Located in Taitung County’s Daren Township, the Tjuabar Village Community Center is an important gathering place and cultural landmark for the East Paiwan people. Blending tradition with modernity, the building serves not only as a shelter but also as a vessel of ancestral beliefs, collective memory, and tribal emotion—a core space for cultural continuity and community cohesion.

The architecture responds to local culture, integrating symbolic and spatial elements associated with major rituals such as the Five-Year Ceremony and Harvest Festival. Totemic motifs like the hundred-pacer snake and glass beads are reinterpreted as architectural language, transforming the space into a platform where tradition and the contemporary meet. Materials include sculpted concrete that abstracts local landscape patterns, along with perforated bricks, bamboo, and slate—expressing Indigenous aesthetics through modern forms while responding to the region’s harsh natural conditions and enhancing architectural resilience.

The building incorporates semi-outdoor corridors and a rooftop platform to address the hot and humid climate, encouraging natural ventilation and community interaction. The curved staircase, inspired by traditional Paiwan pottery, softens the rigid geometric lines of the structure. Framed landscape views from the semi-outdoor walls reflect the Paiwan aesthetic, while drainage systems and a closed-off south-facing façade provide protection against summer typhoons, heavy rain, and strong winds.

Amidst challenges such as youth outmigration and an aging population, the center features flexible spaces that support daytime gatherings for elders and encourage youth participation—addressing shifts in social structure. An open plaza and communal platforms serve as vital venues for storytelling, rituals, and cultural exchange.

The building façade includes designated areas for public art, creating a dialogue between Indigenous craftsmanship and the architectural skin. Cultural identity becomes part of everyday life through symbolic motifs and patterns, conveying ancestral imagery and reinforcing tribal belonging. This center is more than a building—it is a living cultural vessel, embodying the connection between the Paiwan people and their land, their vision for the future, and a contemporary expression of local spirit.