Original BTC Taipei / Soar Design Studio

Located in a quiet alley near the Zhongshan MRT station, occupying the first floor of an old 4-story duplex apartment building, the site captures a typical view of nostalgic Taipei. Right opposite the site, a traditional temple called "You-chou", meaning “in need”, further enriches the local scene and style of Taiwan. For the past 4 decades, the house served as a general office. We opened up the kitchenette and turned it into part of the gallery space, while the original red embossed floor tiles still show traces of the old house. The backyard, once an extended warehouse, is transformed into an outdoor garden. In addition, the entrance wall was pushed back for an interior courtyard "between" in and out, introducing the view from the front yard to blur the old boundaries of space and bring in a sense of intrigue.