A'tolan House
Create + Think Design Studio
A’tolan is the word meaning, “a place with many
rocks”, from the indigenous language of the
natives on the east coast of Taiwan. It may also be
interpreted as “piling of rocks”, “building wall with
rocks”, or “a house made out of rocks.”
The site is located on the eastern seaboard
of Taiwan, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. The
foundation is of a narrow rectangular shape of
approximately 90 meters in length and 30 meters
in width, sitting on the north-south axis. Following
the coastline, at approximately 60 meters down
the axis from the north, the structure turns 130
degrees east. The downward slope from west to
east is transformed and represented in three levels.
The essence of this project is the use of the
traditional native architectural technique of
A’tolan. The rocks excavated from the site are then
used to build the east-west walls spanning over
three levels like rice patty terraces.
Top level 28 meters: driveway entrance/front yard
Middle level 23 meters: main structure
Archetech - Page 6
Bottom level 20 meters: pool/tree house/lawn