Taichung’s new cultural landmark, the Green Museumbrary, will begin its trial operation starting from October 28 and officially open on December 13. Recently, both its architectural design and visual identity received the 2025 Golden Pin Design Award. During the trial operation period, a special lecture titled “Environment and Architecture” will be held on November 7, featuring Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA, the Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning design team behind the Green Museumbrary. The two architects will share insights into the design philosophy and development process of the Green Museumbrary. Registration opens at 12:00 p.m. on October 15, and interested members of the public are warmly invited to take part in this rare opportunity.
Mayor Lu Shiow-Yen noted that SANAA was selected from among 225 entries in the 2013 international competition for the Green Museumbrary project. This marks SANAA’s largest cultural public building project to date, which, after 11 years of planning and design, is set to be completed and inaugurated at the end of this year as Taiwan’s first integrated museum-library complex. To commemorate this milestone, the city government has specially invited architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa to deliver a special lecture during the trial operation period, guiding the public to appreciate how the Green Museumbrary uses its distinct architectural language to engage in dialogue with both its external surroundings and interior spaces.
Director Chen Chia-chun of the Cultural Affairs Bureau explained that the Green Museumbrary is composed of eight independent yet interconnected structures, creating an open, transparent, and fluid spatial complex. Inside the building, 14 stylish staircases, a connecting bridge, and the “Cultural Forest” outdoor sky park link various functional areas. Externally, the structure is wrapped in silvery-white expanded aluminum mesh, forming a veil-like façade that lends the building a light quality and harmoniously integrates it with the surrounding natural and urban landscape.
Director Chen added that with the opening of the Green Museumbrary, the Cultural Affairs Bureau aims to shape the venue into a living space that balances emotion and intellect through art and reading. She also extended special thanks to the Taichung Architects Association, the Taichung Chamber of Civil Engineers, the Taichung Professional Structural Engineers Association, and the Taichung Chamber of Engineering Technology Consultants Commerce for their joint collaboration and support in organizing this event.
In addition, the architectural design and visual identity system design of the Green Museumbrary stood out from nearly a thousand entries, earning the Golden Pin Design Award, one of the most influential design accolades in the global Chinese-speaking community. The project is also set to compete for the “Design of the Year” award at the end of this year. Registration for the “Environment and Architecture” special lecture opens at 12:00 p.m. on October 15. Event registration can be completed via this link (https://www.accupass.com/go/SANAAlecture). For more information on trial operation events, please visit the Taichung Art Museum official website (www.tcam.museum) and the Taichung Public Library official website (https://www.library.taichung.gov.tw).