Hype House

The project is the first-place winner of the Advanced Renovation Category in the 16th Community Competition, which aims to embody the principles of holistic community building, promote local spatial development, and encourages residents to participate in planning and designing their living environments. Located in the Fan-Shu Community of Shuilin Township, Yunlin County, the project repurposed an old, long-abandoned mud house. The community leader and residents recognized the absence of a shared space for gathering and dining, and thus initiated this transformation, creating a shared space that carried collective memory while embracing the future.

The most distinctive feature of the project lay in the use of entirely locally sourced craftsmanship. The community’s chairman personally designed and led the construction, applying his background in metalwork and material knowledge to transform discarded items into functional elements. For instance, old rice wine jars were cut in half to form lampshades and sinks; a recycled teapot was converted into a water faucet; and broken vintage floor tiles were reassembled into tabletops—each expressing the aesthetic of transforming waste into craft.

The Hype House is not merely a display venue—it serves as a real, functional communal space. Inside, three long communal tables were installed, and jaboticaba tree branches were crafted into hooks and racks. The project achieved a low-carbon, low-cost, low-waste model of sustainability, establishing a system of ongoing, community-led maintenance and care.