The highly anticipated international cultural landmark, Taichung Green Museumbrary, will grandly open on December 13! Today (23rd), the Taichung City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau held the Architecture Press Preview of Taichung Green Museumbrary, where Mayor Lu Shiow-yen invited Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa to guide guests through a first look at the venue’s key spaces. The Green Museumbrary will hold a trial opening from October 28 to November 16, inviting the public to personally experience its architectural atmosphere of openness and fluidity. In addition, both venues of the Green Museumbrary have planned a series of opening events, linking with the Taichung Picnic Day and the Taichung Jazz Festival, together shaping a new cultural landscape in anticipation of the grand opening.
Mayor Lu said that the Green Museumbrary is Taichung’s first cultural landmark that combines a municipal art museum with a central library. After eleven years of planning and construction—and with the support of the Taichung City Council in overcoming budgetary and construction challenges—it is set to begin trial operations on October 28. She emphasized that this is a major city-funded project, built without central government subsidies, symbolizing the fulfillment of a long-cherished aspiration of Taichung residents. Not only does it address the city’s long-standing absence of a central library, but it will also stand as a source of pride for Taiwan and a world-class landmark dedicated to all citizens.
Mayor Lu noted that the building’s design is open, elegant, and refined, while also capable of accommodating large-scale exhibitions. With an interior height of 27 meters and interconnected spaces between the two venues, it represents a rare architectural design in Taiwan. She also expressed her respect and gratitude to the team behind the project, emphasizing that this world-class cultural landmark not only integrates art and knowledge, but is also closely connected with the Taichung Central Park and the Taichung International Convention and Exhibition Center nearby, weaving together the city’s cultural rhythm. As the largest public architectural project ever undertaken by Sejima And Nishizawa And Associates (SANAA), the Green Museumbrary finds its home in Taichung. Mayor Lu extended her special thanks to architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa for attending in person, as well as to architect Ricky Liu, with whom they jointly created the Green Museumbrary. The Green Museumbrary is a source of pride for the citizens of Taichung, and is envisioned as a daily venue for leisure and exchange—bringing art and knowledge into everyone’s lives.
Kazuyo Sejima explained that the design concept was to create a cultural space open in all directions, where people, whether approaching from the city or the park, could naturally encounter knowledge, art, and nature. “We hope that every visitor who steps into the Green Museumbrary can feel the vitality of the architecture as it resonates with its surrounding environment,” she remarked. Ryue Nishizawa added that the silvery expanded metal mesh and glass curtain walls reflect the greenery of the park and the cityscape, softening the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. The elevated structure allows greenery, breezes, and light to flow freely through the space. With the use of anti-reflective glass and permeable paving, the design not only fosters harmony with nature but also addresses the challenges of Taichung’s warm climate.
According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the architectural unveiling begins in the Green Museumbrary lobby, which connects the two venues of the complex. The interconnecting bridge offers diverse perspectives within the building’s spatial design, and upon opening, visitors will be able to view a work by internationally renowned Taichung-born artist Michael Lin. The lobby features a stainless-steel mirrored reflecting pool, which both captures the surrounding scenery and helps regulate indoor temperature. Another highlight is Taiwan’s first 27-meter-high atrium, vertically linking six floors of the art museum. Following the opening, it will showcase a large-scale installation by international artist Haegue Yang, visible even to those strolling through the park nearby. The Green Museumbrary also houses five exhibition halls of varying heights. The inaugural exhibition, “A Call of All Beings,” will be presented across all five halls, with additional interactive experience zones designed to encourage visitors to explore both Taichung Art Museum’s collection and the architectural features of the building.
On the other side, the library lobby features flower-shaped bookshelves and chairs meticulously designed by SANAA. Among them is a specially crafted “air-return bookshelf” that incorporates the air-conditioning return system, utilizing principles of air circulation to enhance ventilation while balancing practicality, aesthetics, and comfort. A highlight of the integrated complex is the “Forest of Culture,” a lofty semi-outdoor garden. Constructed with permeable expanded mesh, it creates a visually borderless space. The fourth-floor garden provides a relaxing retreat for visitors, while the fifth-floor circular skywalk connects the museum and library. Its non-directional round design enriches the experience of free exploration. Upon opening, the exhibition “Index of the World” will be presented, showcasing a rare original edition of the 18th-century Enlightenment masterpiece, Encyclopédie by Denis Diderot, symbolizing the library’s role as an encyclopedia of the city—collecting and systematizing knowledge, and serving as a vital space for citizens to acquire knowledge and enjoy reading.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau noted that, in addition to the architecture itself, the Green Museumbrary commissioned 247Visualart to create the opening’s main visual. The design reflects the building’s concepts of openness and fluidity, with “openness and integration” as its core theme. Incorporating the visual identity systema of a line-based style with bold geometric color blocks, the design conveys a modern and striking image.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau explained that during its trial operation, the Green Museumbrary will host a diverse program of events, including keynote lectures by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, an international forum, a collection-based interactive exhibition in a semi-open storage space, and two major thematic book exhibitions. In addition, a series of activities has been planned, such as “Opening Our Museum: N Ways to Encounter the Green Museumbrary” and “A New Chapter of Reading: Life Proposals with the Green Museumbrary.” These will feature outdoor light installations integrated with literary creations, as well as video and sound works. Other distinctive events include “A Night at the Green Museumbrary” and outdoor sketching sessions, offering residents a vibrant array of opportunities to participate and to spark boundless imagination through art and reading.
With its spirit of cross-disciplinary collaboration and international vision, the Taichung Green Museumbrary presents a multilayered landscape created by the integration of its dual institutions. Welcome to experience the unique charm where art, knowledge, and nature converge, and to witness the birth of the city’s new cultural landmark together. For more information, please visit Taichung Art Museum’s website (www.tcam.museum) and Taichung Public Library’s website (www.library.taichung.gov.tw).