People, Land, History

One of the more significant projects undertaken by Taiwan Field School is the revitalization of Chiayi Prison, a century-old structure that once operated as a branch of Tainan Prison built during the Japanese occupation. Rather than immediately focusing on the prison itself, the team prioritized the adjacent dormitories, historically used by prison staff and their families.

At the time of intervention, the dormitories had been abandoned for 30 years, leading to illegal construction, waste accumulation, and security concerns. Initial efforts focused on clearing hazardous structures and fostering trust with long-time residents, many of whom had safety concerns due to past criminal activity in the area.

Over three years, Taiwan Field School collaborated with universities, government agencies, and more than 1,500 youths to transform the dormitories into a residency workspace. The hands-on restoration process emphasized community participation, creating a sense of ownership among young people who engaged in the project. Many who initially joined as volunteers later became long-term contributors. In 2023, the project, dubbed “Wood Capital 2.0 Work Cluster”, highlighting Chiayi’s woodworking heritage, received the Good Design Award.

Following the dormitory restoration, the focus shifted to redefining the purpose of Chiayi Prison. Recognizing the site’s deep historical link to incarceration, the team developed programming to shift public perception. Creatively utilizing the jail cells as metaphorical devices, they designed interactive experiences, including theater performances and immersive exhibits, to engage visitors in discussions on a broad range of issues that could be associated with a sense of confinement or alienation felt in the modern era, for example through stereotyping or language discrimination. During the Taiwan Design Expo, the prison was reimagined as a youth hostel, integrating temporary residency with community service initiatives. This initiative provided an opportunity to explore alternative uses for the site while fostering deeper engagement between residents and visitors.

The museum guides give an overview of the historical architecture.

The success of the prison project led to broader efforts in revitalizing neglected urban spaces in the city. The Taiwan Field School team spent approximately seven years analyzing the challenges some of the abandoned sites were facing at the time by becoming actively engaged within each community. Among these sites were a former pineapple cannery and a disused pickled vegetable factory, both of which faced security and maintenance challenges. In both cases, the team worked closely with the residents of the respective areas and made sure that they were actively involved in the renovation process, fostering a sense of ownership within each community over the renovated spaces. Consequently, the former pineapple cannery evolved into a vibrant community center where local residents gather on a daily basis, while the repurposed pickled vegetable factory transformed into a youth hub that also played a role as an innovation incubator, supporting the launch of several place-based startups.

While the organization’s approach based on long-term, adaptive reuse rather than new construction is remarkable in its own right, what sets Taiwan Field School truly apart from other architectural firms is its faith in, and commitment to, actual people living in actual places with cultural heritages worth preserving. By meticulously crafting a participatory process that empowers local residents and businesses to reclaim a sense of autonomy in their living and working environments, the team creates spaces that not only address contemporary needs and preserve historical and architectural integrity, but also serve as sources of civic pride for the community. This approach aligns with the principles of communicative planning, where inclusive engagement leads to community-driven revitalization efforts.

The original walls first erected 100 years ago still remain.

Despite the ostensibly nonprofit nature of its work, Taiwan Field School is a for-profit organization strategically operating within a commercial framework to ensure financial sustainability. The organization engages in government contracts, corporate ESG initiatives, and private-sector partnerships to fund its activities. Since most of the examples discussed so far fall under government-funded projects, for this section, let's focus mainly on the other two revenue streams.

Taiwan Field School actively collaborates with corporations engaged in ESG efforts, tapping into private-sector resources for social good. One example is the partnership with the Tainan Enterprises Cultural Arts Foundation, the CSR arm of a major textile company. TFS invited this corporate foundation to co-create the “Let the Old Prison Free” experimental revitalization event at the Chiayi prison site. The foundation’s team, along with designers and local groups, each adopted a space in the old prison cluster to curate creative installations​. This cross-sector effort (led by TFS as curator) not only enriched the cultural content of the project but also fulfilled the company’s social mission, creating a win-win ESG case study.

Beyond formal ESG programs, Taiwan Field School nurtures a broad network of diverse private-sector partnerships with cultural organizations, businesses, and local sponsors. These partnerships often take the form of joint initiatives, sponsorships, or co-created ventures that support TFS financially and programmatically. TFS’s model of “repair in lieu of rent” at the old prison site is another form of partnership bridging private and public sectors: the team negotiated use of the government-owned historic dormitories by agreeing to renovate them​. They then turned these restored buildings into studios and youth maker spaces, attracting young entrepreneurs and artists to set up creative businesses on site. By investing labor/resources to restore a public asset, Taiwan Field School gains operational space and the opportunity to sublet or host private initiatives.

Traditional woodworking tools equipped in the Experimental Wood Workshop within Chiayi Prison compounds

Public-sector funding provides Taiwan Field School with stability and scale, allowing them to undertake major rehabilitation of sites and long-term community improvement programs that align with policy goals. Corporate ESG support introduces additional capital and expertise, often targeting specific sustainability or social outcomes that reinforce TFS’s projects. Finally, private-sector partnerships ensure that TFS’s initiatives are rooted in local participation and enterprise. By working with private creatives, local businesses, and sponsors, TFS builds a coalition of stakeholders who share ownership of the city’s revitalization. This not only diversifies funding (through ticket sales, sponsorships, or co-investment) but also embeds TFS’s cultural projects in the local economy and social fabric. Together, these funding strategies create a sustainable ecosystem for TFS.

Zhe-Yue Yeh, one of the founders of Taiwan Field School, gives a presentation.