seat venue in addition to support areas all connected by a centralizing cube-like form that OMA founder Rem Koolhaas thinks will free both patron and performer from a stultifying industry-wide trend.

Image: © OMA by Chris Stowers

“Theater has a very long tradition. We have seen contemporary performance theaters increasingly becoming standardized, with conservative internal operation principles. We want to contribute to the history of the theater,” Koolhaas explained in a statement. “Here in Taipei, we were able to combine three auditoria in a particular way. We are interested to see how this architecture will have an impact in terms of extending what we can do in theater.”

Image © Shephotoerd Co. Photography, courtesy of OMA

Photos reveal the cubic ...

MVRDV-designed 'Sun Rock' offers itself an embodiment of Taiwan's carbon-free future

2022-01-18T16:48:00-05:00

One of Taiwan’s largest public utility companies is ready to make a bold statement about its intentions with a new operations storage facility from MVRDV called "Sun Rock" that will play a significant part in the country’s transition to a green energy economy. This is the firm’s second recent effort in the country behind the Tainan Spring adaptive reuse project that was announced in March of 2020.

Billed as a “manifesto in a building,” Sun Rock’s energy-saving effects are produced by a large dome and sloping southern front made functional by a series of pleats covered in PV panels that help the building generate up to a remarkable 1.7 million kWh of clean energy in a given year. The building includes a maintenance workshop, gallery spaces, roof terrace, and a special data display room that has all been made available to the public in an effort to showcase the shared goal of sustainability which defines both the country and firm.

Image: © MVRDV

“Of course, we aim to make all of our p...

Mecanoo converts former urban railway line into green corridor in Taichung, Taiwan

2021-10-22T14:56:00-04:00

Mecanoo, in collaboration with S.D. Atelier Design & Planning, has completed the redevelopment of a 1.7-kilometer-long former railway line into a green corridor featuring an herb garden, fitness areas, playground, viewpoint, and waterpark in Taichung, Taiwan.

The aim of the project was to reimagine and reconnect a historic, disused railway that, due to its challenging location, has served as more of a barrier, impeding circulation from each side of it. The design, thus, opens the railway to the city via a green corridor that fosters biodiversity in order to meet the needs of the community. Bike and pedestrian lanes were also added to meet this goal.

As per the architects: “Within this linear site, the sustainable development covered a wide range of planning and design factors including urban regeneration, public participation, historic preservation, green and water resources, and circulation routes for pedestrians and bikes. Relying on Mecanoo’s extensive urban planning experience...

WOHA completes mixed-use 'Sky Green' development

2019-12-09T17:56:00-05:00

Back in 2012, the Taichung City Government and Feng Chia University invited WOHA to bring its "Breathing Architecture" exhibition to the city. Initially a part of the city government's Gateway Project Masterplan, the exhibition built on ideas focusing on the design principles of sustainability, low carbon emissions, and smart cities.

The first of it's kind in Taichung, WOHA was commissioned to design a green and sustainable mixed-use develop within the city. Dubbed "Sky Green," the project contains residential apartments, retail shops, and recreational facilities, all dispersed within two towers.

The Tower A apartments sport extended balconies, each with its own tree. The Tower B units have a more subtle green mesh-like facade. And at every 5 floors are Skygardens, allowing a natural flow of air while providing users a connectivity to the outside.

“We are very happy to have been a part of this collaboration between policy makers, academia and the private sector to design the future...

The world's tallest columbarium is a glitzy "hotel for the dead"

2019-06-10T15:52:00-04:00

Nestled in the mountains near the northern coastline of Taiwan, just outside of its capital, is a tower that, once full, will house the ashes of 400,000 people. At 20 stories tall, the True Dragon Tower is the biggest columbarium in the world. It’s a striking manifestation of two problems plaguing countries all around Asia—a rapidly aging population, and a lack of space for the dead in urban centers.

Cultures around the world are currently dealing with a problem unique to the 21st century: the excessive use of land to bury the dead in the past has left little more for future generations. While cremation and the spreading of ashes has long acted as a measure against leaving a permanent mark on a site, there is still a significant majority that wish for a coordinate to call their own.

Interior of the Columbarium.

In response to its own land-use crisis, the city of Taipei has developed the True Dragon Tower, a 20-story building housing over the ashes of over 400,000 people. The building type is known as a columbarium, which traditionally organized with niches for funeral urns to be stored for visitors to attend as one might visit a cemetery. Given that over 90% of Taiwan's citizens prefer cremation over burial, it is little surprise that Taiwan became the home of the world's tallest columbarium.

True Dragon Tower has been described as a "hotel for the dead" by a spokeswoman for th...

MVRDV breaks ground on terrace-roof produce market in Tainan

2019-03-05T15:56:00-05:00

In one of their latest developments in Taiwan, MVRDV announced the groundbreaking of their upcoming Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market. Designed with LLJ Architects, the open-air wholesale produce market transforms an often-overlooked part of the food industry into a public experience where visitors can meet up, enjoy the products, and take in views of the surrounding rolling landscape.

Image © MVRDV.

Interior. Image © MVRDV.

Located in East Tainan, the market will be a simple 4-story structure topped by an undulating green roof whose terraces will each grow a different crop like pineapples, rice, tea, roses, and more. The accessible roof will also provide sheltered spots, benches, and picnic tables for visitors. As a mixed-use structure, the building will also contain the market's administrative offices, a restaurant, and an exhibition center where the region's agricultural products can be displayed.

Garden. Image © MVRDV.

“[Tainan Market] is completely functional and caters to...

Mecanoo's National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan celebrates grand opening

2018-10-19T19:22:00-04:00

Opening night finally arrived for Taiwan's new National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts on October 13. Located on a former military training base in Weiwuying Park, the Mecanoo-designed building houses a 2,236-seat Opera House, a 1,981-seat Concert Hall, a 1,210-seat Playhouse, a 434-seat Recital Hall, and an Outdoor Theater. At the heart of the building is the publicly accessible Banyan Plaza, where events can take place.

Photo: Iwan Baan.

“Inspired by the beauty of the local Banyan trees with their iconic canopies of leaves, the vast, undulating structure is composed of a unique skin and roof under which generous free spaces can flow,” Mecanoo Founding Partner Francine Houben previously described.

Photo: Shawn Liu Studio.

Photo: Sytze Boonstra.

Photo: National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying).

Photo: Ethan Lee.

Opening festivities began with a special ceremony featuring addresses from President of Taiwan Tsai Ing...

Kengo Kuma recycles 29 shipping containers for this new Starbucks store

2018-10-04T15:59:00-04:00

The Hualien Bay Mall Starbucks consists of 29 shipping containers and has a total floorspace of 320 sq m (3,444 sq ft), spread over two floors. The containers have been reinforced, modified for glazing, and are painted white. The building's interior, which wasn't designed by Kuma, includes a brightly-colored wall mural representing Taiwan's aboriginal Amis people and offers views of a nearby mountain range.

Kuma has worked with the global coffee giant before, having designed the, now iconic, store in Fukuoka, Japan, and will also be the exterior architect of the upcoming Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Tokyo.

Photo: Starbucks

Just last month, Starbucks announced its plans to design, build, and operate thousands of eco-friendly stores globally by 2025, and the company sees recycled-shipping-container stores as part of this strategy (there are already several other Starbucks stores built from containers, 45 of them in the U.S.).

Here some photos of the interior design, which Kuma however was not in charge of.

Photo: Starbucks

Five buildings tilt dangerously after magnitude 6.4 Taiwan quake

2018-02-07T14:39:00-05:00

Yesterday, a magnitude 6.4 quake struck the Taiwanese city of a Hualien, Taiwan. So far, in its wake, the damage has left seven dead and injured 262 others; sixty-three people still remain unaccounted for. according to CNN.

Since, emergency workers have been working diligently to rescue those who remain unidentified. Many are believed to be trapped in the numerous buildings that have caved in and begun to tilt dangerously to roughly 40-45 degree angles. Among these, are four buildings—a 12-story apartment building, two hotels, and a military hospital.

The addition of rain following the wreckage has exacerbated the problem, causing some buildings to tilt at an alarming rate of five cm per hour. Mobile cranes are being used to prop up the leaning structures as rescue efforts continue.

Yuan Architects' terraced “House S” in Taiwan

2018-01-18T18:18:00-05:00

Yuan Architects seemed to draw inspiration from the surrounding mountainous landscape of Hsinchu, Taiwan when they designed “House S”.

Built on a hillside, the approximately 416 m² family residence features staggered terraces to “extend the indoor living space to the mountain landscape, offering a connection with nature,” Yuan Architects describes.

Photo: Te-Fan Wang, Wenyuan Peng, Stephen Liao.

Diagram. Image courtesy of Yuan Architects.

An undulating wall that runs through the house defines the home's private and public spaces. “Within the building, the wall encircles the master bedroom and children’s room, forming the two main spaces [...] Between the public and private spaces on each floor, three staggered terraces provide three different lifestyles and settings.” The house was completed in 2016.

Photo: Te-Fan Wang, Wenyuan Peng, Stephen Liao.

Photo: Te-Fan Wang, Wenyuan Peng, Stephen Lia...

B+P Architects, based in Taiwan, design mirrored art-annex

2017-05-25T17:20:00-04:00

Mirrored facades have become a popular architectural styling. From Doug Atiken's recent installation work for Desert X in Palm Springs to Snøhetta's 7th Room treehouse, mirrored architecture effectively blends the building into its surroundings while reflecting the world back upon the viewer. B+P Architects, a firm based in Taiwan, are the latest studio to break out this feature with their art-annex. After all, art is said to be a mirror!

From the architects: Fickle realties are the roots of art, and the only thing never-changing when it comes to art is our constant pursuit of that intangible moment. The way a mirror faithfully reflects is one form of an eternal fantasy land. When we climb along the trunk of reality through the mirror, virtual images extend between reality and fantasy through latching onto our feelings. A multitude of thoughts have interwoven in the pursuit process as branches and leaves, allowing a moment to instantaneously freeze according to the situation.

What ha...

Vincent Callebaut's luxe, green Agora Garden Tower twists up the Taipei skyline

2016-12-06T14:32:00-05:00

After his firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures was awarded the bid to create the building in 2010, Callebaut decided to erect a structure that was "like an inhabited tree," that could create a green urban landmark for the city with a minimal carbon footprint. Slated for a completion in September 2017, the tower will stand 20 stories tall with a 90 degree twist that is achieved with a 4.5 degree turn per floor as the building ascends.

Vincent Callebaut, the Belgian architect known for audacious, ecologically-minded design proposals now has a project under construction in Taipei. We previously featured Callebaut's "LILYPAD, A Floating Ecopolis for Ecological Refugees" in 2008.

Related on Archinect:

Developer and architects of collapsed Taiwan apartment building arrested

2016-02-11T13:17:00-05:00

Three Taiwanese construction company executives have been detained on charges of professional negligence resulting in death following the collapse of an apartment building that killed dozens. The district prosecutor's office in the city of Tainan said [...] that Lin Ming-hui and architects Chang Kui-an and Cheng Chin-kui were suspected of having overseen shoddy construction of the 17-story Weiguan Golden Dragon building, which crashed onto its side following an earthquake Saturday.

Previously in the Archinect news: Taiwan earthquake: tin cans found as fillers may have caused high-rise to collapse

Taiwan earthquake: tin cans found as fillers may have caused high-rise to collapse

2016-02-08T13:22:00-05:00

Taiwan's Government has ordered an investigation into the collapse of a high-rise building in an earthquake after it emerged tin cans had been used in its construction. Rescue workers found the cans as they searched for survivors two days after the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that has killed at least 37 people.

However, an engineer speaking to Taiwanese TV news channel CNA explained how using cans in construction was not necessarily illegal: “For such purposes in construction, it was not illegal prior to September 1999, but since then styrofoam and formwork boards have been used instead.”

Zaha Hadid Architects win Danjiang Bridge competition

2015-08-12T19:15:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has been announced as the winner of the Danjiang Bridge competition. Sited at the mouth of the Tamsui River, the bridge will provide a critical link between several highways on Taiwan's northern coast.

The Danjiang Bridge is intended to bring economic growth to Taipei's Port District. In addition, the new bridge will dramatically reduce commuting times "between activities and industries in Tamsui and Bali," according to the competition brief. It will include a light rail.

ZHA Director Patrik Schumacher took to Facebook to announce the results.

"The Danjiang Bridge...is destined to make a conspicuous landmark against the backdrop of Tamsui's famous sunset," Schumacher wrote.

Watch Taipei 101's 728-ton mass damper in action during Typhoon Soudelor

2015-08-11T16:55:00-04:00

Like all supertall skyscrapers, Tapei 101 has a mechanism inside to help stabilize itself in high winds. [...] At 6:59 am, in the winds of Typhoon Soudelor, the damper moved by a full meter from its center position, farther than it has ever moved in the building's decade history. [...] Soudelor brought sustained winds of 100 mph, with at least one confirmed gust of 145 mph .

Uncertain future for Sou Fujimoto's Taiwan Tower

2015-01-20T14:11:00-05:00

Greater Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has temporarily pulled the plug on the ambitious Taiwan Tower project, citing concerns over safety and its costs, which have ballooned from NT$8 billion (US$253.5 million) to NT$15 billion. [...] Designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, who won an international competition in 2011 to draw up plans for the building, Taiwan Tower’s ornate steel structure was inspired by the trunk of a banyan tree.

OMA’s Taipei Performing Arts Center is topped out

2014-08-27T19:05:00-04:00

Since OMA won the competition in 2009, the Taipei Performing Arts Center in Taiwan is gradually coming to life with the recent celebration of its topping out ceremony. OMA design team leaders Rem Koolhaas and David Gianotten, Kris Yao and Willy Yu of KRIS YAO | ARTECH, Taipei city mayor Hau Lung-pin, and other city government representatives took part in the event.

According to OMA, the Center's three theaters are meant to encourage experimental theater productions, while the Public Loop invites public engagement from both inside and outside the Center.

Here's a glimpse of the project:

More photos and details on Bustler.

Previously: OMA to Build Taipei Performing Arts Centre

Gas Pipelines Explode in Taiwan City Killing 24

2014-08-01T14:26:00-04:00

Multiple gas pipeline explosions have killed 24 people and injured 257 others in Taiwan's second city, emergency officials said. Witnesses said Thursday's blast in Kaohsiung sent flames shooting 15 storeys into the air, and entire blocks, packed with shops and apartment buildings, were set ablaze [...] The director of the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Centre, said the leaking gas had been identified as propene, meaning that the resulting fires could not be extinguished by water.

Results of Taiwan’s Kinmen Passenger Service Terminal competition

2014-05-13T17:59:00-04:00

The two-stage Port of Kinmen Passenger Service Center International Competition‏‎ in Taiwan has come to a close. Since our last update in January, five star-studded firms — who worked with local architects — were in the final round to become the master architect to design a new multi-functional terminal facility and expansion for the Port of Kinmen.

At the end of the competition, the jury awarded three prize winners and two honorable mentions:

1ST PRIZE: Junya Ishigami + Associates / Junya Ishigami (Japan) with Bio Architecture Formosana Architecture / Ching-Hwa Chang (Taiwan)

2ND PRIZE: Tom Wiscombe Architecture, Inc / Thomas Wiscombe (USA) with Fei & Cheng Associates / Philip T.C. Fei (Taiwan)

3RD PRIZE: Lorcan O'Herlihy (LOHA) Architects / Lorcan O'Herlihy with EDS International Inc / Yuan Liang Tsai (Taiwan)

HONORABLE MENTION: Miralles Tagliabue EMBT SLP / Benedetta Tagliabue (Spain) with Shou Dong-Gang (Taiwan) and Su Mao-Pin Architect / Su Mao-Pin (Taiwan)

HONORABLE MENTION: Josep Mias Gifre (Spain) with Mias Engineering Limited (Spain) and Tai Architect & Associates / Yu-Tse 'Daniel' Tai (Taiwan)

See more project photos on Bustler.

KAMJZ’s Maritime & Bike Terminal entry for Kinmen Passenger Service Center competition

2014-01-30T15:30:00-05:00

As a follow up to our latest update on the Port of Kinmen Passenger Service Center International Competition‏‎ in Kinmen, Taiwan, KAMJZ from Poland shared with us their "Maritime & Bike Terminal" entry. The team's proposal changes up the port terminal structure into a hybrid complex that links water system transportation and good ol' biking.

Find more details on Bustler.

Five firms advance in Taiwan’s Kinmen Passenger Service Terminal competition

2014-01-29T20:01:00-05:00

Five firms -- which include some notable names -- are still in the running for the Port of Kinmen Passenger Service Center International Competition‏‎. Hosted by Taiwan's Kinmen County Government, the winner will be master architect of a two-phase project that consists of a new multi-functional terminal facility and expansion for the Port of Kinmen.

The Stage II finalists are:

Josep Mias Gifre (Spain)
Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects / Lorcan O'Herlihy (USA)
Junya Ishigami + Associates (Japan)
Tom Wiscombe Architecture, Inc. / Thomas W. Wiscombe (USA)
Miralles Tagliabue EMBT SLP / Benedetta Tagliabue (Spain)

Following the Stage II submissions deadline and jury evaluations, the winning results are expected to be announced this April.

Kaohsiung Port Terminal by Reiser + Umemoto in more detail

2013-12-07T02:44:00-05:00

In our last update, Reiser + Umemoto celebrated the groundbreaking of the Kaohsiung Port Terminal in Kaohsiung, Taiwan this past November. Although there aren't any construction photos in the meantime, you can get a better look of the yet-to-be-built terminal with plenty of awesome images we recently received from the firm.

For more, head over to Bustler.

Images courtesy of Reiser + Umemoto.

City of Taipei announced as World Design Capital 2016

2013-11-19T20:32:00-05:00

The City of Taipei successfully landed the bid — after being the only city to do so — in becoming the next designated city for World Design Capital 2016. The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) made the official announcement during its 28th General Assembly on Monday, Nov. 18. Previous cities who received the appointment include Torino (2008), Seoul (2010), Helsinki (2012) and the upcoming WDC in Cape Town (2014).

Previously: City of Taipei takes the first hurdle towards becoming the next World Design Capital in 2016

Reiser + Umemoto announces groundbreaking of Kaohsiung Port Terminal

2013-11-08T15:47:00-05:00

After two years of planning, Reiser + Umemoto announced the groundbreaking of the Kaohsiung Port Terminal happening this month in the city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The architecture firm won the 2010 international competition to design the cruise ship terminal and port service center. Reiser + Umemoto also celebrated the groundbreaking of another major Taiwanese development they won, the Taipei Pop Music Center, on June 19, 2013.

SANAA wins Taichung City Cultural Center competition

2013-09-11T15:43:00-04:00

The highly popular Taichung City Cultural Center International Competition in Taiwan just announced its much anticipated list of winners, and it's the Pritzker Prize-winning team of Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA with local partner Ricky Liu & Associates to snatch the top honors.

SANAA's winning ensemble of playfully arranged white, translucent boxes beat out designs by the four other recently shortlisted teams including Peter Eisenman Architects, Jean-loup Baldacci, MASS STUDIES and Stücheli Architekten.

Click here to see more News posts about the Taichung City Cultural Center competition.