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The Wood Factory was once the dormitories of the Old Prison and had fallen into disrepair after more than a decade of being left vacant. Two sets of four joined Japanese-style residences (eight residences in all) were renovated as part of Chiayi City’s “Wood City Heritage Restoration Plan” to become the first Wood Factory in the city for industry-government-university experimentation, exchanges, and cultivation of industry talent. The project will hopefully boost the profile of Chiayi City as the Wood City.
The Wood Factory is located at the heart of the Chiayi Old Prison dormitories. Two sets of four joined Japanese-style dormitories were re-designed to become a unique timber structure and experimental campus made up of a north and south building. The north building retained the surviving structure and appearance of the Japanese-style dormitories. Traditional timber construction was converted into brand new spaces using structural design techniques. Modern quake-resistant timber structures were also incorporated to improve the traditional wooden buildings’ bracing and quake-resistance. The south building used the Japanese-style dormitories as a starting point for introducing innovative timber materials and structures. Use of large spans made for more spacious interior spaces. The south building is used for the wood factory while the north building will be used for research, teaching, and exhibitions. Together, the north and south buildings will represent the fusion and dialog between timber construction techniques both old and new.

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