Stacking Memory

The Matsu Islands occupy a critical geopolitical and cultural position within the Taiwan Strait, situated between Taiwan and mainland China, while also existing at the intersection of two political ideologies. Its insular condition does not imply isolation; rather, it functions as a connective threshold—a point of exchange, migration, military defense, and cultural circulation across the Min coastal region.

Politically, Matsu is administered by the government of Taiwan (Republic of China), with infrastructure, public services, and long-term military presence maintained through Lienchiang County. At the same time, the islands have historically relied on the nearby eastern Fujian region of China for imported materials, labor, and construction resources due to geographic proximity.

Many of the island’s current residents are older generations who migrated from mainland China during periods of war and political transition. In many ways, their lives appear suspended within the lingering temporal condition of the Chinese Civil War, continuing quietly across decades after the conflict itself. Meanwhile, younger generations often relocate to Taiwan’s main island in search of education and economic opportunity, creating a recurring pattern of migration and return. During holidays and festivals, residents travel back and forth across the strait to reunite with family members and maintain emotional ties to the islands.

Military slogans such as “One Life, Shared Fate on the Same Island” can still be found throughout Matsu today. Despite the 210-kilometer distance between Matsu and Taiwan’s main island, an invisible connection continues to bind the two places together. What was once sustained through intense nationalism, military ideology, and collective survival has gradually transformed into a softer emotional bond—maintained through memory, family relationships, longing, and the continual movement of people between the islands and Taiwan.

To preserve the Minnan–Eastern Fujian architectural character of Matsu, the local government provides subsidies for housing renovation projects that maintain the external appearance of traditional stone houses, particularly those retaining tiled roofs and exposed stone façades. These policies primarily prioritize the visual continuity of the settlement fabric.

In practice, however, many recent projects take the form of reconstruction. Existing stone houses are demolished and replaced with new reinforced concrete (RC) structures, after which thin stone pieces are applied as surface cladding to simulate the original appearance. In such cases, the interior Chinese fir structural system disappears, and the ventilated tiled roof—together with roof-pressing stones—is frequently replaced by metal sheet or plastic roofing.

Although these interventions preserve the façade image and maintain a superficial regional aesthetic, their tectonic logic differs fundamentally from that of traditional stone houses. The value of locally sourced stone as a material embedded in the landscape is diminished, and the accumulated environmental knowledge embedded in traditional construction—particularly the climatic responsiveness to wind, humidity, and thermal variation—is lost. As demolition replaces layered construction with homogeneous reinforced concrete, vernacular building techniques decline and the material intelligence of earlier generations gradually disappears.

Through the field trip and site analysis, an understanding was developed of the village texture, neighborhood relationships, and the spatial experience within the alleys. Observations also demonstrate adaptive strategies of existing stone houses embedded within the community.

These findings reveal how spatial organization, social interaction, and informal reuse practices collectively shape the lived environment. This understanding forms the foundation for the subsequent development of programmatic proposals and user-oriented design considerations.

Through fieldwork and the production of the house atlas, this study develops a grounded understanding of material and tectonic aspects, including the types of materials used, their modes of assembly, and their structural performance. This investigation establishes a critical foundation for subsequent structural design.

In addition, interviews with local residents reveal how stone houses shaped everyday life over a century ago. This deeper understanding—both cultural and emotional—supports design and adaptive interventions that are more responsive to local contexts and community needs.

Traditional residential typologies in the Matsu Islands can be categorized into several primary forms, including detached houses, semi-detached houses, terraced houses, double courtyard house compounds, and three-sided courtyard houses. This typological classification not only reflects spatial organization but also indicates variations in household scale, kinship structure, and patterns of domestic use (Cheng, 2003).

Various everyday practices can be observed throughout the community, many of which extend beyond the original intended uses of spaces. Limited interior floor area, shared access routes, and the absence of clearly defined private outdoor zones encourage residents to negotiate space collectively, resulting in a fluid overlap between circulation, storage, and domestic activities. These informal appropriations transform thresholds, corners, and residual gaps between buildings into active extensions of the home, reflecting a spatial logic shaped more by necessity and habit than by formal planning.

Through the section and accompanying visualisations, the spatial qualities and sequential experiences are illustrated through the imagined daily life of an artist-in-residence.

The day begins with breakfast in the double-height dining space, followed by a walk through the surrounding landscape. Upon returning, the artist re-enters through the public areas and begins work within the studio environment. As evening approaches, the spatial sequence gradually transitions towards the private bedroom, marking a retreat from work and the conclusion of daily activities.