NTU Humanities Building wins top prize of Taiwan Architecture Awards

Taipei, Nov. 10 (CNA) National Taiwan University's (NTU) Humanities Building, which has taken 19 years to plan, design and construct, has been awarded the top prize at the 2024 Taiwan Architecture Awards in Taipei.

The NTU building stood out because its outstanding design carefully considered the surrounding environment, architect Chen Liang-chuan (陳良全), who headed the jury, said at a press conference earlier this week.

Chen said he was especially impressed by Chien Architects & Associates, the firm responsible for the project, for their persistence in delivering 16 design proposals over the past 19 years.

Chien Architects founder Chien Hsueh-yi (簡學義) said that one of the project's challenges was designing a structure that would not disrupt NTU's signature landscape. 

To address this issue, Chien said his firm chose to dig deep into the ground and create underground spaces to be used by academics and students on two lower floors so that the building above ground could be more in tune with the three-story buildings around it.

The initial proposal for the Humanities Building was heavily criticized because the plan was to tear down three buildings known as "Holey Halls" -- the Agricultural Exhibition Hall inaugurated in 1963 and two neighboring buildings built in a similar style that opened in 1964 and 1970.

In the end, the Agricultural Exhibition Hall designed by architect Chang Chao-kang (張肇康) was kept because of its unique design incorporating Eastern and Western elements, and it was designated as a cultural heritage landmark in 2007.

The other two buildings were torn down in 2010.

Meanwhile, three projects won the merit awards, including an ongoing project by OASIStudio to rejuvenate a former military stronghold on the Matsu Islands.

The other two are Taiwan Power Co.'s wooden office buildings at its Wanta Hydropower Plant in Nantou County, and Jiaoxi Elementary School's sports field and underground parking in Yilan County.

The results of two new awards were also unveiled the same day.

The Naluwan Community Center in Hsinchu City was picked by the jury as the project for the inaugural Emerging Architect Award.

The jury said the simple design used by architect Lin Bo-yang (林柏陽) successfully incorporated the multipurpose facility into its surroundings.

According to Lin, the project was not about the building, but about creating spaces that local residents can use in daily life.

Chung Yuan Christian University's Chang Ching Yu Memorial Library in Taoyuan was picked as the recipient of the new Taiwan Architecture 25-Year-Old Award, which honors timeless design of well-maintained buildings in use for decades.

The library, opened in 1985, was the work of architect Wang Chiu-hwa (王秋華) and J. J. Pan and Partners. It was the first library in Taiwan not mainly used to store books, but as a place for people to come in and browse through bookshelves.

Wang's design concept of opening up the space to users was widely adopted by libraries in the following years, earning her the title of "the mother of Taiwanese libraries."

Wang was on site to supervise works at the library in 2014 and 2017, and became the first female architect to receive a National Award for Arts in 2019. She died in 2021 at the age of 96.

 The Taiwan Architecture Awards ceremony will be held with a forum on architecture and sustainability in Taipei on Dec. 14 as part of the celebration of Architects' Day, which is observed on Dec. 27, according to the organizer.

A cash prize of NT$1 million (US$31,007) will be awarded to the individuals or entities involved in the top award-winning projects, including designers, construction supervisors, and the contractor, according to Taiwan Architect magazine, which organizes the awards in collaboration with the National Association of Architects, R.O.C. (Taiwan).

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