With cold glass facades and heavy concrete structures dominating Taipei’s skyline, the solution crafted for the Yuda school stands in contrast to its peers with a light façade and steel frame structure.  The result is a visual decompression of the urban environment. The interior experience too follows this decompression principal, offering several double height co-working spaces that look to the adjacent park on the lower levels, and too the nationally important Taipei 101 on the upper levels.  Interior space is further enhanced through the strategic placement of the core at the structure’s north-western most corner, enabling large, uninterrupted spaces that can be adapted to a variety of program sizes.

On the exterior, the design is most characterized by its unique array of white fins who’s rhythm crescendo near the center of its body.  Visitors may be surprised to discover that its appearance is not static, as the white fins automatically adjust their position throughout the day in response to the intense summer sun.  This action is also overridable at the preference of the occupant, enabling the users to optimize indirect lighting conditions for the given program.

In twilight, the building’s fins illuminate, transforming its appearance into a beacon that sets it apart from its less luminous neighbors.  Basking in the gentle glow of the façade is Yuda Tower’s entrance, a design that purposefully draws on a relationship with the adjacent park, extending the public space to invite community and students to mingle in social activity.