MVRDV recently completed a new fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Tainan City. Praised by Taiwan’s United Daily News as the “most beautiful fruit and vegetable market,” this open-air market serves as a vital hub in Tainan’s food supply chain. Beyond its commercial function, it offers a vibrant space for social gatherings and tourism. Visitors can enjoy unobstructed views of the surrounding fields from the rooftop, which has also boosted local tourism. Looking ahead, the rooftop is envisioned as a potential site for cultivating fruits and vegetables, integrating agriculture directly into the architecture.
The Tainan Market represents an ambitious architectural experiment by MVRDV, redefining the traditional style of wholesale markets. Typically, these markets are housed under simple metal sheds, but MVRDV has transformed this into a hybrid space combining a market with public green areas. This innovative design elevates what is usually a mundane food industry site into a welcoming environment where the public can engage with both food and landscape.
Strategically located in the eastern part of Tainan City, the market sits between the urban area and nearby mountains. It is conveniently accessible via Highway 3 and public transportation, making it easy to reach from both the city and surrounding farmlands. This accessibility makes the market a convenient destination for buyers, sellers, and visitors alike.
The market features a simple open structure topped by an undulating green roof that forms a series of continuous hills blending into the surrounding fields. At the building’s eastern corner, terraces planted with vibrant vegetation and flowers cascade from the rooftop to the ground. A pathway allows visitors to easily reach the rooftop, providing elevated platforms to appreciate the region’s unique landscape, creating a seamless extension of the natural environment.
The four-story building includes a market management office and a display center where local agricultural products are showcased. Additionally, the newly added space on the fourth floor “penetrates” the main structure, offering a second access route to the rooftop for visitors.
Inside, the market space beneath the roof is straightforward yet highly functional. The open architecture connects seamlessly with the surroundings, while the elevated, undulating roof allows for excellent natural ventilation. The soil and plants on the roof work together to regulate temperature, providing passive cooling that helps maintain a comfortable environment during Tainan’s hot summers.
Currently, the rooftop serves as a park filled with grass and flowers, but it was originally designed to function as an agricultural space. This allows the roof to be converted into an educational farm where visiting students can learn about food cultivation and experience firsthand the supply chain from farm to table.
This project marks MVRDV’s second recent completion in Taiwan. Their other works include the “He Le Plaza” in Tainan, which transformed an abandoned shopping center into a new public square centered on Xiehu Lake. Additionally, the “Stone of Light Energy” project is a warehouse and maintenance workshop for an energy company, featuring a solar-panel-covered facade, soon to begin construction on the coast of Changhua. MVRDV also won first place in the dramatic redevelopment design competition for water supply facilities in Huwei Town, Yunlin County.
Project Drawings
△ Plan View
△ Section Diagram
△ Section Diagram
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Elevation Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
Project Information
Architect: MVRDV
Area: 12,331 m²
Year: 2022
Photographer: Shephotoerd
Founding Partner in Charge: Winy Maas
Partner: Wenchian Shi
Design Team: Hui-Hsin Liao, Xiaoting Chen, Chi Yi Liao, Chiara Girolami, Enrico Pintabona, Maria Lopez, Gustavo van Staveren, Emma Rubeillon, Dong Min Lee, Jose Sanmartin, Cheng Cai, Yi Chien Liao
Visualization: Antonio Luca Coco, Pavlos Ventouris
Joint Architect: LLJ Architects
Strategy and Development: Isabel Pagel, Bart Dankers
Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
Soil and Water Specialists: Kuo Soil and Water Technicians
Green Building Consultants: Green Building Technology Consultants
General Contractor: Yutong Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Landscape Design: Urban Neighborhood Planning and Design Co., Ltd.
Structural Engineering: Columbus Engineering Consultants Inc.
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering: Frontier Research Institute
Location: Southern District, Tainan City
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