King Boat by Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao Wins Gold A’ Design Award

Pingtung King Boat Museum Honored for Translating Maritime Faith into a Living Architectural Vessel

COMO, CO, ITALY, September 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The A’ Design Award has announced King Boat, a cultural museum created by Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao, as a Gold winner in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The A’ Design Award is one of the highly respected international design competitions, recognizing accomplished work across the architecture and design fields. Selected through a blind peer-review process conducted by an expert jury panel, this distinction acknowledges King Boat as an outstanding example of good design. The recognition places the Pingtung King Boat Museum among a body of work noted for innovation and considered cultural contribution. The honor reflects the careful effort of Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao to interpret a deeply rooted tradition through contemporary architecture.

The Gold A’ Design Award for King Boat holds relevance well beyond its creators, signaling to the architecture industry and the wider public the value of design that bridges heritage and modern experience. As Taiwan’s first cultural center dedicated to the King Boat Ceremony, the museum addresses a growing interest in architecture that preserves intangible cultural practices while serving educational and tourism needs. The design demonstrates how sustainable strategies, such as natural ventilation and durable coastal materials, can align with cultural programming. For visitors, scholars, and local communities, the project offers a space where religious tradition and daily life intersect. The achievement underscores standards of cultural sensitivity and environmental responsiveness within the field.

King Boat draws its form from a traditional king boat, presenting a five-story white facade set atop a wave-like base that symbolizes the sea. Folded lines and recessed entries mimic ocean swells and lead to a central atrium clad in expanded aluminum mesh that ripples like waves while filtering light and managing acoustics. At the heart of the building, a one-to-one King Boat replica is suspended in natural light, with sunlight pouring through a skylight onto the prow. The facade is finished in glass fiber reinforced concrete, chosen for its textured surface, durability, and resistance to salinity and humidity in the coastal climate. A rooftop observatory offers views over Donggang Harbor, while dragon-eye openings narrate spiritual stories by day and night.

This recognition is expected to encourage Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao to continue exploring architecture that connects land, life, and cultural memory. The Gold A’ Design Award affirms the studio’s belief that life is culture and culture is life, supporting future projects that translate local identity into spatial form. The honor may inspire further dialogue between architects, cultural scholars, and communities seeking to safeguard living traditions. As a benchmark, King Boat offers an example of how spiritual and oceanic imagery can shape lasting public architecture.

Project Members
King Boat was realized through the collaboration of Pingtung County Government, which championed and commissioned the cultural center, and C.M.Chao alongside the team at C.M.Chao Architect and Planners, who led the architectural design and planning, translating symbolic elements such as the dragon’s eye, wave lines, and procession routes into spatial and lighting gestures.

Interested parties may learn more about the award-winning design, its features, and its creators at the dedicated page on the A’ Design Award website.
https://competition.adesignaward.com/ada-winner-design.php?ID=174503

About Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao
C.M.Chao currently has 60 colleagues, working across the Kaohsiung office, the Tainan branch, and the Taichung branch. The practice is skilled in transforming landscape into design, regarding design as a process of environmental creation through which new ideas emerge. The studio holds that architectural creation must be connected with the land and life so that space can move people. Pingtung County Government and C.M.Chao are based in Taiwan (China).

About C.M.Chao Architect and Planners
C.M.Chao Architect and Planners is an architectural studio with 60 colleagues across offices in Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Taichung. The firm specializes in transforming landscape into design and views design as a process of environmental creation that generates new ideas. The studio values the meaning of space and maintains that architectural creation must remain connected with the land and with daily life. This conviction guides the firm toward work intended to resonate with people and place.

About the Gold A’ Design Award Recognition
The Gold A’ Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate notable innovation and a meaningful impact on their intended audience. Within the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, entries are assessed against criteria including innovative use of space, structural integrity, aesthetic appeal, environmental impact, functional efficiency, material selection, cultural sensitivity, use of natural light, and integration with surroundings. Recognized as a significant achievement, Gold A’ Design Award designs are noted for their visionary approach and the considered skill of their creators. These works serve as reference points for excellence, encouraging further innovation and informing future practice. The designation reflects strong technical attributes, thoughtful artistic skill, and creative qualities that advance the boundaries of design.

About A’ Design Award
The A’ Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award is a highly regarded competition that welcomes a broad range of participants, including architects, engineering firms, construction companies, and established brands across the architecture and design industries. Participation offers an opportunity to demonstrate design vision, gain international recognition, and contribute to the advancement of the field through good design. Entries are evaluated by an expert jury panel of design professionals, industry experts, academics, and journalists through a blind peer-review process based on pre-established criteria. Organized since 2008 and now in its 18th year, the A’ Design Award is an international and juried competition open to entries from all countries and across all industries, driven by a philanthropic mission to recognize and promote superior products and projects that benefit society and help create a better world. Interested parties may learn more about the A’ Design Award, explore the jury, view past laureates, and take part with their projects at the following url: https://architectureawards.org

Makpal Bayetova
A’ DESIGN AWARD & COMPETITION SRL
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