TFAM unveils X-site architecture project winner

2016/01/11

Winner of the 2016 X-site architecture initiative was announced Jan. 6 by Taipei Fine Arts Museum, with locally based Shen Ting Tseng Architects awarded the NT$3.5 million (US$105,077) landscape installation project.

Floating, an open-air pavilion comprising a polyamide nylon canopy and a landscape sculpture, beat out 22 other contestants to claim first prize. Designed by Shen Ting-tseng and STTA members Huang Hsin-yi and Li Ya-chi, the innovative structure will grace the public square in front of the museum from April through July this year.

Runner-ups are Envision Engineering Consultants, WUIZ Design Taipei and the pairing of Lai Po-wei and Teng Chao-ming.

Launched in 2014, TFAM’s experimental X-site program seeks to integrate architecture and contemporary art. It selects one work from submissions annually to give the museum a new look for three months each spring.

Wang Chun-hsiung, head of this year’s jury, praised the STTA project for breathing new life into the traditional pavilion.

“The design boasts minimalist and economical aesthetics,” he said. “STTA’s architects took the concept of a commonplace pavilion and did a marvelous job of infusing it with leading-edge materials.”

Dubbed Flying Kite, the canopy creates a gravity-defying illusion of floating in the wind. At the same time, it is linked to the landscape through a centerpiece sculpture representing the earth and highlighting the interconnectivity of natural elements in the ecosystem.

In addition, Wang praised the unique leap in spatial dimensions experienced by visitors when entering the bright and airy space.

“The spaciousness glimpsed from the outside suddenly melts away to be replaced by an intimate dialogue with the interior,” he said. “The structure will certainly enhance the museum’s original appearance with a futuristic outlook.”

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=241051&ctNode=2194&mp=9)