The annual Far Eastern Architectural Design Award spotlights fascinating local structures.
Modeled after the world-renowned Pritzker Prize, the annual Far Eastern Architectural Design Award was launched in 1999 by Taipei City-based Y. Z. Hsu Memorial Foundation. By recognizing the country’s top architects, the award aims to encourage architectural innovation and foster interest in forward-thinking design. In 2007, it expanded its reach by creating a category for designs in mainland Chinese cities and now serves as a platform for promoting cross-strait architectural exchanges.
For local designs this year, a judging panel composed of architects, artists, designers and sociologists from Taiwan and mainland China picked four finalists from the 29 structures submitted: Cloud Gate Theater in New Taipei City by Chen Ja-sheng (陳哲生), Huang Sheng-yuan (黃聲遠) and Tu The-yu (杜德裕) from Fieldoffice Architects; the Liberal Education Classroom Building at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei by Tsai Yuan-liang (蔡元良) from EDS Group; Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts in New Taipei by Kris Yao (姚仁喜) from Kris Yao Artech; and Yu-hsiu Museum of Art in central Taiwan’s Nantou County by Liao Wei-li (廖偉立) from AMBI Studio.
The finalists were revealed in March, and over the course of two months, another judging panel including experts with diverse backgrounds from Taiwan and mainland China, as well as Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, visited all of the structures. Following careful consideration and several rounds of discussions, they each cast their vote. In the end, first place went to Cloud Gate Theater, a design that “cleverly integrates into and interacts with its surroundings,” the judging panel wrote in its decision. NTU’s Liberal Education Classroom Building was also recognized as a work of excellence.
—by Jim Hwang
Cloud Gate Theater at the Tamsui Culture and Art Education
Center in New Taipei City officially opened to the public in April
2015. It was designed by Chen Ja-sheng, Huang Sheng-yuan
and Tu The-yu from Fieldoffice Architects.
National Taiwan University’s Liberal Education Classroom Building, which began operations in February 2011, is a green structure designed by Tsai Yuan-liang from EDS Group.
The Liberal Education Classroom Building provides study facilities for around 1,000 students daily.
Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, constructed between 1998 and 2016, was designed by Kris Yao.
Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts was built with weather-tolerant construction materials such as concrete and titanium-zinc sheets owing to higher-than-average humidity levels at its location.
Yu-hsiu Museum of Art, designed by Liao Wei-li from AMBI Studio, officially opened to the public in January 2016.
Yu-hsiu Museum of Art is devoted to the collection, exhibition and study of contemporary realism artworks.