Prof. Dr. Chih-Wen Lan

Prof. Dr. Chih-Wen Lan

ORCID iD: 0009-0003-3328-5137 

藍志玟 博士

Assistant Professor

Department of Department of Interior Design and Civil Engineering

Vanung University

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Department of Landscape Architecture

Department of History, School of Continuing Education

Fu Jen Catholic University

Biography

My research explores what happens after architecture, heritage, and planning cross cultural and geographical boundaries. Rather than treating buildings as static objects or heritage as something fixed to be preserved, I examine how places reinterpret external influences and transform them into new forms of local knowledge, identity, and everyday practice.

This perspective has developed through more than two decades of research in Taiwan and Europe. Beginning with my master's research on Pourompon in Taipei, I became interested in places that could not be fully explained by conventional urban theories. During my doctoral research at the University of Bamberg on Taiwan–Germany cooperation in heritage conservation, I encountered another recurring phenomenon: when European conservation frameworks are applied in Asian contexts, local spatial practices often remain visible but conceptually overlooked.

These experiences led me to a broader question. Instead of asking whether heritage remains authentic after crossing cultural boundaries, I ask how authenticity itself is redefined by local communities. Taiwan demonstrates that cultural heritage is not simply inherited from the past; it is continually recreated through everyday life. Religious festivals, ritual landscapes, historic neighbourhoods, and foreign-built architecture all reveal how imported ideas are absorbed, adapted, and transformed rather than merely preserved. In this sense, Taiwan is not simply a recipient of global heritage discourse, but a place from which new theoretical perspectives can emerge.

My current research focuses on three interconnected areas: the relationship between religion and urban space in Taipei, the reinterpretation of foreign-built architectural heritage in Taiwan, and the application of digital humanities to architectural history between Taiwan and Europe. Across these projects, I seek to understand how architecture changes through cultural encounter and how local societies continuously negotiate the meanings of place, heritage, and identity.

Working in Chinese, English, and German, I aim to build genuine dialogue between Asian and European scholarship. Rather than positioning one tradition as an alternative to another, I hope to contribute concepts that emerge from Asian experience while engaging with international debates on heritage, architecture, and urban history.

Skills: Digital Humanity/ Cross-Culture/ 3D Education

E-mail: n76881214  (AT)  gs.ncku.edu.tw

Religious Locations and Sustainable Urban Space Research/ Portfolio

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