Course Syllabus

Course Information：

Year-Semester	Course Number	Course Name	Phase	Credits	Hours	Required/Elective	Instructor	Class	Student NO.	Withdraw	Note
Fall Semester Year 2026	366264	Development of Modern Taiwanese Architecture	1	3.0	3	★	Nan-Wei Wu	GAUD	0	0	建築四和都建所合開

Course Plan：

Instructor	Nan-Wei Wu　Office Hours
Email	nwwu@mail.ntut.edu.tw
Last Updated	2026-08-05 15:45:28
Course Objective	This course mainly discusses the development of modern Taiwanese architecture since the Japanese colonial period. The historical development of Taiwanese architecture could be divided into traditional Han architecture and modern architecture with Japanese and western influences. Based on the timeline, three themes will be introduced: (1) the background of Taiwanese modern architecture, (2) Taiwanese architecture during the colonial period, (3) Taiwanese architecture after the Second World War.
Course Schedule (Week 1-16)	1. Introduction to the course, clarification of historiography, periodization and systems of knowledge 1-1 Pre-historic architecture and Indigenous people before the 17th Century Theme 1 background 2. 1-2 Dutch and Spanish occupation and architecture in the 17th Century 1-3 Han people’s religious architecture and settlements during the Qing Dynasty 3. 1-4 Han people’s grand residences and Western-style architecture during the Qing Dynasty Theme 2 The Japanese colonialism 4. 2-1 introduction to Japanese modern architecture 5. 2-2 Improvement of construction materials and techniques during the Japanese colonial period 6. 2-3 Architectural development under vernacular consideration during the Japanese colonial period 7. 2-4 Western-style architecture in colonial Taiwan 8. 2-5 Traditional Japanese architecture in colonial Taiwan 9. Mid-term week: students’ discussions of topics and outlines of final reports Theme 3 Post-war to the Present 10. 3-1 Introduction to New modern architecture in the first half of the 20th century in China 11. 3-2 New Chinese Classical Style architecture after the Second World War 12. 3-3 Modernism after the Second World War with Western influences 13. 3-4 Modernism after the Second World War with Japanese influences 14. 3-5 Regionalism after the Second World War 15. 3-6 Diverse development after the Second World War in the 20th century 16. Final week: final report (Oral presentation: 10mins) 17. Before 12/31: submission of the revised essay (after the discussion on 12/24) 18. Before 1/7: submission of the revision of the participation presentation
Flexible Learning (Week 17-18)	Category ● 學生分組實作及討論(Student group practice and discussion) ● 參與課程相關作業、作品、實驗、田野調查(Participation in course-related assignments, works, experiments, or field research) Content 17. Before 12/31: submission of the revised essay (after the discussion on 12/24) 18. Before 1/7: submission of the revision of the participation presentation Hours 6 Learning Outcomes 17. Before 12/31: submission of the revised essay (after the discussion on 12/24) 18. Before 1/7: submission of the revision of the participation presentation Assessment Percentage Research thesis 30% The submission of the revision of the participation presentation would also affect the score of the participation, which is 30% of the semester score.
Evaluation and grading policy	1. Attendance 20% 2. Participation 30% Each participant needs to prepare a brief introduction to the (non-architectural) social background of one cultural period of time. This will be the tuned in of the class of the day for 20 minutes. (Week 02) Dutch and Spanish Empires in the 17th Century (relationship with the world) (Week 02) 17th. C. to 19th. C. China (relationship with the rest of the world) (Week 04) Japan before 1895 (westernization) (Week 05) Japanese colonial power in Taiwan and China (Week 10) social background in the first half of the 20th-century China (Week 11) ideology of Chinese origin before and after 1945 (1940s to 1960s in Taiwan) (Week 12) global modernist architecture esp. after WWII (Week 13) Japanese architecture after WWII (Week 14) global trends of architectural regionalism (Week 15) from postmodern architecture to Deconstructivism in the world 3. Mid-term presentation: proposal for the final report 20% In the first half of the courses, students have to outline their interests of Taiwanese architecture in specific approaches. They might be architectural styles (ex., Regionalism, modernism, etc.), structural systems, materials (ex., Brick, RC, etc.), particular types of architecture, one or two individual architects, etc. Students should present their plans for their final reports in the mid-term class for about 10 minutes in order to collect some feedback from colleagues and the class instructor for further development to achieve the final report. 4. Research thesis 30% One should present his/her research in 10 minutes on 12/24, and submit the thesis by 12/31 12:00 pm to Dr. Wu. The thesis should not be less than 5000 words. It should be in thesis format (word) with clear references of the contents instead of brief presentation format (powerpoint). The final report should present the development and influences from the past to the present (or particular period).
Materials	All right reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Foreign-language textbooks:Yes Fu, Chao-Ching, 2014. A History of Modern Architecture in Taiwan. Taipei: Architectural Institute of Taiwan Captivating History, 2019. History of Taiwan: A Captivating Guide to Taiwanese History and the Relationship with the People's Republic of China. CH Publications. Davison, Gary Marvin, 2003. A Short History of Taiwan: The Case for Independence. Praeger. Sadler, A. L. 2011. Japanese Architecture: A Short History. Tuttle Classics.
The access to curricular consultation	please email (nwwu@ntut.edu.tw) to confirm the consultation time
Expanding teaching and resources	● 參與式創新教學 (Participatory & Innovative Teaching) 強調學生參與與產出，導入翻轉、PBL/專題、設計思考或遊戲化等策略。 Emphasizes student engagement and outcomes by adopting strategies such as Flipped Classroom, PBL (Problem/Project- Based Learning), Design Thinking, or Gamification.
The course corresponds to the SDGs	SDG9：產業創新與基礎設施（Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure） SDG11：永續城市與社區（Sustainable Cities and Communities） SDG12：負責任的消費與生產（Responsible Consumption and Production） SDG17：夥伴關係（Partnerships for the Goals）
Does the course incorporate AI	● 簡單介紹AI的基本概念（Briefly introduce the basic concept of AI）
Note	Any inquiry can be sent directly to the instructor through nwwu@ntut.edu.tw