To close this series of extraordinary texts that have accompanied our annual Building of the Year Proclamation in this 2023 edition, meaning a work of architecture like The Dark Line carried out by the Spanish-Galic architectural studio of Michèle & Miquel directed by Michèle Orliac and Miquel Batlle, in collaboration with the Taiwanese landscape studio Da Vision Design directed by Chung-Hsun Wu, we made the following coda, as a brilliant addition to the final closing of this exceptional piece of architecture, grouping all the articles, links and authors that have accompanied this presentation.

Honored and proud of the result achieved, in its second edition, with an overwhelming impact and exceptional dissemination in the Declaration of Building of the Year 2023, Philippe Bonnin (FR), Joan Roig (ESP), Françoise Crémel (FR), Ioanna Spannou (GR), Eric Alonzo (FR), Scott Hawken (AUS), José Moreno and Raquel Altares (ESP) and José Juan Barba (ESP).
1. The Dark Line, Building of the year 2023



We are honoured to proclaim “The Dark Line” by Michèle Orliac, and Miquel Batlle with the collaboration of Chung-Hsun Wu as METALOCUS Building of the Year 2023, an action with which we highlight the best architecture of the moment, as well as its authors and teams involved, either participating, helping or collaborating in the most outstanding architectural creation...

2. Listening to Nan Shan, Zen master by Philippe Bonnin



In the book that recounts the teachings of Nan Shan, a Zen master who dedicated himself to placing stones and planting bamboo, he says that when starting a landscaping project (in Japanese: Sansui 山水 -mountain and water), a garden project, although the terrain is flat, neutral, without anything notable that can be highlighted, or put into value, the true gardener must know how to pick up the slightest clue, know how to read the slightest trace, both in the indicated area and outside where these clouds come from, these winds, these rains, these lights, these sounds, these memories...

3. Noli me Tangere (Do not touch me) by Joan Roig



I usually do not speak or write about a work that I do not know personally, mainly out of caution, but also out of modesty. It is difficult to venture an opinion on something you do not know personally because sometimes reality can contradict what the images assure.

I have known and admired the work of Michèle & Miquel since their first works in Cap Roig and I have regularly followed their career, not only for their work in public spaces but also for their few but interesting building projects. Therefore, in the case of the project "The Dark Line" that they have designed in Taiwan, I think I can allow myself to make an exception and talk about it, even if only briefly...

4. Dark Line. Mind the gap by Françoise Crémel



Overall here is strength, the boards resist; met the lure of the project, they lie in bed with each stride. Never so firm, the promise remains fleeting; take the path, light the way, contain the overflow, the hazards in disarray shatter over and over. Organize the clutter. Traversing the mountains, crossing the ditches, leveling the flux, all this is to invent an open wound over a patches of uneven ground, what a trap!...

5. Weaving Atmospheres by Ioanna Spannou



I haven't visited Dark Line, I've never been to Taiwan.

Still. But I've thought about it a lot... And I keep thinking about how it would make me feel. Thinking and feeling. This constant coming and going between emotions and interpretations activates a series of thoughts that could be summarized in a single conceptualization of the Dark Line as a sequence of interwoven atmospheres. And the line is both the thread and the needle...

6. The Dark Line, a sublime monument by Eric Alonzo



In northern Taiwan, between two deep valleys, Japanese engineers built a nearly three-and-a-half kilometre stretch of railway between 1919 and 1922 in the steep foothills of the Hsueh Shan mountain range. A line connecting the cities of Mudan and Sandiaoling with a railway network intended to transport coal to the main ports of Keelung and Taipei. To draw an almost horizontal line in this marked relief, three successive works were built: the Sandiaoling tunnel, the Sanzhuazi tunnel and the bridge that crosses the Keelung River...

7. The Dark Line: illuminating the unseen by Scott Hawken



In 2023, landscape architects from around the world joined the UNEARTH festival of landscape architecture held in Adelaide, Australia. The conference considered unseen landscapes below the Earth's crust; both hidden from physical gazes and beyond the margins of our imaginations. This complex world below the Earth's surface, part mineral, part organic, part water, and part air, was reflected upon and discussed by a range of thinkers across science, arts, and cultural realms. Michèle & Miquel were invited to conclude the conference by the creative directors with a presentation on their superlative work now known as "The Dark Line." To my delight, the designers of The Dark Line, Michèle & Miquel, agreed to present their work at the conference in person, providing insight into the creative minds that shaped this project...

8. Interview with Michèle and Miquel by José Moreno and Raquel Altares



Established in 1996, architecture studio Michéle Orliac and Miquel Batlle is a space of exploration and creation that immerses and hybridizes its work between the natural and the urban, carefully intertwining the threads of architecture, urbanism and landscaping. In each project his vision transcends limits, fusing the city with nature, resulting in an architecture that dialogues with the landscape...

9. The Dark Line by Michèle & Miquel and da VISION DESIGN



The architecture and urbanism studio Michèle & Miquel, together with dA VISION DESIGN, has designed a route in the heart of a mountainous region between Taipei and Yan, in eastern Taiwan. This region has been crossed by various routes throughout history. The last ones, built at the beginning of the 20th century, were the roads and railway lines that connected the coal industry. When the mines closed at the turn of the century, the railway was abandoned...

More information

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Michèle & Miquel. Lead architects.-  Michèle Orliac, Miquel Batlle.
Landscape architect.- Da Vision Design. Chung-Hsun Wu.
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Location
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Taiwan, Sandiaoling - Ruifang District, New Taipei City. Republic of China.
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Michèle & Miquel is an architecture urbanism and landscape atelier, based in Barcelona, Spain and Toulouse, Francia. It was founded in 1996 by Michèle Orliac and Miquel Batlle.

The team take part in the development of public spaces, urban facilities, strategic points, urban peculiar situations…etc. The philosophy of their work lies in the relationship between the city, architecture and nature, urban planning and landscape architecture and the articulation of different scales: from territorial scale to detail.

Throughout the professional life of the study, many projects have been developed in different topics such as Public spaces and urban facilities (Hortus wineries in Valflaunes, Wallon Marcadau refuge in the National Park of Pyrenees, or the canopies in Vieux Boucau); Director plan of public spaces (Director plan beach in VIEUX BOUCAU in the Atlantic Ocean).

Many projects have been recognized in national and international awards including:

By The Dark Line: AFEX Award 2023 (FR), BEAU XVI Award (ESP), Landezine International Landscape Award 2023, Arquin fad 2023 (ESP), IFLA ASIA PAC Excellence Award 2023, Architettura LOVERS il Premio 2023 (ITA), INT. design Grand Prix du Design paysage & territoires 2023, (CAN), WLA Merit Award Winner 2023, Taiwan Environment Lighting 2023, Building of the Year METALOCUS 2023 (ESP).
 
Award, The 7th Taiwan Landscape 2019.
First prize in the FAD 2017 award. International category with the project Le Jardin NIEL in TOULOUSE, France.
Selected in the international Mies van der Rohe 2017 award with the project Winery in Montpellier, France.
First prize in the FAD 2011 award, landscape and city category, with de project Aigües Park in Figueres, Spain.
First prize in the Trophées de l’aménagement Urbain award three times: at Pams Port Street in Vendres, France; at the ARLES SUR TECH square, France; and at the fairground in Treffort, France.
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dA VISION DESIGN is an architecture studio founded by Chung-Hsun Wu that offers comprehensive consulting services in urban design and landscape architecture. The team combines experiences in landscape architecture, architecture, urban design and urban planning. Passion for space, environment and people resonates within the team, influencing their work, values and professional approaches. With a reserve of optimism and professional skills, they skillfully tailor their services to precisely meet client needs.

​The core value of dA VISION DESIGN is to systematically apply site analysis, sensitively coordinate spatial and functional elements, and then seamlessly integrate them with construction knowledge to formulate holistic design alternatives. Their unwavering commitment includes providing meticulous attention and engaging in innovative problem solving, infusing each project with unique aspects and motivations.
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