A site is more than just a building—it's a "field of social and local energy"
Local sites, imagining new settlements for the future
Architect Hsiao from Sun-Rise Engineering Consultant guided participants through two potential sites currently under evaluation in Nantou City—the Minquan Street Dormitory and Police New Village—with "coexistence of preservation and innovation" as the core philosophy. Supplemented by case studies such as Guangfu New Village and Amsterdam Startup Village, the session demonstrated how to combine design language with community participation to revitalize old settlements into new platforms for youth entrepreneurship and community exchange.
Settlement management: from vacancy to a vibrant ecosystem
Peter, General Manager of Fantasy Story, shared how community participation and cross-domain integration can transform idle spaces into thriving living circles. During the interactive session, the instructor also shared related cases on "the connection between temples and settlements," explaining how faith-based spaces can serve as cultural anchors and sources of community cohesion in neighborhood transformation, making settlement management more holistic and locally rooted.
Design aesthetics: making local stories audible
Chan, Ya-chi, Executive Director of Plain Design, drew on multiple cases to illustrate "how design supports regional revitalization." From the Lyu-Chuan Project to GLAb, and the branding of public works and heritage sites, these efforts have brought historical venues back into the public eye while connecting land, industry, and community—becoming a vital force in advancing local culture and industrial upgrade.
From local site assessment and settlement operation to design translation, we see that a site is not mere scenery—it's a new chapter of life rooted in the land.
#NantouNEXT⁺ Lab #SiteManagement #RegionalRevitalization #SpatialDesign #IdleSpaceRevitalization #SustainableManagement #YouthReturningHome #LocalParticipation
