Cosmology Center Taiwan University_Education_Projects | KRIS YAO｜ARTECH

Seeking harmony with the surrounding environment, the entrances of the Cosmology Center extend outward from a cross-shaped axis. The plaza on the east reaches into the existing banyan tree park. The idea of acting against the force of gravity inspired the design of a floating cube in space, structurally supported by the concrete core setback in the center. The depths of the vertical sunshades vary in a progressive sequence, so that the illusion of a sphere inside the cube can be seen outside. Moving around the building, one visually experiences a dynamic and changing façade.

Behind the external hidden sphere is a tubular open atrium 38-meter in height. Its height references the Pantheon of Rome. Providing visual continuity between inside and outside, one can directly sense the natural environment, rain or shine, day or night. The interior façade of the atrium is modeled after the heavenly bodies, made of perforated metal claddings. It provides visual penetration through the hallways while decreasing echoes in the atrium. 

The second through eighth floors are for laboratory use. There is a meditative space on the seventh floor in the form of a cantilevered platform.