Taichung's skyline is about to get a dramatic new addition. MVRDV has received planning permission for The Island, a 21-story residential tower that reimagines urban living through organic curves, ceramic artistry and an ambitious vertical garden system. The project is being built where the city's North and Beitun districts meet, and stands in stark contrast to Taiwan's typical boxy residential architecture. The facade is directly inspired by Antoni Gaudí's mosaic techniques, wrapping white ceramic tiles of varying sizes around flowing curves. Larger pieces cover flat surfaces, while finer, grainy patterns smooth out tighter bends. This careful choreography ensures continuity with each wave, creating a sculptural presence that changes in the light and glows against the surrounding commercial blocks.
The island owes its name to its commitment to greenery. The 9,000 square meter facility includes 104 private balconies with planted areas, five communal three-story balconies and 38 stand-alone facade planters. Planting at street level connects the building to the ground, while a roof garden terrace crowns the structure. The plant selection reflects the biodiversity of Taichung Province, making the tower a living catalog of the regional flora. Each communal balcony carves out a three-story recess, adding depth to the façade while providing planted terraces with expansive city views.
Designer: MVRDV
The green ambition is a response to Taichung's livable building regulations, which push developers to make use of outdoor spaces and vegetation. The place tells its own story of rapid urban change. Once located near the outskirts of the city, it now finds itself in the middle of a densely populated commercial district, following Beitun District's explosive growth in the 21st century. The island offers a counterpoint to this density, creating an oasis of planted terraces rising through the urban fabric. The organic presence softens the hard edges that define the surrounding blocks.
MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs clearly articulates the design challenge: Residential buildings in Taiwan must follow standardized, efficient floor plans. Character must emerge from details and not from radical spatial experiments. The island finds its identity through soft curves, the Gaudí-inspired surface and the greenery that is integrated as part of an organic system rather than stuck on as decoration. Van Rijs describes how to add a soft touch to a city full of boxes, with the character of the building emerging from careful attention to craftsmanship and natural integration. The curvature becomes an organizing principle that determines how outdoor spaces and planted areas are arranged along the facade.
76 apartments are located over two floors and are intended for commercial space and communal facilities, including dining rooms, lounges and karaoke rooms. The focus on shared living is aimed at middle-class buyers and young couples. Shared spaces recognize that the quality of life in the city goes beyond individual units and includes social interaction and collective experiences. The five communal balconies spaced throughout the building's height create gathering spaces that encourage resident interaction while providing access to planted outdoor spaces on multiple levels. These communal terraces function as vertical parks and bring the public space on the ground floor into the residential floors.
Sustainability goes beyond the visible green and encompasses broader environmental aspects. In addition to biodiversity goals, the project also addresses carbon emissions and positions itself within larger ecological discussions about dense urban development. The Gaudí-inspired ceramic technique offers aesthetic appeal while ensuring a durable, easy-care exterior that will age gracefully. The island represents MVRDV's ongoing investigation into how residential towers can soften cities dominated by right angles and glass boxes. Through historical references, material craftsmanship and environmental integration, the project suggests that density and nature do not have to be at odds. Instead, it offers a model where urban living and ecological awareness merge into a single architectural expression.
