Quick Facts: Project: “The Island.” Firm: MVRDV (Rotterdam, Netherlands). Location: Taiwan. Concept: A vertical mixed-use tower whose exterior is entirely covered in terraced greenery, designed to resemble a lush, inhabited island rising from the city. Influences: Gaudí’s organic forms, biophilic design principles.
MVRDV has spent decades being one of the most inventive architecture firms in the world, and “The Island” is a clear statement of intent. A tower in Taiwan wrapped in cascading terraces of greenery, it looks less like a building and more like a small mountain that decided to grow in a city. The Gaudí comparison writes itself, and it’s not wrong.
What MVRDV Is Actually Building
The Island is a mixed-use tower whose every facade is colonized by planted terraces. The greenery isn’t a veneer applied to a conventional glass tower. It’s integral to the structure, stepping down in organic tiers that create usable outdoor spaces at every level. The visual effect, particularly from a distance, is of a hill covered in vegetation that has somehow incorporated floors and windows.
The Case for Vertical Green
Biophilic architecture has moved from trend to serious design strategy in the last decade. The case for it in dense urban environments is real: green facades reduce heat island effects, improve air quality, provide insulation, and create habitats for urban wildlife. MVRDV’s approach takes that logic to its extreme, making the greenery the dominant visual and experiential feature of the building rather than an accent.
Why Taiwan Is the Right Place for This
Taiwan has been one of Asia’s most adventurous clients for ambitious contemporary architecture. The country’s combination of dense urbanism, subtropical climate (which supports lush exterior planting year-round), and appetite for design that makes a statement makes it exactly the right setting for something this bold. The Island fits its location in ways that go beyond the visual.
