Architect: Kris Yao | Artech Architects Location: Yilan County, Taiwan Clients: Yilan County Government Design Team: Glen Lu, Hua-Yi Chang, Fei-Chun Ying, Chih-Hao Chiang, Shun-Hui Chen, Tien-Kai Yang, Chii-Chang Jong, Christina Tseng, Lei Wang, Nina Yu, Jun-Ren Chou, Tien-Yu Lo Site Area: 39,426 sqm Total Floor Area: 12,472.74 sqm Completion: March 2010 Photographs: Jeffrey Cheng, Chi-Yi Chang
Taking forms from the cuesta rock formation in and around the site, the museum spaces shift in and out of the “rock”.
This museum is adjacent to the Wushih Port, a once prosperous harbor that is now a wetland. The museum is designed to reflect the unique history, the culture, and the landscape in Lanyang. In addition to reconstructing the harbor’s history, the museum also introduces Yilan’s rich wetland ecology as a part of an outdoor exhibition.
The volume’s dominant geometry is inspired by the natural Cuesta rock formation, commonly found on the coast. By inserting the triangular mass into the ground at an angle, the minimalist architectural geometry mimics the nearby terrain. The building consists of interlacing solid and glass volumes, where the solid volume is reserved for exhibition and administrative spaces and the glass volume serves as the main lobby and the restaurant area.
The gaps between the volumes provide natural lighting and divisions between different functional spaces. The view of the Guishan Island (Turtle Mountain Island) at a distance acts as a constant reference point for visitors, as they experience the alternating inside/outside, solid/void journey through the museum.
A range of granite and cast aluminum panels are used on the building’s exterior to represent the reef’s natural erosion process while incorporating the image of seasonal changes over the Lang Yang plain. These panels of varied textures and sizes translate the musical notes and the rhythmic tempos. The music we choose to represent is Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concerto.