The public nature of a high-rise building can be understood in two ways. Visually, it is an expression of architectural imagery. Physically, it is a layout of attached public spaces in which people can interact. Recently, high-rise buildings in Taiwan have grown in terms of their aesthetics as well as their height. With the aid of a survey of the aesthetics and layouts of high-rise buildings in Taiwan, the symbolic representation and public nature of high-rise buildings are examined. In addition, the Taipei 101 International Financial Centre is illustrated to show that high-rise building in Asia is moving away from a focus on construction technology and building style toward concern with architectural imagery and cultural identification which emphasise autonomous cultural representation.

Louis Kahn's architectural works embody his rational tectonic epistemological perspective by exhibiting the ways he respected the nature of construction materials and how he built his structures in accordance to how he believed that space, itself, desired to be portrayed. From the Exeter Library, which was completed in 1972, it is evident that Kahn integrates two different structural systems, bricks and reinforced concrete, into a design concept that exhibits his profound respect for the innate characteristics of the chosen construction materials and the space that they create.The current study focuses on the concept of spatial formation, structural systems, piping distribution, and their integration into the construction of Louis I. Kahn's Exeter Library. A review of the literature is first presented, which is followed by a comparison and analysis of a number of various plans, and 3D simulation models of the project. The relationships existing between the methods that Louis Kahn employed and the nature of the materials he used during spatial formation are presented, which is followed by a description of how these techniques enabled Kahn to express his rational tectonic ideals in the integration of construction materials and piping distributions. It is shown, for example, that Kahn endeavored to integrate various types of piping distribution in relation to the demands of construction and structural forms. In this way, Kahn's work interprets different characteristics of space in various types of architecture to display a rational tectonic method that responds to the form of a space.

is a Taiwanese Chinese calligrapher who was born in 1950 and lost his eyesight at the age of 42 from glaucoma. Becoming totally blind did not dampen Liaw's interest in Chinese calligraphy but, rather, encouraged him to channel his talents in ways that led to the creation of a new Chinese calligraphic style. In the three personal exhibitions that Liaw has held since 2000, he has sold more than 20 of the masterpieces that he made after he lost his sight.

The active use of modern technology has affected the relationship between people and place. The “digital environment” and the “digital community” are becoming an increasingly important factor in people’s daily life, leading to a loss of belonging to a place, an entire neighbourhood, and a community. In the long run, this poses risks to the unification of values and the loss of identity. In this context, the involvement of the local community in the identification and preservation of historical heritage and defining the specific values of each site is particularly important. Thus, both the attraction of the local community to specific places and the revealed potential of local tourism are promoted. Digital placemaking enters urban regeneration as a logical approach to mixing digital and physical environments and involving the local community. Several GIS-based platforms and other tools are used to identify heritage values, both tangible and intangible. Although digital placemaking is emerging worldwide, its manifestations are closely related to specific local circumstances. The article focuses on the key characteristics and configurations of the digital placemaking tools within particular communities. The study tests digital placemaking practice in the historical districts of three cities: Taipei (Taiwan), Riga (Latvia), and Kaunas (Lithuania).

This paper aims to discuss the methods of form production in Le Corbusier's housing design from a typological point of view and to explore his composite principles of rational housing. Specifically, this paper looks at how Le Corbusier produced spatial variety and unity by applying composite principles to housing design and production. We will take the Quartier Fruges housing project in Pessac as a case study. Here Le Corbusier applied his cellular concept to housing, creating a new typology that first appeared in sketches for this project. Le Corbusier's numerically-based production rules governed the development of each unit's space, while the constructive rules of the housing project's five housing types show how Le Corbusier dealt with the demands of modern housing, and innovated design solutions which can be applied to the spatial design of today's housing. Finally, this paper looks at how Le Corbusier dealt with the spatial characteristics of these five housing types under different conditions.