What comes of traditional homes in the world’s rapidly urbanizing cities? With rising frequency, they're abandoned and demolished, to be replaced by the sorts of gleaming, oft-generic high-rises that people the world over have begun to associate with modernization.
But in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, on the end of the island nation opposite its capital of Taipei, local firm HAO Design has taken a different tack with the renovation of a dwelling that was built as part of Huangpu Village, one of Taiwan’s first World War II-era military settlements. According to Designboom, Taiwanese "citizens were encouraged to apply for temporary residence in the neighborhood," as part of an effort to revitalize the area.
As part of that initiative, HAO renovated one of the village’s houses, creating a modern space with the old, dilapidated bones of the existing structure. Of course, where there is repurposed housing, there are artists ready to move in and set to work, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the revamped dwelling is the site of an art residency with members putting their skills to use in the space. Take a look around.