Dutch architecture firm MVRDV has completed its first residential tower in Taiwan, named Out of the Box. Located in the Tianmu neighborhood of Taipei, this 25-storey building offers a fresh approach to urban living, addressing strict local regulations on outdoor spaces while providing residents with a variety of balconies and terraces. The project demonstrates how architecture can adapt to regulatory constraints and urban context to create meaningful, livable spaces.
Location and Urban Context
Out of the Box is located on Zhongshan North Road, a key route connecting central Taipei to its northern districts. The area mainly consists of low- to mid-rise residential and commercial buildings, giving the tower a clear presence in the skyline without dominating the surroundings. Across the street, Yangmingshan National Park provides a natural backdrop.
The tower sits in Tianmu, an area that combines urban density with natural elements. Its design aims to fit with the existing neighborhood by maintaining appropriate scale and enhancing the street-level experience.
Design Concept and Approach
The building’s design centers on solving a common challenge in Taiwanese residential architecture: strict regulations on balcony size and outdoor spaces. Local codes restrict the size and placement of balconies, limiting how much outdoor area residents can have. Instead of uniform, large balconies, MVRDV developed a modular system of projecting volumes that “pop out” of the building’s main marble-clad façade.
“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,” said, Winy Maas, MVRDV Founding Partner.
These projections take the form of small balconies, terraces, and loggias that vary in size and depth. By using digital modeling, the architects arranged these outdoor spaces to comply with local regulations while maximizing sunlight, views, and ventilation for each apartment.
Key Features
- Modular Marble Grid: The building’s façade is a grid made of marble-clad boxes. Within this grid, some boxes are recessed, and others project outward.
- Varied Outdoor Spaces: Balconies and terraces project up to six meters, creating diverse outdoor environments for residents.
- Sunlight and Ventilation: The irregular façade improves natural light penetration and cross-ventilation.
- 93 Apartments: The tower houses a mix of unit types, including duplexes with double-height balconies and single-floor apartments with shaded outdoor loggias.
- Street-Level Retail: A smaller companion building along the street provides retail spaces, maintaining a connection with the neighborhood’s commercial activity.
Addressing Regulations and Sustainability
Taiwan’s building codes limit the area and placement of balconies, making it difficult to provide large outdoor spaces in dense urban towers. MVRDV used parametric modeling tools to ensure all projecting volumes stayed within legal limits. This approach allowed the architects to balance regulatory compliance with resident comfort and environmental performance.
The building also targets sustainability certification (EEWH Silver), with measures including:
- Efficient natural ventilation supported by the façade’s projections.
- Maximizing daylight in living areas.
- Landscaping and a rooftop terrace that provide communal green space.
Façade and Massing
The marble grid façade creates a clear, ordered structure for the tower, giving it a strong architectural identity. The projecting volumes add visual interest and break the monotony of a flat surface. From different viewpoints around the building, the silhouette changes, revealing new patterns of boxes extending outward.
The companion low-rise building at the base extends the same façade vocabulary but on a smaller scale. This helps the tower connect visually and functionally with the pedestrian environment.
Interior and Outdoor
Each apartment benefits from a tailored outdoor space designed to extend living areas. Some of the main points include:
- Duplex apartments have balconies that span two floors, offering more spacious outdoor living.
- Single-floor apartments include smaller loggias that are partially shaded, providing privacy and comfort.
- Balconies and terraces are arranged to maximize views of the park and the city.
- A rooftop terrace and landscaped communal areas encourage social interaction and community among residents.
Enhancing Public Spaces
At ground level, Out of the Box focuses on engaging with the neighborhood and street life:
- Retail spaces are preserved for existing businesses, maintaining the commercial activity along Zhongshan North Road.
- Landscaping includes a small pool and park area, offering residents a place for recreation and relaxation.
- The building creates a buffer between public sidewalks and private apartments, enhancing privacy without disconnecting from the street.
- Careful design of entrances and pathways encourages pedestrian movement and accessibility.
Conclusion
Out of the Box by MVRDV is a practical and thoughtful response to the constraints of urban residential development in Taipei. By breaking the façade into a grid of projecting volumes, the building provides residents with a variety of outdoor spaces while adhering to strict local regulations. The marble grid and shifting boxes create an architectural identity that stands out in the Tianmu neighborhood.
Images- © MVRDV
