PROJECT STORIES is an architecture talk series which takes an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the stories of built projects to offer an insight into the nature of architectural practice today.

PROJECT STORIES #12 Fieldoffice Architects (Taiwan)

Project Stories #12 features Fieldoffice Architects, an architectural practice founded by Huang Sheng-Yuan and based within the regional city of Yilan, Taiwan. For almost 30 years, the practice has engaged with efforts to shape the community grounded in the belief that architecture must serve as an interface for dialogue that connects people, society, nature, and the environment.

Huang is a graduate of the Department of Architecture of Tunghai University before traveling to the United States, where he acquired his master’s degree at Yale University. He later built his experience working in an architectural firm in Los Angeles, and returned to Taiwan after developing doubts about the focus on signature architecture within that practice.

When Huang established his base in Yilan, he held a wish to create an “ideal city” in Yilan with his architecture. He sought to identify an ideal form for the city by listening to the voices of the inhabitants, speaking with the authorities, and carefully researching the climate and lifestyles in the rich landscape of Yilan, which is situated between the ocean and mountains. His work has not been limited to designing independent architectural projects; rather, he has been actively shaping the city by drawing out the potential of Yilan through making promenades to connect together his buildings, developing infrastructure that generate flows of people, and drawing up grand urban plans with a long-term perspective. His office’s work, which has been expanding like the vascula bundle (vessels) that deliver water and nutrients by splitting and growing from the roots, stems, and leaves of a plant, continues to be at the center of attention in the architecture community of Taiwan.

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Project Stories #12 is co-hosted by the Bergen School of Architecture (BAS) and Bergen Arkitektforening (BAF). The series is curated by Cristian Stefanescu (Assistant Professor, BAS).

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Image Credit
Min-Jia Chen | Culture Factory Luodong