Background

Reconstruction of indigenous residences destroyed during the 921 earthquakes is built on the frontier of sustainable architecture battle. The majority of tribes are located in ecological sensitive areas, or near reservoirs or wildlife-protected areas. Many of them are also facing the problems of preservation of culture and economic disadvantages.

Thus, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of tribal areas needs to base on the notion of sustainable architecture.

The projects stated in this paper cross the border of purely technical solutions to house reconstruction. Instead, they combine diverse elements, such as community solidarity, environment and tribal traditions, into the process of reconstruction. They also tackle the issues of semi-monopolized construction industry and micro-economic in the form of cooperatives. All of these topics are included in the discussion of sustainable architecture.

In 1998, the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) together with efforts of various research institutions drafted the structure of sustainable architecture under the guidelines of Agenda 21 as following:

Process

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, with the invitation from community organizations and anthropologists, Atelier-3 and Hsieh Architect And Associates, participated the settlement and rehabilitation of Thao Tribe, the smallest indigenous tribe in Taiwan. This responsibility means more than building a number of houses but also includes seeking for solutions, together with tribal residents, to preservation of the tribe and its culture, land disputes, living-making, relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous communities, conflict of local interests etc.

The idea of promoting construction solidarity aims to initiate rehabilitation from strengthening psychological capacity and sense of community through mobilizing members of the tribe to build up their own tribe again with their own hands. This mobilization will also provide substantial foundation for future challenges.

During the community rebuilding process, we also introduce various environmental practices and to make them a part of daily living than simply ideas.

We would like to extend the efforts and the experiences gained from the rehabilitation of Thao tribe, with further design and planning, to assist other tribal communities.

Professional skills and management training has also been conducted in the process of promoting construction solidarity. Now a working group of 35 long-term members and 20 part-time members resulted from the training also join the reconstruction of tribal communities as well as other commercial construction projects.

Outcomes

1. Accomplishments

   42 units of residences, library and tribal classroom in Thao Tribe, 160 units of residences and tribal classrooms in other tribal communities.

2. Prospects

   1. Assist in reconstruction of tribal communities:

      60% of households affected by the earthquakes are not rebuilt.

   2. Promote residence supply cooperatives.

   3. Cooperate with organizations which share similar ideas and value in other countries: we have worked with Heimstätt Dünne from Germany (providing assistance to relocation of victims of Tchelnolbyal incident in White Russia) to promote community rehabilitation in Tannan (tribal village) with more innovated environmental solutions.

   4. Based on the same idea and conducts, adopt proper technologies and utilize a wider range of natural materials, such as bamboo, clay, stone, straw from rice, wheat or weed, as construction elements. Eventually, promote it in other areas or in other countries.

Ideas and Conducts

1. Technical conducts（I）——Simplified construction methods

   One of the keys to encourage construction solidarity is to simplified materials, tools and construction and assembling methods. Particularly, after the earthquakes, individuals with professional construction skills often maintain their job opportunities, and the labor force available is mostly from unemployed individuals without trained construction skills. If construction solidarity groups would like to transform into cooperatives, the capacity of cooperative members to transverse among different tasks or, furthermore, to become an almighty worker is necessary.

   1. Steps of raw material processing and on-site assembling are as following:

      

   2. Structure:

      We utilize light steel as the material for main structure of buildings with addition support from horizontal or diagonal directions (shear wall). Comparing with balloon (an American construction system), light steel system generally used in the US and Japan, our design requires fewer connecting points. In addition, all connecting points can be easily completely with bolds.

      

2. Technical Conducts（II）——OPEN BUILDING

   Interpretation of open architecture varies in different periods of time. The main idea we would like to promote is that design of a building allows owner to extend the life of a building by him/herself through the means of changing particles based on trends of the time or life expectancy of elements. Some of our detailed designs are demonstrated as in the following pictures:

   In addition to the capacity of element replacement, we also consider the capacity of connection and exchange among different elements. Thus, it allows diverse possibilities of architectures under various needs of community, culture and living requirements.

   Other important factors to the establishment of self-sufficient construction system include the accessibility of materials and simplified processing. They are important for being self-sufficient from existing industry.

   

3. Establishment of economically self- sufficient construction system

   Small-ranged self-sufficient construction system allows the immersion among construction project and local materials and labor force. In other words, it helps reduce transportation of materials and labor and over-consumption resulted from the convenience brought by information technology and modern transportation.

   Current construction industry is a highly professionally job-differentiated, capitalized and monopolized system, which provides little opportunity to economically disadvantaged house owners to fulfill their dreams. Many of these owners, unemployed with small amount of government aid, can find no established architecture firms to take their projects with their affordable costs. The key to solve problem alike is to establish a self-sufficient or relatively low-dependent construction system. In the future, this system may expand its capacity to cooperative-like organization, a semi self-relying micro economy. The steps of promoting cooperative-like organization is shown as the chart below:

   

   1. Residence reconstruction can be completely with simply 25% of market price through exchange of labor.

   2. Only very simple production facilities are required.

   3. Exchange of labor: Measure and exchange labor by different types of tasks, segregated from the mainstream job market. Through this system, the basic rights of employment and survival may maintain.

Self-consciousness and cultural diversity in tribal communities (social)

Construction solidarity aims to retrieve the house-building rights from construction industry and emphasized on the idea of solidarity rather than DIY. Through this movement, it also cultivates the sense of community among all community members. Taking the rebuilding Hsao tribe as an example, through the participatory rebuilding process, this culturally endangered tribe is on its feet again with pride against the battering of interest groups and the state, and disappearing rituals and traditions manage to revive. The design of Hsao community rebuilding is as in the attachment.

The advantages in immersion and flexibility of open architectures nourish and strengthen the growth of the main body of a community, encourage the participation of community members (architecture users) in public affairs and, as a result, develop diverse cultural and architectural context. Various style of the buildings are shown in the pictures below:

Environment

This topic includes green building and environmental education.

1. Green building

   1. Materials: Utilize low-processed natural materials, such as bamboo, wood, stone, clay and reusable steel, aluminum and other metal materials. Shown as in the picture below:

      

   2. Save energy through adopting adequate insulation, circulation, lighting and roof designs. Shown as in the picture below:

      

2. Environmental Education

   These ideas may become participatory social movement only when they can be understood by general public and practiced in daily life. There are a total of 800 person-times participated in Hsao project, 300 person-times in Song-he project, 2000 person-times in Tan-nan project (2003), 1900 person-times in community classrooms building projects and 3,500 person-times in residence rebuilding projects. Each participant gained personal experience in carrying out the ideas of green building.