King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala by Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao

King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala by Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaedo in Nhazi Ụlọ Owu, Ụlọ na Ihe Owuwu Competition Category.

ỌlaedoỤlọ Owu· 2026

King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala

by Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao

Client: C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners

Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaedo Winner in Ụlọ Owu Category

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The Design

About King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala

King Boat bụ ụlọ ngosi ihe omenala e wubere maka Ememme King Boat, nke dị na Donggang, Taiwan. Ụlọ ahụ nwere okpukpu ise nwere ihu ọcha e wukwasịrị n'elu ntọala yiri ebili mmiri nke na-echetara mmadụ oke osimiri. E ji glas fiber reinforced concrete kpuchie ihu ụlọ ahụ, nke a họọrọ n'ihi ọdịdị ya na ike ya iguzogide nnu na iru mmiri. Ahịrị ndị apịajiri apịaji na ọnụ ụzọ mbata ndị e wubatara n'ime na-eduga na atrium etiti nke e ji ntupu aluminum gbasapụrụ agbasapụ kpuchie, nke na-anyocha ìhè na ụda. E gosipụtara oyiri King Boat zuru oke n'okpuru ìhè anyanwụ, ebe elu ụlọ ahụ na-enyekwa ohere ịhụ ọdụ ụgbọ mmiri ahụ.

The Recognition

About the Ihe Nrite A' Design Award nke Ọlaedo

King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaedo, nnabata dị oke ugwu e nyere design ndị dị n'ọkwa mbụ, dị ịtụnanya ma pụtara ìhè. Ndị meriri na Ọlaedo bụ ihe e kere eke dị oke ọhụrụ, nwere ọhụụ ma na-egbu maramara nke na-egosipụta ọgụgụ isi, amamihe na nka nke ndị designer ha. A na-atụ anya na King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala ga-abụ ihe e mepụtara kacha enweta otuto, na-edu ọnọdụ ma bụrụ ihe ncheta nke na-enye uru na-adịbeghị mgbe ọ bụla. Design a meriri A' Design Award nke Ọlaedo bụ ọrụ dị ebube, a na-asọpụrụ nke na-erite uru buru ibu ma na-ebuga oke nka, sayensị, design na teknụzụ n'ihu. King Boat Ụlọ Ngosi Ihe Omenala na-eweta mmetụta ọchịchọ siri ike, na-akpali agụụ, na-akwado nzụlite ihe ma na-adọrọ anyị adọrọ.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The building's form is inspired by a traditional king boat, with a five-story white facade atop a wave-like base symbolizing the sea. Folded lines and recessed entries mimic ocean swells, leading to a central atrium with aluminum mesh panels that ripple like waves. Inside, a 1:1 King Boat replica is displayed, bathed in natural light. The rooftop observatory offers views of Donggang Harbor. The museum's five exhibitions invite visitors to explore marine beliefs, parades, and boatbuilding rituals, celebrating Taiwanese folk religion.
Dimensions & Packaging: The five-story structure includes four levels of exhibition space arranged to follow the ceremonial procession of the King Boat Ceremony, with five permanent thematic galleries: Marine Beliefs, Divine Patrol, Regional Ceremonies, Sacred Boat Building, and The Donggang Festival. The third floor houses the museum's centerpiece 42-foot-long, 12-foot-wide King Boat replica, viewable from a 360-degree elevated viewing platform. The roof features a skylight and observation deck, reinforcing the building's vertical movement and layered storytelling.
Tags: King Boat Culture, Donggang, Cultural Museum, Local Revitalization, King Boat Ceremony, Taiwanese Folk Ritual
Production Technology: The facade is clad in glass fiber reinforced concrete, chosen for its textured finish, durability, and resistance to salinity and humidity, ideal for a coastal climate. Its surface reflects sunlight like shimmering waves, resonating with the harbor context. The atrium is enveloped by expanded aluminum mesh, offering both acoustic and light-filtering functions. A predominantly white color palette, paired with natural materials and glass windows, allows natural light to interact with surfaces, emphasizing the building's temporal and spiritual dimensions.
Design Challenge: The biggest challenge was translating a deeply religious, ritual-based, and localized practice into an architectural language that modern audiences could understand and feel. The architect engaged in continuous dialogue with local elders and cultural scholars, extracting symbolic elements, such as the dragon's eye, wave lines, and procession routes, and converting them into spatial form and lighting gestures. The building had to be more than a container for culture; it had to be a bridge for cultural exchange, making that transformation the core design mission.
Research: The Pingtung King Boat Museum, Taiwan's first dedicated to the King Boat Ceremony, reinterprets maritime beliefs as a 'living museum.' Its exterior mimics a king's boat riding waves, with flowing walls and dragon-eye openings that tell spiritual stories day and night. The centerpiece is a 1:1 King Boat replica suspended in the atrium, bathed in natural light. The design blends light, materials, and acoustics with sustainable features like natural ventilation. It’s a cultural, educational, and tourism hub, honoring tradition while inspiring future heritage.
Inspiration: The design begins with the traditional maritime faiths of Asia. Located in Donggang, the Pingtung King Boat Museum is Taiwan's first cultural center for the King Boat Ceremony. Inspired by the triennial ritual, the architecture transforms spiritual and oceanic imagery into a vessel of history and faith, linking local identity with future vision. Embracing the idea that 'life is culture, and culture is life,' the museum serves as a living space that bridges religion and daily life, sparking cultural renewal and community vitality.
Project Duration: The project finished in December 2024 in Taiwan.
Operation Flow: By transforming traditional culture into a modern space, the museum becomes a hub for education, community, and tourism. It welcomed over 200,000 visitors in its first month, becoming a Donggang landmark. Beyond exhibits, it preserves oral history, teaches traditional crafts, and trains festival guides, making culture tangible and engaging. More than design, it's a cultural movement, sparking heritage continuity and innovation rooted in place and tradition.
Team Members: Pingtung County Government, C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners
Image Credits: C.M.Chao. Architect & Planners