New Taichung City Cultural Center

The Japanese studio SANAA, led by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, has won the competition to design the new Taichung City Cultural Center, in Taiwan.

Taichung is a city with strong cultural, economic and international characteristics. To distinguish itself from Taipei and Kaohsiung, the third largest city of Taiwan placed arts and culture at the heart of its urban identity.

The Taichung City Cultural Center will be composed of a public library and a museum of fine arts. This equipment will help the city to adapt to recent changes in urban development and cultural fusion. The aim is to satisfy cultural, artistic and leisure needs of Taichung inhabitants, boosting the city's cultural industry, tourism and marketing resources, reinforcing the city's cultural brand.

The winning proposal combines multiple volumes consisting of distorted cubes involved in a translucent mesh, forming angles between them and overlaying in access areas connecting to exhibition spaces, libraries and reading areas.

The main entrance is through a large square under the volumes at the centre of the complex, giving access to a large interior lobby with three main floors interspersed with mezzanines.

In the center of the lobby a spiral ramp connects the study areas laid out in multiple levels around this space. The offset volumes provide large covered outdoor spaces and roof terraces that can function as leisure spaces or seating areas for cafes.

More at: http://www.tccenter.com.tw/