27 May 2010

Tainan. Woke up at around 5.30am by the morning call. Prepared and went out to Confucius park opposite zi yue to take some photos. Made sketches of the park. The park features quite a few intriguing Chinese and Japanese architecture and houses a few trees, one of them an old and huge Banyan which has withered through improper care.

Next we were brought into a Japanese era bungalow used for various purposes (including by the Americans as a theatre) and is now going through a restoration process. We met the chiefs engineer and contractor (presumably) and they led us through the lost details of the old structure.

It is primarily a wooden post & beam structure with a mix of rc concrete and load bearing brick masonry at its base as water retardant. The finishes vary from mosaic, ceramic, stucco, stone, cherry tree etc. LATH. We could notice the K-bracing in the wall and the layers of coats applied.

Another interesting feature was the electrical services. Electrical wiring was enclosed in ceramic tubes (isolation) to prevent short circuits or other calamities.

The 2nd floor on the other hand uses earthen bricks and bamboo strips as mesh and materials resembling gunny sacks. (hemp?) It is then topped with a Japanese style clay roof.

(to be updated)