SOCIETY 2022.03.31

Forever evolving office space with scaffolding playing a key role

Scaffolding is something you see at construction sites. I'm sure there are many people who don't usually pay much attention to its existence. The new Loftwork Taiwan office, built in the creative park "Huashan 1914 Creative Park," which leads the cultural scene in Taiwan, features scaffolding as its main feature. When we visited the site, we found that it was a scaffolding that overturned the existing image of "Scaffolding" and "offices."

Text: Yaeko Kondo
Photo: Cindy Wu

INDEX

PROIFILE

Huang Junhyun: Born in Hong Kong, he spent 17 years in the United States before moving to Taiwan in 2008, believing in the opportunity to create a creative platform that would generate innovative ideas and projects with various creators from different backgrounds. Prior to founding FabCafe Taipei and Loftwork Taipei, he worked on projects in the United States, the Middle East and Asian countries as an urban design specialist for seven years. He graduated from the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He specializes in architecture and urban design.
Wang Peiran: Educated in architecture design in New York, he has a passion for connecting people. After returning to Taiwan, he became co-director of the Taiwan Cultural and Creative Development Foundation, which manages the Huashan 1914 Creative Park. He also spearheaded the Wordwave Festival, which brought together writers, creators, and readers through over 100 events across the two cities from 2015 to 2017. He is currently the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Taiwan Cultural and Creative Development Corporation.
Takahiro Kai: Born in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1993. Graduated from the Department of Architecture at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2017. While still a student, he established studio archē in 2016 as a studio that consistently manages everything from design to production and construction while still producing works using wood as the main material. From cutlery to furniture, fixtures, installations and architecture, he produces works across a wide range of fields and scales.

The theme of the office space is "eternal evolution"

The three people who answered our interview questions were Tim Wong, founder of Loftwork Taiwan; Emily Wang, special assistant to the chairman of Taiwan Cultural and Creative Development Co., Ltd., which operates Huashan 1914; and Kai Takahiro, representative of studio archē, which was in charge of the office design and construction.

The interview took place at Loftwork's new Taiwan office, which is nearing completion, with Kai participating remotely from Japan.

Photo left: Tim Wong, photo right: Emily Wang.

Mr. Kai, who was in charge of office design and construction, participated remotely from Japan.

The new office will soon be completed. What was the background behind this renovation?

Tim: I wanted to create a base that combined unique materials with the theme of "materials" in the existing Loftwork Taiwan. In addition, "Huashan 1914" was originally home to the digital manufacturing cafe "FabCafe Taipei," which we are developing as a global creative community, so all of these will come together in Huashan.

Huashan 1914 is a huge art and event space with iconic red brick buildings. It is a place for creators, by creators in Taiwan.

FabCafe Taipei is a digital manufacturing cafe where you can use 3D printers and laser cutters. It is visited by many tourists as well as local creators.

What was your reason for choosing "Huashan 1914"?

Tim: This is a creative park, so it's a great place to create content. We proposed to Huashan 1914 that we create an open office where professionals from each field can freely enter and exit, and where content can be born from encounters. Both Emily and I have studied architecture overseas, so we thought we could bring new ideas to Taiwan.

Emily: We at Huashan 1914 produce places where cultural creativity is born, with four themes: meet up, performing, exhibition, and shops. We also value the idea of bringing together people who should have met, so we are keeping an eye on Loftwork Taiwan's efforts.

Huashan 1914 is a gathering place for a variety of people, from theaters and restaurants to offices.

What is the concept behind this new office?

Tim: To continue evolving. I've talked about this with Kai-san many times. Loftwork Taiwan's business activities are constantly changing, even if the core remains the same. In addition, this space also has the function of frequently holding exhibitions and events. We want it to be a space that can support encounters between professionals from different fields.

Kai: In addition to its office functions, the space will be used for a variety of purposes, such as for exhibitions and events. We approached the project with the idea of "not concluding the project with completion, but creating a foundation for users to update the space."

As it is a historical building that was originally used as a camphor production factory, it is not possible to damage the building. Also, by dividing the special space with a high ceiling into two floors with scaffolding, the space can be used efficiently.

The tall space is divided into two floors.

Tim: I wanted to take advantage of the height, but because it is a historical building, there were many restrictions on how much I could make. By using scaffolding, which is used as a construction material, we were able to adjust it to a two-floor structure. Another reason was that we plan to hold events such as exhibitions and parties three to four times a month, so we thought that one floor would not be enough.

Kai: There is also a park at "Kazan 1914," and the outdoor space is very comfortable, so I felt that it would be possible to think of various ways to spend time there. We have prepared places of different qualities, such as heights and materials, so that people can find a comfortable place to sit in the park.

What made you decide to use scaffolding when creating a two-story structure?

Tim: When I told Loftwork CEO Suwa about my idea, he introduced me to scaffolding of ASNOVA Inc.*.

*ASNOVA is a company that provides rental and sales services for temporary construction equipment, mainly wedge binding type scaffold. The company aims to create new value through its scaffolding rental and sales business, and to support the lives of everyone living in the city through the construction industry.

The situation underway

Kai: The scaffolding by "ASNOVA" is wedge-shaped, and was easier to design and assemble than single-tube scaffolding that uses clamps. Also, with single-tube scaffolding, structural calculations such as strength are required every time the joint position is changed, but with a wedge-shaped structure, the load capacity for each span is determined at a fixed pitch, so there is no need to worry about strength. This time, all the parts used were modeled and made into 3D. This way, Tim and other members of Loftwork Taiwan can update the necessary functions themselves when they need them.

There are some differences in height on the second floor.

Tim: We purposefully created different heights to allow for different functions, whether that be sitting low or standing and leaning against the wall to chat.

The back of the photo is a little higher. Because it is a historical building, there are restrictions, but by being able to freely adjust the height using scaffolding, it was possible to use the windows without blocking them.

What kind of people use this place?

Tim: There are currently eight staff members at Loftwork Taiwan, and external partners. Loftwork in Japan mainly deals with websites, but in Taiwan there is a high demand for business and service design, such as how to connect online and offline. Currently, we are mainly reconstructing Taiwanese industries. Because it is such an office, we felt that "ASNOVA" had new possibilities when we thought about valuing constant evolution, not just beauty in appearance. And what we can give back to "ASNOVA" is that we have found a different possibility from the past. scaffolding can be used not only in offices, but also in different spaces such as exhibitions.

A simple partition is made by combining scaffolding and wooden parts made with a laser cutter.

Emily: They can be reused and are environmentally friendly. Huashan 1914 hosts a variety of events of various sizes throughout the year, so a large amount of waste is generated after each exhibition or event. We were conscious of this issue and created an exhibition using recyclable materials.

It matches the modern era, doesn't it? It also helps reduce costs.

Kai: I felt that the Taiwanese people were really agile and had a lot of passion for cultural things. I'm interested to see how it's being used in about six months' time.

Tim: I think it will become a place where professionals from different industries who share the same philosophy can come together. Please look forward to it.

By using scaffolding, which is used as a construction material, we were able to adjust the structure to two floors.

Tim

I'll just try it out and think about it while I work on it.

In Taiwan, where both the economy and laws are constantly changing, the mainstream approach is not to "make it perfect and then put it on the market," but to "try it out for now and continue to think about it while you're working." The highly adaptable wedge binding type scaffold was a perfect fit for the concept of a very Taiwanese office. It will be interesting to see what kind of Taiwanese services and businesses will emerge from this space.

What is "POP UP SOCIETY"?	"POP UP SOCIETY" is an irregularly published magazine that ASNOVA ran from March 2020 to March 2022 with the aim of getting the general public interested in the industry and contributing to the mid-to-long term shortage of young talent in the temporary construction industry. It introduces unique and experimental initiatives from Japan and abroad through interviews with people and companies, experience reports, and more, focusing on temporary construction.

What is "POP UP SOCIETY"?

"POP UP SOCIETY" is an irregularly published magazine that ASNOVA ran from March 2020 to March 2022 with the aim of getting the general public interested in the industry and contributing to the mid-to-long term shortage of young talent in the temporary construction industry. It introduces unique and experimental initiatives from Japan and abroad through interviews with people and companies, experience reports, and more, focusing on temporary construction.