The Chiayi Municipal Art Museum won the 2021 National Construction Excellence Award for Best Design in Environmental and Cultural Excellence - the highest honour in this category. Organized by the Real Estate Association of the Republic of China, the award is the highest honour for construction in Taiwan.

The 2021 National Construction Excellence Award ceremony was held on September 23, with the award being received on behalf of Lai Yixin, the director of the Chiayi Municipal Art Museum.

The project includes both restoration and new construction and features an art space that hosts exhibitions, art classes, a library, shops, dining services and a vast garden. The architecture boasts a plethora of wood and glass elements and is hailed as the first historical site in Chiayi to be redeveloped with a modern look. The outdoor section of the museum is dedicated to displaying paintings by Tan Ting-pho (陳澄波), a renowned Taiwanese painter from Chiayi.

Chiayi Municipal Art Museum

The three-story-tall museum lobby is supported by glulam trusses and columns and is enclosed by a structural glass curtain wall. CLT replace the original RC exterior walls on the west and south sides. RJC’s CC Yao was part of the project as the timber speciality engineer, working closely with specialty contractor WoodTek Taiwan.

“This museum is an important cultural resource for Chiayi which has been called “The Capital of Woods” due to the city’s pivotal location between Ali Mountain Forestry Center and its transportation corridor. The use of CLT and glulam reflect this” shares CC.