{"id":40298,"date":"2017-01-11T12:30:46","date_gmt":"2017-01-11T05:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/how-architect-calvin-tsao-was-seduced-by-the-taipei-hills\/"},"modified":"2017-01-11T12:58:40","modified_gmt":"2017-01-11T05:58:40","slug":"how-architect-calvin-tsao-was-seduced-by-the-taipei-hills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/how-architect-calvin-tsao-was-seduced-by-the-taipei-hills\/","title":{"rendered":"How architect Calvin Tsao was \u201cseduced\u201d by the Taipei hills"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#013;<br \/>\nThe New York architect is the leading force behind Taiwan\u2019s most exciting new development<br \/>\nCalvin Tsao and Zack McKown<br \/>\nHow did just one residential development manage to attract so many of the world\u2019s leading architects?<br \/>\nThis has been the great question surrounding The Master Collection, a hugely exciting residential development nestled in the Taipei hills, designed by five of the world\u2019s most eminent \u2018starchitects\u2019 \u2013 Jim Olson, Richard Meier, Annabelle Selldorf, Steven Harris and Calvin Tsao, all of whom have a place in Architectural Digest\u2019s 2016 list of top 100 design influencers.<br \/>\nThe answer to this seems to begin with Calvin Tsao, the only architect personally acquainted with the four others, and whose marshalling efforts have made such an impressive collaboration possible.<br \/>\nConstruction of The Master Collection is now well underway, and when complete, will be an series of 28 luxury houses, ranging from USD5.6 million to USD11 million, each with its own private pool and expertly landscaped garden.<br \/>\nAn aerial view of how The Master Collection will look once completed<br \/>\nFor The Master Collection, Tsao and his partner Zack McKown \u00a0designed four of the homes, plus the club house that will serve all residents. The pair are known for their modernist style, which has won them a US National Design Award and attracted high profile clientele such as Meryl Streep and hotel legends Ian Schrager and Andre Balazs.<br \/>\nOver the past four weeks we have featured an interview with each of the architects. To round off our series, we spoke to Tsao about how he rallied such an enviable team, as well as his design process for the project\u2026<br \/>\nHow did you first learn about the Master Collection, and what made you want to be involved?<br \/>\nWhen Phoenix (Property Investors) and Sam Chu approached us in beginning, The Master Collection was still in very early stages of planning. To start off, we spent hours mapping the site, which is quite difficult to navigate because it is steep, but once you get over that sensation, it is a very vertiginous site. There are different topographies \u2013 lowlands, steep hills, rolling landscapes \u2013 and it\u2019s very three dimensional, with many perspectives. I suppose you could even say we were seduced by it and mesmerized by its potential.<br \/>\nWe also realized it has a really good school system nearby \u2013 private schools \u2013 as well as a south facing hillside with great views, which is perfect for a young family of means to start their journey together. So we suggested looking into larger houses to address these demographics.<br \/>\n<div class=\"video-container\"><div class=\"embed-vimeo\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/170125812\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><br \/>\nIt was you who bought all the other architects together for this project \u2013 how did this happen?<br \/>\nWe were flattered when Sam (Chu) came to ask us to help with this project, but I thought we didn\u2019t have enough ideas then to provide enough diversity and range for so many houses. I called on a few of my colleagues such as Richard Meier, who was my teacher, and Annabelle Selldorf, who succeeded me as president of the Architecture League, and Steven Harris, my friend, to design the other homes. And then the project just snowballed from there and became a really wonderful collaboration.<br \/>\nMore: Inside starchitect Chad Oppenheim\u2019s Miami hideout<br \/>\nA model representation<br \/>\nTell us about your design philosophy<br \/>\nUltimately, we try to create a sense of place, which derives from a project\u2019s synergy with the existing community and infrastructure. Our approach to achieving this synergy begins by understanding local history and precedence, which we believe has implications for the future. A sense of place is amplified when projects aggregate to a dynamic whole within a communal fabric.<br \/>\nDesign is not as a pursuit of absolutes, but rather a method to embrace and reconcile seemingly opposing forces: rational versus instinctive, individual versus communal, adventurous versus careful.<br \/>\nAn early sketch<\/p>\n<p>What is your biggest challenge when working on a residential project?<br \/>\nBefore we begin the design of residential buildings, we engage in thorough research with our client to understand the market and type of residents that the project will attract. Additionally, we study the culture of the neighborhood and physical context to enable us to create an alluring destination that will be both meaningfully integrated into its environment and relevant to its market.<br \/>\nRather than being an \u201cauthor\u201d of all things within a given environment, we act more as a director who \u201cbrings together\u201d all things: collaborating with homeowner, sharing ideas with other designers and artists. We bring out the best in all involved, allowing juxtapositions and opportunities to arise throughout, all toward setting the stage that will best serve the client\u2019s home life.<br \/>\nHow did the mountainside location influence the design?<br \/>\nThe sense of community is enriched by different design approaches to specific topographical conditions. Each architect was assigned a different approach that addresses a particular condition on the mountainside.<br \/>\nThe designs work together to preserve views, create park-like walking trails, and enrich the neighborhood experience.<br \/>\nView a gallery of rendered images for Tsao and McKown\u2019s houses for The Master Collection:<br \/>\nClick to view slideshow.Read next: See how landscape architecture is shaping developments all over Asia&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nSource : property-report.com&#013;<br \/>\nRead more&#8230;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.property-report.com\/how-architect-calvin-tsao-was-seduced-by-the-taipei-hills\/\" target=\"_blank\">How architect Calvin Tsao was \u201cseduced\u201d by the Taipei hills<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#013; The New York architect is the leading force behind Taiwan\u2019s most exciting new development Calvin&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-atY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":37950,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/how-did-this-luxury-development-in-taipei-attract-so-many-starchitects\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":0},"title":"How did this luxury development in Taipei attract so many \u201cstarchitects\u201d?","date":"December 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Five of the worlds most celebrated architects head to Taiwan to create The Master Collection If one is to bulldoze an area of natural beauty, it had better be worth it. Perhaps that\u2019s what Phoenix Property Investors were thinking when they conceived The Master Collection \u2013 a series of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39603,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/starchitect-steven-harris-talks-architecture-today-and-working-in-taiwan\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":1},"title":"Starchitect Steven Harris talks architecture today and working in Taiwan","date":"January 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The multi-award winning architect joins colleagues in Taipei\u2019s The Master Collection As well as sharing the honour of sitting on AD100 with fellow The Master Collection collaborators \u2013 Jim Olson, Annabelle Selldorf, Richard Meier and Calvin Tsao, Steven Harris is the recipient of multiple AIA awards as well as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38077,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/architect-jim-olson-leads-the-pack-in-taipeis-the-master-collection\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":2},"title":"Architect Jim Olson leads the pack in Taipei\u2019s The Master Collection","date":"December 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r \u201cArchitecture should fit into its context and buildings should melt into the landscape as if they grew there\u201d It\u2019s hard enough to secure just one major architect to design your project, but astonishingly, Phoenix Property Investors managed to pin down five of the worlds top names to work on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38753,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/architect-annabelle-selldorf-on-her-first-venture-in-taiwan\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":3},"title":"Architect Annabelle Selldorf on her first venture in Taiwan","date":"December 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r One of the five award-winning starchitects collaborating on The Master Collection Annabelle Selldorf has attracted a global reputation for her assured designs and restrained style. The German-born, New York-based designer is one of the five \u201cstarchitects\u201d creating The Master Collection, the ambitious, multi-architect project in the lush green hills\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39117,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/richard-meier-on-designing-the-hottest-new-luxury-residences-in-taipei\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":4},"title":"Richard Meier on designing the hottest new luxury residences in Taipei","date":"December 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\r The starchitect talks creative process, The Master Collection and his Pritzker Prize Perhaps sitting on Architectural Digest\u2019s top 100 influencers list in 2016 was no big deal for Richard Meier. He is, after all, winner of the Pritzker Prize \u2013 architectures highest honour. Meier joins fellow AD100 architects Jim\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43621,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/6-places-that-prove-taipei-is-one-of-asias-most-inspiring-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":40298,"position":5},"title":"6 places that prove Taipei is one of Asia\u2019s most inspiring cities","date":"February 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Although its property market is one of the world\u2019s most expensive, that hasn\u2019t stopped big name architects from flexing their design muscles in vibrant Taipei Pink sky alert. Image: ESB Professional\/Shutterstock The utilitarian buildings that dominate its cityscape may belie the fact, but Taipei is emerging as one of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Property News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40298"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40298\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}