Organized by the prestigious American Institute of Architects, the 8th edition of the AIA International Region Design Awards 2021 announced this year's winning works on Nov. 12, two of which were the product of the Taipei-based architecture and design firm XRANGE.
"Penghu House (澎湖厝)" was selected for the Open International/Architecture Merit Award while "Landscape of Traces (蹤跡地景)" was selected for the Urban Design Commendation Award. The Principal Architect of XRANGE Grace Cheung (張淑征) became the first Chinese-speaking female architect to receive the awards.
Upon hearing the news, Grace Cheung expressed that she is very pleased to share Penghu's uniqueness with the rest of the world. As a multi-generational home for a local clan, Penghu House's design is inspired by the distinctive "rolled" roof ridges which bear resemblance to the curved gables found in historical coral house clusters.
In addition, the Landscape of Traces (The Railway Department Park) project brings the multi-layered and hidden historical traces under the site to the surface. "After seven years and endless obstacles, the design concept of this work finally receives recognition by the global audience. I hope Landscape of Traces can persuade more local experts and scholars from various fields to recognize the true power of architectural design," Grace said.
Founded in 2014, the categories of the AIA International Region Design Awards include Architecture, Interior Architecture, Unbuilt Projects, Urban Design, Open International, and Firm Award. Kengo Kuma & Associates (Japan), David Chipperfield Architects (USA), Henning Larsen (Denmark), and SOM (USA) are some of the renowned award recipients in previous years.
Born and raised in Malaysia, Grace Cheung immigrated to Canada at the age of 17. She later obtained a master's degree in architecture from Columbia University, and became a registered architect in the United States. She used to work at Patkau Architects, Bernard Tschumi Architects, and Office for Metropolitan Architecture. After that, she co-founded the firm XRANGE with industrial designer Royce YC Hong (洪裕鈞) in Taiwan.
(Photo courtesy of XRANGE)