TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei’s countless mid-level residential concrete apartment blocks may seem ugly, haphazard, or outdated to some, but Taiwanese-Canadian architecture graduate Vincent Chuang (莊程翔) sees information about local residents' needs, layers of history, and community interaction that create a unique urban environment.

Through the many additions made to these structures, Taipei's residents communicate the amenities and living spaces that they need, Chuang says. After extensive study of the Taipei historic block of Dadaocheng, Chuang has created a model for Taiwan’s urban residential spaces that is sensitive to historical influences and contemporary community needs. Successive waves of colonization, modernization, and migration have created Taipei’s unique urban environment, and through it all comes Chuang’s model for resident-focused design.

Taiwan News joined Chuang in Dadaocheng in March to talk about his research, and what we can learn about Taipei’s development, communities, and future, by looking at its buildings.

What made you want to study the architecture of Taipei’s Dadaocheng?

I was interested in how street houses in Dadaocheng have evolved with local society to produce the remarkable urban fabric that has persisted through several separate political and colonial periods. My family has lived in Dadaocheng for over five generations, so I grew up hearing stories from my father about the area’s rich cultural history and neighborhoods.

Many of the local families still exist in the neighborhood today, forming a friendly and tight-knit community. Despite the development of Xinyi and Daan Districts as the modern, commercial and financial centers of Taipei, Dadaocheng still remains one of the major cultural and historical spaces in the city.

Indoor-outdoor and public-private spaces blur in Dadaocheng's covered walkways. (Vincent Chuang photo)

What does the architecture in Dadaocheng tell us about Taipei’s development?

We can use Dadaocheng to understand how the needs of Taipei residents have changed over time, and what building types have been implemented as a result. The majority of the buildings in Taipei are three to five-storey street houses built during Taiwan’s rapid modernization in the 1960s-1980s. However, on Dihua Street, you are able to experience the earliest types of street houses built during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) and the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945) that are preserved and still in use today.

These early street houses reveal Taipei’s socio-political and technological changes through time, and how they have influenced architecture and social organization in Taipei since the 16th century.

The facades of early Japanese street houses in Daxi Old Street in Taoyuan reveal Western influences, while the stone carvings symbolize the families that live within. (Vincent Chuang photo)

How did Taipei get so many of these concrete street houses, and why do people make so many additions to them?

This type of house was developed after the Second World War, and coincided with a period of rapid urbanization and economic growth described as the “Taiwan Miracle.” They were designed for mass production to provide housing solutions that could match the rapid urban population growth throughout the island, and the result was concrete structures with a minimalist facade.

Over time, the street houses have developed an intricate character formed through local adaptations. Resident-made additions can be seen along the storefronts within the street front corridors (qilou), on the windows of the facades, and as corrugated steel rooftop add-ons.

The facade of a housing development in Taipei's Wanhua is covered in resident additions that increase living space and utility, a common site in Taiwan. (Vincent Chuang photo)

Each of these ad-hoc adaptations shows the many different approaches taken by residents to personalize and improve the functionality of their homes. Metal cages added to windows provide security, a balcony space for plants, and an outdoor space to hang clothing. They can be outfitted with covers to shade the interior from sunlight, or be enclosed as an extension of the living space.

The adaptability of these houses allows local users to actively participate in the design of their homes, and as a result, the streetscapes of Taipei represent the evolving patterns of local solutions and cultural preferences.

The sidewalk of Ningxia Road is transformed into an outdoor dining space by street vendors. (Vincent Chuang photo)

The mayor of Taipei has called Taipei City’s buildings ugly. What do you say to that?

I think when the mayor describes Taipei as ugly, he is criticizing the aged and unmaintained character of the city’s old buildings, which is at odds with the government’s vision of a globally recognizable “modern” Taipei. Personally, I think Taipei’s old buildings and street life have evolved to create a fascinating urban environment that is often overlooked based on its superficial appearance.

It is true that, over time, some street houses have aged rapidly due to the subtropical climate and lack of proper maintenance. Despite that, I believe the weathered and overgrown aesthetic of the city can be made beautiful through regular maintenance and repairs.

Chuang's study tracked the iterative transformations of street houses through different colonial periods. (Vincent Chuang image)

What does Taipei stand to lose from the mass adoption of high-rise, generic, gated communities?

Developer-led condo towers and gated communities are a western housing model that prioritizes profit and density at the expense of social sustainability. They are a symbol of luxury that excludes the surrounding environment with clearly marked boundaries, and the mass implementation of these developments is rapidly re-organizing society without consideration of the existing urban fabric.

Local communities have developed a sense of familiarity with the city over several generations, and if this fundamental understanding is lost through future developments, Taipei will resemble a generic modern city, disconnected from its own cultural identity. Unfortunately, even as these luxury developments create more housing in the city, it also creates greater housing unaffordability. I believe there is an opportunity for contemporary architects, urban designers, and the government to create a greater variety of housing solutions that can better reflect Taipei’s cultural and historical identity.

Despite the drawbacks, we can still learn from some aspects of this model that reflect certain needs of modern Taiwanese society, such as, modern amenities, parking spaces, and management offices that help mediate disputes between owners, and ensure regular maintenance.

Canopies and lightweight steel structures, kitchen trollies, and collapsible furniture are used to construct night market stalls. (Vincent Chuang photo)

So how did you actually go about your research, and what did you find?

I focused my thesis project on testing renovation methods for existing housing stock and to create new housing types that can flexibly adapt to their residents, because of demographic challenges contributing to the growing incompatibility and obsolescence of street houses. Family sizes in Taipei are shrinking, and the population is aging rapidly.

Also, older generations struggle to access their apartments via stairs, and the younger generations are unable to afford rents, so Taipei urgently needs more housing options that can accommodate demographic changes. Studying the interior of an existing street house provided valuable insight into the range of ways it was used by a single multi-generational family. I documented five generations of family life within their single home.

Chuang's designs show internal courtyards expressing different combinations of window types, finishes, and facade additions used by businesses and households to customize their units. (Vincent Chuang image)

The family-owned shop on the ground level served as a zone where domestic functions and commercial activities mix together. Parents supervise their children, while customers enter and browse, and residential furniture, televisions, kitchens, and dining tables are located alongside shop display cabinets and shelves. This extraordinary blending and merging of activities creates an atmosphere of domesticity throughout Dadaocheng.

The renderings in my work echoing the visual features of Taiwan’s current street houses are intentional by design. I used the existing site in Dadaocheng as a toolbox to create a future housing model for Taipei. I wanted to create a sense of visual continuity by echoing the spatial elements and materials that were commonly used in existing street houses.

I studied local materials and created a palette made of ceramic tiles, corrugated steel sheets, and exposed aggregate concrete that could be customized by the building residents. I re-imagined spatial elements such as the courtyards, alleyways, and covered corridors being distributed through a multi-storey building.

A cross section of Chuang's design reveals distinct spatial realms created through the structural supports and a variety of different facade insertions residents can use to expand their living spaces. (Vincent Chuang image)

What's next for you and your work?

I believe that speculative design projects, unbuilt competition entries, and academic works offer valuable insights and innovative approaches that might be overlooked or absent in conventional design processes. As my architectural career progresses post-graduation, I hope I can collaborate with local architects, organizations, and think tanks to promote innovative solutions for evolving Taiwanese architecture.

Hopefully, my work and these models will spark meaningful conversations and inspire more iterations of these kinds of models in the future.