Opening Space with “Sharing”: Workstation JK

Located in Taichung’s old city district, Workstation JK transformed a dilapidated textile factory into a multi-use space with offices, meeting areas, and a shared kitchen. Over 8 years, it remains vibrant, allowing life’s facets to unfold, including daily routines and cherished moments. The two architects behind the Old House’s transformation – Wu Chien-Chih and Lai Jen-Shuo – were driven by a longing for the human warmth of village life and a reaction against rigid office layouts. Their vision of “good” naturally led them to an Old House.

The architects’ vision is visible in the redesigned building. They removed the second-floor barrier, using a free-form communal table to dissolve boundaries for team collaboration. On the first floor, they replaced a solid wall with sliding doors and integrated a traditional porch, inviting passersby to engage with the old house. Whether “opened” inward or outward, the space is rooted in the core concept of “sharing”.

Workstation JK chose not to be a typical business. Instead, it became a vessel for life, embracing brainstorms, kitchen aromas, kids’ laughter, and communal chats. The old house has thus rejoined the city, creating an intersection of memories for the next generation.

“Project Warmth” maintains the bond between the old house and its people: here, Chang Yuan Hospital – Lukang History and Culture Center.

If Workstation JK is an extension of an ideal of “good”, then Lukang’s Chang Yuan Hospital is a long journey of continuous awakening and memory-making. Facing an old house that has witnessed a century of family and local history, the X-Basic team not only interviewed the family, letting daily details and the former owner’s photos become the soul of its rebirth, but also proposed a “phased activation” to ensure that public interaction was not cut off by the restoration.

The first bay of the shophouse was restored first, becoming the core of “Project Warmth” during the main construction. With exhibitions on the first floor, lectures on the second, and the draw of the Siao Ben Aiyu shop, the long-silent clinic slowly regained its welcoming feel. For the 2023 completion ceremony, the team carefully restored a wedding photo taken in front of the main house in 1935. In two images taken nearly 90 years apart, the same person appears: Hsu Chin-Pien, once a young girl, now a gray-haired elder. This is the core of Project Warmth: beyond sustaining the old house’s operational energy, the X-Basic team hopes to preserve the emotional bond between the house and its people, passed down through generations.

The Chang Yuan Hospital Lukang image museum now transforms its intangible assets into diverse revenue streams. These range from exhibitions on family history to an “Old House Hospital” consulting service, and from afternoon tea with decorative carving pastries to film camera rentals. The strategy is to turn the ideal of preservation into a cultural experience that attracts modern visitors and drives value.

Turning atmosphere into a unique experience: BackerHouse

Shifting to the digital age’s commercial frontier: In a historic district where retail meets tourism, BackerHouse has brought a crowdfunding and networking platform from the virtual world into a physical space. It all began when operator Backer-Founder’s team needed a new office. Through the Old House Culture Movement, she chose an old house and entrusted its restoration to X-Basic Planning and Huang Wei-Cheng Architects, who navigated the complex administrative and public sector processes. After exploring concepts like a co-working space and a tavern, the team embraced the old house’s unique layout. Adopting a traditional “front shop, back factory” model, it now serves as a showroom for crowdfunded products, a specialty coffee shop, and a workspace for partners.

Displayed between the wood and brick of a century-old shophouse, trendy crowdfunded products invite customers to connect with their quality and design. The space’s historic ambiance adds warmth to the experience, while the old house’s “cultural intimacy” makes this new business model feel instantly familiar.

Given the shop’s intimate scale, the team focused on “in-depth themed experiences”, such as wet plate photography workshops, and partnered with a local e-reader brand to create an exclusive hands-on area. These events may not draw huge crowds, but they attract a dedicated niche audience. This has made BackerHouse a hub for deepening interests and connecting with peers. It allows the brand to identify its core customers amid tourist flows and build an irreplaceable online identity and experiential value.

Building an Old House Brand Network with an Urban Vision: Or House Hsinchu

Also privately operated, Or House Hsinchu showcases a different possibility for an old house’s rebirth – one driven by a macro-level vision. It started with Or Team CEO Ben’s deep reflections on revitalizing the old downtown. He bought the old house and tasked X-Basic with its research and restoration. Honoring its past as a department store, he vertically layered its offerings to include a select shop, tavern, bookstore, shared kitchen, and exhibition space. More than just regenerating one old house, the Or Team has expanded its vision to a city-wide scale. With over six brand locations, it is weaving together a “distributed art museum” unique to the Hsinchu region.

From the renewal of old houses like Or Bookstore, Or Craft Window, and Or House Hsinchu to the recent opening of Or Mountain, each location is linked not just by style, but by shared operational insights and customer communities. Or House Hsinchu thus transcends the value of a single old house to become the brand’s “urban living room”. It draws people and attention to the area, ensuring the building’s own sustainable future with a network.