Lanyang Museum_Cultural_Projects | KRIS YAO｜ARTECH

Gazing from afar at the environs of Lanyang Museum, one can imagine a scene from bygone days with sailing ships gracing the rocky anchorage amid the remnants of Wushih Reef, one of a string of reefs scattered along a coastline bounded by mountains and pounding surf and dominated by cuesta formations where sharp slopes meet gentle inclines. Here, the mountains, oceans and plains tirelessly relate the story of Yilan. The precious wetlands and long-standing Wushih Harbor at the northern tip of the Lanyang Plain are distinctive elements in the design of this museum, a building whose form seems to have spontaneously emerged from this rich natural setting.

Yilan’s splendid mountains, plains and seascapes play a vital part in the architectural planning of the museum, and they form a natural backdrop for it. The architectural lines are intended to draw the eyes of visitor downward layer by layer; from the heights of the mountain scenery, and in the process, the wetlands, Wushih Harbor, and the ocean gradually unfold before the eyes. And as you ride the elevator upwards, Guishan Island comes into view, evoking the sentiments of author and Yilan native Huang Chunming as he describes his first glimpse of the island on his homecoming journey. The building appears to emerge from the ground, its 20-degree slope complemented by tilted load-bearing walls. The convergence of these lines gives the viewer the sensation of being in a new spatial dimension.

The building materials also highlight Yilan’s rich natural setting. Integrating the imagery of the cuesta rocks, the design incorporates granites and cast aluminum panels to present the fine textures of natural imagery. On rainy days, variations in the colors of the stone materials give the building a changing appearance. Moreover, the rhythm of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons concertos are coded into the layout arrangements of the external panels.