{"id":701,"date":"2025-05-24T04:01:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T04:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/?p=701"},"modified":"2025-05-24T15:01:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T15:01:38","slug":"skin-of-solar-panels-takes-shape-as-mvrdvs-sun-rock-tops-out-in-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/24\/skin-of-solar-panels-takes-shape-as-mvrdvs-sun-rock-tops-out-in-taiwan\/","title":{"rendered":"skin of solar panels takes shape as MVRDV\u2019s sun rock tops out in taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"

a Beacon of Solar Architecture for taiwan<\/h2>\n

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MVRDV<\/a><\/strong>‘s solar panel<\/a><\/strong>-clad Sun Rock has topped out at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in Taiwan<\/strong><\/a>, revealing a presence that feels like both architecture and landscape. Designed for Taipower, the state-owned utility company, the operations storage facility is set to play a major role in Taiwan\u2019s renewable energy transition, expressing its purpose through form and material. On site, the building appears to absorb sunlight from every angle, expressing its function through a geometry tailored for efficiency. The design for Sun Rock was first unveiled in January 2022 — see designboom’s previous coverage here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Sun Rock responds directly to its solar-rich context with a rounded, domed silhouette that shifts in profile from north to south. This gradient is intentional. MVRDV has sculpted the building to catch early and late light with its northern dome while the southern slope captures the more intense midday sun. This way, the structure stands as an instrument calibrated to its environment.<\/p>\n

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Sun Rock tops out in Taiwan to reveal its full solar-oriented form | images via MVRDV<\/p>\n

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Orientation as Strategy<\/h2>\n

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The architects<\/strong><\/a> at MVRDV design\u00a0Taiwan’s Sun Rock to feature a pleated facade, its geometry informed by the needs of solar collection. Each pleat serves as both a mounting surface for photovoltaic panels and a modulation of light and shadow. These pleats vary in angle, a subtle optimization that allows the panels to operate at peak efficiency throughout the day. Interwoven among them, windows are placed with discretion, maintaining internal function without compromising energy gain.<\/p>\n

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The structure is expected to generate close to one million kilowatt-hours of energy annually, enough to render it entirely self-sufficient. But the building\u2019s ambition extends further. With additional PV coverage under consideration, it could reach an output of 1.7 million kWh per year, contributing excess energy to the grid and underlining the building\u2019s identity as both infrastructure and resource.<\/p>\n

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the building supports Taipower\u2019s green energy transition<\/p>\n

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sun rock shaped by A Pleated Surface<\/h2>\n

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The Sun Rock will function as an active part of Taipower\u2019s operations, with workshops, offices, and equipment storage. However, its expressive exterior elevates it into something symbolic. MVRDV co-founder Winy Maas elaborates: ‘We cladded the entire facade with photovoltaics\u2026 allowing the building to become a tool of energy production<\/em>.’ The building is both a generator and a generator\u2019s home, making visible the systems it supports.<\/p>\n

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Overall, it integrates over 4,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels into its curved facade, each one oriented with intention. This design, as MVRDV notes, is about pushing the potential of every surface. The result is an active skin, an architecture tuned to performance without sacrificing visual impact.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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a rounded form is designed to maximize solar exposure throughout the day<\/p>\n

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its pleated facade is covered in photovoltaic panels angled for optimal energy generation<\/p>\n

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the structure is expected to produce nearly one million kilowatt-hours of energy annually<\/p>\n

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project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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project title: <\/strong>Sun Rock<\/p>\n

architecture:<\/strong> MVRDV<\/a> | @mvrdv<\/a>
\nlocation:<\/strong> Changhua County, Taiwan
\nfounding partner in charge:<\/strong> Winy Maas
\npartner:<\/strong> Wenchian Shi
\ndesign team:<\/strong> Hui-Hsin Liao, Daniel Diez, Mirco Facchinelli, Carolina Martin Pen\u0303uela, Chi-yi Liao, Tseng-hsuan Wei
\nMVRDV next:<\/strong> Yayun Liu<\/p>\n

client:\u00a0<\/strong>Taipower<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

images:\u00a0<\/b>courtesy MVRDV<\/p>\n

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co-architect:<\/strong> Y.C. Hsu Architect & Associates
\ncontractor:<\/strong> Reiju Construction Co., Ltd.
\nstructural engineer:<\/strong> Chih-hung Kao Structural Engineer & Associates
\nMEP:<\/strong> Chia Feng Mechanical & Electrical Corp.<\/p>\n

The post skin of solar panels takes shape as MVRDV’s sun rock tops out in taiwan<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

a Beacon of Solar Architecture for taiwan   MVRDV‘s solar panel-clad Sun Rock has topped out at the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park in Taiwan, revealing a presence that feels like both architecture and landscape. Designed for Taipower, the state-owned utility company, the operations storage facility is set to play a major role in Taiwan\u2019s renewable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":703,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":709,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701\/revisions\/709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}