Kaohsiung Lighthouse Revitalization Launch! X-Basic Planning and Siao Ben Aiyu team were commissioned by Kaohsiung Port Land Development Co., Ltd. to revitalize the century-old Kaohsiung Lighthouse. The Kaohsiung Lighthouse has long stood on Cihou Mountain, guiding vessels back and forth, and yet it has remained somewhat inaccessible for the public. How to revitalize this sensitive facility, integrate local characteristics, and transform the lighthouse into a local tourist attraction through a ‘regional revitalization’ mindset has been one of the challenging issues the team contemplates continuously.
The team carefully examined Cijin’s local DNA, constantly engaging in dialogue and communication with local youth, teams, and public and private sectors, exchanging ideas with each other. Our vision for the Kaohsiung Lighthouse, an important cultural heritage of Cijin, is not just to redevelop it as a tourist and leisure attraction, but to preserve it as an important base that carries local characteristics and drives local energy.
Current view of the Kaohsiung Lighthouse. (Image source/Yuanjiang Image Studio – Photography by Zhu Yiwen)
Shoreline Coffee has moved into the Kaohsiung Lighthouse park area. (Image source: Yuanjiang Image Studio – Photography by Zhu Yiwen)
Various resources in Cijin District are relatively insufficient due to transportation issues, leading to outbound migration of youth and low willingness to return home for employment and living. Therefore, connecting regional revitalization energy has become one of our important considerations. For this, we found a Cijin native youth – A-Qin, who is the principal of the local brand Shoreline Coffee & Roaster, where both coffee and light meals carry the atmosphere of a port city.
For this project, Coastline Coffee has moved into Kaohsiung Lighthouse. Our small team and Ah Qin discussed every detail, from developing lighthouse-exclusive products to planning the café seating, all with the hope that visitors can enjoy views of the harbor city while savoring ocean-inspired cuisine. Leveraging the advantages of Kaohsiung Lighthouse to energize the local community.
The Cijin Peninsula, located between Gushan in Kaohsiung and the open sea, has been used as a place for ships to dock and cross since ancient times. The Cihou Lighthouse at the northern end of the sandbar has watched over the harbor islands for over a hundred years, while the nearby ferry station connects with the Kaohsiung Port area, transporting crowds with frequent sailings.
In 2024, our small team assisted the Kaohsiung City Ferry Company in implementing the ‘Drumming to the Ferry – Gushan-Cijin Ferry Service Local Revitalization Project.’ With a community-oriented outlook, we redesigned and renovated the interior space of the Cijin Ferry Station, inviting local businesses such as ‘Dusinia Coffee,’ a local self-roasting coffee shop, and ‘Dagang School CC,’ a local organization empowerment unit, to move in and operate. On May 1 (Wednesday), we held the opening ceremony for Dusinia Coffee’s second store and the ‘Aged Mangsi Market’ illustration exhibition to celebrate the reopening of the ferry station.
We are delighted to witness the Cijin Transportation Station, through the collaboration of numerous teams, integrate multiple functions including a youth innovation base, arts and cultural exhibitions, and food services, serving as both a starting point for in-depth travel in Cijin and fertile ground for returning youth to find their roots again.
The Cijin area was once the core of Kaohsiung’s development, nurturing generations of residents through shipbuilding, fishing, and aquaculture. After economic transformation, its tourism industry was fully developed; however, the concentration of tourist hotspots in the Cijin commercial district has led to relatively slower economic development in the Zhongzhou area.
Therefore, when planning the operation of the Cijin Ferry Station, our team envisioned this space as a future base for youth business development for Zhongzhou and surrounding areas, aiming to connect local artisan brands with tourism resources to drive the regeneration and creation of local value.
Associate Director Hsiao Ting-hsiung of X-Basic Planning explains the project team’s concepts and implementation process.
Professor Li Yi-zhi, the host of the Dagang School CC project, delivers a speech outlining the team’s vision.
Collaboration with the local empowerment organization Dagang School CC has enabled the X-Basic Planning team to connect with youth organizations deeply rooted in the community, using the ferry station as a base to jointly promote Cijin’s local culture.
Dusinia Coffee, established by returning young locals, has set up its second shop at the Cijin Ferry Station.
Through our public benefit rental model, we have invited local businesses and organizations to move in, including ‘Dusinia Coffee,’ a local self-roasting coffee shop, and ‘Dagang School CC,’ which focuses on empowering local youth organizations. Their enthusiasm and creativity will continue to breathe vitality into the Cijin Ferry Station.
The ferry station opening tea party also served as a celebration ceremony for the opening of Dusinia Coffee’s second shop. The carefully prepared beverages and refreshments from the shop were the highlight of the event, and will continue to welcome travelers from around the world to the Cijin Peninsula with the rich aroma of coffee.
The first art exhibition at the Cijin Ferry Station was curated by the Dagang School CC team, featuring local artist ‘Chen Nian Wang Shi’ who creates illustrations interpreting Cijin’s landscape through colorful frames.
In addition to food services and art exhibitions, the ‘I-Center Cijin In-depth Travel Center’ operated with assistance from the Dagang School CC team will combine travel information with a map of local youth communities, providing in-depth travel guides for visitors. Furthermore, the creative products by local artisans sold at the travel center also showcase the cultural foundation of the Cijin area.
We hope that the I-Center Cijin In-depth Travel Center will become the starting point for cultural tourism in Cijin.
Beyond assisting with the renovation and preservation of old houses, the X-Basic Planning team is deeply concerned with the revitalization and development of urban spaces. With Taichung as their base, the team is particularly full of anticipation and enthusiasm for the next steps in Taichung’s urban vision. In March 2022, the X-Basic Planning team was invited by the Taichung Urban Development Bureau and landscape consultants to collaborate as a participatory design team in the “Heart of the Southern City” project. This initiative focused on the eastern and southern districts of Taichung, areas long overlooked due to complex traffic issues, to launch an “aesthetic awakening” community co-creation initiative before new construction began. During the process, they worked with nearby Guoguang Elementary School and Dongfeng Junior High School to organize workshops. The purpose was to enable designers and actual users to understand each other’s ideas and needs through dialogue and exploration of various media, jointly completing works suitable for the users.
To help balance the industrial economy, culture, and leisure in the eastern and southern districts, the “Heart of the Southern City” project will connect surrounding educational venues and green spaces. The scope encompasses the cultural corridor platform area near Xingda Road at Guoguang Elementary School, the ecological teaching area along Guoguang Road, and the Melaleuca Plaza at the intersection of Renhe Road and Qizhong Road at Dongfeng Junior High School.
Implementing community-based participatory co-creation during the construction phase of public landscape projects is not a simple task for any city’s redevelopment. This approach not only represents the gradual establishment of social engineering foundations behind the hardware infrastructure, but also focuses more attention on local users—leveraging the role of “people.” This is precisely the relationship between city and people that the X-Basic Planning team envisions, and they are fortunate to be part of it, contributing to the revitalization of Taichung’s eastern and southern districts.
During the workshop, the X-Basic Planning team invited plant artist Ms. Chen Xingfen (Flower Grandma) and Ashe and Mite from Liye Tea Pottery Studio to conduct “space observation” activities with teachers and students from Guoguang Elementary School. Together, they imagined potential feelings and issues in different scenarios, establishing preliminary spatial concepts. Next, they connected each student’s spatial observations using mind maps, creating “spatial scripts” that presented proposals integrating everyone’s ideas. Finally, they applied materials like styrofoam, pebbles, aluminum foil, bamboo skewers, and building blocks to create “spatial models,” translating their proposals into physical works and completing the journey from observation to presentation.
Students from Dongfeng Junior High School also participated in a plant impression ceramic board workshop, where they learned about the ecological landscape around their campus and selected different plant branches, leaves, and fruits to create unique ceramic boards. These ceramic boards will eventually be placed beside landscape stone benches, where they will serve as a feature of the campus that showcases achievements in aesthetic education while giving students a sense of participation in campus renewal. Beyond their role as students, Dongfeng Junior High School teachers also changed perspectives, imagining themselves as various campus characters such as ecology course teachers, students, and campus maintenance staff, to consider and observe the site from different viewpoints, developing ideas for space design and landscape furniture based on actual needs.
The students’ proposals contained many imaginative and creative ideas, while the teachers’ observations of the surrounding site were quite detailed and nuanced. The team assisted in documenting and compiling the results of each phase, comprehensively considering the building materials and design circulation patterns to be used in the actual construction. This ensures that the future campus spaces belonging to Guoguang Elementary School and Dongfeng Junior High School will bear testimony of collective participation, while also being truly appropriate for everyday use.
About two years ago, our small team received a special project for preservation of an old house. After preparation, renovation, and reorganization, it finally blossomed in spring this year. We now have our own old house bed and breakfast—”SukiNa B&B”. Located at No. 52 Jinsheng Lane within Lukang’s Nine Winding Alleys, it was formerly a Han-style old residence abandoned for over twenty years. With considerations for optimal spatial planning, we preserved the original features of the old house, such as hexagonal bricks, wooden round beams, and red brick walls. We repaired deteriorated parts, added steel frames to support the new structure, and introduced natural light, overcoming the typical lack of illumination in alley houses. We provide comfortable and distinctive accommodation experiences for travelers who appreciate old houses.
Old House Revitalization Challenge
“How can I properly repurpose the old house left by my elders?” The current owner who lives elsewhere raised this question with palpable anxiety coming from the dilemma of not knowing how to evaluate and utilize the renovated old house in the future.
Imagining they might not be able to plan the future of the old house comprehensively, yet concerned that merely handing over the restored space to others might lead to worries about proper care and utilization of the old house’s cultural value, they faced the layered dilemma that “neither renovating nor leaving it alone seems right.”
Planning Integration, Transformation and Renewal
In other words, although homeowners have the desire to preserve their family’s old house, they often cannot find appropriate solutions that address both ‘restoration’ and ‘adaptive reuse’ planning simultaneously. During the process of searching for solutions, our X-Basic Planning cross-departmental team’s professional ‘integration’ capabilities provides assistance, offering homeowners direction to solve this core problem.
From inspections of old houses, historical research, architectural repairs and interior design expertise, to evaluation planning and guidance on relevant government support and subsidy policies, we not only provide design planning for hardware renovation, but also focus on software aspects such as operation planning for reuse, assessment and implementation. This ensures that transformed old houses not only change spatially, but also connect with the times and maintain sustainability in their vibrant new uses.
We hope that at Jinsheng Lane 52 ‘SukiNa B&B,’ we can create a restful and comfortable home for travelers who appreciate old houses. The winding Nine Curves Lane blocks Lukang’s winter winds, keeping its houses warm as spring even in winter. One can enjoy the shade under a Chinaberry tree, looking up at green leaves against a blue sky, drink tea and soak in a hot bath in the backyard, or warm up with a drink by the fire in winter.
The ‘transformative renewal’ of local old houses is not easy. We hope that the comprehensive solutions we’ve discussed and implemented with homeowners can bring contented smiles to more people. Finally, we always say that a house with people has light. Lukang SukiNa B&B awaits your visit to experience the renewed charm of this transformed old house.
“When items are piled in corners for a long time and forgotten, their original value disappears gradually, and they eventually become waste that just occupies space.” While sorting furniture and taking inventory of past events, Dr. Xu Zhengyuan, the fourth-generation owner of Chang-Yuan Hospital, expressed his feelings about the reluctance to discard old items, and was grateful that someone still cares about this old building and its history.
Before the restoration work of Chang-Yuan Hospital commenced, X-Basic Planning helped the owner package and preserve the cultural artifacts, retrieving long-forgotten memories from the river of time. During the renovation process, structures that were originally decayed, buried, or even dismantled were restored to their original appearance through historical image research. The old house and its antiques thus shook off dust and returned to their former glory in the bustling neighborhood, weaving together with the historic Yuzhen Zhai building across the street to form Lukang’s landmark intersection.
In 2020, the cultural artifact repository of Chang-Yuan Hospital displayed old furniture and items transported from the old building. During the documentation and organization process, Dr. Xu Zhengyuan discovered many old photographs and materials left by his father, and while conducting inspections on artifacts, he reminisced about his childhood, finding the first watch he wore during elementary school. After half a century, the watch band retains elasticity, and the unpowered hands seem to have frozen in time. As the solidified time warms up on his wrist, Dr. Xu’s smile softens as he shares with team members the excitement of wearing a Plum Blossom watch in his childhood.
New Discoveries Under the Metal Roof
In contrast to the intact Mido watch, the Chang-Yuan Hospital that has protected these old items through the long years has gradually developed serious problems such as water leakage, termite infestation, and wall bulging. With no other options, Grandmother Xu (Ms. Shi Xiuxiang) could only ask workers to cover the roof with steel plates to block the rain, temporarily alleviating the issues of building maintenance.
Although this blocked rainwater from leaking through the ceiling, the humidity of Lukang still seeped in everywhere, causing the ends of the wooden circular beams in the Minnan-style shophouse to rot, attracting termites to build nests. The restoration team’s original plan to replace 30 wooden beams had to be adjusted to 70 beams after removing the metal sheets and examining the actual structural conditions. The restored brick walls and wooden beams were thoroughly waterproofed to effectively extend their lifespan; while the white lime gutters on the roof that had weathered and collapsed were reconstructed using modern methods with stainless steel materials to improve drainage functionality.
Besides reassessing the extent of building damage, the restoration team also made many surprising discoveries during the construction work.
After the metal sheets on the main ridge of the roof were removed the decorative elements wrapped within them saw the light of day again. The delicate openwork brick patterns and relief designs not only symbolized the blessings of ancestors for the family but also showcased popular decorative elements from the period of construction. To preserve these precious patterns, the team used 3D scanning technology to digitize the architectural details, using this as a basis to rebuild the roof ridge; the originally fragile structures were evaluated, removed, and presented as exhibits, inviting the public to appreciate the details up close during the completion exhibition.
Recreating Architectural Features with Film Negatives
Lukang’s rainy summers and windy winters necessitated the formation of the distinctive ‘Covered Streets’: Vendors on both sides of the street built continuous ‘street pavilions’ stretching for miles, with brick platforms on top that allowed pedestrians to walk and gather together. Although the covered streets were demolished during the 1934 urban correction process, old photographs left by local residents on their rooftops became important reference materials in the building survey.
Following Grandma Xu’s oral accounts, the restoration team found multiple areas of old, damaged brick platforms on the front facade of Chang-Yuan Hospital, in the water passages between the second and third sections, and on the rear sloped roof. After comparing them with old photographs and historical data, the team inferred these were extensions of the street pavilion structure. During the project, they relaid the floor tiles and also restored the old chimney in the water passage area.
Through historical photographs, we can not only have glimpses of the past architectural design of Chang-Yuan Hospital but also review the everyday life of Lukang residents—this is precisely what the regeneration of old buildings achieves. “When architectural spaces from different periods are no longer demolished due to deterioration, history naturally integrates into daily life, becoming part of the urban landscape.” As X-Basic Planning’s chief consultant Pei-Juan Hsieh observed about Chang-Yuan Hospital, those once-vanished memories and architectural structures are details that shape local culture, reestablishing connections with modern life through processes of rediscovery.
The water passage area between the second and third sections of the Hospital’s Minnan-style shophouse was once covered with corrugated metal sheets.
After the restoration project, the roof was newly covered with tiles and floor bricks, and the original chimney was restored to its former appearance.
In October 2022, the X-Basic team and the local Maoao team Guarding the Far East – Magang, Maoao jointly assisted Mr. Jiang Mingxian, the owner of Maoao stone houses at 28 Fulian Street and 15 Fuxing Street, in obtaining the Maoao Stone House Stars Preservation and Regeneration Project. On October 17th, under the “accompanying” ambiance of a typhoon, a groundbreaking ceremony for the stone house restoration project was held in the wind and rain. During the preparation for the ceremony, the X-Basic team members warded off wind and rain in order to light the incense in the northeast monsoon. They also worked together to hold up the groundbreaking banner, sincerely praying for the safety and smoothness of the upcoming project.
Stone houses are fishing village settlements in Taiwan’s northeast coast, built with local stone materials to adapt to the natural environment. Key features to preserve include the withstanding the northeast monsoon and ocean surf, the artistic quality reflecting the local environmental colors, and the cultural significance containing the fishing village’s developmental history. Although the environment of the fishing village was harsh in the past, neighbors would always help each other. From the construction of stone houses, daily fishing and harvesting, to the procession activities of the local Liyang Temple, life in the stone house settlement was always carried out together.
For the X-Basic team, accompanying the stone houses from field investigation and project application to groundbreaking has been the same. We have experienced Maoao’s extreme heat and cold winters together with the local team and the homeowners, never missing the story of any stone or tile. On the day of the groundbreaking ceremony, the timely northeast monsoon allowed everyone to experience something of the daily life of local residents, while also evidencing the resilience of the stone houses, which remain standing in the wind and rain even with only one wall left.
In the future restoration project, the X-Basic team will transform this wall that has withstood wind and rain into stronger stone houses. This will create new spaces for local residents but also, through innovative planning and use, allow the features and stories of the stone houses to continue to be built upon, just like the stones that have been piled up generation after generation.
Dadaocheng is the area with the highest concentration of cultural assets in Taipei City and has long been known for its thriving commerce. Reflecting the Qing Dynasty, Japanese rule, and the post-war era, various forms and styles of commercial street houses stand side by side, shaping Dadaocheng’s unique neighborhood character. The building at No. 155, Section 1, Dihua Street, now operated by BackerHouse, is a three-story Minnan-style shophouse built during the Qing Rule Period with additions made during the Japanese rule period and after the war. In 2005, it was designated as a historic building by the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs.
From 2012 to 2019, No. 155, Section 1, Dihua Street served as the “URS Urban Regeneration Station” under the Taipei Urban Regeneration Office. In 2020, after completion of its phase mission, it was transferred from the Taipei Urban Regeneration Office to the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs, which promoted the Old House Cultural Movement Project. The initiative aimed to attract private organizations through a system where restoration costs could offset rent and management fees, creating a public-private partnership for revitalization.
The crowdfunding consultancy company Backer-Founder submitted a proposal to the Taipei City Department of Cultural Affairs at this time, inviting the X-Basic Team and Huang Wei-cheng Architectural Firm to assist with local historical research, space renovation, interior decoration, and a series of operational planning recommendations. To accommodate future store operations, the team built upon the restoration work done by Lu Ta-chi Architectural Firm ten years earlier, proposing appropriate restoration and reuse plans for the future.
This Minnan-style shophouse with a “one-section, two-hall, two-corridor” layout suffered from wall mold due to ground and roof water seepage, along with damaged doors, windows, and electrical interfaces. After conducting surveys and documenting current conditions, the team carried out restoration work on four major components: wall surfaces, floors, doors and windows, and wooden stairs. During the process, the team not only considered the compatibility of building materials with the architectural aesthetics but also followed reversible renovation techniques. While striving for thorough restoration, they strengthened the connection between new and old materials to facilitate future management and maintenance.
In 2022, Backer-Founder transformed Dihua Street No. 155 into an exhibition and sales space for crowdfunding brands and products, officially opening as BackerHouse, bringing new creative products, crowdfunding business energy, and fundraising events to revitalize No. 155 Dihua Street. Currently, the store showcases over 50 brands formed through crowdfunding, bringing new industrial exchanges to the historic district of Dadaocheng.
As part of the Old House Cultural Movement, revitalizing old houses through crowdfunded experiential spaces is quite a creative approach even in Taipei. Combined with Dadaocheng’s background as a once-thriving commercial district, this repurposing of old houses further extends the historical context of a neighborhood once filled with Chinese medicine shops, tea merchants, general stores, and other vendors. It further establishes roots in Dadaocheng in both software and hardware aspects through a new-era business model. This is precisely the ideal old house regeneration envisioned by the X-Basic team, which focuses on practical everyday needs while addressing the importance of preserving historical memory. We are honored to have had the opportunity to participate in the BackerHouse proposal project, helping to connect the old house with contemporary times. We watch as No. 155 Dihua Street continues to flourish, accompanying this historic district, already famous for its commercial prosperity, as it strides confidently into the next era.
