Advanced Developers Association (ADA) is founded by a group of like-minded members of the architectural community with the goal to mentor and nurture the architectural environment in Taiwan through the sharing of professional resources. The biannual ADA Awards for Emerging Architects aims to recognize and encourage young architects with outstanding works in Taiwan who are under the age of 45. The Awards are envisioned as an arena for young architects to showcase themselves and serve as a platform of connection and exchange between architects and the industry.
The ADA Awards is open to all types of architectural projects. The submissions this year span a diversified range from residential, office, reconstruction of one’s own home to renovation of an existing building. The selection criteria emphasize originality, coordination capability and technical maturity of the project.
The ADA Awards for Emerging Architects is coming to its 6th edition in 2022 and have unveiled nearly 60 talented architectural teams and works over the last decade. The entries of the 6th edition aptly reflect changes in Taiwan’s architectural environment. In addition to demonstrating highly experimental design thinking, there is also a stronger publicness to the works of these young architectural creators, attesting to their courage to tackle
the challenges often confronted in public projects. Using a variety of materials and forms, new construction or renovation, homogeneous or heterogeneous, they are helping to shape a rich architectural landscape in Taiwan.
Better opportunities and more resources must be injected into the architectural environment in Taiwan, and the fostering of architectural talents requires a firm foundation. This is the thinking behind ADA’s establishment of a scholarship in 2016,and into its 7th year, continues to work with ten architectural schools across Taiwan in recognizing students with exceptional thesis projects and uncovering more and more talented young students.
ADA will continue to promote profound exchange amongst architectural experts from the industry, government and academia to strengthen the sharing of practical experience and ideas through interactive fora. This will at the same time open up opportunities for emerging architects to work with corporations, with a view to shape a friendly network of collaboration in the digital era towards the development of Taiwan’s architectural aesthetics and environment.
《實構築》季刊a+tec副主編 蘇雅玲
Architecture+Tectonics Deputy Editor in Chief：Ya-Lin Su
Exploring with the Senses Presents New Perspectives in an Age of Befuddlement
ADA was founded with the aim to give young creators more opportunities in development and engage in dialogues within themselves and other disciplines through exchange and sharing. The ambition is to, through cross-disciplinary dialogue and reflection, explore possibilities as we face the many different ways in which the future may take shape in an age where technology and architecture interweave and how buildings and exhibits with disparate styles may represent their core value on their site of choice.
Representation is a reinterpretation of attitude and perspective, and the invisible “X” is the reinterpretation of the space beyond our own existence.
During the Age of Enlightenment, Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) posited a theory of aesthetics, in which aesthetics are expressed through two distinct—inner and outer--aesthetics. The former emphasizes touching the spiritual side, while the latter arises from stimulation of sensual perceptions (tactile, visual, auditory, gustatory and olfactory) by tangible things (space). The “X” in the title of this exhibition implicates the countless possibilities in combination that result as one strives to understand the real essence of things by transcending self-imposed cognitive constraints and thinking outside the box. Different cultures are compressed, abstract social spaces overlap, and spaces become fluid—a place of experimentation of infinite possibilities forms under globalized contexts.
<CONTENT X> conveys an intense message of regeneration after the encountering of seemingly insurmountable difficulties, embracing the metamorphic process of a “future perspective” through reconstruction and representation, swapping conventional constraints for an open mind. In this exhibition, four works that manifest their young creators’ self-imposed challenge—in light and sound, technology or hands-on execution—stand out in their idiosyncrasy:
I.<Forest-Tree Classroom> by NK Kuo: Thinking with the hands, and designing beginning one tree. From forestry to woodwork, from wooden structure to architecture, Kuo manifests the spirit of hands-on execution in a captivating and innovative experimental venture—the “X” of on-site and hands-on execution.
II.<CoralArc> by Shih-Yuan Wang and Yu-Ting Sheng: The scope and influence of this project is promising with its breakthrough in combining technology and architecture. The application of digital computations points to a way of the future while material development is also advanced.
III.<An Electronic Monster #26 - Chase and Run> by ChungHan Yao and Jui-Pin Tseng: Representative space is reinterpreted free from the conventional framework of architectural space, and sound and light are deftly deployed to create somatic and sensory cognition.
IV.<Wood Factory> by Kuan-Fan Chen and Yun-Yu Chen: Experimental construction is grounded on existing structural knowledge and expertise to break historic architecture free from conventions, maximizing architectural possibilities.
Other exciting works include:
<Rainy Dome> by Cheng-Tsung Feng: This is a project inspired by the culture behind the making of the traditional oil-paper umbrella. The Chinese character for “umbrella” ( 傘 ) is made up of the character for “person” ( 人 ). The craft of umbrella-making is dissected and the structure of the umbrella is deconstructed to its many parts and the process transformed to create a mathematically rational triple umbrella frame.
<Figure-Ground House> by Chei Chang and Yung Lin: This spatial experimental discourse of dichotomies is the reconstruction of a traditional 1960s shophouse. The architectural philosophies of the designer versus that of his father are projected in the spatial dialogue as dialectics of the dichotomies he faces—black and white, solid and void, intimate and public, in and out, old and new, light and heavy, light and dark…
<Lize Fly Ash Temporary Storage Zone> by Hsieh-Yao L Huang: Multi-ridged sand dunes parallel to the coastline once covered this site. Today, the storage areas unfold in an orderly fashion with its reduced massing integrated into the landscape. As time goes by, the topology and planting will gradually “grow back” following the
deliberate design of the landscape, this stretch of natural sceneries flanking the Pacific Ocean gently caressed in a reductive approach.
<Heito 1909 Pingtung County Park> by David Chen: The sugar industry has become economically inviable, and the nowabandoned factory faces imminent demolition. On a site defined by the 50m mark on the north and 20m mark on the south shore of Shashe River, pathways are choreographed to link several scattered remnants, including a pit and fountain base. Visitors are guided toward the center of the pit through the compression of spaces and contrast in textures to be engaged in dialogue with the few remaining walls, the new facilities correlating to the old structures. Rather than merely a park in form, the project seeks to link the past and preserve stories through its design.
<ReHsinchu Gym Canopy> by Jin-Yuan Hu: Architecture serves to extend the collective memory and expectation of the population as a means to realize public interests. The output is an export of feelings shared by the population and the author and the product of changing times and contemporary craft. In an attempt to find a way to progress together as a city, “intervention” is appropriated to create more interfaces and drive harmonic growth.
<Taipei Botanical Garden Greenhouse Construction> by TzuJui Su: Most of the plants that require protection in Project Ark grow in common environment. The precious tree species, on the other hand, are dispersed throughout the botanical garden
and become ideal storytellers in their locations with overlapping modern fabrics and historical contexts. The new greenhouse at Taipei Botanical Garden may be imagined as a research platform informing philosophical dialectics and even an arena for conceptual reflection, with all of Taiwan serving as the backhouse of this arena.
NK Kuo Forest-Wood Archi-Tect.
郭恩愷｜森林木人建築工作室
Hsinchu County, Taiwan
新竹縣，台灣
An architectural maker lived in the woodland for 150 days alone, followed nature, rain and shine, day and night for keeping his regular daily routine and work. Four local cedars were thinned and logged down to allow him to design and build a forestry classroom, thinking about architecture with both hands.
Taking the middle section of cedar as the main structure, the rainwater is collected on the spot for "steam bending tree" to shape four groups of wooden arch members, and a star curved wood main body is restrained and merged by "finger joint", which is applied inward from the front and rear ends. The two standing trees in the east-west direction of the base are supported by force, and the beams and ridges are arched to support the shingle system. The front of the wooden canopy rises to face the sunrise towards the east side, and the back is lowered towards the west to let the rainwater from the roof slide down, and also let the mountain wind blow and dry the shingles in the afternoon.
In the construction process, an eco-friendly construction method is implemented, and the forest is co-constructed with minimal intervention. The components are assembled without chemical corrosion protection, gluing, or any iron nails. Instead, they are fixed with screws, bolts and binding devices, which can be adjusted and replaced in the future, or the wood can be returned to the earth amicably.
Forest-Tree Classroom carries the educational mission from Taiwan's forestry, wood industry to architectural environment. In the era of vigorous development of architecture, the return of material construction method to sustainability is an innovative reflection on the cycle of environmental selection.
From local forestry to wood industry, from wood structure to architecture, the designer focuses on architectural design with both hands. The designer utilizes sustainable local forest resources as natural building materials; meanwhile. The designer uses traditional craftsmanship and innovative methods to create large steam-bending-tree arch system as timber structure.
The latest design-build project of the designer is Forest-Tree Classroom. It is a place for The Taiwan Forestry Bureau to hold environmental events and educational lessons. This allows local residents to understand the significance of forestry and the timber industry. The designer is a maker of architecture. He lived in the woodland for half year alone (2022) following nature, in rain and shine, day and night by keeping a regular daily routine and work. Four local cedars were thinned to build the forestry classroom, always thinking about architecture with his both hands
The designer also teaches in a local university bringing architectural students to national forest parks design-building six projects in wood annually.
Wood is a material gift from nature to us. May we all be part take in sustainable practices and make our environment more ecofriendly and illustrating the possibilities of new timber architecture.
The design of CoralArc utilizes algorithms to simulate the rules of pushing, replicating, growing and expanding among coral tiny cells. 珊弧．山瑚利用電腦演算轉化，珊瑚微小細胞間彼此互相推擠、複製、 生長與擴張之規則。
After dynamic stacking along the time axis, it gradually forms a beautiful form of complex organic curved surfaces. 並在經過時間軸向的動態堆疊後，慢慢形成一複雜有機曲面的美麗型態。
ROSO is committed to computer generated design, robotic 3D printing technology and new materials research. The work utilizes transparent materials to express the beautiful changing form and pure luster of undersea corals.
while its colors are the coexistences of the people interacting with the lights, as well as the scenery on the beautiful bay.
而它的色彩則是與其互動的人們與「光」，相互共生而成的繽紛，以及在美麗的海灣上相連結的「景」。
Through the properties of material and the curves of form, it echoes the endless coastline and sky when the viewer looks out at the sea, and shows different appearances in different periods.
：我最後再補充一點，其實我們不是在創造新的建築，我們比較有興 趣的是，例如建築從舊到新的轉換，一種新的再現或再詮釋。就像哲學 家馬歇爾．麥克魯 漢（Marshall Mcluhan）曾說：「The medium is the message.」，媒材就是個訊息，它背後的意義隱含著，新的科技或是新 的媒材會影響到人的生活、空間、型態，甚至是想像力。
ROSO機器人建造實驗室/ 王識源＋盛郁庭
ROSO/ Shih-Yuan Wang, Yu-Ting Sheng
ROSO is a multi-disciplinary research team including experts in different fields such as robotics, machine learning, materials, construction, and civil engineering. The main goal is to use innovative robotics and computing thinking to change and challenge the current high labor-intensive nature of the global construction and construction industry, and to provide a variety of intelligent construction process and solutions.
ROSO not only focuses on the development of technology research, but also cultivates new types of cross-field integration talents through teaching, and is committed to using the integration of technology and design to further cooperate with the industry to implement practical projects of smart construction. It is hoped that through the joint action of research, teaching, and industry and academia, more people will be able to open up more connections and discussions on "Imagination of Architecture" and "Possibility of Construction" in this era.
This is an experimental discourse into the duality of space framed as a dialogue between the designer and his father and their respective positions in space. The design attempts to use the duality of space, e.g. black/white, solid/void, inside/outside, public/private, past/now, light/heavy, and bright/ dark as a discourse into the duality faced by the two individuals and how the two living units coexist through the arrangement of the programming.
QUASI-ARCADE: Double-Walled Space System 類騎樓：雙層牆空間系統
The facade retains the decorative and textural qualities of the 1960s’. The outer wall is covered with a double-layered stainless steel net. The quasi-arcade with a depth of 1.5m and a height of 6m is set back to form a double-wall system with a glass inner wall.
This creates a new facade complimenting the existing. This double-layered mesh-wall produces external views of different transparencies. This allows the creation of an interior studio space on the second floor with outdoor/public expression.
The black (private) and the white (public) in figure-ground are used as metaphors for the two spaces. The architectural studio (black room) and the construction company (white room) face the closure and openness of the city creating a “distance” between the spaces with moving lines, spilt floors, and gaps. The two units have their own independent realms indirectly experiencing the perception and interaction of each other's existence, presenting a three-dimensional figureground in the section.
Three platforms with different elevations are placed in a spatial limit of 25m x 4m with a height of 8m. The upper and lower floors are divided into six areas and visual exchange is allowed in a split-level configuration.
Ensuring that the inhabitants of the two spaces do not disturbed each other, a square spiral staircase is placed at the entrance to divide the circulation, forming a vertical loop that can be operated independently or shared together.
YUNGCHEI.plus Architects was co-founded by Chei Chang and Tien-Yung Lin at the end of 2021, and won the ADA Awards for Emerging Architects, Golden Pin Design Award, Taiwan Interior Design Award (TID Gold Award) in 2022...etc.
In the face of various architectural types, the dialectical thinking of "Dualism" is used as the starting point of the design discussion. Through the study of "Typology of architecture ", seek opportunities to disturb various types of spatial configuration and program. Pursue the spatial order of "Geometric prototype" in the design, hoping to induce people's "Body perception" through abstract morphological spatial composition, and try to return it to the discussion of the essence of architecture, that is, the fundamental relationship between body and space.
"Rainy Dome" is an outdoor installation art work by artist Cheng Tsung Feng for the Hakka Cultural Light District in Hsinchu for the Hsinchu Light Coming Art Festival. He and the Hsinchu City Government team discussed together at the beginning of the plan.
In the daytime, you can see the swaying tree shadows casting on the canvas through the sun light. In the evening, the structure is lit up with a romantic and ceremonial ambience. Feng presented this huge umbrella for his hometown, Hsinchu City, to provide people with a shelter from the sun and rain.
The curatorial concept of the Hakka Culture Light District is to focus on the ancient wisdom contained in the handicrafts in the Hakka life and culture. The concept of the work comes from paper umbrella. In Hakka culture, paper umbrellas are regarded as symbols of completeness, reunion, and fate. The Chinese character for "umbrella" is a pictogram of four persons under a shelter, an image of people coming together. As a young Hakka in Hsinchu, Feng was deeply attracted by the cultural connotation, structural beauty and craftsmanship of paper umbrella.
goal of the creation were set to remain on-site after the event and become a facility for public rest in the park.
其創作的任務與目標設定為活動結束後於現地保留，成為新竹北大公園基地內提供民眾遮陽擋雨的休憩設施。
He and his team disassembled a traditional paper umbrella into many separate components, and studied the respective materials, manufacturing and processing methods, functions and the relationship between the parts. With the knowledge of each part, they tried to combine the parts with more than twice the number of parts, producing a variety of form variations.
They then selected the ones with the most outstanding internal spaces and forms. Further studies were carried out between the relationship of varies wood structures, as well as detailed designs of components, methods of assembly and material processes.
In the end, they completed a three-fold umbrella structure with mathematical logic, giving the waterproof canvas an organic leaf-shaped outline. Walking into it, you can sense a strange kaleidoscopic vision, and the wooden structure provides a special the three-dimensional spatial experience.
Cheng Tsung Feng (born 1987) is a young Taiwanese artist. He is an old soul fascinated with the wisdom hidden in traditional utensils, reluctant to let go of these intangible assets. His exploration in design is a form of inheritance, learning to create utensils from tradition. He applies handcraft methods from traditional artifacts in making large-scale arts and sculptures, allowing the brilliance of ancient wisdom hidden in the objects to be represented at various scales and functions. Rebirth is the way he preserves precious traditional culture as an artist. He has been invited by Hermes, Aesop, Nike, Loewe, The Balvenie, Apple, The Ritz-Carlton, Kvadrat, Eslite and other international brands to create commissioned artworks & projects.
The project site and the incinerator are located on the dunes. A closed waste landfill to the west is going through greenification. The scale of the flattened site and the high rising chimneys is expansive sparking our spatial imagination on a grand scale.
It parallel with the seaside dunes. Protecting it from tsunami. A retractable storage roof to cover the solidified ash from wind and rain. The final design was an impervious landfill to store 12 years of solidified ash and a storage warehouse for preliminary processing. By reducing the mass of the building, it sits softly on the site next to the Pacific.
A mezzanine floor on the north side was designed for environmental education. Forgoing the used of staircases the pathway to the entrance is a sloped mound outside the building. The entrance hallway is full of twists and turns, like entering a darkroom or a theatre.
Used steel angles to form a long span mega space. Using a slender structure to pay tribute to those willing to use technology to break through the limitations in an era when materials are scarce.
The shutters and skylights together form three zones of lighting. The linear skylights act like a sundial, inscribing the changing of time in the quiet temporary storage warehouse.The structural painted silver allowing them to disappear from the roof. This highlights the repetitive patterns of the truss forming a scale of reference.
The zigzag concrete walls on the north and south sides are resistant structures. Recycled lumbers were used as formworks leaving traces on the wall.The walls with the texture and shades of raw concrete look like a cross section of a naturally collapsed sand dune.
The landfill storage sequence is designed to invite vegetation and human activities to participate. Every year, the terrain, the vegetation and new narratives will grow with the coastal landscape. The project becomes a large scale environmental classroom. Visitors can reflect on the issues of sustainability like waste treatment and recycling. We look forward to advancement in future technology where the solidified ash resting in the ground will be removed and transformed into usable resource. The landfill and the storage warehouse will create new possibilities after they are decommissioned.
Fieldoffice Architects/ Hsieh-Yao L Huang 田中央聯合建築師事務所/劉黃謝堯
Fieldoffice Architects, both residents and professionals.
Everyone usually shuttles between the site and the office, and continuously transforms various abstract ideas into designs with their own will. The diversity like a forest has made Fieldoffice Architects today, and looks forward to bringing more beautiful possible.
Experience
Adjunct lecturer of Department of Architecture, Chung Yuan Christian University
Member of Yilan City Urban Planning Committee in 2020, 2022
The vision is to create a center for sustainable building methods through the recycling and rebuilding of structures in wood. The historic Japanese dormitory precinct will become a new work space of wood construction technology inheriting the past and ushering in the future. This project hopes to further promote the history, beauty, and the cultural and technical inheritance of wood structures.
We deconstructed a pair of Japanese-style dormitories and re-designed them into two buildings of special character in the north and south as woodexperimental-courts.
The design reimagined the North building for the experimenting and studying of wood. The South building, The Wood Workshop, is for machining and production of wooden parts and members. These will be used to repair the wooden parts of old Japanese-style dormitories and eventually to upgrade the entire wood city of Chiayi.
The South Building, we break the restriction of traditional Japanese-style wood structures with limited column and beam spans. By changing the structural system we transformed old roof trusses into an innovative wood workshop.
As for the North building, new and old structures are fused to create an educational facility for innovative usage of wood. We incorporated four modern antiseismic techniques: tensioning cable, Y form braces, wooded damper, and glass dashpot. These techniques allow new interpretations of wooden structure.
A.S Studio / Kuan-Fan Chen, Yun-Yu Chen 原型結構工程顧問有限公司
/ 陳冠帆＋陳韻愉
As a structural design studio, A.S. Studio generates its design from architectural structure. Our philosophy is to integrate architecture and structure, and to create new possibilities and design! A.S. Studio = Architecture + Structure; the name itself suggests “making, practicing, becoming”. Let the straightness of A and the curviness of S interwoven into a new structural thinking. We explore the structural prototype to initiate the design of architecture and structure. Our philosophy in four words: constructional, methodological, categorical and procedural.
Philosophy of prototype
We believe all structural systems exist naturally in their most fundamental principle: prototype. The goal of A.S. studio is not only to design structure by their prototypes, but also to envision architectural spaces with such principle. Hence we seek the integration of space, environment and structure, and to amalgamate the aesthetics and engineering.
Chung-Han Yao, Jui-Pin Tseng Loudly Lightning Studio
姚仲涵＋曾睿彬｜大聲光電
Keelung City, Taiwan
基隆市，台灣
The work is located next to the "KEELUNG" sign landmark, a well-known scenic spot on Huzai Mountain in Keelung , which is the former school building of Taiping Elementary School.
作品設在基隆知名景點虎仔山「KEELUNG」字牌的旁邊，為前太平國小 的校舍。
The work "An Electronic Monster #26 - Chase and Run" tries to respond the meaning of the noon cannon with the time and space, connecting the locality and memories. Schools came to symbolize, guiding, caring, etc., while children are full of eccentricity and vitality.
During the survey, it was found that during the Japanese occupation period, the Japanese set up a fort on Huzai Mountain and fired the cannon at noon. As a standard for unifying folk activities, it can be regarded as the place of early Keelung people's intentions for time and space. Then, after the popularity of clocks and radios, the "noon cannon" observance slowly withdrew from the stage of history.
Through the synchronization of technological sound and light, two kinds of lamps are used to simulate the imagination of the two, creating a sound and light theater that takes place on the hour, calling the attention of the audience and the audience at the foot of the mountain, and creating a performance and announcement of memories of the years.
In 2017, Taiping Elementary School was closed due to insufficient enrollment. The school building was transformed into a modern space that combines the past and new creations. There is a modern "Blue Bird Bookstore" and a wonderful architectural texture that remains in the demolition state. From the Japanese occupation period and the founding of Taiping Elementary School to the abolition of the school, the reopened space will once again link the past and the present. The work invites the audience to reconnect the relationship between mountains, light, music, and the memorise of Keelung with "An Electronic Monster #26 - Chase and Run".
“Loudly Lightnig Studio”was founded in 2017, specializing in manipulating materials and enjoying music. Whether it's light and shadow performances or electronic music with installations, they are passionate about pursuing space and self-exploration. Their representative work is the "An Electronic Monster" series.
Members
Chung-Han Yao
Through noise seeking light and shadow , through music finding relations, and through space creates light and shadow. Creation without boundaries, self-proclaimed as an artist but also a music creator and DJ, currently an associate professor in the Department of Architecture of Shih Chien University.
Jui-Pin Tseng
Graduated from the Department of Architecture of Shih Chien University, one of the founders of the "An Electronic Monster" series.
Ling-Wei Chang
Graduated from the Department of Product Design of Ming Chuan University and joined in 2022.
David Chen ｜ ECG International Landscape consultants
陳乃中｜衍生工程顧問有限公司
Pingtung County, Taiwan 屏東縣，台灣
The cities of Taiwan seem boring, lacking of stories; but the truth is, since the 17th century, the sugar industry have ushered Taiwan into the age of international trade. There were over 40 sugar factories all over Taiwan during the Meji period forming the foundation for modern city development. Many of these historic factories were torn down due to declining economic value.
The Site is 50 meters from the northern bank of the Snake Creek, and 20 meters from the south bank. The shape is long and narrow, we plan to connect each spread sites by paths, since the structure above ground have been demolished, there are only a few old light poles and a few dangerous potholes on the ground. It was not until we ventured into the hole to explore that the remaining damages are like an abandoned temple.
The existing pit and the base of the filter tank are not recognized having an historical value, but are the only traces left in this grand historical framework. In the planning of the visitor path, through the compression of space and the difference in material texture, travelers are guided to experience difference in space and eras , while walk into the core of the pit, and feel the stories from remaining walls.
The original design approach for Snake Creek is simply a riverside park. In 2020 we strived for revival of factories remains, but for only 180 days of construction schedule. Apart from the unknown factors and instability of the underground structure, we can only begin excavation until the project bidding process have completed. So, the design schedule and construction schedule are overlap. going through redesign process while excavation and historical research, the process of this project seems very efficient.
People who used to be associated with this land, including Japanese engineers who came to Taiwan from far away, prisoners of allies’ soldiers in World War II, employees of Taiwan Sugar company, and even us who are currently working, are all in the middle of city but isolated from everyone. Because this place is full of stories, this shouldn't be just a typical park, but a reason to continuation of the past, by combine stories into design methods.
When adapting the structure of an industrial factories into recreational facilities, objects must be inserted for transformation. The industrial scale is transformed into human scale, using the existing slope and height difference are used as part of design.
Every design study the historical structure clues and logic, so that the new object we inject has a corresponding relationship with the historical site. 每項置入都是依循遺構來找尋線索跟邏輯，使新的設施與舊的遺構保有相對應關係。
陳： 事實上，我不太會將景觀、建築區分成兩件事，理應沒有這麼明 確的界線。殺蛇溪這個設計案有人評論說太像建築了，景觀設計不僅 僅只是種植花草樹木，應該是環境中的地景設計，而植栽則是可以運 用的設計元素之一，建築量體往往也是地景的一部份。其實本案初期 的空間情景與畫作「廢墟中的銀行（A Bird’s-eye view of the Bank of England）」相仿，從工廠荒蕪融合成環境的一部分。以我自身為例，無 論在建築設計、景觀設計或室內設計，我都想模糊之間的界線，就是希 望可以在既有的空間裡、環境下，透過觀察瞭解其特點優勢，再轉化設 計而成的樣貌，而非強加予所謂的必須呈現的設計。
"ECG INTERNATIONAL", was founded in Taiwan in 1988 by Mr. Ju-Yill Joseph Lee, who had practiced in Seattle, USA for more than ten years.
Mr. Lee serves as the design director, and introduced the design thinking of contemporary landscape architecture planning from the USA to Taiwan. The company is mainly engaged in professional work such as environmental planning, national park planning, urban design, and landscape architecture design.
For the canopy and plaza designs at Hsinchu Municipal Gymnasium, our architectural practice is used in the interest of public welfare and the continuation of collective memories and expectations. They are the results of active participation between user groups and the designers. This reflects the changing times and contemporary craft.
The Gymnasium and its plaza are open spaces connecting major parks, zoo, Centennial Avenue, and The Children’s Museum creating a constant pedestrian traffic flow.
In recent times, the aging gymnasium has gradually fallen into disrepair. We have explored and identified the various causes for the decline and responded with minimal interventions. As the city develops, our interventions will accommodate more identity groups and allow for more engagement of public life.
Our design uses steel plates of two different thicknesses to produce V-shape beams and parallelograms. Together they form a repetitive structure. Instead of a clearly defined duality, beams and parallelograms are conceived as a continuous structure in various slopes.
Within a thickness of 15-centimeter the structure delivers an appealing form as well as diverting rainwater. The Parallelogram units ensure structural, production and construction efficiency. Standardized steel members connect to columns with embedded light fixtures to support the structure. The structure defines street level of activities. Traditional elements of columns, beams, and plates create ambiguous and collaborative relationships.
The canopy structure is our design interpretation from observing the usage of the gymnasium and its existing architectural elements. The extended facade and canopy provide a friendly buffer space for spectators during sports events. It is a major improvement from the originally dimly lit lobby space. Spectators can easily walk up to the platform to participate in events, or take shelter from the rain or sun.
HII, the architecture firm "工二建築" started with the work of two architects and has gathered and collaborated with various partners, establishing roots in three cities - Taipei, Tainan, and Hsinchu. In their design work, they see "architectural practice" and "space creation" as verbs and aim to be devout believers in each design project. They often pay attention to names or terms that are difficult to accurately describe or summarize but frequently occur in the people, events, and objects surrounding them.
They are obsessed with using their inner imagination to measure the beauty of things, striving for near-perfect presentation. Although people and things are constantly changing, they continue to touch upon humanity and the environment, starting with the soul, and attempt to develop people's imagination of space around communities. Through experimentation and practice, they continue to gather energy, branch out, care for dialogue, and represent the locality.
Most plants in the project for Future Greenroom are species common in our daily life. Precious arbors have already been growing prosperously elsewhere in the garden with its contemporary and historical context 方舟計畫中需要被保護的植物幾乎都是生長於日常環境中的花草植物， 珍貴的喬木類反而早就已經充滿植物園之中，在各種現代紋理與歷史脈 絡交疊的位置上，非常適合扮演說故事的角色。
The plants growing in the renovated greenhouse interweave the new and existing context on the site, and also act as an important role in the spatial transition. It was a spectacular experience to work in the prosperous forest that is taken good care of by the professionals. Looking at the reflections of the greenery and extended landscape on the glass wall of the greenhouse, I really hope that the gardeners would enjoy working here, and expect that people who visit here would be touched and inspired by their enthusiasm.
The overtly architectural expression is consciously suppressed in this greenhouse design. The space belongs to the vegetation. We avoided using organic curves which are usually associated with organisms and plants. The existing geometric figures on the site established the order of the cluster, contrasting with the free form of the plants.
We tried to use as few types of structure assembly as possible to achieve the minimal structural requirement. The whole structure is less solid with the shadows of the grey and white structural elements.
The image of the dome of the old greenhouse, which was demolished for safety, was represented by a floating circle, surrounded by the existed giant arbors. Under the circle is an area for the exhibition of the theme plants and for occasional events. Looking up at the dome, there would be images of huge imaginary future plants, projected by Augmented Reality technology.
When people step onto the suspended platform at the top of the dome, they can clearly observe the various landscapes in the botanical garden, and the Da-Tun Mountain in the direction of the Zhongshan Hall.
The Taipei Botanical Garden can be regarded as a platform for philosophical speculation and introspection. Our entire island of Taiwan is the backdrop and provides an abundant source for Garden.
Fieldoffice Architects, both residents and professionals.
Everyone usually shuttles between the site and the office, and continuously transforms various abstract ideas into designs with their own will. The diversity like a forest has made Fieldoffice Architects today, and looks forward to bringing more beautiful possible.
Experience
Adjunct Lecturer of Department of Architecture, Chung Yuan Christian University
Zhuangwei Dune, Project Architect
Coastal Sand Dunes Park Planning for Ka-Liu Area, Project Architect
The renovation of the existing space of Jianye House and Fieldoffice, Project Architect
Taipei Botanical Garden Greenhouse Construction Project, Project Architect
CH Wang：The ADA Awards for Emerging Architects is awarded to the “person” rather than the work. The basis for judging is the quality of the entered work and knowledge of the author obtained over time.
JJ Wang：Most entrants did not clearly outline their experience, so we still need to put the focus on their recent works. For someone like me who is not in the architectune business, I may think certain projects are excellent as I go through the submissions, which happen to be their very first projects. Does that mean they would cannot win the award because they haven’t accumulated sufficient reputation and I cannot possibly give them an award on their first projects? If we were to base the judging on the person, my criteria would be decent experience, consistently high-quality work, and continuous output.
CH Wang：Thinking of it the other way, most entrants of these Awards don’t come with a lot of experience. We still have the next interview stage. The task at hand is to select 15-20 works to proceed to further selection through interview. Today is about narrowing down the selection rather than finishing it.
Day：Right from the start, the focus of ADA Awards has not been the licensed architect, but rather a unique approach to spatial concepts as demonstrated by the author. This is my first time to serve as a juror. I see some entrants who work at large firms, and with this type of authors we can only know them through the works they have submitted. If the work has considerable connection with the firm or its principal, then it would be hard to judge and we may need to determine their level of engagement through the interview.
Liang：That’s also what I would like to ask. We all know that an architectural project is done through teamwork. In the scenarios we were discussing—an independent firm versus one with a
big team—the type and scale of work and the available team resources would vary. Is that something we need to consider?
CH Wang ： That has been a major point of reflection as we stage the ADA Awards over the years. Our current approach is to reference the international practice and take the stance of encouragement, meaning we encourage both authors working under a firm or a licensed architect with an independent practice. In our field, we do not require everyone to have an independent practice to prove his or her merit as an emerging architect.
Lin ： As a general direction, I believe it’s appropriate to judge someone working at a big firm based on overall personal experience.
Kidosaki：This is my first time serving as an ADA juror. Aside from architects already known to me, I don’t know the younger authors and may have to gauge the messages they wish to convey through their other works.
Ho：A few years ago, there were some rather outstanding works submitted for ADA but didn’t win the award, and that gave rise to some discussion. The “ADA Awards for Emerging Architects” is not the “Taiwan Architectural Award”. The former offer opportunities to explore the possibilities or contemporariness in architecture instead of an architectural work with a large scale or high level of completion.
JJ Wang：There are also some entrants who are not architects or authors working at a firm. They may be categorized as architects or an ad-hoc team formed for a specific event or installation in a way closer to contemporary art. We would have different points of view and observations for these temporary works compared with architectural projects. Furthermore, for an ad-hoc team formed just
for a specific work rather than a pre-existing firm, the submitted work would be their first project, making it difficult to judge if their potential warrants the awards.
Liang ： Along the same vein as JJ’s question, all the entrants are pursuing possibilities in architecture through their works, be with team members or independent practitioners. The crux of our judgement is not whether they are the key influencer in the entry or have obtained the written permission of the team leader. Therefore, we are judging purely through the work be it temporary or permanent. Our judging criteria are based on our understanding of architecture and its possibilities.
CH Wang ： The essence of the Awards is to encourage the person, and we need a representative work to open the door and then get to know the person through the next interview stage. The work is the entry point, but the final selection is on the person, making this selection process rather unique. Thus, there may be a superb work that does not win in the end because the jury find the work to be too far apart in relationship with the author.
Coming back to Day‘s question on how to verify if the person is the real author of the work. Actually, this is not difficult; usually we know the practice of the firm in discussion and we have legal documents as supporting proof; we can also ask around. So, this task is not as hard as one imagines, and we can get to know the distance between the work and the author in the next round of interview.
Now to JJ’s question on what “architecture” means for the ADA Awards. It’s a question of definition. The Awards are meant for creative work, which is not limited to that must be undertaken by someone with an architectural license. On the conterary, if the entrants believe what they are creating is architecure, then we accept that.
Finally on what Ho said, which is also extremely important to me. The winners we choose today may be receiving the first award in their career after graduation. Hence, all they may have on their resume is their degree and maybe awards or honors received for their thesis project; that’s all. In addition, they may have to avail any opportunity that comes by at the beginning, whatever it is. They may not have a chance to design a building so early in their career, and what we hope to see is for them to avail any creative opportunity they can get their hands on. We have also given an award to someone in the tender age of 24 or 25. His thesis project was a refugee shelter built out of plastic bags. Architecture is very broad and does not necessarily have to be a building. There is a long life ahead of them, and what we need to do is to uncover their potential.
During the preliminary round two years ago, the jurors had a great regret, which was the fact all the finalist works were buildings. This means that young Taiwanese architects are always working on buildings early in their career without engaging in interdisciplinary endeavors. However, there are many examples of “architecture” in an interdisciplinary sense in the world and they can often make a greater social impact.
Judges: Paul Noritaka Tange, Wen-Sheng Lee, Ching-Hwa Chang, Jr-Gang Chi, Shu-Chang Kung
Curator: Ya-Lin Su
Moderator: Chun-Hsiung Wang
CH Wang ： During preliminary selection, the foremost criterion is to allow for a good number of entrants to receive the encouragement, and we reached the consensus of ten. Next, we ran into two issues with the entered works this year. First, there may be a big gap between the authors and their works. For instance, Chong-Han Yao majored in architecture but he is not currently doing conventional architectural work; yet, it’s easy to see the close relationship between his work and architecture. Another extreme example is Cheng-Zong Fan. He majored in industrial design but has always been interested in architecture, so he can’t help but produce works with architectural concepts. It is rare for non-architectural practitioners to enter. As for those who do practice architecture, there is also a great variety in the kind of projects they do. Thus, the scope has been expanded broadly this year. Moreover, there are also those who work in a large firm but entered as an individual. We feel that under these circumstances we can aim for higher diversity in the scope of our encouragement.
Secondly, these unconventional architectural works, in other words, they are not very technical, and yet they are actually more merit-worthy on account of that. In contrast with past entries which are primarily conventional architectural works, this year’s entries present a lot of creativity and more experimental ventures. You see a kaleidoscopic spectrum from the finalists selected. For instance, the submission by Kuan-Fan Chen started as a structure but the work is very architectural. Hsieh-Yao L Huang and TzuJui Su are authors who work for large firms. NK Kuo is personally engaged in the entire creative process of his project. Yu-Ting Sheng and Shih-Yuan Wang are cutting-edge in their approach. Accordingly, every entry is unique in its own right and the authors all have considerable experience in their respective realms. Finally, I believe this year will prove a great challenge for the final-round jurors because the breadth of scope and variety in typology in the finalist collection is unprecedented.
太確定該用什麼標準來衡量，所以我們需要了解到底要以怎麼樣的標準 來評選。我對於新銳建築師的定義是必須能Think out of the box (跳脫 框架思考)，並找到解決方法的人。重要的是他們擁有一個理念，然後 願意持續地去推動這個理念說服我們，我認為這是新的世代應該有的狀 態。
張清華：今天選出來的新銳，他在某些方面一定要有領導性跟代表性， 我很同意Think out of the box（跳脫框架思考）。在這個世代因為科技、
Defining the ADA Awards for Emerging Architects
Chi：Could everyone first talk about your own definition of the “ADA Awards for Emerging Architects” so we can gradually come to a consensus among the final jury?
Tange ： To be honest, I don’t have an answer to the definition of “Emerging Architects”. In Japan, the difference between an architect and a licensed architect is the license, but one cannot be limited to participation based on one piece of paper. These are wonderfully diversified works looking from the third-person perspective. But as a juror I am confounded on which criteria to apply, so we must first understand how we are to carry out the judging.
My definition of “Emerging Architects” means those who can think outside the box to find a solution. What’s important is that they have a conviction and are willing to constantly push this conviction forward and persuade us; I believe that’s what the new generation should have.
Lee：Out of the ten works, device-related or tectonic issues versus practical architectural maneuvers account for almost half and half. They are obviously different in terms of the tectonic complexity, physical environment and applicable regulations. In terms of pragmaticality, building projects are not necessarily any more pragmatic; an installation that can be projected psychologically to galvanize emotional reactions is also pragmatic, and one cannot make the judgement purely from an architectural viewpoint. What is more important to me is first of all, the ADA Awards based on my past experience demand courage—the courage to confront failure and not give up due to time-related or realistic factors. Secondly, in an age of widely available information, it is very heartening to see someone who demonstrates independent thinking.
Chang：The Emerging Architects we choose today must show
leadership and representation in some way. I very much agree with “thinking outside the box”. Advances in technology and information in this generation means traditional boundaries have been opened up, but there is great uncertainty about the next step forward and thus many questions about architecture arise. To me, architecture has to as a minimum be related to people, through an array of expressions, e.g., industrial or product design or design of an installation artwork. Moreover, architecture is intrinsically something that requires integration, and the author’s presentation should be well connected to the work; hence, the proficiency of the presentation is critical and it must be convincing. In addition, there are many angles with which to view innovation. Different people engaging in so-called architecture or design will lead to different results. It is imperative whether one can see uniqueness in the work, and something we can discuss about the Awards is whether or not the issues contemplated in our times must be reflected.
Kung ： I have a few criteria regarding the Awards; the relationship between the award and the winner is rather important. First, I would not judge based on architectural integrity alone, but rather focus on the direction taken by the author; in other words, the work must be indicative of where the author is going. Second, whether or not the direction is sincere? Third, zeitgeist, and to be somewhat representative of Taiwan. In fact, several of these works have already been presented at the Golden Pin Design Award, Taiwan Interior Design Award and Architecture Award, but I would not reject them on that ground. Yet, I would not reference those awards, either, because that hinders the ADA Awards from holding its own, and there may also be a diluting effect with the numerous awards. Moreover, some works are done by young architects in large firms and they do need to be encouraged. But they must show a continuous creative venation of their own, whether aesthetics or the development of various attempts. For individual authors, I would hope the work shows continuity and such continuity must be
： The Awards are basically a platform for all young architects to share their work and philosophy, and this platform carries certain value and rigor. People are also invited to view architecture from different angles and explore new possibilities. For Taiwan, setting a theme would still present difficulties in execution, so the question is how we can showcase the creative spectrum in Taiwan today through the Awards. For these reasons, my personal expectation is to see this accumulation of potential. We are in no need of political correctness or absolutely contemporaneous ideology. There can be some resistance against the mainstream ideology, and the Awards would offer support for that.
Stage One Deliberation
Tange ： Speaking of possibility and extensibility, I felt truly struck by ROSO Architect, which manifests a new direction we must inevitably contemplate. It is not only a poetic object but also underlines a contrast between logic and nature, and the boundary between reality and virtual reality. As for Pingtung County Park, it celebrates the history of a place while adding new elements to create a modern work from in the perspective of an architect.
Lee ： In past discourse on heritage architecture, I find the conventional practice is usually to first restoration and then injection of a function. Half or even two thirds of Chiayi Wood Factory was originally in ruins. In tackling this project, the authors preserve the pre-existing structure and even the spatial modality to some extent while also trying to find new structural approaches and making a system out of it to serve as future reference. On An Electronic Monster, I may be biased by my special feelings about the location; this installation forges a wonderful link between the historical context and the civic
consciousness or tourism today. The design of Pingtung County Park is born out of an internal struggle but actually this is an undertaking with remarkable passion and courage. The maneuver is very subtle and sophisticated without excessive pretense, and the introduction of activities can serve to mobilize the feeling of local residents; he was quite successful in his intervention.
Chang ： The leadership demonstrated by Kuo is enough to make 45+ architects regret why they never thought of doing it themselves. The fact that he took the initiative bears momentous future value, and his applications in wood are very inspiring. Feng is an artist, and he is also using wood in his work; this is the right direction for future development. Kuan-Fan Chen and Yun-Yu Chen are familiar with structure, so in their discourse on a structure for the future they replace log construction with panel construction and contrast traditional tectonics against lightweight structure; it also carries a wider impact because environmental sustainability has been considered. An Electronic Monster opens up many possibilities in light aside from materials of substance, not to mention its impact on the city; I see great potential there. As for Wang+Sheng, parametric design should be advocated in the future and helps bring inspirations on the tools used.
Kung ： Kuo is uniquely attached to wood and demonstrates very rational logic behind his work. The final proposal including the connections and site selection stands out amongst the practical works we have seen in the past five years. His personal commitment also gives me confidence he will blaze a trail over the next 5-10 years that runs counter to the paths taken in conventional wood structure we commonly see today. On ROSO Architect, they have always been successful in creating this kind of beauty. They also attach great value to logical progression and are much more visionary than others when it comes to the relationship between digital and fabrication. On
Wood Factory, Kuan-Fan Chen continues to build on an existing wooden structure from its beginning as ruins, which itself is both an experiment and a piece of architecture with dynamic aggregation founded on its historical context. David Chen showcases aesthetic and formal interaction and a great attitude. Yao is an artist who excels in handling the relationship between sound, light and space in the contemporary age.
Chi ： Wood Factory is a perseverant attempt to explore how new materials may be introduced in traditional wooden structures. I was touched by the infectious energy underlying how he renovated a house and through this tries to renovate other ones and then expand to the entire City of Chiayi with its rich heritage in wood. The concept of renovating something old to look old is so predominant in Taiwan and this project helps us to rethink it . I was also very moved by An Electronic Monster by Yao. He is trying to change the city using light, with projects on inconspicuous corners of various streets that thoroughly transform the look of a city. I was most moved by David Chen’s project by the fact the client loves it so much to vouch for it; I see great potential in the fact they undertook the project under Taiwan’s public sector and a young architect braving being fined to achieve his goal. In Kuo’s Forest-Tree Classroom, we see he is basically living in and of the woods; the rigor in his film production and drawings exemplifies his architectural professionalism. Finally, Wang+Sheng have shaped a world with new ideas with their project and are gradually leading to achieve it in a way better suited to Taiwan’s circumstances.
Stage Two Deliberation
Chi ： ROSO is designing the routing, which is how the robotic arm moves in space to form space; this is different from conventional design, which is thinking about the shape of a space. As for Kuo’s work, a substantial part of what he’s doing is within the AA program, and he think over most formal
considerations based on the forestry and constructive method, and the structure is generated from the interaction between body and statement. with a quick statement involving tectonics so I have reservations about whether the final form is the best solution for that place.
Tange ： The passion exuding from Kuo’s work is truly impressively; it is highly polished both in execution and overall planning. What I see is someone went into the mountains to do a piece of work; but does that really shed the light for a future direction? An Electronic Monster is interesting indeed, but I am not as moved as everyone else because I have probably seen something similar. I am convinced by you on Wood Factory and it has grown in appeal; it seems to point to a right direction for the ADA Awards.
Kung： I’m more worried about David Chen because a lot of the interior design he’s doing now is not consistent with other stuff. This project is excellent, but one would question the essence of cutting edge if we compare it to other projects. My second worry is his work appears inconsistent with himself, and that extends to the strengths of his project—people have chosen based on the strengths of the project rather than the “emerging architect”. On Yao’s portrayal of the relationship with architecture deploying light or sound, actually the relationship light forms with architecture signifies a reconstruction of boundaries, on the otherhand, the power to open them up. Especially when it comes to light sweeping through a distant sky, I’ve seen ones better than his and even his other works might be better. But what’s worth mentioning is his work is consistent from beginning to end and always conveys his primary focus—sound and light. Wang+Sheng have a big influence on the future of digital, though theirs is not the most novel in a world that has fully embraced digital technology. But this project has certainly generated a new kind of power and a new level of interpretation of the sea and mountain. I don’t see anything particularly problematic about the
work of Chen+Chen, either, except for some structural attempts-the original beam-and-post structure and the follow-up panel structure don’t appear to solve the issue, although the absence of excessive elegance is healthy for this project.
Chang：There is one thing that Wang+Sheng did not achieve: there needs to be repetition if machine were truly to help people. Maybe it wasn’t explained clearly in this work which parts are being repeated. There are a lot of rules in architecture, but that wasn’t immediately apparent in Wood Factory. Comparing the two wood projects, for instance, if we put Kuo on Wood Factory and Kuan-Fan Chen on Forest-Tree Classroom, the outcome would be totally different. Chen may not come up with an eyecatching project if they were to do what Kuo did, whereas Kuo put on Wood Factory would be able to accomplish that. It would be better if different thoughts were put into the details.
Lee：Yao’s work is constrained by the task and budget given by the city; I am more concerned about the inability to create direct emotional links between the viewer and what Yao is thinking about. Furthermore, an interactive relationship with the city layering and its richness is not muoh presented in the act of projection. I didn’t mention Kuo in Round One not because I didn’t like the work; he shows a high level of maturity in his understanding of the project including the tectonic forms. I was first caught by the sight of a thin shell, very skillful reuse of the existing tree shape as a column and then making the column disappear so that you only see shingles floating in the forest; that sense of floating is very special. It is a pity, though, that as we approach, the spatial emotion and reflection are missing, and I also worry that everything he has is highly choreographed and very precise and whether that would lead to a very formalized pattern. After the entire space has been deconstructed in Wood Factory, the original ambience of the housing complex is less than before when one wanders within. Although by opening up the space he has brought natural light inside, the treatment of amongin space is missing in of a sense of the bygone lifestyle.
Judges: Sheng-Feng Lin, Tai-Wen Ho, Paul Noritaka Tange, Shu-Chang Kung
Wang ： Let me first describe my role at this forum. I have a complex role: I am on the executive team as well as the preliminary jury. I have taken part in the Awards since the inaugural edition in 2012, and my first thought is there is hardly any other award in the world that grows this fast. That is to say, the Awards started very simple with the intention to help young architects early in their career by providing a robust platform. But just as I said at the previous Award Ceremony, what we do here falls near the very end of the whole process; in other words, if these young architects hadn’t put in the years of hard work up front, there would be no recipient be conferred the awards to. We receive feedback from many people every time the winners are announced, so it is about bringing many things together. I often think about how we are able showcase the vibrancy in Taiwan through a very small thing, so I’ve always found this whole thing awe-inspiring.
Last night, we went through a very complicated jury process. The deliberation was the aggregate of highly conflicting and varying viewpoints. Consequently, many aspects of each winner have been seen and likewise many others remain unseen. Just as we often say, winning an award is a one-time thing, but the creative practice is lifelong process. Let us start from the preliminary jurors—you may talk about your own opinions or those of others; I think that’s quite important.
Lin：From the first to second stage the entire preliminary selection process took approximately two full days. I want to go back to what Pf. Wang mentioned about winning being a one-time thing despite its importance. I believe this year marks the 10th year of the Awards, and I vaguely recall how the two Pf. Wangs organized several fora over the first and second editions centering on the topic of whether or not architecture is creative work. Many winners back then were entrapped in a swamp of realities. But a decade later, people, that might from the same group, are talking about concepts and techniques; I think that signifies a drastic shift. We believe the struggles architects experience in their work are such part of it. I myself hung out my shingle just nine years ago. In my sharing at school, I often said architecture was about teamwork, architecture relied on will, and architecture was an open issue.
Thinking back, it was nothing but talk—you really have to be in the thick of it and desperately calling out for help to truly know it requires will, it truly is about teamwork, and the openness is true, too. We ultimately sense everything with our body and what architecture really leaves behind is the technique, one that is accumulated, honed and developed; what lies at the core is the concept.
Ho ： Eight years ago, I was sitting down there waiting to be judged, and today I have this great learning opportunity and a chance to talk to you all about it. What I’d like to share is the process in which we narrowed from 80 to 24 entries in the preliminary round and how in our dialogues, we came to the realization that in this small place called Taiwan there are so many people working hard in different corners. Despite the pandemic over the last two years, we still received 80 submissions. There is never an absolute answer to architecture, so just being selected is very much a kind of recognition. This year’s entries attest to the kaleidoscopic fields architecture covers—I am for one involved in cultural heritage—but this platform offers so many possibilities for dialogue.
Lin：Figure-Ground House is an incredibly young team. I always look for a sign of courage in all the works at the start. Their other submission forms a diagonal line with this one. They give me the feeling they are fearless in asking the question, having fun with it and then solving the problem. The honing and thinking should always start with the initial fearlessness.
Ho：We often talk about old architecture, but several works this year transcend “old” or “new” and even presents the possibility to influence a city or an environment. Chiayi Wood Factory is highly constraining as far as an old building goes, but it transcends traditional tectonics and is a departure from the philosophy of “fixing something old to look old”. So, what I would like to say to today’s finalists is that this platform is about enabling and empowering. I was at the receiving end of this to some extent and it helped me to think about the architectural environment in Taiwan, whether it is about crossing over or explorations in various directions, inevitably
driving redefinition or create an impact as a result.
Wang ： ADA is in fact a platform with an amazingly broad horizon. Just to name an example from today’s winners, ChengTsung Feng is an artist engaged in architecture, so he does not have any formal architectural education but the architectural work he’s done is qualified for an architectural award. Another extreme example is Chung-Han Yao; he studied architecture but expresses it through lighting. These two alone have stretched the realm wide apart, not to mention Shih-Yuan Wang and YuTing Sheng, who use the robotic arm to create their work. There is also something distinctly manual, where NK Kuo dwells in solitude in the mountains for 150 days and erects a structure entirely on his own. The preliminary jury pared from eighty down to ten works, but the final jury saw a compact selection of the ten finalist works, so what was presented to the two juries must have been very different.
Kung ： The first question is the criteria, definition and uniqueness established by the ADA Awards. It is in its essence distinct from Taiwan Architecture Award or Far Eastern Architectural Design Award, which center on one singular work. The selected works provide an underlying reference that will become a vital projection to the world today or into the future. Secondly, looking at the Awards at my current age I always ask the following question: would I have been able to do it myself if I were thirty or forty years younger. The third idea is about the Awards highlighting someone confronting one’s own “architectural future” in his or her own way. In the first and second editions, we were still stuck on striving to escape the struggles of realities through the Awards. Then social concerns, urban, tectonic and spatial concerns were introduced in the 3rd and 4th editions. Coming to this edition, In talking about these ten works, the first thing I wanted to do was to redefine architectural possibilities. Second, we did not want to limit emerging architects with political correctness; the jury must not categorize using a set of standards. Another thing is we had both very personal and independent individuals as well as someone doing one’s own thing under the team mechanism of
a large firm. I find it a crucial concept to open the door this time and motivate many young architects to continue their growth under a healthy and integral team. Our final deliberation was fascinating; we went through different rounds to double-check or redefine the conundrum passed on to us by the preliminary jury. Architects or architectural creators over the last six editions have given us a chance to discuss this issue. In other words, we have gone through extensive discussions and the final two works selected on their own do not represent the entire spectrum.
Tange：We began deliberation last night starting from 8pm to at 11:35pm I asked about the likelihood of finishing before the day’s end, which meant reaching an answer in the remaining 25 minutes. Could we really get by in our deliberation without setting a theme first? That was my first question but I realized later that setting a theme would not solve the problem, but rather it requires everyone to view the set of ten works with a very open mind. How does one pare eighty works down to ten, and then pass those ten to us for this conundrum of final deliberation? The “emerging architect” in fact stands for the creator of the next generation, and for that reason there shouldn’t be any constraint or thematic limitation. The Awards today attest to the breadth of architecture in Taiwan. I was very surprised to find the ten finalist teams all wearing black and white as I watched them present, and yet each and every one of them displays such intense architectural personalities. The first-prize winner in my mind didn’t win the award, and that was why we spent so much time to reach today’s conclusion. Every idea, every personality among the finalist works is brilliant and demands not to be constrained by a framework. There are so many constraints in this world, and what is critical is how you insist on your own conviction while at the same time contribute to society by doing so.
Wang： Those of you in the preliminary round could only rely on documentation and interviews. Would you like to share your thoughts on the selection?
Ho：We certainly passed a conundrum to the final jury. During our deliberation, all the entries came very close, meaning
one would make it into the final list and then out again in a constant rotation. An Electronic Monster is a very special case, for instance. He creates a sense of space using light, but this sense of space is silent; that kind of power makes an impact on you. Wang+Sheng’s work appears to be digital and yet shows immense sensitivity toward the environment. One of course must not forget to mention what Kuo is doing in the remote mountains. There, he returns to the relationship between people and nature in a most primitive state; he worked completely manually, building his own sawing platform, working with four fir logs and experimenting with the bending of wood. Of course, the relationship with the environment in Lize Fly Ash along with a few other projects and how they strived to prune the use of materials left a strong impression on me. On Pingtung County Park, I remember our interview went like this: “Don’t you need a professional engineer for the wastewater plumbing?” “No, I do it myself,” he replied. “Do you need a consultant for this history stuff?” “No, I will go borrow books from the library and do my own research,” he replied again. I was shocked by how a young architect of this era can be so resilient.
Lin ： I will speak on a few different aspects. First, I have the utmost respect for all ten finalist teams; I know when one tries different things there are different levels of involvement and entry points. I remember twenty years ago when the architectural profession was being debated in the university education context, people had such a fierce debate on small firms, large firms, and the definition of “success”. Twenty years later no one is talking about that anymore now. In other words, different studies and endeavors require different time and threshold. Luckily, I am not on the final jury, meaning I don’t want to be afflicted with having to decide the first-prize winner. The creative process is one of continuous dialectics—one round of discussion during preliminary selection, another round during the final, and then there will be yet more discussion to come. The thinking on this creative work thus becomes more and more precise and is then further pushed; that is the most valuable thing. I feel rather lucky that each varying opinion is respected and anticipated in this environment. It is rather promising when
the openness of architecture allows us to simultaneously take a step back to view things with greater breadth and depth and then solve all the problems within a closer distance.
Wang：Anyone wishes to add something?
Tange： Allow me. I think all these ten works are superb; the difference lies in how to explain the work . I think the concept of each one is to explain, but there is room for more personality to shine through in the conveying of ideas or presentation. ADA is a platform to do just that—to support you all on boldly expressing yourself.
5．Project Name：An Electronic Monster #26 - Chase and Run Location：Keelung City, Taiwan Principal Use：Installation Design Group：Loudly Lightning Construction Material：Light Overall Design Time：2021.05-2022.04 Overall Construction Time：2022.04
CONSULTANT
Lighting：SO BRIGHT PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING & AUDIO CO., LTD
Location：Hualien County, Taiwan Principal Use：Art Installation Design Group：ROSO Construction Material：PETG, Wood Building Area：10㎡ Number of Stories：1 floors on the ground Overall Design Time：2021.10-2021/11 Overall Construction Time：2021.12
CONSULTANT
Building design : ROSO Structural engineers：ROSO CONSTRUCTION
Construction Co.：ROSO
Lighting Design：ROSO Photography：FIXER Photographic Studio
Address：No.561-50, Sec. 1, Fulin Rd., Caotun Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Industry：Artist Studio
Cheng Tsung FENG(born 1987) is a Taiwanese young artist. With an old soul in his body, he is fascinated by exploring the wisdom condensed out of time hidden in traditional utensils. He is reluctant to let go of these intangible assets along with traditional utensils. Thus, he inherits them by design and learns to create utensils from their tradition. He applied handcrafted methods from traditional artifacts into large-scale installation arts and sculptures, making the brilliant ancient wisdom which hidden in the objects can be represent at very different scales and functions. Rebirth is the way he preserves precious traditional culture as an artist. He has been invited by Hermes, Aesop, Nike, Loewe, The Balvenie, Apple, The RitzCarlton, Kvadrat, Eslite and other international brands to create commissioned artworks & projects.
Chei Chang and Yung Lin started to cooperate in the cloud work mode in 2019, and set up an YUNGCHEI.plus Architects Co., Ltd. at the end of 2021. We try to use the concept of Reading Degree Zero as a creative viewpoint for various architectural types, and conduct a series of spatial experiments with the design methodology of Spatial Configuration and Program.
Address：14F, No. 73, Xinzhuang 1st Road, Zuoying Dist, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan Industry：Construction Industry
MHTDE is a design and building team established in 2014. We believe that people should live in the slow-paced life, like natural living. With good design and Advanced technology, timber can be used to create fine houses and to build the modern city.For long-term speaking, timber is even more sustainable than the existing architecture materials. Without question, timber is the modern choice for the modern home and the modern future.
Company Introduction：Professional art engineering practitioners, including exhibition engineering, display space design, public art implementation, etc.
公司簡介：專業的藝術工程施作人員，包括展覽工程，展示 空間設計，公共藝術施作等。
有夠亮有限公司
SO BRIGHT PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING & AUDIO CO. LTD
Company Introduction：SOBRIGHT LIGHTING including performing arts technology planning, audio-visual design, synchronous integration of performance systems, performing arts commission production and other services.
Address：No. 42-1, Gueili Ln., Pingtung City, Pingtung County, Taiwan Industry：Construction Industry
Company Introduction：It has been more than 30 years since it was founded in 1978. The office is set up in Pingtung City, and Kaohsiung City. The company mainly contracting variety of public projects, such as bridge and road projects, landscape facility, cilvil engineering, and hydropower projects.
Address：No. 103, Ln. 482, Minghu Rd., East Dist., Hsinchu City, Taiwan
Industry：Construction Industry
Company Introduction：Jin Chunfu Construction Company has been deeply rooted in the Greater Hsinchu area for a long time. Adhering to the corporate tenet of "integrity, simplicity efficiency, and responsibility", since its establishment, it has actively participated in various public constructions in the Greater Hsinchu area, and has been committed to providing a high-quality human platform for the Greater Hsinchu area.
Jinchunfu builds and undertakes projects, with the spirit of creating corporate milestones, striving for perfection, and adhering to the business philosophy of "quality first, project on schedule, safety and priceless", and carefully planning and constructing each contracted project. The chairman is rigorous and pragmatic in nature. He seeks truth from facts and pursues perfection. The employees of the group are also infected with the determination of the superiors, and deeply rooted in the supreme honor and sense of mission. Therefore, under the corporate policy of "quality is guaranteed, owners have no worries", various All projects can be controlled at the due quality level and improve the entrustment.
Address：No. 53, Gucang Rd., Wujie Township, Yilan County, Taiwan
Industry：Comprehensive Construction Industry
Company Introduction：The company values contract, honesty and credibility, and has a good and stable cooperative relationship with various cooperative partners The public, organizations, etc. maintain a good reputation, abide by the law, and hope to continue to contribute to society.
Address：No. 100, Wenhua Rd., Xitun Dist., Taichung City, Taiwan (Feng Chia University ROSO) Industry：Education, Construction, Manufacturing, Art
Company Introduction：ROSO is a multi-disciplinary research team including experts in different fields such as robotics, machine learning, materials, construction, and civil engineering. The main goal is to use innovative robotics and computing thinking to change and challenge the current high laborintensive nature of the global construction and construction industry, and to provide a variety of intelligent construction process and solutions.
ROSO not only focuses on the development of technology research, but also cultivates new types of cross-field integration talents through teaching, and is committed to using the integration of technology and design to further cooperate with the industry to implement practical projects of smart construction. It is hoped that through the joint action of research, teaching, and industry and academia, more people will be able to open up more connections and discussions on "Imagination of Architecture" and "Possibility of Construction" in this era.
