Ever wondered about a place where whispers of birds and the silence of reading melt gently into a sprawling, breezy park? Pritzker Laureate’s and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, in collaboration with Ricky Liu & Associates, are about to make that dream come true with the design of a vibrant art museum, Taichung Green Museumbrary.
Taichung’s Green Museumbrary by SANAA
Located in Taichung Central Park, Taiwan, the iconic Japanese duo and founders of SANAA and Ricky Liu & Associates have created a major public building that feels like a story slowly whispering and revealing the beauty in a forest, and less like a structured building. Pulling some magic, Japanese studio SANAA has conceptualised a museumbrary that showcases their signature style of transparency, lightness and a feeling of flow, as one wanders inside. The interior and exterior spaces merge into each other effortlessly, becoming Taichung Green Museumbrary – a word that fuses museum and library.
A Museum That Doesn’t Hide Behind Walls
Designed as eight interconnected boxes varying in height and strategically placed above the landscape, it connects with nature and crafts an experiential journey for the visitors. Elevated from the ground, the building provides shaded spaces to escape summer heat and a chill-out zone for informal gatherings.
The exterior skin is wrapped in silvery-white metal mesh that feels airy and bright, bringing glimpses of the park and blurring the lines between inside and out. A public rooftop garden, a cultural forest, was the heart of design, giving opportunity to the passerby to wander among the greenery, feel the serene calmness.
The spatial planning was divided into two distinct yet unified parts, the Taichung Public Library and Taichung Art Museum, a place to exhibit and showcase creativity while learning from the past. The inviting spaces are not confined in a box; rather, they are flowing, one can grab a book and walk a few steps to encounter mastery of contemporary art, a place built not just for reading or viewing, but for experiencing.
Fluid and Flexible Interiors
The interiors orchestrated soft transitional spaces with high volumes, flexible exhibition halls, beautifully detailed reading nooks, and distinct museum and library clusters. Museumbrary fosters an interdisciplinary approach to designing, embodying sustainability and social inclusion in architecture.
The 27m atrium height allows large-scale installations and flexible space for digital and interactive integration for the modern exhibition. It will accommodate over 1 million physical and digital library resources and also cater to programs for different age groups, fostering community engagement.
Sustainability and Smart Design
The double-layer façade, made from low-emissivity glass and expanded aluminium mesh, filters sunlight, keeping the inside cool and cutting energy consumption by 6%, lowering indoor temperatures by over 4 degrees Celsius. Because the building is elevated, air flows naturally through the area below, reducing the need for heavy mechanical ventilation. Considering Taiwan’s earthquake-prone environment, the building adopted a seismic isolation system.
Cultural Impact
Opening in December 2025, Taichung Green Museumbrary, is a place to pause, connect, and explore while experiencing. The architectural language of this public space invites and welcomes visitors, translating the designer’s vision of a library in a park and an art museum in a forest, a fusion of culture and life, a reminder to connect with the world around us.
This simple and accessible structure became a significant landmark in Taichung and Taiwan, becoming Taiwan’s first cultural complex to integrate a metropolitan art museum and a city’s central library.
Taichung Green Museumbrary Project Details
Architect: SANAA , @sanaa_jimusho, Ricky Liu & Associates Architects + Planners, @rickyliu_architects
Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Expected Completion: December 13th, 2025
Visualizations: Cultural Affairs Bureau, Taichung City Government
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