TAIWAN HIGH RISE EMBRACES VERY UNIQUE OVERHANGING CUBES BUILDING

MVRDV has experience with the unexpected. A sky-blue family house situated atop a historic structure, a Berlin business whose exterior is completely covered in yellow, and a Dutch church transformed into a public swimming pool are just a few of the audacious projects that the Rotterdam-based architecture practice has led. MVRDV's unique vision hasn't been taken literally—until now—despite breaking architectural norms. The firm intends to debut a new residential skyscraper in Taipei, the busy metropolis of Taiwan, that is unconventional in many respects.

The 25-story residential complex, which was created for Win Sing Development Company and is aptly named Out of the Box, is most notable for its inventive collection of cantilevered boxes. These boxes form loggias, balconies, terraces, and other internal spaces that protrude from the building's gridded, marble-clad face. Taiwan's building standards, which contain several rules that define and regulate different kinds of outdoor space, require the cantilever effect, according to MVRDV. By incorporating overhanging elements into the residence, MVRDV aimed to literally embody the idea that meeting such demanding requirements requires thinking "out of the box."

Although its floor plans are built on a limited number of repeated unit types, the complex emphasises its irregularity by incorporating and spacing these boxes. Notably, digital scripting was used to establish the differences in box sizes and locations, taking into account processing elements including sun exposure, space efficiency, and service accessibility.

According to a statement from MVRDV, "the design was able to go 'outside the box' to provide each of the building's 93 apartments a distinctive floorplan while yet respecting the boundaries of the local building code." "This combines the advantages of standardisation, including space and service efficiency, with the advantages of allowing each apartment to have its own unique personality."

Apart from its unique silhouette, Out of the Box stands out among the neighbouring low- to mid-rise buildings in Tianmu, one of Taipei's northernmost neighbourhoods, thanks to its height. Despite this, the building won't be entirely out of place because its design incorporates improvements to the stores that are next to it. Additionally, the tower's base features multipurpose areas and careful planting.

“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,” Winy Maas, founding partner at MVRDV, says. “How could we express that in our design? The boxes popping out from the building signify this quality. They literally reach out into their surroundings.”