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’s 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.
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.
Sun Rock tops out in Taiwan to reveal its full solar-oriented form | images via MVRDV
Orientation as Strategy
The architects at MVRDV design Taiwan’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.
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’s 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’s identity as both infrastructure and resource.
the building supports Taipower’s green energy transition
sun rock shaped by A Pleated Surface
The Sun Rock will function as an active part of Taipower’s 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… allowing the building to become a tool of energy production.’ The building is both a generator and a generator’s home, making visible the systems it supports.
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.
a rounded form is designed to maximize solar exposure throughout the day
its pleated facade is covered in photovoltaic panels angled for optimal energy generation
the structure is expected to produce nearly one million kilowatt-hours of energy annually
project info:
project title: Sun Rock
architecture: MVRDV | @mvrdv
location: Changhua County, Taiwan
founding partner in charge: Winy Maas
partner: Wenchian Shi
design team: Hui-Hsin Liao, Daniel Diez, Mirco Facchinelli, Carolina Martin Peñuela, Chi-yi Liao, Tseng-hsuan Wei
MVRDV next: Yayun Liu
client: Taipower
images: courtesy MVRDV
co-architect: Y.C. Hsu Architect & Associates
contractor: Reiju Construction Co., Ltd.
structural engineer: Chih-hung Kao Structural Engineer & Associates
MEP: Chia Feng Mechanical & Electrical Corp.
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