Kris Yao (; born December 1951) is a Taiwanese

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, and the founder and head architect at KRIS YAO , ARTECH in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

and

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Biography

Yao was born and raised in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. Yao received his Bachelor of Architecture at

Tunghai University Tunghai University (THU; ) is the oldest private university in Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). It is located in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan. According to ''Tim ...

in 1975, and received his Masters in Architecture at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, in 1978.

Kris Yao , Artech

Established by Kris Yao in 1985, KRIS YAO , ARTECH is an architectural firm composed of more than 160 professionals with offices in Taipei and Shanghai. The firm's projects are mainly located in the Greater China area, but are also found in the United States, Europe, and South Asia. Project categories range from corporate, residential, cultural, educational, hospital, commercial, transportation, industrial architecture design, and urban planning, etc. The award-winning and selected works including: Lanyang Museum, China Steel Corporation Headquarters, Water-Moon Monastery, and Wuzhen Theater, etc.

Selected projects

Taiwan High Speed Rail Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed railway of Taiwan consisting of one line that runs approximately along the west coast, from the capital Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. With construction and operations managed by a pri ...

** Hsinchu Station (

Hsinchu Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...

) **

Changhua Station Changhua () is a railway station in Changhua City, Changhua County, Taiwan served by Taiwan Railways. It is located at the southern junction of the Taichung line and Coastal line, where the line continues onto the southern section of the West C ...

(

Changhua Changhua (Hokkien POJ: ''Chiong-hòa'' or ''Chiang-hòa''), officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. For many centuries the site was h ...

) ** Yunlin Station (

Yunlin Yunlin County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''Yúnlín Xiàn''; Taigi POJ: ''Hûn-lîm-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Yùn-lìm-yen'') is a county in western Taiwan. Yunlin County borders the Taiwan Strait to the west, Nantou County to the east, Changhua County t ...

) *

Lanyang Museum The Lanyang Museum (LYM; ) is a museum about the local area in Toucheng Township, Yilan County, Taiwan. History Engineering In 1989, local Yilan personnel proposed the establishment of Kailan Museum. In December 1992, Yilan County Government e ...

(

Yilan Yilan may refer to: China *Yilan County, Heilongjiang (依兰县), county of central Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China *Yilan Town, Heilongjiang (依兰镇), seat of Yilan County * Yilan, Jilin (依兰镇), town in Yanji Taiwan *Y ...

) *

Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum The Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum (NPMSB; ) is a museum in Taibao City, Chiayi County, Taiwan. History To improve the cultural equity between Northern Taiwan and Southern Taiwan, the Executive Yuan approved the construction of ...

(

Chiayi Chiayi (, Taigi POJ: ''Ka-gī''; ), officially known as Chiayi City, is a city located in the plains of southwestern Taiwan. Formerly called ''Kagee'' during the late Qing dynasty and ''Kagi'' during the Japanese era (), its historical name i ...

) *

Museum of Archaeology, Tainan Branch of National Museum of Prehistory The Museum of Archaeology () is a history museum in Southern Taiwan Science Park, Sinshih District, Tainan, Taiwan. The museum is the branch of National Museum of Prehistory. History The soft opening of the museum was done on 26 December 2018 ...

(

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" ...

) * Water-Moon Monastery (

Taipei City Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the Capital city, capital and a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Regions of Taiwan, Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of t ...

) *

Lite-On Technology Center The Lite-On Technology Center () is a 23-storey, skyscraper office building completed in 2002 and located in Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan. The building consists of four basement levels, with a total floor area of . One of the most prominent la ...

(

) * Shih Chien University Gymnasium and Library (

) *

China Steel Corporation Headquarters The China Steel Corporation Headquarters () is a 29-story, skyscraper office building in Cianjhen District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It houses the corporate headquarters of China Steel Corporation. As of February 2021, it is the 24th tallest buildi ...

(

Kaohsiung City Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiu ...

) * Kelti Group Headquarters (

) *

Far Eastern Mega Tower The Far Eastern Mega Tower () is a skyscraper located in Banqiao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. As of February 2021, it is the eighth tallest building in Taiwan and the tallest in New Taipei City. The height of building is , the floor area is , a ...

, (

New Taipei City New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, be ...

) *

Cathay Landmark The Cathay Landmark () is a skyscraper located in Xinyi Special District, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is the eighth tallest building in Taiwan and the fourth tallest in Xinyi Special District. The height of the building is 212 m, the floor ...

, (

) * United Daily News Office Building, (

) * Wuzhen Theater (

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...

, China) File:Taiwan_HighSpeedRail_HsinChu_Station_3.JPG, THSR Hsinchu Station File:蘭陽博物館.jpg, Lanyang Museum File:Headquarter of China Steel Corporation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan-2.jpg, China Steel Corp. HQ. File:Kelti_Building_202001.jpg, Kelti Group Headquarters File:聯合報大樓.jpg, UDN Building File:板橋遠百二期辦公大樓 Banqiao FarEastern Headquarter Building, New Taipei - panoramio.jpg, Far Eastern Mega Tower File:Lite-On_Technology_Building_20150723.jpg, Lite-On Technology Center

Recognition

In 2014, Yao received an

Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects Honorary Fellowship of the American Institute of Architects (Hon. FAIA) may be awarded to foreign (non-U.S. citizen) architects and for non-architects who have made great contributions to the field of architecture or to the American Institute of Arc ...

(Hon. FAIA). In 2003, Yao represented

in the 8th International Architecture Exhibition at

Venice Biennale of Architecture Venice Biennale of Architecture (in Italian Mostra di Architettura di Venezia) is an international exhibition of architecture from nations around the world, held in Venice, Italy, every other year. It was held on even years until 2018, but 202 ...

(La Biennale di Venezia), in Venice, Italy. Yao was reinvited to the same event in 2008, at the 11th International Architecture Exhibition at La Biennale di Venezia. In 2004, Yao was invited to present his project, the

THSR Hsinchu Station Hsinchu () is a railway station in Hsinchu County, Taiwan served by Taiwan High Speed Rail. It opened for service in 2006. The station was designed by Taiwanese architect Kris Yao. Transfers to TRA Liujia station can be made at this station, ...

, at the 1st International Architecture Biennale in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In the same year, he was also invited to present his projects at the 1st International Architecture Biennale in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. In 2005, Yao was named a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni of the College of Environmental Design at the

. In 2013, Palace Museum, Southern Branch was anticipated in The International Architecture Showcase,

London Festival of Architecture The London Festival of Architecture is a festival specialized in architecture. It takes place annually in London, United Kingdom usually through the month of June. It features an extensive range of activities that focus on design and architectur ...

2013 – Atlas of the Unbuilt World in London, UK. In 2014, Yao was re-invited to the 14th La Biennale di Venezia–Collateral Event / Time Space Existence –The Ninth Column. In 1997, Kris Yao was awarded the "Chinese Outstanding Architect Award". In 2007, Yao became the first practicing architect in

to receive the "Taiwan National Award for Arts and Architecture", the highest honor in cultural and art disciplines in

. Yao is also collaborating with architect

Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a re ...

in the design of the Taipei Performing Arts Center, scheduled for completion in 2015.

Awards

*2014 8th Far Eastern Architectural Design Award - Honorable Mention & Most Popular Award - Water-Moon Monastery *2014

*2013 35th Taiwan Architecture Award - Water-Moon Monastery *2013 WAF Award shortlisted – Religion - Water-Moon Monastery *2013 WAF Award shortlisted – Culture – Wuzhen Theater *2013 1ST Architizer A+ Awards: Jury Winner And Popular Choice Winner -China Steel Corporation Headquarters *2012 The Chicago Athenaeum Museum Of Architecture And Design, The European Centre of Architecture Art Design And Urban Studies:The International Architecture Award - Lanyang Museum *2012 Perspective Awards 2012 Certificate Of Excellence In Heritage Category -Langyang Museum

Monograph

*Yao's second monograph was published on April 16, 2011 by Images Publishing Group. *Yao's first monograph was published in 2001 by the Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd, in Australia.

References

External links

KRIS YAO , ARTECH official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yao, Kris Taiwanese architects Honorary Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Artists from Taipei 1951 births Living people