Press Release
The Taipei Weather Station Meteorological Instruments Center by IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates Wins the Golden A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 17, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category for The Taipei Weather Station Meteorological Instruments Center by IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates, designed for IMO Architecture + Design. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Golden A' Design Award
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
About The Taipei Weather Station Meteorological Instruments Center
The Taipei Weather Station is a meteorological facility built in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Three buildings hold two weather bureau departments and a multifunctional room, joined by an undulating three-dimensional roof. Reinforced concrete gives resistance to typhoons and earthquakes, while Corten steel fins and deep roof overhangs provide shade, light and views. The fins move with the wind and return to their original position through a cable suspension system. The outdoor space between the buildings holds weather measurement instruments.
About IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates
IMO believes that Architecture has the power to transform people´s lives and inspire them, which is the foundation of their mantra: “Create and Inspire the World”. They achieve it through what they see as important characteristics like harmony, beauty, timelessness and honesty. IMO seeks solutions that consider end-users, both human and non-human actors, creating spaces that embellish the lives we live. With offices in Taiwan and in Spain, IMO Architecture + Design’s passionate design team have completed a variety of projects ranging from small public projects to large multi -story apartment buildings.
Award Record
With this recognition, IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Entries typically include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. Awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/172221
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/172221
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!172221
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/327985
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://imocreations.com/
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Taipei Weather Station Meteorological Instruments Center
- Function
- Meteorological Instruments Center
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Cornflower Blue, Sky Blue, Light Sky Blue and Steel Blue
- Images
- 5
- Client
- IMO Architecture + Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- IMO Architecture and JC Cheng Associates
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #172221
Credits
- Team
- Mario Hidalgo, Jose María Crespo, Ina Dai, Urdaneta Zeberio, Jeff Lu, Lain Satrustegui, Sanjain Chen, Atelier Boronski, Eurie Huang, Jon Saenz del Castillo, Michael Blaeser, Lynn Zheng, Eleni Karypidou, Mu Liu, Laura Morales, Ignacio Juarez, Weiching Chen, Daniel Cheng, Huang,Yi-Chan, Liao,Wei-Chen, Dai,Gan-Yun, Lin,Ching-Tang, Hsiao,Chih-Wen, Chou,Mei-Huei
- Image Credits
- IMO Architecture + Design
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Taipei Weather Station is a manifestation of the environment it inhabits and seeks to observe, forming a visible dialogue with nature. Wind activates movable fins; rain threads their Corten surfaces, expressing time and weather. Sunlight filters through, casting shifting shadows on wind-shaped forms. The design reflects a belief that architecture can foster creativity, inspiration, mental health, and well-being.
- Inspiration
- As technology reshapes the world, monotonous jobs are giving way to dynamic roles valuing leadership, creativity, and communication. The design imagines spaces beyond data points and utility, reconnecting observers with the natural environment they study to harness nature's positive effects on productivity, mood, memory, and stress relief. Material, form, and planning emphasize connections with the environment, encouraging engagement, while common spaces foster community among scientists.
- Research
- This research explored how to design a building that meets laboratory standards, integrating meteorological instruments and a wind tunnel. Objectives included achieving international‑level weather measurements and reducing vibration and noise by placing the tunnel underground. The tunnel tested facade resilience against typhoons, inspiring wind‑activated fins on a novel cable system that make airflow visible. Digital analysis shaped a 3D roof to harvest rainwater for irrigation. Results improved performance, sustainability, and user experience, with impacts on design practice, society, and community value.
- Challenge
- This project faced tight budget constraints and complex scientific requirements. The wind tunnel’s size, vibration, and noise posed challenges near sensitive instruments. Weather devices required both isolation and accessibility with strict adjacent structure height limitations. The building also had to withstand earthquakes, typhoons, and power outages. The low sprawling plan of the design with the wind tunnel located below grade is tuned to address each of these, while fostering scientists’ well-being in day-to-day operation.
- Realization and Technology
- The design features 3 buildings housing two weather bureau departments and a multifunctional room, all connected by a 3D undulating roof blending seamlessly with the natural environment. Inspired by synoptic weather charts, the form withstands Taiwan's high precipitation, humidity, strong typhoons, and earthquakes. Reinforced concrete ensures resilience, while Corten fins and deep roof overhangs provide shade from the subtropical sun and allow light and views. These fins, with a novel cable suspension system, return to 0 degrees after wind gusts. The outdoor space between the buildings is dedicated to weather measurement instrument data collection.
- Operation and Interaction
- This design redefines what a weather station can be by reconnecting the observer with natural processes. Unlike traditional methods that reduce weather to mere data points, it makes weather phenomena also experienceable for scientists. Wind-reactive fins reflect invisible air currents, while sustainable Corten material captures the passage of time and precipitation. The facade visualizes the sun and nature's movement, creating dynamic murals of light and shadow. This approach balances scientific activities with the experience of nature, fostering mental health and well-being.
- Project Duration and Location
- The Taipei Weather Station project was initiated in April 2014 as a competition entry. The design phase took place between 2014 and 2019, developed collaboratively in Taiwan and Spain. Construction began in 2019 and was completed in 2023 in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Specifications
- Client Name: New Taipei City Government Size: 3,283 square meters. Project Budget: 4,200,000.00 USD
- Keywords
- Environmental integration, Experiential Architecture, Corten Steel, Moving Architecture
