Onyx Lit House / Emerge Architects


Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects
  • Architects: Emerge Architects
  • Location: Yilan, Taiwan
  • Architect In Charge: Sam Yang, Ally Chang, UZ Liu
  • Participants Of Project: Yingchen Ling
  • Area: 271.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2016
  • Approved Building Inspector: Emerge Architects
  • Structural Engineer: K.C. Structure Engineering Office
  • Hydropower Engineer: Kai Jian Engineering Office
  • Architecture, Electrical Engineering , Interior And Landscape Manufacturer: Kai Jian Engineering Office
  • Client: Xiaoqing Lin

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Text description provided by the architects. Our first impression of Toucheng Village and Wishi Harbour in Yilan was the smell of salty waves, the sound of splashes on the glossy shingle beach, and the sight of distant Guishan Island. The image of dissolving waves and glittering sea foam became the source to the guesthouse’s design element.


Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Clusters of round openings on the black façade allow light beams and diffuses inside like roaming foam in the air. The building morphs into an obscure lantern whose dim light glowing upon the voyagers.


Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Sketch. Image Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Sketch. Image Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Climbing up the narrow staircase directly to the 3rd floor, long and gloomy, but a flickering radiance in the far end. Imitating the experience of running through the longest tunnel in the country from Taipei, expecting Yilan’s open plain to come and guide, just like the starry lighting placed above.


Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects

In the guest rooms, light holes in sizes on the wall filter out buzzes and leave serene frames of streetscape.

Balconies are open but not exposed; every guest may savor exclusive scenery, whether courtyard or hillside, whether sunlit or drizzly, in their own comfort.


Courtesy of Emerge Architects

Courtesy of Emerge Architects