New Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art

Competition Entry / 2011

Nature creates forms responsive to their environment. Pebbles attain their shape through saltation. Through this process the corners are eroded resulting in a form reflective of its journey over time. Mollusks and crustaceans form layered exoskeltons to protect the inner life-sustaining systems from the environmental abuse it must withstand in its habitat. Similarily, a building must stand the test of time through a variety of environmental impacts. A truly responsive and environmentally responsible building aims to utilise the technologies available today to create a structure speaking to the significance of longevity, protectivng the occupants while adapting to our ever-changing environment and social needs

The site is a gateway between the waterfront and the city. The dissolution of a defined ground plane allows for a seamless transition from one environment to the other through a series of public spaces on both levels. A portal is created at the city level through the separation of the structure into two distinct volumes. Through the portal, the river is exposed and a ‘pier’ extends into the landscape taking visitors to the bicycle path along the river. Art is experienced along the path in the natural setting of the site.

Art museums today are no longer places only for contemplating ‘serious art’ nor are they rigid in the genre or time period of artwork displayed. Interactive art which engages the audience, live performance art and mixed media productions are attracting audiences of all backgrounds and ages. Modern technologies have brought art closer to the people allowing for increased particpation. Maximizing that opportunity, the project aims to dissolve boundaries, through the use of light, color and spatial sequencing in the interior spaces. A play on scale makes a strong distinction between the main wing and the children’s wing. Color is utilised throught the museum not only to accentuate major spaces but to pesent a unique and evolving space. The underside of the shell creates a soft cocoon-like envelope in stark contrast to the hard exterior shell. The continuity of the shell is experinced at the resting areas and perimeter special galleries, creating a releif form the interior gallery spaces. The lighting strategy allows for controlled daylight to penetrate all the perimeter galleries, but also retains interior galleries for video displays and other installtions requiring a more controlled atmosphere.

Prefabrication is also crucial to the consideration of sustainability. Other industries, such as ship building have progressed consistently over the years taking advantage of advancements in computer technologies and prefabrication techniques with the goal of improving performance. The building industry, on the other hand has made limited progress in this area. As costs become prohibitive and energy waste becomes increasingly unsustainable, buildings must be looked at in terms of extending its service life, which is fundamentally tied to quality. The concept proposed here is a lightweight, self-supporting, prefabricated aluminum shell consisting of reinforced structural extrusions similar to the outer body of a train. Aluminum exhibits a high strength to weight ratio and is most conducive to factory assembies. The most critical outer performing layers of the building are primarily assembled in a controlled setting eliminating the need for extended on site construction and improving the overall lifespan of the building. Simultaneously, prefabrication significantly reduces construction waste.

The proposed structure also takes advantage of the local industry in Yingge, creating opportunites for future growth of the city, and contributing to the economic sutainability of the area. The entire shell structure consist of a finsh ceramic coating that can be appllied in local manufacturing plants immediately prioir to erection, thus reducing the potential for damage to the finished product during shipping. Cermic coatings are not only aesthetically attractive and heavily used in the automobile industry, they provide incredible strength when applied to structural metals. NASA utilises this method to strengthen the outer shell of the space shuttles to withstand incredible forces. The technology has also been used on decorative exterior panels on buildings for their durability, but the true potential has yet to be fully maximized.