LIVING

Home For Tomorrow, New Co-Living Movement

Category: Professional Project

Client: 9floor ,Co-Living Brand

Porject Lead: Hao-Che Hung

Collaborator: Xin-Yi Xie, Yu-Ming Wu, Hao-Lun Hung

Role: user research & concept design

Introduction

In recent years, co-living spaces have emerged as an increasingly attractive housing option for younger generations. Skyrocketing housing prices have made it challenging for urban residents to attain affordable and comfortable living arrangements. Furthermore, with the advent of digitization and a more atomistic societal structure, the younger generation is feeling increasingly isolated and lonely. As a result, co-living has become an alternative solution to address these issues.

Why People Choose Co-living in Metropolitan Taipei

The house prices in Taiwan have soared to a point where it is almost impossible for the common people to afford a house. This has led to an increase in renting houses, but even the rent prices have increased, making it difficult for people to find affordable and quality living spaces. Many people are forced to live in cramped and low-quality spaces, surrounded by noise and bad neighbors. To escape these living conditions, renting apartments with roommates has become a more practical and secure option, even if it requires paying slightly higher rent. Sharing economy concepts have also gained popularity, offering hope for raising living conditions.

How We Interview Unearth Insights Into The Co-Living Experience

In the early stage of our research, we invited staff and residents of the 9 Floor apartment complex to participate in a Brainstorming Workshop to generate ideas about the potential future of living in the complex. Subsequently, we conducted a structured questionnaire and utilized a Research Toolkit to analyze the usage patterns and time distribution of the residents within the complex. Furthermore, we employed a map to allow residents to indicate nearby facilities they usually visit and their walking routes in the city.

Insights from Within: A Deep Dive into the Perspectives of Co-living Residents

Creating Five Personas For Urban Co-Living

Through conducting questionnaire surveys, workshops, and interviews with residents living in 9 floor, we have identified five primary personas who would choose co-living, including the field worker, the new in town resident, the digital nomad, the life transition ,and the semi-permanent. Based on these personas, we have designed a coliving environment tailored to their needs and preferences.

They do not usually participate in activities with their roommates, as their focus is on completing their freelance projects. During the day, they often network with colleagues or clients to expand their business scope. However, after work, they occasionally socialize with their roommates over drinks and chat, getting to know each other and inquiring about nearby points of interest.

In order to realize the vision of regional innovation, field workers must first establish good relationships with local residents. They visit their neighbors and friends every day, chatting over tea, and occasionally observing their work and interactions within the community. By doing so, they aim to better understand the dynamics of the community and foster closer ties with the locals.

During a period of transition, they aim for personal and professional development by venturing into uncharted territories and immersing themselves in new environments. They intentionally seek out interactions with strangers to gather fresh perspectives and inspiration, expanding their networks and knowledge base.

When first arriving in a new place, they actively seek to establish a social circle, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the city through interactions with roommates. They also expand their social circle by meeting friends of roommates at home parties, increasing their comfort level in the new environment.

After a long day of work, they relax by watching movies together with a projector or lounging on the couch. Along with communal activities, they prioritize time for individual pursuits such as hobbies and interests. Additionally, they often cook meals together, not only to reduce expenses but also to maintain a healthy diet.

Imagine a dynamic community of digital nomads and life transitioner, residing in a shared living space where the common areas can serve as cultural salons or individual workspaces for reading and working. This exceptional living arrangement has become a popular destination for a diverse group of people, creating a collaborative and creative shared workspace that is seamlessly integrated into the living units.

Imagine office workers and digital nomads living under one roof, where their different rhythms of life unexpectedly complement each other. When office workers go out to work, they can make use of the blank spaces in their homes. Digital nomads, on the other hand, can experience local life through this arrangement, meet new friends, and have a flexible and comfortable work environment.

If the lobby of the apartment becomes the center of life, exploring the local area becomes as natural as breathing. Just go downstairs, and communication begins immediately; go upstairs, and it becomes the private space of the roommates. The public space also serves as a workshop, where various types of creative work can be carried out, and there is a private space for one's own breathing room.

Living in a shared space allows for personalization and a sense of ownership, but the value of shared living goes beyond this. Roommates can become a community of support for one another, particularly for semipermanent, new in town, and life transitioner. Home is not just a place to sleep, but also a comfortable haven where individuals can follow their own habits.

Creating New Opportunities through Flexible Time and Space

Post-pandemic, work patterns shifted to flexible models, affecting living spaces. Our team proposes a novel coliving concept that prioritizes adaptability and flexibility to cater to changing work and lifestyle needs, redefining traditional co-living and promoting a dynamic work-life balance.

Navigating the Urban Lifestyle Factors

We attempted to describe urban life in Taipei by utilizing rental data and Google Map POIs, and created maps visualizing living facilities, apartment rental sources, and nightlife hotspots. These maps provide an intuitive and comprehensive view for those who are interested in exploring and experiencing Taipei's city life.

Translating research into magazine and advocating for a future living

Through presentations and journal formats, we aim to effectively communicate the findings of qualitative interviews and quantitative research. Our approach will involve the integration of visually appealing illustrations and spatial maps to give city dwellers a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues of living together.

03 NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

Transition river, The new urban water management system

Category: Academic Graduation Project, Team Work

Collaborator: Ting-Chun Wang

Advisers: Chung-Shsun Wu, Pao-Chun Chen

Work: Site analysis, Planning & Spatial Design

Introduction

The Er-Chong Floodway is an important hydraulic engineering project in Taipei, playing a crucial role in regulating peak flood flow during typhoons and tidal surges. However, its 424 hectares of land are not well utilized in the urban area outside of flood seasons. In the design process, we aim to explore flood cycles and whether we can analyze the site to redefine the role of the Er-Chong Floodway in the city beyond flood control.

The Evolution of Floodways: From the Past to the Present

The area was once productive farmland until a devastating typhoon-triggered flood in 1963. The government's river mouth expansion project in 1964 failed to solve the problem and resulted in tidal intrusion, forming a wetland sanctuary for wildlife. The flood problem persisted, prompting the government to develop a floodway plan in 1968, implemented from 1982 to 1997. However, subsequent planning efforts in 1998, 2008, and 2012 were proposed but lacked sufficient integration.

250 years ago, this region was abundant with fertile soil, and its convenient water transportation made it attractive to farmers for cultivation and settlement.

devastating typhoon-triggered flooding

As a result, the government intervened by expanding the river mouth in 1964 to address the issue. However, instead of resolving the problem, the project caused a massive influx of tides, which led to the formation of a swamp wetland that surprisingly became a sanctuary for wildlife.

Period of High Wetlandization

During the first phase of the floodway project, the embankments were raised to a height that could withstand a 200-year flood level. As a result of the construction and filling, the wetland area gradually shrank and eventually disappeared.

The Third Phase of Floodway Project

Floodway park plan finalized

The Second Phase of Floodway Project

New Taipei Manhattan Plan

Floodway park plan

Metropolitan park planing and design

Why We Choose Er-Chong Floodway as a site

The Er-Chong floodways' location is strategically placed in the core region of the Greater Taipei Metropolitan Area, yet it remains on the outskirts of the urban area. We believe that redeveloping this area can create a hub for leisure, sports, and ecotourism. However, balancing ecological conservation and human activities poses a significant challenge.

The area of the Er-Chong floodway Is 16 times than of Da-an central park

Its natural habitat includes a semi-brackish river mouth, reed thickets, and shallow waters ranging from 6 to 12 centimeters during low tide. It is a rare species found only in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan with a limited population.

How to Achieve a Balance between Ecology and Citizens' Activities

By analyzing the ecological distribution of the site and extending it to the upstream of the floodway through wetland, an ecological reserve area will be planned to prevent high-intensity human activities from affecting the local ecology.

Innovative sustainable solutions for revolutionizing water management

The original wetland system was found to have inadequate purification efficiency. As a result, the wetland system was redesigned through land preparation and calculation of the required water area for pollution removal.

The redesign included a re-evaluation of different types of water sources that enter the drainage channels, such as urban wastewater from pumping stations and drainage canals, surface runoff, rainwater, groundwater, tides, and floods.

How to Overcome Soil Siltation and High Riverbed Problems

To create a more ecological floodway while addressing soil siltation and high riverbed problems, we utilized riverbed profile data to model tidal, groundwater, and 200-year flood line heights. We then developed an earthwork plan that preserves the flood discharge capacity of the floodway while creating additional ecological space. This approach enables us to maintain the floodway's functionality without compromising its ecological value.

As the floodway is located in a tidal estuary, we utilized modeling to simulate the impact of absolute tide levels ranging from -1 to +2 on the floodway's interior. We then evaluated different strategies based on the simulation results.

Present Plan

What Is Our Vision For The Landscape and Environment

Our vision is to create a landscape experience where visitors can sense the flow of water within the floodway and appreciate the completely different ecosystems that exist from upstream to downstream, ranging from freshwater to semi-brackish water to mangrove wetlands. By lightly integrating the pathways into the natural environment, visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of Taiwan's local ecology.

How the Design Process Shaped My Creative Mindset

In my graduation project, I was able to demonstrate my ability to integrate theory and practice by conducting research on the ecological and multifunctional use of urban flood prevention systems. I utilized Geographic Information System (GIS) for site analysis and master planning, which marked a significant milestone in my development as a designer. This experience taught me the importance of quantitative analysis and the need for urban planners to possess interdisciplinary skills.

Although undertaking such challenging design projects as a student may seem daunting and may not result in immediate changes in real-life settings, I believe this training has fostered a crucial mindset for developing cross-disciplinary thinking as a designer.

5-1 Taipei City Dashboard | Professional Project

Other Works

The Taipei City Government is undergoing digital transformation to effectively utilize real-time and comprehensive urban statistics. With numerous agencies, data is scattered and hidden within databases, requiring integration and coordination. The Dashboard visually presents crossdomain data to facilitate discussions and improve governance policies.necessary.

Year: 2022

Competent Authority: Taipei City Government

Adviser: Roy Lin

Collaborator: Amy Tseng, Iima Yu, Ingrid Kao, Ann Shi

Role: UI Designer

Work: Demand interview, UI Design

For every data set, we integrate its data pipelines, business logics, and visualizations into component.

Cross-functional teams can gather in the convention hall on a mission-basis; or they can access to the information via their mobile devices any time, any where.

Components

Unlike traditional IOCs or data centers, instead of having users to be physically in one place for accessing and viewing the data, we push the information to whoever needs it for better efficiency and flexibility.

CMap & Time Line

One can choses components that matter the most, and customize his/her own comprehensive view for particular subjects.

By expanding the geo-spatial and historical view of the components, one and better understand the whole picture, crossreference among data points, and make more informed decisions.

5-2 Co-Creating A Future With Civic Data | Professional Project

At the 2022 Taipei City Expo, Taipei Urban Intelligence Center and Taiwan Design Research Institute collaborated to create an immersive interactive experience, showcasing the role of datadriven urban governance & innovation. Visitors can participate in a real-time changes in the city model triggered by audience data on the central exhibition wall.

Year: 2022

Location: Taipei

Collaborator: Taiwan Design Research Institute

Developer: IF Plus

Work: Concept/ Content Design

5-3 Making Taxi Amenities Safer and More Effective | Professional Project

Other Works

In the metropolitan area of Taipei, taxis often cause traffic problems, including roadside parking and cruising for passengers. This project is commissioned by the Department of Transportation and aims to analyze the hotspots for hailing taxis using the origin and destination data of taxis and provide improvement suggestions for the placement of taxi stands.

Year: 2020

Competent Authority: Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government

Adviser: Roy Lin

Collaborator:Ingrid Kao (Front-End Engineer)

Role: Project Lead, Data Analyst

Work: Policy Research, Data Analysis , Report, Web Design

Number of Registered Taxi Across the Nation

Taiwan had 91,898 taxis in 2019, with Taipei and New Taipei cities accounting for 58.8%. Northern Taiwan's registered taxis were mostly from taxi fleets (48.2%), but not all of them collect and manage ride data.

Changes to Registration Types & Means of Passenger Acquisition

Between 2009 and 2017, the number of taxis in Taipei City decreased by 3,300. However, the introduction of digital ride-hailing platforms in 2017 led to a consecutive rise in the number of taxis in Taipei over the past 3 years. The convenience of digital platforms also led to an increase in the number of taxi drivers joining fleets. A survey by MOTC found that drivers who are part of taxi fleets utilize internet tools and satellite dispatch services more often to acquire customers compared to drivers who operate independently.

The Top 100 Location Suggestions for Taxi Stands

As of the end of 2019, there were 243 taxi stands in Taipei City to allow taxis to queue up for passengers and avoid unnecessary roaming. A study found that only 11% of the hotspots for actual taxi rides fell within the 80m radius of existing taxi stands, leaving 89% outside of the service region. To identify future taxi stand locations, a list of the top 100 road sections was generated based on hotspots, excluding current taxi stands, for further assessment by DOT.