MVRDV, A DUTCH ARCHITECTURE STUDIO, AND LLJ ARCHITECTS, A TAIWAN-BASED ARCHITECTURE FIRM, TRANSFORM A WHOLESALE MARKET INTO A RECREATIONAL SPACE, A LEARNING CENTER, AND A CITY LANDMARK WITH AN UNDULATING ROOF STRUCTURE
TEXT: PRATCHAYAPOL LERTWICHA
PHOTO: © SHEPHOTOERD
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What else can a market be besides a place for commercial activities? This question became the driving force behind Tainan Market, a wholesale fruit and vegetable market designed by MVRDV, a Dutch architecture studio, in collaboration with Taiwan-based architecture firm LLJ Architects.
Tainan Market, like most fresh markets, has rows of shops and stalls. But what truly distinguishes Tainan Market from others is the undulating green roof, which provides access to the scenic view of the city’s vast rice fields and mountain ranges. The roof, which is intended to be a growing space for plants, encourages people to learn more about the origins of the food they consume.
The architect shapes the roof into an undulating mass with multiple small slopes, blending the structure into the surrounding mountainous region. The east-facing side of the roof is designed to descend toward the ground. This particular section of the structure is home to trees and plants of various shapes and colors, as well as a staircase leading up to the rooftop, which is currently covered in grass and colorful flowers. The market intends to use the space in the future to house a small farming area where vegetables and fruits are grown, allowing visitors to learn about the origins of local produce.
Near the staircase, a four-story building with a gable roof cuts through the architectural mass of the market. The structure is home to the office space, restaurants, and an area displaying agricultural products for everyone to learn and experience the cycle of agricultural production, from growing to processing to when ingredients are transformed into a variety of dishes.
The benefits of the roof’s elevated plane include natural air flow and ventilation of the marketplace below, while the plants covering the roof help filter heat from infiltrating into the functional space beneath the structure.
After designing a market/residential complex for Markthal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, MVRDV has once again managed to broaden the definition of a “market” into something far beyond an ordinary commercial space. Tainan Market, a thoughtfully designed undulating roof structure, transforms a typical wholesale market into a recreational space, a learning center, and a city landmark that invites visitors to visit the beautifully curated garden and the breathtaking view. We hope to see the rooftop garden maintain its lush and green appearance in the future so that Tainan Market won’t end up being another ordinary wholesale market; just another building whose roof garden is left deteriorated, unlike the rendered images that had everyone believing in something better only to be disappointed by the reality.
