德旅店的前身是糧食局，也是德興米廠創辦人張德財先生的起家厝，經過第三代張家姊妹的活化後，成為竹田第一間可供住宿的空間場域。以「舊」作為概念發想的起源，將倉庫建築群重新梳理，保留舊有構造物及探索那消失的客家夥房空間。

新的外牆保留舊有木橫樑崁入磚牆的孔洞，排列有序的「口」，印刻了消失的山型屋頂。重新再造了五十一個「口」，讓風、光、植物能自由的通透流動，甚至提供鳥兒的休憩。透過傳統洗石子工法來呈現手作的新建築皮層，壁面小紅磚粒摸起來就如同米粒，隱喻昔日為儲藏米糧的場所。入口退縮駐留的前庭，讓社區活動得以延展到內部的戶外空間，中庭的薄池形塑人們入內的動線，並透過水的鏡射，引光入內；無水時可作為多功能活動的微型廣場。交誼室的玻璃屋頂運用火山石堆砌以達到遮陽效果，陽光透過石隙落下如同光雨。二樓以上為住宿空間。透天厝舊梯的開口，形成風的通道，炙熱的空氣透過薄池降溫後往上形成對流，創造可自然呼吸的建築。藉由風道，照射下來的自然光，串聯了各樓層的公共空間。

五十一年過後，保留舊的氛圍，重新塑造新的聚落鄰里關係。讓大家族的成員們有機會再相遇於建築裡。我們試問建築是否能為公共環境帶來如何的改善，每件舊的人事物都該思考如何被友善的對待與保存，竹田鄉的重造舊業會持續的耕耘下去，舊的邊界也逐步形塑新的院落夥房空間。

The building for the De-Hostel was previously under the ownership of the Grain Bureau. It was the original family home of Mr. Zhang De Cai, the founder of Dexing Rice Factory. Under the Zhang family’s auspice, it became the first building in Zhutian to provide public lodging for tourists. Acknowledging history as guiding the design concept, we reorganized the private warehouse buildings in front of the existing wooden structure train station. Our design retains the historic structures and explores the disappearing traditional of the Hakka building typology (Huo fáng).

The new exterior wall retains the holes created by wooden beams embedded in the brick wall. The holes or, ‘voids’, are arranged to expose the imprint of the old gable roof. The design created of 51 new voids to allow wind, light and plants to pass through freely and a space for birds to rest. The new building skin is hand-made and employed the traditional method of washed stone aggregate. The small red stone aggregates on the wall feel like rice grains, a symbolism of the place where rice was stored in the past. The entrance retreats to the resident vestibule, allowing community activities to extend into the inner outdoor space. The shallow pool in the atrium guides visitor in through the reflection of water. When the pool is dry, it is a small square that can be used for multi-purpose activities. The glass roof of the social space is stacked with volcanic stones for shading. Sunlight passes through the stone gaps like light rain. Above the first floor are the living quarters. The original stair was removed creating a vertical wind passage up through the building. The hot air is cooled by the shallow pool and convection upwards, creating a building that breathes naturally. Natural light shines down through the air ducts and connects the public spaces of each floor.

Now 51 years later, the old spatial atmosphere is retained and a new neighborly relationship is established. This allows the members of the extended Zhang family to return and meet again in the refurbished architecture. Can architecture improve the public environment? Our answer is it can provided that all things historic be considered, treated and preserved in a careful manner. The reuse and redesign of the historic industrial buildings in Zhutian Township will continue to evolve. The historic boundary will gradually shape the new courtyard housing space.