Ahead of Taiwan's ninth appearance at the global architectural fair Venice Biennale in May, the design concept of the 2016 Taiwan Pavilion was unveiled on Feb. 25.
Designed by the Transdisciplinary Design Innovation Shop (TDIS) of the National Chiao Tung University, the Pavilion will re-brand the label of "Made in Taiwan” to introduce "ReMade in Taiwan” and explore how innovative companies in Taiwan have tackled the challenges of climate change and modernization by using local resources.
To coincide with the biennale theme "Reporting from the Front,” the Taiwan Pavilion will showcase several architectural structures made with innovative materials, demonstrating how Taiwan has harnessed technology to achieve true sustainability.
Two architectural prototypes, the nPulp Nest House and the E Ink Cave House respectively designed by the IDIS with YFY Inc. (永豐餘) and E Ink (元太科技), will show how they combined technology and waste materials to re-create pollution-free, eco-friendly, and comfortable houses.
nPulp Nest House was constructed using cradle-to-cradle, or regenerative, design. TDIS first used YFY technology to repurpose agricultural byproducts such as straw, creating prefabricated units that were then assembled on site to shorten the construction cycle.
As for the E Ink Cave House, TDIS applied the e-paper display technology of E Ink to the surface of buildings, transforming buildings into carriers of information and redefining the role of architectural structures.
Pictures from the Feb. 25 event can be foundhere.
Taiwan's participation in the Venice Biennale is organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, a Taichung-based museum that holds an annual open call for Taiwan Pavilion concepts. Previous pavilion designers include photographer Wu Tien-chang (吳天章) and U.S.-based Taiwanese architect Jimenez Lai (賴彥吉).
Taiwan Pavilion @ 2016 Venice Biennale
- Date: May 26 - Nov. 27, 2016
- Venue: Palazzo delle Prigioni
- Address: Castello 4209, Calle degli Albanesi, 30122 Venezia, Italy
- Website: www.labiennale.org