A home is more than merely four walls and a roof. In
an effort to move away from the ordinary-looking buildings
found around the island, the Ilan County Government
launched a small-scale project that allowed architects
and homeowners to design residences that reflected the
area's unique culture, climate, and history.
Huang Jui-chiang remembers a time when the people from his village in Ilan County in northeastern Taiwan used to help each other build their homes when they were not busy farming the land. It was this memory that inspired him to want to play an active role in building his own home. "Nowadays, people buy ready-built houses or apartments," says the senior-high-school teacher. "Without taking part in the construction process, you can't see any hidden irregularities in the structure of the building and you can't be sure that the layout will suit your needs."
Determined to accomplish his goal, Huang set about looking for assistance and came across a local project that helped him on his way. In 1994, in cooperation with the Young Sun Culture and Education Foundation (YSCEF), the Ilan County Government launched its Ilan Home-Building Project. Nine architects from across Taiwan were selected from a field of nineteen applicants to work with nine landowners on the design and construction of farmhouses that were built by contractors. Huang was one of nine homeowners chosen to take part in the project, and he soon found himself negotiating with an architect on the planning and design of his dream home. The two chose a design based on the homes of the area's Lanyang Plain inhabitants hundreds of years ago. And in July 1997, the house was completed.
Pan Chao-chen, secretary-general of the Ilan Home-Building Project before he left the YSCEF in 1996, refers to Huang's house as the result of a "grassroots architectural movement." He notes that while Ilan is famous for its beautiful natural scenery, manmade contributions such as buildings are usually far from aesthetically pleasing. Although the Ilan County Government has completed some impressive public construction projects--such as the Tungshan River project that includes a park, community facilities, and bridges--the county residents live in undistinguished and poorly designed houses, much like those found in the rest of the island. "People simply put up four walls and a roof and call it home," Pan observes. "If they put an effort into any kind of design, they call it European style. I can assure you nothing like it can be found in Europe."
This was not the first time that government has tried to influence how private homes are built. In the 1980s, the Taiwan Provincial Government made an unsuccessful attempt to standardize the construction of farmhouses. "It's hard to fit something as complicated as the construction of a home into one formula," says Chen Teng-chin, an architect who works at the Ilan County Government and supervises the Ilan Home-Building Project. "We're not pursuing standard forms or cultural totems." He notes that Huang Jui-chiang's aboriginal-styled home was neither representative of those built under the project nor the favored design.
"The style of the traditional folk residences developed gradually over time," says Li Lu-chih, one of the project's architects. "We can only make our own interpretations of the different styles and use what best suits our clients." Her client, Lin Yen-tsan, wanted to retain the original house on the property so Li integrated the old and the new by having the two houses face each other. This created an intimate courtyard area where the family could gather and socialize. Compared with Huang's more grandiose home, which is set apart from other buildings, Li's design offers a greater sense of community.
Although the project's homes are very different in character, there are some similarities. "We were looking for an architectural style we could call our own. To do so, we had to draw upon the local elements in Ilan and use them in the design of the houses," Pan Chao-chen says. "These elements are related to the local nature, geography, and climate."
Slanted roofs were recommended because of the abundant rainfall in the Lanyang Plain, an area surrounded by mountains on three sides and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The nine architects also elected to use wind-resistant windows and double-layered walls to guard against the frequent typhoons, as well as the high humidity and heat. Local building materials such as brick, stone, and wood were favored over the ubiquitous tiles that typify many of Taiwan's modern buildings. Covered outdoor spaces were frequently used in doorways, corridors, balconies, and atriums. Inside, the Ilan homes reflected an emphasis on community areas, with larger living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens, and smaller bedrooms.
These building features were not derived from sophisticated architectural theories. "We haven't invented anything new," says Tsai Yuan-liang, another project architect, who designed Chiang Shao-yen's house. "We've only tried to build practical and sensible homes." He points out that the architects did not take part in the Ilan Home-Building Project to express their own views on architecture. Rather, they employed their knowledge and skills to cater to the needs of the homeowners. Li Lu-chih agrees. "This wasn't like any other project I've worked on," she says. "I made friends with many of the people I met in Ilan. It was the atmosphere of genuine teamwork that attracted me to the work."
The program's guidelines ensured such an atmosphere. "We didn't just solicit architectural designs," explains Wu Kwang-tyng, professor of architecture at Tamkang University and one of the project's selection committee members. "We attached equal importance to the roles of the architects and landowners with a view to enhancing the communication between the two groups." This was a dramatic departure from the wide distance that normally separates the designer and the occupant of homes in Taiwan. Under the Ilan housing project, both sides interacted and cooperated closely from the very beginning. "Architects usually have little more to do than draw the designs," says Pan Chao-chen. "But the project architects visited their clients many times--some even lived with them--to learn about their living patterns."
Thanks to this close collaboration, when their homes were fully completed, Huang Jui-chiang, Lin Yen-tsan, Chiang Shao-yen, and others had gained considerable expertise in home construction. Instead of entrusting the work to general contractors who normally oversee the construction, the homeowners supervised every detail and managed to solve the problems they encountered. Each can cite examples of the lengths they went to in order to perfect their habitats. Huang engaged in extensive discussions with his architect in revising the design of the living room. Lin personally bought and fire-treated all the floor tiles before they were installed. Chiang found and commissioned local craftsmen to apply the stucco finish to the exterior walls instead of using the more commonly found tiles. "This house is not simply something I've spent money on," Lin says. "I feel emotionally attached to it because of the role I played in its construction." This is exactly the kind of attitude the organizers behind the Ilan Home-Building Project wanted to foster. "We've returned to the good old days when a house was considered a family treasure to be passed down from generation to generation," says the county government's Chen Teng-chin. "These are houses with stories behind them."
To reach a wider range of candidates, the second round of the Ilan housing project, which got underway in 2001, was expanded to include multi-family homes. And if the government's newly forged cooperation with local construction companies proves successful, it will represent a major advance in Taiwan's building industry.
This housing project has enhanced public interest in local cultures and traditions, and has also had an impact on architectural education. "Would-be architects learn about abstract theories in school," says Professor Wu Kwang-tyng. "But they're not taught to communicate with the people who will one day occupy the buildings they design." As a student, Li Lu-chih studied the history of Chinese and Western architecture but acquired little knowledge about local architectural details. "People's homes weren't even a major topic of study," she says. "But in reality they represent the most vital element in a society."
Huang, Lin, and Chiang are all highly satisfied with their new homes. "It's even better than I dreamed it would be," Lin Yen-tsan says. But can the success of the project be experienced elsewhere on the island? Perhaps not, as Ilan is considered unique for its long-term dedication to cultural affairs and widely praised administrative efficiency. "From my experience, discussions about public affairs in Ilan tend to be more serious than in other places in Taiwan," Li Lu-chih states. "This may be because plans are actually implemented." Professor Wu also doubts whether a similar project would work outside Ilan County. Perhaps a more reasonable goal would be to further promote the grassroots movement in Ilan before introducing it to the rest of the island. Then one day others like Huang Jui-chiang who want to take part in building their own homes may be able to realize their dream brick by brick.