Taiwan - Stilt houses in wetlands, Kouhu Township, Yunlin

Issues and Objectives

Chenglong Wetland in Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, was originally farmland. Due to its low-lying location and excessive groundwater extraction, the land subsided. Typhoon Wayne in 1986 and Typhoon Herb in 1996 caused seawater to flood the farmland, rendering it unusable for cultivation. With natural environmental changes, it gradually transformed into a saline swamp. Yunlin County is currently one of the areas in Taiwan most severely affected by land subsidence, and the subsidence continues.

Figure 1. Cumulative subsidence in Yunlin area from 1981 to 2019. Source: Land Subsidence Prevention Information Network (Reference URL 1)

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Improvement Measures Taken

The Guanshu Education Foundation, the Yunlin County Government, and the Forestry Bureau of the Council of Agriculture collaborated to build a stilt house model residence in Chenglong Wetland, which was inaugurated on May 11, 2018. This model building elevates the first floor by 3 meters using beams and columns, serving as parking or fishing gear storage space. The upper floors are used for living, allowing the building to adapt to subsidence and achieve flood prevention. The exterior walls are made of locally sourced oyster shells, providing sun protection and insulation. Considering the needs of the elderly, a self-propelled staircase is included, making it a multifunctional residence that combines flood prevention, green building principles, and consideration for an aging population.

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Results

This stilt house serves as a model for flood prevention and is an architectural example of adapting to subsidence environments. The first floor is elevated 3 meters to create an open space, while the upper floors are living spaces, allowing the building to remain usable even in subsidence conditions. This model building also serves as an educational venue, raising public awareness of environmental issues such as land subsidence.

Figure 2. Flood control demonstration housing in Kouhu Township, Yunlin County. Source: Forestry Bureau (Reference website 4)

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References

Council for Economic Planning, Executive Yuan (2011). Specific solutions for long-term land subsidence in the Yunlin-Changhua region.

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Reference Websites

1. Information on the prevention and control of land subsidence: Current status of land subsidence in Yunlin. Source http://www.lsprc.ncku.edu.tw/zh-tw/trend.php?action=view&id=18 (Sep. 25, 2020)。
2. Forestry Bureau Nature Conservation Network: Jackie Chan Wetland Stilt Houses – A Caspian Sea Demonstration Base for Coexistence with Water (2018-05-11). Source https://conservation.forest.gov.tw/latest/0062323 (Apr. 12, 2019)。
3. The Guanshu Education Foundation website features the inauguration press conference for "Xia Dong's Home - Jackie Chan Wet Storytelling House" (May 31, 2018). Source http://www.kskk.org.tw/main/?p=1047 (Apr. 12, 2019)。
4. Lin Yi-Chieh (2018). The first stilt house in Yunlin's Chenglong Wetland was completed in Qianjin, a severely affected area of ​​land subsidence. Source https://agriharvest.tw/archives/13807 (Apr. 12, 2019)。

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