Imagining sustainable future with timber pavilion
To mark the 321st anniversary of the founding of Chiayi City in Taiwan, MVRDV has completed a timber pavilion titled Wooden Wonders. Open from December 12 to 28, the pavilion hosts an exhibition focused on timber craft and architecture. Located in the plaza opposite Chiayi City Hall, the ring-shaped structure encloses a square courtyard, its form informed by research into the city’s timber architectural heritage. The pavilion offers a space for residents to gather, learn about the city’s past, and consider its timber future.
Chiayi’s proximity to the dense forests of Taiwan’s central mountain range made the timber industry central to the city’s development. While the forests that once supported this industry are now protected and much of the associated knowledge has faded, more than 6,000 timber buildings remain across the city. In recent years, the municipality has begun to recognise and preserve this heritage. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the city commissioned MVRDV to design a pavilion and exhibition exploring Chiayi’s long-standing relationship with wood and the potential of contemporary timber construction.
MVRDV’s design draws on an analysis of Chiayi’s existing timber buildings, which revealed a mix of styles alongside shared features such as diagonal corner cuts and complex rooflines formed by ornamental upper structures and decorative façades. These characteristics are reflected in the pavilion’s chamfered corners and rooflines inspired by notable local timber buildings. Three sides act as gateways into the courtyard, with pastel-coloured interiors referencing the buildings they represent.
The exhibition is arranged around the courtyard in five sections. One focuses on the forest and timber harvesting, another on Chiayi’s craft traditions, while the remaining sections explore the city’s ambition to become Taiwan’s “Wood Capital,” drawing comparisons with timber cultures from Norway to New Zealand. In the main hall on the pavilion’s northern side, visitors are invited to imagine Chiayi’s future shaped by a renewed timber culture.
Each evening, the pavilion’s façade becomes the setting for a light show, while the programme also includes public forums and lectures featuring MVRDV partners and local officials. Once regarded as outdated following the rise of concrete and steel, timber is re-emerging as a key sustainable building material. Through Wooden Wonders, Chiayi takes a tangible step toward a more sustainable future.
Project: Wooden Wonders – Chiayi City Expo / Location: Chiayi, Taiwan / Architect: MVRDV / Founding partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs / Curator: Jan Knikker, Hui Hsin Liao / Co-curator: Herng Tzou / Project team: Jacob van Rijs, Jan Knikker, Hui Hsin Liao, Veronica Della Ventura, Samuel Tam, Miruna Duna, Ciprian Buzdugan, Laura Travnikova, Antonio Luca Coco, Teresa Papachristou, Lorenzo D’Alessandro, Yayun Liu, Andreana Vasilatou, Lodovica Chiaravalli / Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries / Local executing team: Bunkder Design / Wood structure: Guanglai Construction / Projection mapping: IF Plus / Client: Chiayi City Government / Use: pavilion + exhibition / Gross floor area: 780m² / Completion: 2025 / Photograph: ©Shephotoerd (courtesy of the architect)
