Out of the Box Tower, Taipei City homes, Modern real estate, Taiwan architecture images

Out of the Box Tower in Taipei City

4 June 2025

Design: MVRDV

Location: Tianmu, Taipei City, Taiwan

Visualisations © MVRDV

Out of the Box Tower, Taiwan

Architects MVRDV has revealed their design for “Out of the Box”, a project comprising a 25-storey residential tower as well as a new section of streetscape in Tianmu, one of Taipei’s northernmost neighbourhoods. Taking advantage of its prominent location on one of Taipei’s major roads, the tower stands out with its strongly defined gridded façade clad in marble, and its many overhanging outdoor spaces and bay windows that offer views of downtown Taipei and the mountains of the nearby Yangmingshan National Park.

Designed for Win Sing Development Company, the tower occupies the centre of a small block alongside Zhongshan North Road, the main arterial connection between central Taipei and its northern districts. This location, along with the low- to mid-rise character of most of Tianmu’s buildings, mean that the project will become a landmark of the neighbourhood.

The design takes advantage of this visibility by peppering its gridded structure with boxes that “pop out” from the façade to form loggias, balconies, terraces, and additional interior spaces.

These came about through a detailed investigation into Taiwanese building regulations, which include complex rules to define and govern various types of outdoor space. By cross-referencing these regulations with each other, the design team was able to create a catalogue of boxes which offer a range of simple balconies, combined “loggia-balconies”, double-height balconies connected to duplex apartments, and more. The largest of these boxes measure six metres in depth, combining a two-metre interior extension, a two-metre covered loggia, and a two-metre open balcony, along with a two-metre-deep terrace on the level above.

While the building’s floorplans are based on a small number of repeating apartment types, the addition of the boxes creates slight variations throughout the building. The size and placement of the boxes was determined via digital scripting, which processed considerations such as sun exposure to give the building its playful shape. In this way, the design was able to fulfil the requirements of the brief and respect the limits of the local building code while going “outside the box” to give every one of the building’s 93 apartments a unique floorplan. The benefits of standardisation, such as efficiency of space and services, are thus combined with the benefits of giving each apartment its own individual character.

“Considering this building’s location and its low-rise neighbours, we knew that this would be a building for viewing – something to see, and something to see from”, says MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “How could we express that in our design? The boxes popping out from the building signify this quality. They literally reach out into the surroundings, providing ideal lookout platforms to see the mountains and the city. From the street, they form distinctive, eye-catching features for passers-by.”

The design also features an upgrade to the shops along Zhongshan Road, with a new building that continues the roofline and façade line of its neighbours – while being clearly readable as a companion to the tower thanks to its grid-like structure and materials. The street’s existing shop owners will be given new spaces inside the ground floor of this building.

Around the base of the tower, the project’s landscaping complements the multifunctional space located in the ground floor of the tower. Incorporating a swimming pool for residents, this green landscape blends into a small green park between the neighbouring block of buildings. The roof of the tower also incorporates a communal terrace, completing the wide range of outdoor amenities available to residents.

Out of the Box will be MVRDV’s first housing project in Taiwan. Previous projects by the firm include the public space design for Tainan Spring, which was completed in 2020, and Tainan Market, completed in 2022. In addition to these Sun Rock, an industrial building that also showcases the sustainability ambitions of energy company Taipower, is expected to open later this year.

Out of the Box Tower in Taipei City, Taiwan – Building Information

Architecture Design: MVRDV – https://www.mvrdv.com/

Project Name: Out of the Box
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Year: 2019–ongoing
Client: WinSing Development
Size and Programme: 12,025 sqm – Residential, Retail
Sustainability certification: EEWH Silver

Credits
Architect: MVRDV
Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas
Partner: Wenchian Shi
Director: Gideon Maasland
Head of Taiwan: Hui Hsin Liao
Design Team: Cosimo Scotucci, Mirco Facchinelli, Yi-Chien Liao, Chi Yi Liao, Amanda
Galiana Ortega, Daniel Diez, Alberto Menozzi, Rongting Xiao
Visualisations: Antonio Luca Coco, Angelo La Delfa, Luca Piattelli, Jaroslaw Jeda, Pavlos Ventouris
Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries

Partners:
Co-architect: TAO Architects and Planners
Landscape architect: Horizon&Atmosphere Landscape Co. Ltd.
Structural engineer: Envision Engineering Consultants Co. Ltd.
Environmental advisor: Taiwan Green Architecture Design Consultants
Lighting designer: chroma33 Architectural Lighting Design

Images © MVRDV
Out of the Box Tower, Taipei City, Taiwan images / information received 250724

Location: Tianmu, Taipei, Taiwan, eastern Asia.

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