Beyond Manufacturing

Manufacturing industries are on the decline in Taiwan, and many of the island’s industrial districts are at the risk of being replaced by generic housing developments through land speculation. However, industrial architecture, namely corrugated metal warehouses and factories, are an integral part of the Taiwanese urban and rural landscape and should not simply be erased. The fact is, through their widespread construction, corrugated metal warehouses and factories have become the spaces in and around which much of everyday life takes place in Taiwan — and because of Taiwan’s ambiguous status in international society, industrial enterprises and economic outputs are also critical to the well-being of Taiwan’s domestic communities. Therefore, it is in this context that this thesis seeks to reimagine the redevelopment of industrial districts in Taiwan. I ask, how should Taiwan’s widespread corrugated metal warehouses and factories be developed, so that they not only enable future economies but also still foster that familiar sense of place?