Sun, Sep 30, 2018 page3

• University team touts building restorations

  HISTORICAL SITES: A student from the Philippines said that work on Jiabin Hotel in Taitung helped her to learn how to achieve a well-aerated and comfortable design

  • By Wu Po-hsuan and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  A team of students began refurbishing a building in Taitung County’s Guanshan Township (關山) three years ago, but the project turned into a long-term effort to restore many of the Japanese colonial-era buildings in the township.

  Guanshan is the township with the highest density of old buildings, said National Taiwan University of Science and Technology professor Chiou Yun-shang (邱韻祥), who led the project, adding that he hopes to refurbish and revitalize each of the unused buildings to preserve precious historical sites.

  Guanshan Mayor Tai Wen-ta (戴文達) on Thursday said that the township office knows of at least 20 such buildings, and if those used by the local government are included — such as the police office and a railways office — there would be 80 to 110.

  

  A team from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology stands in a tree house they built in Guanshan Township, Taitung County, in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times

  Most of them are Japanese-style dormitories that were repurposed, Tai said, adding that while some of the buildings are inhabited, most are unused.

  “With the university’s help, we hope to focus preservation efforts on Japanese-era buildings that have fared better, as well as the building that was once the official mayoral residence,” Tai said.

  The effort would not only preserve history and culture, but also create potential tourist draws, Tai said.

  Students in the team gain experience and get to implement what they learn, Chiou said, adding that the project would seek to define the “value” of the historical buildings in academic terms.

  University vice president Chiang Wei-hwa (江維華) said the project is good for students of architecture.

  The project is part of the university’s social responsibility project, guiding students and teachers to be not just volunteers, but professionals seeking to transform society.

  A student from the Philippines who only gave her first name, Joan, said she was interested in the design of the Jiabin Hotel, which was built in 1940 and was the first building the team restored.

  “Guanshan is similar to my hometown,” Joan said.

  She learned how to achieve well-aerated, comfortable designs, while leaving as small a carbon footprint as possible during the renovation process, Joan said.

  The team said it has helped paint murals for the Guanshan Farmers’ Association to enliven local tourism and built access ramps.

  New signs, designed by the students, were displayed by local stores, injecting a sense of renewed vitality, the team said.

  The team this year constructed a tree house in a bishop wood tree for a local church, the team said, adding that it quickly become a local favorite and was used for Mid-Autumn Festival events.
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