◍ Speech Abstract:

A study on Asia’s veranda culture:

Comments on the methodology of building a knowledge system based on large-scale comparative analysis

Under the invitation of International Forum for Architecture Thesis Design in Southeast Asia, this study discusses the common phenomenon of large-scale architecture and cities in Asia. Through the observation and literature of architectural and urban phenomena, textual criticism of historical materials, and a comparison of different fieldwork in the region, a large-scale comparative analysis is carried out to discuss the theories and methods of building a knowledge system; and is used as a reference for regional architectural design and discourse.

By taking “veranda” – a phenomenon that exists extensively in Asia and other regions of the world – as an example, this paper discusses the distribution, historical background, architectural and urban spatial meanings of “veranda” and the theories of diffusion. This paper pays special attention to the space and style of veranda that commonly existed in gentry mansions in the 20^th century in Taiwan; and how it gradually evolved into Taiwan’s unique building overhang culture. Through the dialectic of ecogeographical rules formed by architectural culture and trans-cultural diffusion theories, plus the historical contextual aspects such as the history of personages and legal system, this paper further probes into the ties of such large-scale phenomenon (that is, the veranda) in Asia as well as the ethnic cultural and colonial characteristics behind. In the meantime, it also highlights the must to adjust the space of veranda according to ecogeographical conditions in order to maintain the sustainability of architecture and urban planning.

Keywords: the origin of architectural culture and trans-cultural diffusion, ethnic cultural characteristics, colonial characteristics, sustainable architecture

◍ 演講摘要：

亞洲Veranda現象的研究：兼論廣域比較研究建構知識系統的方法學

本文乃受東南亞建築畢業設計國際論壇的演講邀約，討論亞洲廣域的建築與都市的共同現象，藉由建築與都市現象的觀察閱讀、歷史文獻的考證、各地田野調查的比較研究，進行亞洲廣域的比較研究分析，論述如何建構知識體系的理論與方法，作為地域性建築設計與論述的參考。

文中以亞洲乃至全球廣泛存在的「Veranda」現象為例，討論Veranda分佈的區域、Veranda在建築與都市空間上的意義、及其起源的歷史背景與傳播的諸理論。文章特別聚焦在Veranda傳播影響下，在臺灣20世紀初普遍存在仕紳階級豪宅的Veranda空間與樣式，以及成為台灣城鄉街道空間特色的「騎樓」現象。以建築文化構成的氣候風土論與文化傳播論二者間的交相辯證，輔以人物史、法制史等歷史考證的視點，衍伸探討亞洲Veranda現象廣域的連帶關係，及其背後的民族文化性與殖民地性意涵。同時強調以順應氣候風土條件形成的Veranda空間，作為建築與都市構築的可持續性意義。

關鍵字：建築文化起源與傳播論、民族文化性、殖民地性、可持續性建築