Archinect - News

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...

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 ...

2019 World Interior of the Year awarded to J.C. Architecture's regenerated JCA Living Lab in Taipei

2019-12-06T19:17:00-05:00

Described as a “laboratory for future living”, the JCA Living Lab by J.C. Architecture is a regenerated Japanese Colonial residential house in Taipei that preserves its past while accommodating the modern-living needs of its occupants. Today, the project was announced as the 2019 World Interior of the Year at the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors in Amsterdam, following a final showdown between the nine category winners that were revealed yesterday. The JCA Living Lab won the Residential category.

Local craftspeople were brought in when needed and recycled elements were also incorporated into the design. The house combines traditional craftsmanship with modern detailing, like the hanging circular light in the living room, against a backdrop of preserved materials. A roof skylight shapes a path that acts as a guide for the entire house.

JCA Living Lab by J.C. Architecture. Photo © Kuo-Min Lee.

The configuration of the house was designed to be adaptable. Communal spaces like a kitchen...

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...

Sketching with Steel & Light: Oyler Wu in Taipei

2017-12-27T15:00:00-05:00

When it comes to large-scale residential buildings, a complex set of economic, urban, and regulatory systems sometimes seem to have left little room for architectural exploration. Architects often struggle to find a point of entry for inserting their creative perspective in a way that would rethink or progress the typology. The resulting buildings typically reflect the reality of the efficiency-driven market - maximized footprint, relentless repetition, and lowest common denominator design appeal.

Photo: Oyler Wu Collaborative

Yet, Oyler Wu collaborative has built a library of success on finding the smallest of details, the nuances of nuance, and developing them into refined, varied manifestoes of architecture and design.

Photo: Oyler Wu Collaborative

When they were first approached by a prominent Taiwanese development company to work on the design of a brand new residential high rise, they expressed interest in finding an architectural approach that challenged these conventions. ...

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:

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 .

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

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

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

2013-08-06T18:40:00-04:00

Taipei has high hopes of becoming the next World Design Capital (WDC) designated city in 2016, and so far, it's looking pretty good: The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid) announced from its Montreal headquarters today that "members of the selection committee identified the City of Taipei as the only municipality to move on to the next phase in the process towards becoming the WDC 2016."

Past cities to hold the designation include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010 and Helsinki (Finland) in 2102 whilst preparations for Cape Town (South Africa) are underway for 2014.

UPDATE: City of Taipei announced as World Design Capital 2016

OMA to Build Taipei Performing Arts Centre

2009-01-27T13:19:00-05:00

The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has been awarded the first prize in the design competition to build the Taipei Performing Arts Centre. The design, led by OMA partners Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren, was selected from over 135 entries from 24 countries by an international jury.

UPDATE: OMA’s Taipei Performing Arts Center is topped out