Bronze Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2026
Mailiao Township Library Aesthetic Living Center
by Mailiao Township, Zoom Design and C.M.Chao
- A' Design Award 2026 Bronze Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 12,860
- Verification code 1058C93EE5 · Verify this award
About Mailiao Township Library Aesthetic Living Center
Mailiao Township is a cultural park with a library and a cultural living center in coastal Yunlin, Taiwan. The two buildings frame an egg-shaped courtyard, the Aesthetic Incubation Plaza, which offers shade and shelter from strong sun and coastal winds. Deep overhangs, double-layered walls and semi-outdoor spaces support comfort through the year. Brick, long used in rural Taiwan, wraps the upper facades, while recessed glass at ground level links inside and outside. The library is planned around the needs of seniors and children.
The Mailiao Township Library Aesthetic Living Center by C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners engages the rich lineage of contemporary institutional architecture that seeks to balance civic monumentality with approachable human scale, positioning itself within ongoing architectural conversations about how public cultural buildings can honor regional material traditions while embracing spatial innovation and environmental responsiveness. The design demonstrates considerable compositional sophistication in its orchestration of contrasting architectural languages: the robust vertical mass of terracotta brick establishing visual weight and cultural permanence references vernacular building traditions and the enduring presence of fired clay construction across centuries of architectural practice, while the refined white colonnade extending horizontally across the ground plane evokes classical peristyle traditions reinterpreted through contemporary structural clarity and spatial fluidity. Technical accomplishment manifests particularly in the precise detailing of the brick facade, where vertical bays create rhythmic modulation and depth through recessed window openings and projecting masonry panels, demonstrating mastery of unit masonry construction and an understanding of light and shadow as architectural materials that animate surface across diurnal cycles. The integration of transparent glazed volumes within the sheltering colonnade achieves notable success in dissolving boundaries between interior institutional functions and exterior civic landscape, creating threshold zones that invite exploration while maintaining environmental comfort through generous shading provided by the cantilevered roof planes. The project appears to explore themes central to contemporary library and cultural center design: architecture as facilitator of knowledge exchange and community gathering, the building envelope as mediator between public and institutional realms, and material choices as carriers of cultural continuity connecting present-day civic investment to deeper craft histories. The careful proportioning of the colonnade suggests sensitivity to human scale and pedestrian experience, creating sheltered outdoor rooms that extend the functional program beyond enclosed volumes and acknowledge climate realities that make such transitional spaces essential for tropical and subtropical contexts. One might observe how the design invites consideration of architecture's dual obligations to serve both practical institutional functions and symbolic cultural aspirations, embodying through material substance and spatial generosity a community's commitment to cultural enrichment, lifelong learning, and the creation of dignified public gathering places that belong to and serve all citizens.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The library entrance is low and gradually rises toward a central atrium, where senior and children's reading zones sit. Varying heights, scales, and steps define areas, while ramps link levels and shift perspectives. A digital reading mezzanine offers a pause before the second floor. Visitors enjoy views of farmland or the sunlit atrium, with quiet zones under one roof. Brickwork patterns wrap the upper façades, while recessed glass at ground level blurs indoor and outdoor, emphasizing horizontality.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The total building area is 23,474 square meters, the site area is 5,404 square meters, and the total floor area is 11,156 square meters. The design centers on functionality. Two buildings, the Aesthetic Living Center and the Library, surround the egg-shaped central courtyard. The Living Center provides exhibitions and lifelong learning for the community. The Library, serving a coastal area with an aging population, focuses on seniors' and children's needs.
- Tags
- Brick, Cultural Sustainability, Aesthetic Incubation Plaza, Semi-Outdoor Design, Local Revitalization, Energy-Efficient Architecture
- Production Technology
- The design team selected one of the most humble yet emotionally resonant materials, brick. Widely used in Taiwan's rural architecture, brick evokes strong cultural memory. Traditional rural pigsties often used ventilated brickwork for airflow and light, exemplifying early green design.
Bricks are earth-based, tactile, and expressive, but have been largely replaced by industrial tile in modern urban settings. The project revives the nearly lost craft by reinterpreting brick in a contemporary language, transforming a 'nostalgic' material into a timeless cultural medium. - Design Challenge
- Architecture is more than a spatial container; it is a cultural witness and a recorder of its time. The biggest challenge was ensuring that the architecture 'spoke the language of the people.' The design team sought an expression that could transcend age and language, conveying deep cultural values. Though brick was chosen as the main material, transforming this 'old-fashioned' element into a contemporary, accessible symbol of collective memory required precise design sensibility and cultural sensitivity.
- Project Duration
- The project finished in September 2022 in Taiwan.
- Operation Flow
- The dual cores, library, and aesthetic living center form a shared cultural facility. The central Aesthetic Incubation Plaza connects the two buildings, offering both climatic comfort and social interaction. Rooted in local climate and demographics, the design responds to seniors and children while using brick to preserve and reinterpret cultural memory. The result is a meaningful community landmark, serving both as a platform for everyday learning and a starting point for Mailiao's cultural revitalization.
- Research
- When architecture becomes a vessel of culture, it becomes a dialogue between people and place. In coastal Yunlin, this library and aesthetic living center blend historical depth with future values. Climate-responsive design, deep overhangs, layered walls, and semi-outdoor zones ensure comfort. The two buildings form a shaded plaza for gathering. Brick facades recall rural roots while bridging past and present. Promoting cultural sustainability and everyday aesthetics, the space invites learning, creativity, and belonging.
- Inspiration
- Located in southwest Yunlin's Mailiao Township, the site faces strong sun and coastal winds. The design adopts climate-responsive strategies, semi-outdoor spaces, double-layered walls, and deep overhangs to reduce heat and ensure year-round comfort. The park includes two main buildings: the Aesthetic Living Center and Library, forming an egg-shaped central courtyard, the 'Aesthetic Incubation Plaza.' This shared space offers shade, wind protection, and fosters social interaction.
- Image Credits
- C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners