Construction of MVRDV's Landscaped Food Market Begins in Taiwan

Save this picture!

MVRDV has broken ground on a wholesale market for fruit and vegetables in Tainan, Taiwan. Defined by a terraced, accessible green roof, the open-air market will serve as both an important hub in Taiwan’s supply chain, and a destination for meeting, socializing, and taking in views of the surrounding landscape.

Named the “Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market,” the MVRDV scheme transforms an often-prosaic aspect of the food industry into a public experience of food and nature. Located in a strategic position between the city and mountains, with good public transport links, the scheme sits at a convenient node for traders, buyers, and visitors.

The scheme comprises of a simple open structure, with high undulating ceilings allowing for natural ventilation, and an undulating terraced green roof that steps down to ground level to offer public access. The dynamic terrace, housing different products from the area, takes on the appearance of rolling green hills, thus becoming a continuation of the landscape. On one side, a four-story structure contains the market’s administrative offices, a restaurant, and an exhibition center for agricultural products. This simple building intersects with the main structure, thus offering secondary access to the landscaped roof.

Save this picture!

• MVRDV designs an “urban lagoon” for Taiwan
• Construction begins on MVRDV’s green corridor in Tainan

Save this picture!

The landscaped roof will be divided into terraces, each growing a different crop. Pineapples, rice, roses, and tea will be separated onto levels determined by the plant’s climatic requirements. Sheltered spots, benches, and picnic tables will be incorporated into the roof, offering a balance between agricultural productivity, and recreation.

Save this picture!

Tainan, in my opinion, is one of those towns which is so beautiful to me because maybe most of its nature, agriculture fields, farms, sea, and mountains. Tainan Market can become a building that symbolizes this beauty as it compliments both the landscape and its surrounding environment. It is completely functional and caters to the needs for auctioning, selling and buying goods, but its terraced roof with its collection of growing products will allow visitors to take in the landscape while escaping from bustle below.
-Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV

The design for the scheme was completed in collaboration with LLJ Architects, with completion expected in 2020.

News of the scheme follows shortly from MVRDV releasing details of its proposed transformation of the historic Palais du Commerce in Rennes, France. In January, the Rotterdam-based firm released images of their dual towers in Taipei, adorned with interactive media facades, along with details of their proposed mixed-use KoolKiel complex, designed to redevelop a post-industrial site in Kiel, Germany.

Project Name: Tainan Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Market
Location: Tainan Xinhua district, Taiwan
Year: 2016+
Client: Tainan City Government Agriculture Bureau
Size and Programme: 80,000 m² wholesale and auction market including 11,510 m² roofed area (first phase) covering 180 market plots and space for auction, logistic, freezer storage and service facilities; administrative office, gates, and a roof-top restaurant.
Architect: MVRDV
Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas
Partner/Director: Wenchian Shi
Design Team: Hui-Hsin Liao, Xiaoting Chen, Chi Yi Liao, Chiara Girolami, Enrico Pintabona, Maria Lopez, Gustavo van Staveren, Emma Rubeillon, Dong Min Lee, Jose Sanmartin, Cheng Cai, Nienhsun Huang.
Visualizations: Antonio Coco, Pavlos Ventouris
Copyright: MVRDV 2018 – (Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries)
Co-architects: LLJ Architects; 510 Wu Yi Ling Architects, Taipei, Taiwan
Landscape: The Urbanists Collaborative, Taipei, Taiwan
Structure: Columbus Engineering Consultants Inc., Taipei, Taiwan
Installation: Frontier Tech Institute, Taoyuang, Taiwan
Soil and Water: Kuo Soil and Water Technicians, Taipei, Taiwan