The restoration of a Paiwan home in Pingtung County was honored at the DrivenxDesign Awards Program, the Pingtung County Government said on Tuesday.
The “Breathable Paiwan Slate House” on Thursday last week won silver in the Architecture-Mixed Use-International category at the awards, which are held annually by Paris-based DrivenxDesign, a “global independent design promotion organization.”
The county-funded project was directed by community designers Lin Hui-chen (林惠珍) and Lin Chuan-hsin (林傳馨), who are descendants of the heads of the Pakedavai family, the county government said in a news release.
Photo courtesy of the Pingtung County Government
Information that the county submitted to DrivenxDesign said that the 80-year-old slab stone home in Sandimen Township (三地門) was renovated in three phases over the past three years to preserve the Paiwan way of life.
The project was named for the slate walls that allow air to permeate the building, facilitating temperature control while being ecologically friendly, the Pingtung Department of Urban and Rural Development said.
The project included reinforcement of beams and columns, tile repair, restoration of wood carvings and painted doors, restoration of a slate bench and reconstruction of a stone pillar, the department said.
The county applies for funding from the Construction and Planning Agency to sustain its community designer training program with an aim to preserve the distinct identities of indigenous, offshore and peninsular regions, it said.
The program, which has helped 248 locations to date, includes cultural heritage preservation, environmentalism and community care, it said.
The program, which began in 2015, trains local designers to create a global brand name for the county, Pingtung County Commissioner Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said.
As of last year, 256 people from the county had obtained community design certificates via the program, he said.
The county is honored to garner global recognition for a traditional indigenous Taiwanese building style in an international competition commending designs that emphasize diversity and pluralism amid globalization, the Pingtung County Government said.
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