ODA unveils its design for Green Utopia, a 20-story, 94-unit residential building in Taichung, Taiwan

ODA unveiled its design for Green Utopia, a 20-story, 94-unit residential building in Taichung, the second largest city in Taiwan.

With completion expected in 2027, Green Utopia will sit adjacent to a public park and near landmarks such as the city’s baseball stadium. ODA has designed the project’s architecture, interiors, and landscape.

To bring the outdoors in, the design team drew inspiration from traditional Taiwanese configurations of outdoor residential space, where inner courtyards serve as communal spaces connecting the different sections of homes.

For Green Utopia, the team applied this approach vertically, turning inner courtyards into semi-private outdoor spaces throughout the structure. These floating gardens function as gathering spaces while also offering views of the surrounding area. Each of the lushly landscaped gardens has its own theme and design.

On the park side of the building, each residence has its own private balcony garden. The building also features a shared rooftop space.

In the entrance area, an overhead canopy and glass walls provide views of the park. The ground-level amenities, all with views of the outdoors, include a bar, lounge and cafe, library, fitness center, yoga room, karaoke room, spa, and study room.

The interior design blends the natural and the built environment with soaring spaces, fluid transitions, and organic materials. Limestone walls, reflective surfaces, metal accents, a wood grid ceiling, and dark wood paneling all suggest the natural world. Inspired by feng shui, the design incorporates wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

The building’s exterior features terracotta-like tiles between a white stucco frame, with dark gray tiles between each floor and large stone-like tiles at the base. In contrast with the neighboring modern glass condo buildings, Green Utopia’s façade materials and color palette aim to feel warmer and more in tune with nature.

On the building team: ODA (design architect); CHY (architect of record); Federal Engineering Consultant (structural engineer); HOYAI Engineer & Consultants (MEP engineer); Continental Engineering Corp. (contractor).