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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Y15 Station Urban Design in Urban Planning and Urban Design

MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government acknowledged for urban planning and urban design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 27, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Y15 Station Urban Design by MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government, designed for Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Urban Planning and Urban Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

About Y15 Station Urban Design

Y15 Station is a transit-oriented mixed-use development in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The project occupies about 1.1 hectares within a smart technology innovation park and provides roughly 170,430 square meters of floor space. Two towers of 45 and 32 stories hold office, commercial, and residential functions, with five basement levels for parking. High-performance curtain walls balance energy efficiency and daylight, while long-span floors allow flexible exhibition and work areas. Steel skybridges and multi-level circulation connect the site directly to the metro node.

About MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government

Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government

Award Record

MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. All of the awards belong to the 2025 - 2026 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' City Planning and Urban Design Award

The A' Urban Design Award is an international urban design competition recognizing good urban plans and designs by best urban planners and architects worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to urban planning designers, urban architects, city planners and urban designers from all countries. Entries typically include masterplans, zoning proposals, infrastructure designs, landscape blueprints, public space concepts and urban renewal projects. Awarded urban plan designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/urban-planning

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

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
Y15 Station Urban Design
Function
Urban Design
Category
Urban Planning and Urban Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture and Social Impact
Colors
Dark Gray, Dark Slate Gray, Light Slate Gray, Black and Slate Gray
Images
5
Client
Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government

The Recognition

Laureate
MRT Bureau Kaohsiung City Government
Country
Taiwan (China)
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2025 - 2026
Design ID
#182395

Credits

Team
Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government
Image Credits
Mass Rapid Transit Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government

Design Details

Unique Properties
The Kaohsiung Bay Area 2.0 Smart Technology Innovation Park spans approximately 43 hectares, advancing 5G AIoT development and positioning Kaohsiung as a globally competitive industrial hub. Within it, the Y15 Joint Development Project introduces AI, AR, Web 3.0, Iov, cloud computing, EVs, and digital health, integrating R and D, employment, and daily life. Direct Mrt connectivity transforms transit into industrial efficiency, linking Tod with Kaohsiung's smart technology strategy.
Inspiration
Kaohsiung's growth relied on the petrochemical and steel industries. To drive transformation, Tsmc was introduced to northern Kaohsiung as a semiconductor R and D hub, while the southern Kaohsiung Bay Area 2.0 Smart Technology Innovation Park was developed. The Y15 Joint Development Project, led by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., from December 2025, will bring AI, AR, Web 3.0, IoV, cloud computing, EVs, and digital health, strengthening the Bay Area 2.0 industrial ecosystem.
Research
Kaohsiung was once built on the petrochemical and steel industries. With global supply chain shifts and rapid technological change, the city is transforming into a technology and headquarters hub. Since 2021, the Asia New Bay Area Smart Technology Innovation Park has promoted computing power, applications, and talent development, attracting semiconductor and future industries through investment and MRT-linked development.
Challenge
Located within the core of the Asia New Bay Area Smart Technology Innovation Park, Y15 must respond to the flexible office requirements and high security standards of a large corporate headquarters while integrating MRT co-development and skybridge systems. High-intensity commercial office volumes and industrial exhibition spaces require structural and mechanical configurations that allow for future upgrades as industries evolve. Balancing efficiency-driven industrial environments with urban public character remained a central challenge for the design team.
Realization and Technology
The project's architecture prioritizes durability and flexible use for a corporate headquarters. High-performance curtain walls balance energy efficiency with daylighting, while long-span floors maintain adaptable spaces for exhibitions and cross-departmental collaboration. Steel-structured skybridges and 3D circulation systems ensure precision, ease of maintenance, and pedestrian safety, creating a multi-level urban network connected to the MRT node.
Operation and Interaction
The Y15 Joint Development Project exemplifies Kaohsiung’s use of Transit-Oriented Development (Tod) to drive urban transformation. By combining Mrt joint development with an industry-chain-oriented investment strategy, the project provides tech enterprises with physical space alongside integrated R and D, employment, and daily-life support. The Kaohsiung Bay Area has since attracted over 300 domestic and international companies, forming a comprehensive industrial ecosystem in cloud services, communications, system integration, and innovation.
Project Duration and Location
The project finished in Taiwan.
Specifications
The Y15 Joint Development site spans about 1.1 hectares, with a 60 percent building coverage ratio and 630 percent floor area ratio, yielding roughly 170,430 m2 of total floor space. The development features two mixed-use towers, 45 and 32 stories, with five basement levels for parking, supporting office, commercial, and residential functions. Positioned within the Kaohsiung Bay Area Smart Technology Innovation Park and near the Port Cruise Terminal, Y15 serves as a landmark industrial node for future tech-sector growth.
Keywords
Smart City, Asia New Bay Area 2.0, MRT Joint Development, Hon Hai, Urban Transformation, Kaohsiung

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