New Taipei unveils winners of arts museum contest

2015-02-12

The winners of a competition to design a 44,000-square-meter fine arts museum in New Taipei City were named Feb. 10 by the local government.

Kris Yao of Taiwan finished first, the Mark Ongg-Kengo Kuma Taiwan-Japan team claimed second and the Ricky Liu and Jean-loup Baldacci Taiwan-France pairing collected third.

Yao, recently awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects, beat out nine other international submissions. His design comprises vertical tubes symbolizing the reeds indigenous to Dahan Creek, which runs through the museum’s site in Yingge District.

“What I envision is a structure rising out of a riverbank of reeds,” Yao said. “The architecture merges Yingge’s cultural and natural landscapes, replete with a public art terrace and open-air sculpture exhibition space.”

According to the NTCG Cultural Affairs Department, the NT$2.17 billion (US$68.9 million) museum incorporates a planned Museum of Contemporary Art, Children’s Museum of Arts and multifunctional performance hall. Upon completion in 2019, the facility—along with Yingge Ceramics Museum across the river—will serve as an international-level center for the artists and residents alike.

All of the winning designs, as well as three earning honorable mentions, are on display from March 8 at New Taipei City Hall.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=227357&CtNode=413)