Far Eastern Architectural Design Award

In 1999, the Far Eastern Y.Z. Hsu Memorial Foundation established the Far Eastern Architecture Award, modeled after the Pritzker Prize in the United States. By using “Innovation” as the theme, it encouraged architects to break away from tradition and seek innovative architectural concepts. Mr. Douglas Tong Hsu hopes that with this award’s encouragement, architects will beautify the urban landscape and improve the quality of life and standards of architectural beauty. The award itself is an innovation; it is the first award in Taiwan hosted by a private foundation, and comes with a large cash prize of NT$1 million. 

The Award Ceremony for 9th Far Eastern Architectural Design Award in 2017

The judges also have diverse backgrounds in the field: the first round of judging is conducted by those with architectural backgrounds; the second round is conducted by artists with no architectural background; and the final round is conducted by world-renowned architects. The entire process takes time, energy, and people power, but ultimately its goal is to encourage local and foreign architects to create influential designs. This goal has certainly been achieved. 

In the ten years since the competition’s inception, the award winners have gained international notice. Architects Kris Yao and Xue-Yi Jien, for example, won the award for designing the Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station and Yingge Ceramics Museum, in Taiwan. Art abounds and engenders a creative atmosphere in these two public places. Sheng-Yuan Huang, a native of Ilan, Taiwan, is also an award winner. His design of a family home in Ilan with humble style has won great support from Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa. The quiet and simple beauty of Huang’s design was awarded an honorable mention.  He is a graduate of Tunghai University in Taiwan followed by a Masters in Architecture with Honors from Yale University.

The 6th annual Far Eastern Architecture Award included architectural works from China and Taiwan.  It serves as a platform for innovation and promoting architectural exchange between mainland China and Taiwan. This link was first extended to Shanghai architects, artists and designers, and will be expanded to other cities. It hopes to encourage architects from both countries to collaborate and create more outstanding work. 

FE Architectural Award Official Site