Construction of the global landmark Taichung Green Museumbrary commenced today (16th), world-renowned Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa – who are both Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates and co-founders of Japanese architectural firm SANAA – arrived in Taiwan to witness the momentous occasion and share their thoughts during the design of Taichung Green Museumbrary in Taichung.
“Architecture is a city’s benchmark!” According to Kazuyo Sejima, aesthetics should correspond with the city’s demeanor and surrounding landmark, therefore Taichung Green Museumbrary features an interconnection of 8 buildings in the Taichung Central Park to form a cultural forest.

Deputy Mayor Bruce Linghu said during his opening speech that great cities are blessed with great architecture; Mayor Shiow-yen Lu places enormous emphasis on urban aesthetics, as the architectural style has a strong influence on urban development. Taichung is honored to have 2 Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and a Taiwanese designed Ricky Liu to co-design Taichung Green Museumbrary, which boasts the largest museum-library structural design in the country. Slated for completion in 2022, it is set to become an important icon of art and cultural architecture in Taichung, driving the city's flourishing development.

"We want to create architecture that Taichung citizens can be proud of," said Kazuyo Sejima. Taichung Green Museumbrary is located in a park in downtown Taichung, as the citizens pass the verdant central park, they will enter the fine art museum and library formed by an interconnection of 8 buildings. The 2 buildings in the center house book collection and art creations, and other areas are reserved for office space, auditorium, art display, children's reading area, and multimedia purposes. The interconnected buildings form a fluid, free-flowing space that resembles a "forest with cultural ambiance", allowing the visitors to embark on a light journey of culture and art.

Ryue Nishizawa shared architectural projects that SANAA participated in recent years. Using 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa as an example, he described the close association between display arrangement, architectural structure, and landscape; the EPFL Rolex Learning Center in Switzerland, on the other hand, blends the courtyard into the terrain to guide the visitors to the entrance of the library. He stressed that Taichung Green Museumbrary adopts a similar approach by blending architecture into the urban landscape, allowing the library and fine arts museum to co-exist in an urban setting.

WHITE & LIGHT – New Appearance of Taichung Green Museumbrary speech was co-hosted by Taichung City Cultural Affairs Bureau, Construction Bureau, Urban Development Bureau, and Great Taichung Real Estate Development Association. The opening speech was presented by Deputy Mayor Linghu, followed by a speech by the Dean of Feng Chia University School of Architecture Shu-ting Li, while Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa were invited to share their experience in "environment and architecture", bringing an exciting presentation for architecture enthusiasts in Taiwan.

Prominent Taiwanese architect Ricky Liu, Construction Bureau Director-General Ta-tien Chen, Cultural Affairs Bureau Director-General Ta-chun Chang, Urban Development Bureau Director-General Wen-pin Huang, Great Taichung Real Estate Development Association President Chih-liang Wang, Honorary Director Chi-chuan Chi, Taichung Architecture Development Association Director Shen-hsiung Liang, The Taichung Association of Interior Design & Decoration President Chung-li Li, Head of Department of Architecture, Shih Chien University Chun-hsiung Wang, and Chinese calligraphy artist Liang-tun Chou all turned out for the presentation.