Chain10 Architecture 's third restaurant design for the Zuo Mali chain takes into account commercial, experiential and sustainable aspects to create an environmentally-conscious venue where visitors can relax and feel refreshed. The Green Isle restaurant covers 5,950sq m (64,000sq ft) and was intentionally located close to a subway line in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, so as to minimise the need for employees and customers to travel there in their own vehicles. Set

Hoshinoya Resorts has opened its seventh property, a luxury 50-room hot spring resort in Guguan, Taiwan. The abundant natural water that rushes down the Xueshan Mountain range, at 9,800ft, and into the Dajia River is heated by the earth’s core, turning into natural hot springs. Hoshinoya Guguan features architecture and landscapes crafted to blend with the natural surroundings. The natural spring waters of the valley flow through the property’s outdoor

Dutch design firm MVRDV have revealed renderings of their plan to create an open-air marketplace and urban escape in Tainan, Taiwan. The new attraction, which recently broke ground, will be divided into two areas: a ground-floor trading area – set to host vending stalls and kiosks – and a rooftop park. Landscaped to resemble terraced paddy fields, the green expanse will function as a recreational retreat and feature benches, picnic

Dutch architecture practice MVRDV have unveiled renderings of an eye-catching twin tower development planned for central Taipei. Dubbed a "Times Square for Taiwan" the firm's Twin Towers, which will occupy defunct or underused areas around Taipei's main station, will feature two cinemas and hotels, as well as a series of retail outlets and offices. The 434,000 sq m mixed-use site – designed to appear as stacks of multicoloured blocks –

The Mecanoo-designed National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts, hailed as the "largest performing arts centre in the world" has opened in Taiwan. Impressively, the massive steel structure – which takes visual cues from Banyan trees and the sinuous hulls of ships – is home to a 1,981-seat concert hall, a 2,236-seat opera house, 1,210-seat playhouse, and a 434-seat recital hall. The arts hub, which is located in the vicinity of

Carlo Ratti Associati and Bio-architecture Formosana (BAF) Architects have been selected to design the newest addition to the Taiwan National Library and Repository. The firms beat out nine other competitors to secure the commission. The new public building, set to be constructed on a wooded plot in Tainan, will feature both as a monument and as a kind of educational town. In a statement, BAF said: "The concept of library

Six Senses will open a hot springs resort in the Zhiben area of Taiwan, an area known for its natural hot springs, medicinal plants and herbs. Located in Taitung in southeastern Taiwan, Six Senses Zhiben Hot Springs will be situated at the base of Medicine Mountain, with views of the surrounding valley and mountains, and is set to open in 2020. Both the resort and spa are designed by Japanese

Japan-based Okura Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open its third spa hotel on the island of Taiwan. The company has signed a deal to operate the Okura Prestige Taichung, set to open in 2021, through its subsidiary Okura Nikko Hotel Management. Situated in the heart of Taichung, the 250-bedroom hotel will include a luxury spa, indoor swimming pool and health club – as well as a range of

Work has started on a new green public corridor in Tainan that will replace a derelict shopping mall with a man-made lagoon. The city’s mayor, William Lai, launched the ground breaking on the Tainan Axis, which has been designed by international architects MVRDV and local firms The Urbanist Collaborative and LLJ Architects. The development is centred around the abandoned China-Town Mall – described by the architects as “the rotten tooth

Ground has broken on the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan, designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo. The 37,000sq m (398,200sq ft) building – which will feature a transparent stepped facade and below-grade courtyards – will have a 290-seat auditorium, a large conference hall, reading rooms, study spaces, a children’s play area, a café, a conference hall and public meeting spaces. The entrance hall will rise three levels up to show

A cavernous, curving new opera house inspired by the human body has been officially opened in Taiwan. Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, took a decade to complete. The main structure is formed of several curved walls connected with inlaid floors. This tubular configuration, which does not require support beams, creates a fluid journey through the building. Located on the second floor of the complex

The founder of design studio Blue Sky Hospitality Henry Chebaane has told CLAD that interior designers should not be afraid of “outside the box” thinking if they are to create livelier and more authentic hotels, bars, restaurants and leisure spaces. Chebaane and his design firm, Blue Sky Hospitality, are known for their creative and unorthodox designs, and have just launched a typically quirky Asian restaurant called Kojawan on the top

Innovative design can raise awareness of important social and environmental issues in an accessible, fun and persuasive way, according to the designers of VelO2 – an installation that illustrates air pollution through cycling and light. In an exclusive interview with CLAD, Matthias Gmachl, creative director of London based ‘spatial laboratory’ Loop.Ph, said: “If you have a fun, humorous and lighthearted way to introduce ideas, people are generally more open to

Dutch design studio Mecanoo have won the architecture competition to design the new Tainan Public Library in Taiwan. The firm – known for their innovative library designs, including the Stirling Prize-nominated Library of Birmingham and the forthcoming New York Public Library renovation – have proposed a 35,000sq m (376,700sq ft) building featuring a transparent stepped facade and below-grade courtyards. The library will feature a 200-seat auditorium, reading rooms, study spaces,

The city government of the Taiwanese city of Tainan will unveil a design partner for a NT$1.7bn (£34.5m, US$50m, €46m) baseball development at the end of the month. A tender process for the 25,000-capacity arena opened last October, with the deadline set for 15 January. The architect chosen to work on the project will then be announced on 28 January. International standard baseball facilities, an electronic scoreboard and a total

The new branch of Taiwan’s National Palace Museum – one of the most-visited museums in the world – is nearing completion and set to open at the end of December. The National Palace Museum (NPM) Southern Branch, which has been designed by Taiwanese architect Kris Yao of Artech, will focus on Asian art and culture. The new museum is located in the southern county of Chiayi, reflecting wider ongoing efforts

The Taiwanese city of Tainan will recapture its maritime past with the creation of a man-made lagoon on the site of a derelict and disused shopping mall. The large outdoor pool will be the central focus of a new green public space linking the city’s downtown with its historic canal network. The competition-winning design is the work of Dutch architects MVRDV, together with The Urbanist Collaborative and LLJ Architects. Tainan’s