Every country that has been prosperous has discovered the challenge in finding a balance between its roots and its progress, its history and its future. Taiwan is home to one of the most ancient cultures on the planet, one that it has managed to survive alongside people striving to keep pace with a growing global economy with strong western influence.
As a country, Taiwan works well and its culture can be breathed in temple ceremonies, in gastronomy, or in relating to a passer-by as one enjoys the Taiwanese people’s characteristic friendliness.
In Taiwan however, its architecture is mostly thought of in the utilitarian and economic sense. This has worked whilst Taiwan played the role of manufacturer of products designed abroad where the important thing was to be fast, cheap and useful.
But after the departure of many factories abroad, now Taiwan is in a very different situation and aspects such as the authentic, the original or the experience should become more relevant. A design and architecture that goes beyond utility and induces the way of understanding and observing the world of its people can play an essential role in the development of its identity and its position on the international map.
The Xiafu Activity Center is located directly adjacent to the Hongfu-Gong Temple, the soul and meeting place of the people of Xiafu.
The temple’s ornate sweeping roofs are full of symbolism for the Taiwanese people, bursting with a broad spectrum of unique and characteristic colors sit in stark contrast to a grey industrial background – remnants of Taiwan’s industrial past.
The design of the Xiafu Activity-Center was derived from no more than interpreting this rich Taiwanese cultural language by making it experiential and relevant for a growingly globalized public.
The projects works as a multigenerational intersection where young people interacts and connects with tradition and encourages a positive transformation and as an improvement of the local culture, showing that traditional design can be relevant for future generations.
