Project Overview

Yancheng Public Retail Market was built in 1949 and has witnessed the development of Yancheng for over 70 years. Inheriting the craftsmanship of the Japanese craftsmen, it was originally a wooden structure. The gable roof is elegant and large, formed by a group of three huts. The form of the lower floor as a store and the upper floor as a residence shows the livelihood and commercial scenery of the time. However, the original aesthetics of the Yancheng Public Retail Market have been obscured by decades of adjustments, renovations, and alterations, and it has become a damp, dark, and uncrowded traditional market.
The renovation aims to "inherit the classics and recreate the aesthetics" by restoring the beauty of the original building of Yancheng Public Retail Market with a subtractive design. The project aims to optimize the environment, lighting, brand identity, and other modern needs, and to realize the beauty of blending the old with the new. Furthermore, the project will bring in new youth entrepreneurs to realize the vision of "intergenerational co-working".

Organisation

Kaohsiung City Government

Team

Kaohsiung City Government
Economic Development Bureau,Kaohsiung City Government
Hao Architects、Atelier Let’s
WEDO Lighting
Path & Landforms
Shen-Hong Construction Co., Ltd.、JIAJIAFU Integrated Marketing Communication Co.

Project Brief

The Yancheng First Public Market was established in 1949 and has a history of over 70 years. It was once the most prosperous traditional market in Kaohsiung, however, it declined as the city evolved and the lifestyle of modern people changed. The design team took "opening" as the core of the renovation, "preserving" the original "wooden gable roof" structure and integrating modern technology to optimize it while implementing the first step of experimenting with “elder and youth co-create”. Finally, the Yancheng First Public Market reopened in 2022.
The project restores the market's characteristic wooden gable roof and enhances natural lighting, air circulation, and routing by removing the ceilings from different periods to give the market a beautiful nostalgic atmosphere. The design team kept some of the old elements in the space. The vintage mosaic tiles with the stories of the past, and encourage young people to come into the market and be creative, revealing a fun mix of old and new. The old business and the new intermingle to shape a stage for the co-creation of the elderly and youth and revitalize local tourism.

Project Innovation/Need

I. Reproduction of the wooden gable roof
Yancheng Public Retail Market was built in the Japanese architectural style and is characterized by its elegant and magnificent gable roof. The core of this renovation is to remove the stacked shelters accumulated in different periods and bring the gable roof back. At the same time, the original beams and woodwork from 1949 were preserved and the classic mortise and tenon joints were retained under the premise of structural safety. Through the renovation, the uniqueness of Yancheng Public Retail Market is once again "regained".
II. Blending the old and the new
With the change in consumption modes, the traditional market is facing the issue of business transformation and diversification. The project transformed a long-unused warehouse into a "shared space" and created interior tables and chairs with traditional market elements (such as terrazzo floor and patterned tiles). The space becomes a new but local and humanistic space, serving visitors for dining and relaxing, and vendors for holding events.
III. Modernization Needs
The transformation of the 70-year-old Yancheng Public Retail Market into a new model of "intergenerational co-working" must meet contemporary needs. The design team installed new lighting fixtures according to the seasonal changes in natural light while meeting the needs of nighttime lighting. To highlight the new business model of Yancheng, and to design a new brand identity, the project outlines the cultural spirit and uniqueness of Yancheng Public Retail Market.

Design Challenge

Determined to restore the old market, which is not as crowded as it used to be and whose hardware is in disrepair, is a tough challenge. Yancheng Public Retail Market has also faced the discussion of demolition and renovation. However, with the insistence on the traditional cultural values and the emotional memory of the citizens, the restoration of the Yancheng Public Retail Market was started.
The renovation process of the Yancheng Public Retail Market was filled with many challenges and perseverance. To minimize the impact on the vendors' business, the design team opted for a more time-consuming segmented construction. As for the emphasis on traditional wood structures, the design team chose to conceive new uses for the old wood. To make the market a place where older and younger people could start their businesses, the design team chose to host several meetings to optimize the design. In the process, there were many adjustments to the manpower and repair methods for the restoration of the large-scale wood frame building due to the epidemic, rainy season, and typhoon season. It was not easy to complete the project as scheduled.

Sustainability

The subtractive design is the core of the renovation. The design team reused materials to highlight the diversity of the old materials in the market. At the same time, the original frame and beams are preserved as much as possible, and natural lighting and ventilation are enhanced by restoring the ceiling and adding skylights to improve the market's darkness and humidity.
The skylight illuminates the beauty of the "gable roof" with natural light. The design team considered the position, angle, and size of the skylight. The sundial serves to project a three-dimensional sense of time so that the vendors inside the market can feel the time passing.