This is a study of nationalism and its visual representation in Taiwan’s architecture. Although nationalism studies have achieved significant theoretic breakthroughs in sociology, politics and history over the past decades, its close relationship with architecture has not received enough attention. In recent related architectural literature, too much emphasis is placed on stylistic analysis concerning ‘national style’, and less on those wider social, cultural and political factors which also play an important role in shaping nationalistic architecture during nation-formation. In order to bridge the gap, this thesis attempts to carry out a cross-disciplinary study, engaging architecture with the notion of nationalism and other relative perspectives in a quest for better understanding. In doing so, Taiwan’s nationalistic architecture is divided into four different building types: the martyrs’ shrine, the museum, the parliament building and the memorial hall. By examining these types and cases, this thesis argues that nationalistic architecture is a particular type of building created by specialised architects who were encouraged to select certain visible and cultural markers, establishing a symbolic link connecting the current nation with its previous ethnic roots in the service of politics during the age of nation-building. As a part of a growing body of research on nationalism and its architectural representations, this thesis aims to advance our understanding of the important issue regarding the relationship between nationalism and architecture in Taiwan, and to contribute to future research on similar topics.

This research began with an exploration of the phenomenon of cultural conflict and fusion in the process of architectural modernization in Taiwan. It will examine the impact of modern and contemporary theories on the practice of architecture of the island. It will then seek out the essence of Chinese classical architecture in order to develop an approach for the development of the future Chinese/Taiwanese architecture. In addition, the findings of the study could serve as a reference for scholars who would pursue historical and theoretical studies of in the subject, or for architects who are seeking design concepts to enhance their projects. The study utilizes an interpretive-historical methodology. It emphasizes that researchers should investigate social phenomena within broader and more complex contexts of what to uncover the underlying cultural factors. To highlight their significance, the author will pursue a hypothetic project to examine and demonstrate the meaningfulness and applicability of the concepts learned from the research. Efforts were made to discover ways in which Taiwanese and Chinese architectural culture can deal with foreign influences, such that it will be able to enjoy the benefits of modernization while maintaining its unique character and identity. Moreover, it will attempt to uncover ways in which Chinese architecture can in fact influence the global contemporary architectural culture. Finally, it is hoped that this work will produce a useful reference for students, scholars and architects who wish to develop design projects that reflect and celebrate regional cultures. / Ph. D.

Materiality has been one of the most frequent topics of discussion for generations of architecture researchers, and also in the area of architectural history study. Numerous researchers are fascinated by the idea of development (or evolution) of architecture in order to understand how architecture has changed from ancient to “contemporary” for them. This discussion can trace back from Vitruvius, through Marc-Antoine Laugier, Banister Fletcher, Auguste Choisy, Karl Bötticher, John Ruskin, Viollet-le-Duc, Gottfried Semper, and it is still a meaningful topic for contemporary scholars to study architectural history. As the basic substance of architecture, the issue of building materials has been an unavoidable question in the evolution of architecture. This thesis approaches Taiwanese architecture from the perspective of one building material – brick. It explores the development of brick and its tectonics in Taiwan, between 1624 and 1945, through four different architectural culture periods - Dutch (1624-1662), Min-nan Chinese (1662-1895), Western (1860-1895), and Japanese culture period (1895-1945) -to understand the process of brick from being an “imported” building material to becoming a “local’ one. This thesis adopted the perspective that both building materials and tectonics are the products of human thought. With this perspective, this study started by identifying the relative “agents”, including material manufacturers, builders, designers, patrons, and ruling authorities The thesis showed that often the ruling authority played an important role, even as the game changer. Thus, it argued that the evolution of architecture tectonics and building materials was not a process but rather the result of actions of key participants in the case of Taiwan. Otherwise, this thesis is also the first research to construct a Taiwanese architectural history by connecting the building material – brick -, the tectonics of architecture, and identifying key influencing events and persons in a relatively large time scope, between 1624 and 1945, passing through four architectural cultural periods. It attempts to present a coherent overview approach to Taiwanese architectural history starting from a single building material, and aims to contribute to enhancing our understanding of the development of architecture and construction history up to the modern period, especially in the context of East Asia.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20698号 / 工博第4395号 / 新制||工||1683(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科建築学専攻 / (主査)教授 竹山 聖, 教授 山岸 常人, 准教授 田路 貴浩, 教授 三浦 研 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM