The Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market by MVRDV takes an often-prosaic part of the food industry and elevates it into a place for the public to experience food and appreciate views of the landscape. The market is located to the East of Tainan, between the city and the mountains and, thanks to its proximity to Highway 3 and public transport links, is easily accessible from both the surrounding farmland and the city, making it equally convenient for traders, buyers and visitors.
The design comprises a simple open structure with high undulating ceilings that allow for plenty of natural ventilation, with an undulating terraced green roof that is accessible from its eastern corner, where the terraces step down to ground level. The terraces will house the different products of the area. The building therefore provides an elevated platform from which visitors can appreciate the landscape that characterises this part of Taiwan. At the same time, it takes on the appearance of rolling green hills, thus becoming a continuation of that landscape.
On one side, a simple four-storey structure contains the market’s administrative offices, a restaurant, and an exhibition centre where agricultural products from the region can be displayed, making the building ideal for school visits. This four-storey addition punctures the main structure, providing a secondary access to the landscaped roof.
“Tainan, in my opinion, is one of those towns which is so beautiful to me because maybe most of its nature, agriculture fields, farms, sea, and mountains”, says Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV. “Tainan Market, can become a building that symbolises this beauty as it compliments both landscape and its surrounding environment. It is completely functional and caters to the needs for auctioning, selling and buying goods, but its terraced roof with its collection of growing products will allow visitors to take in the landscape while escaping from bustle below.’’
The terraces of the roof will each grow a different crop – with terraces for pineapples, rice, roses, tea, and more – with the level of each type of plant determined by the plant’s climatic requirements. The roof includes sheltered spots , benches and picnic tables that allow visitors to sit and enjoy the view.
Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market continues MVRDV’s recent projects in Taiwan. These include the Tainan Axis, which revitalises central Tainan with improvements to two key streets and a new public square with a lush green lagoon, and the Taipei Twin Towers, a recently won competition for two skyscrapers which will become a focal point in the centre of the country’s capital.
The design of the Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market was completed with LLJ Architects. Construction is underway, with completion expected in late 2020.
Architect: MVRDV
Founding Partner in charge: Winy Maas
Partner/Director: Wenchian Shi
Design Team: Hui-Hsin Liao, Xiaoting Chen, Chi Yi Liao, Chiara Girolami, Enrico Pintabona, Maria Lopez, Gustavo van Staveren, Emma Rubeillon, Dong Min Lee, Jose Sanmartin, Cheng Cai, Nienhsun Huang.
Location: Tainan Xinhua district, Taiwan
Year: 2016+
Client: Tainan City Government Agriculture Bureau
Size and Programme: 80,000 m² wholesale and auction market including 11,510 m² roofed area (first phase) covering 180 market plots and space for auction, logistic, freezer storage and service facilities; administrative office, gates, and a roof-top restaurant.
Visualizations: Antonio Coco, Pavlos Ventouris
Copyright: MVRDV 2018 – (Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries)
Co-architects: LLJ Architects; 510 Wu Yi Ling Architects, Taipei, Taiwan
Landscape: The Urbanists Collaborative, Taipei, Taiwan
Structure: Columbus Engineering Consultants Inc., Taipei, Taiwan
Installation: Frontier Tech Institute, Taoyuang, Taiwan
Soil and Water: Kuo Soil and Water Technicians, Taipei, Taiwan
