Initiative

Construction of the National Palace Museum's Main Exhibition Building began in March of 1964 and was completed in August of 1965. Aside from this, the National Palace Museum also underwent renovations in 1967 and 1970, all of which resulted in the present architectural structure that exists today. With over 654,500 artifacts in its collection, the 27,438-square-foot (15,118.2-square-meter) gallery area of the Main Exhibition Building is insufficient for the National Palace Museum's current exhibitions needs. It has been calculated that for any given time period, the percentage of items that can be put on display in proportion to the entire National Palace Museum collection is as follows: calligraphy and paintings, approximately 15%; antiquities, approximately 6.4%; books, approximately 0.07%; and documents even less. As it can be seen from the statistics above, there is a pressing need to expand the National Palace Museum exhibition area and facilities.

The newest renovation project plans to expand the current exhibition gallery space, which does not have an ideal layout based on contemporary standards. In general, visitors sometimes find it difficult to navigate through the Museum's facilities, which do not always provide a clear sense of direction or adequately provide guidance through the exhibition galleries. Moreover, the emergency facilities, such as the emergency exits and signs, do not comply with the current standards and safety regulations. Besides the aforementioned concerns, the areas within the Museum are easily crowded, as the separation of exhibition galleries is not clearly demarcated. The stairways leading to the exhibitions are narrow and steep by contemporary standards , making the walk up to the galleries difficult for older and disabled persons. Another urgent renovation matter is the lack of educational facilities within the current Main Exhibition Building.

In 2001, the National Palace Museum hired Sinotech Engineering Consultants, LTD. to assess the Museum facilities' ability to withstand vibrations (such as in an earthquake) and discovered that the current Main Exhibition Building is vulnerable to earthquake vibrations. Because of the building's architectural structure, it would only be possible to install equipment that would contain the damages caused by earthquakes. However, there is no way to completely immunize the Museum's Main Exhibition Building from an earthquake. It was suggested that the protective equipment and technology be added to the Main Exhibition Building to minimize any damage that may occur due to an earthquake.

The National Palace Museum then hired the Sinotech Engineering Consultants, LTD. to make assessments and complete the implementation of protective equipment and technology in the Main Exhibition Building. After strengthening the Main Exhibition Building structure by adding concrete to neutralize any future earthquake damage and completing other earthquake resistance assessments, it was discovered that five of the National Palace Museum's seven buildings did not comply with building earthquake resistance regulations. These regulations require buildings to meet the earthquake resistance standard of withstanding advection of at least 0.288g.

With the occurrence of major earthquakes around the world in recent years, the National Palace Museum must redouble its resolve in maintaining the duties of ensuring the safety of the collection while expanding the facilities for educational and exhibition purposes. In addition, because the Museum is dedicated to raising the quality of the services available to Museum visitors, the policies of delaying the renovation or closing the Museum is not a possibility as it would have negative influences on Taiwan's image and competitiveness.

It was in June of 1994 that former Director Chin Hsiao-yi conceived this idea of renovating the National Palace Museum; by December, the first steps of renovation assessment and evaluation had begun. Many different types of evaluations were considered; however, because of complications and the high costs, the renovations could not proceed. When former Director Tu Cheng-sheng was appointed, he greatly understood the pressing need to renovate the Museum's architectural structure and facilities. Therefore, professional engineers and architects from Taiwan and abroad were invited to discuss the Museum renovations, which accelerated the progress of the renovation project. In 2001, the report was brought to the Executive Yuan and also the Education and Cultural Committees of the Legislative Yuan for examination, and preparations for the renovation schedule commenced in 2002. Thus, the renovation project has undergone the scrutiny of two directors. Including its formulation period, the entire renovation project should be completed in ten years time.

Images of the Renovation Work Upon Completion

Virtual image of the renovated the National Palace Museum's Main Exhibition Building

Comparison Table for Area Space Before and After the "Public Space, Gallery Space Alteration, and Surroundings Renovation Project for the Main Building and Earthquake Reinforcement Project of the Main Building" at the Museum

Contact Us
If you have any comments or suggestions about the renovations at the National Palace Museum, please contact us at the following:
Workdays: +886-2-2881-2021, ext. 8443 (ask for Mr. Liu, Wei-Chieh) 
Holidays: +886-2-2881-2021, ext. 2292 or 2530 (Information Desk)
e-mail: zorro@npm.gov.tw