Tainan City, Taiwan

Positioned in the middle of the industrial and residential areas of Tainan Taiwan, Keng-Fu Lo of Chain10 Architecture & Interior Design for Tan Zoo Ma Li Co. has created Awaits Malmo, a green ecological zone in the urban fabric.

Awaits Malmo is located on a plot of more than 23,292 square meters near the Annan Industrial Zone and the 86th Express Road, an important avenue of traffic in the city. 

The presence of the Software Science Park has led to a surge in population in the area in a short period of time, blocking the natural migration of wildlife. 

With this in mind, the design team came up with the goal of harmonizing the urban with the natural environment.

For its ecological design, Awaits Malmo has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The connection between people, the environment, and architecture is paramount. 

The environment was utilized to transform the design of the building to be integrated with nature and make the building and the environment coexist in a sustainable way. 

The project combines nature, water, light, and shadow with architecture.

The city’s increasingly dense green web has been developed, and native plants and tree species have been chosen to allow nearby wildlife not only to thrive but also to pollinate. 

This means wildlife can migrate between ecological corridors.

Plants also play a role in climate; the reflection of sunlight by the plants reduces its direct impact and the temperature of the building is thus decreased. 

The cooling of the ground has a “cold island” effect.

The exterior of the building will be coated with Stö paint so that water molecules cannot enter the building while also allowing it to breathe at the same time. 

This coating is essential in Taiwan, an island in the Pacific Ocean, which is known for its humidity.

Modular materials were used as much as possible so that future carbon emissions can be reduced without recasting, and initial materials were reused in their purest form for the building structure in a sustainable manner.

Through the dialogue between and coexistence of architecture and natural ecology, a traditional commercial space becomes something much more.

Project: Awaits Malmo
Architects: Chain10 Architecture & Interior Design Institute
Designer: Keng-Fu Lo
Client: Tan Zuo Ma Li Co., Ltd.
Photographers: Chain10 Architecture & Interior Design Institute