Future Formosan People
Travelers and photographers from all over the world are constantly searching for that unique experience. That unique take on that unique place that earns the respect and admiration of friends and magazine editors. With the ever-expanding tourism industry, these places are getting harder and harder to find, especially if you’re not friends with a local. When traveling to unknown places, it is easy to take it to the typical tourist spots and charge handsomely for it. Getting to those pristine gems out of the way takes research and effort. Most of the time, it is because of these two requirements that these places remain so beautiful in the first place; and make it that much more rewarding for those who actually make it.
An undiscovered gem in East Asia, Taiwan is full of these uncharted areas, making it a brilliant destination for those seeking a unique experience. This weekend I rediscovered one of these destinations which I have called ‘The Villa of the Future of Formosa’. Below is his colorful story, I hope you enjoy it.
History
Architecture
The 1970s were an interesting time for everyone. New fashion trends, musical styles and lifestyle perspectives were emerging like never before. Now people not only had ideals, but also the money to buy them. Trends were also emerging in the architectural design industry, trying to satisfy the thirst of those looking for a unique home to match their new and unique views on life. In an era when it was believed that robots and machines would eventually solve all the problems in the humanities, Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed a new house that he dubbed ‘Future’.
This new house was designed to eventually be the world standard of all houses, to enable worldwide travel and living for everyone. Constructed of reinforced fiberglass, this 16-piece ‘capsule’ or ‘flying saucer’ house was designed for easy transport and sustainability in any environment. The basic idea was to buy a house when you live on the beach in Hawaii, and when you want to change gears and move to the Swiss Alps to live in a ski town, you just blow up your house piece by piece to be rebuilt. All that was needed were four concrete pillars for a base, and the house could be placed on top of them, allowing it to be placed almost anywhere.
In addition to the house’s unique transportable design, the interior was also designed with ultimate comfort in mind. The living room had a series of reclining chairs, which people could sit on comfortably or even pull down and out to make them sleepers for guests. These chairs were along the exterior wall facing the center of the house where the kitchen and bar area were located. This would have made a great dining room and living room for conversation, all in one compact space. Along the back of the house, the master bedroom and bathroom were kept tucked away with privacy and intimacy. An interesting environmental draw for this house was that, using the electric heating system, it could go from -20 degrees to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in just 30 minutes. Incredibly sustainable.
Unfortunately, fewer than 100 of these houses were built worldwide, which is commonly attributed to the Exxon Mobile crisis and the dramatic increase in the price of oil. The ripple effect of the surge made the plastics for these houses more expensive to produce, and naturally people began to lose interest. Matti Suuronen’s dream of a futuristic world with houses made of flying saucers buzzing through the air under helicopters died along with his design in the 1980s.
Company-Company
However, before the future of the Future took its course, a smart Taiwanese businessman shared Matti Suuronen’s dream and took action with him.
Mr. Su Ming was a Taiwanese businessman with a vibrant background in the military during his early years. One of his first ventures was a now-popular brand of Sarsaparilla soda that is sold throughout Taiwan. In the early days of it, it wasn’t very popular with local taste buds and got off to a slow start. However, with the American establishment of military bases in Taiwan as an outpost for Greater East Asia, Western tastes in culture and food began to develop in the country. Along with this, Mr. Su Mings’ carbonated drink sales skyrocketed and he set up a new factory, becoming a new wealthy member of high society.
With his new money, Mr. Su Ming was eager to invest and decided to target a high-end market of Taiwanese citizens buying vacation homes. He decided that water sports and beach life were the attractions he needed to create a beachside community for upper-class Taiwanese. With this in mind, he chose a beautiful beachfront location along Taiwan’s northeast coast, made a real estate investment, and began building a futuristic housing community filled with Futuro-design houses as well as boxy beach villas. . His market was Taiwan’s super-rich, as these beach villas were originally priced at around what is today the equivalent of $94,000 US dollars.
Informed by the local property manager, I was told that eventually the investors lost interest and the project ran out of money. He explained that many of the investors could afford to go abroad to other exotic locations and private villas, leaving little desire for a simple beach property vacation at home.
Also, in an interview with a local dance instructor at the neighboring hotel and spa, I was informed that the area’s weather conditions were extreme year-round; Summers are unbearably hot and winters bring intolerably strong winds and cold waters that break on the beach. He explained that it was not an ideal location for vacation homes and that the neighborhood had been empty for more than 20 to 30 years.
The result of the current day is the ruins of a once futuristic, deserted and unstable neighborhood of beachside villas, giving us a small window into what was once a successful businessman’s dream.
shooting experience
Transportation (travel)
Trying to catch the morning magic hour for the session, I left around 5:00 am to catch the first bus that would take me to the now-abandoned spa. This was only possible because Taipei’s transportation system is resilient, making life easier for those who choose to avoid the danger of riding scooters in busy traffic. Winding through the mountains and watching as the landscape changed from high-rise apartments to verdant jungle-covered hillsides and temples, I couldn’t help but begin to appreciate how easy it was to get out of the mess in Taiwan. In just an hour, he was already on the coast. DSLR and tripod in hand, I got off the bus and saw the first Future.
feeling
The morning was cloudy, as it usually is on Taiwan’s shores, which brought a whole new feeling to the stage. With gray clouds rolling in, scattered sunlight, and the Future house drawing closer, I felt like he was literally about to be kidnapped. The spooky weather and abandoned structures really worked well together, giving me the creepy feeling of getting in, shooting, and getting out.
As I wandered the streets lined by the planned community, the ruins’ contrasting colors and random objects presented an incredible window into the past. All Futuro-style houses were a dull orange or faded light yellow color, indicating their age and rough past life. There were rust stains running down the sides of each house that resembled bleeding scars caused by years and years of the harsh environment hitting them. The steel canopy posts on each of the square houses’ front porches had been shattered by the high winds, like pipe cleaners bent by a child.
Overgrown with weeds, most of the houses had clearly been deserted for a long time. Surprisingly though, there were still a few where they had rusty padlocks on the doors, TVs inside, and appeared to be inhabited. This gave me the feeling that I was in some sort of abandoned town horror movie and was continually checking the shadows to make sure there was nothing creeping up behind me to stick an ax in my back.
I ventured into some of the houses that were not protected with wooden posts and barbed wire locks to get a better look. I found rooms with Japanese-influenced tatami mats, twin beds with sheets still on, and even toothbrushes along with a bottle of head and shoulder shampoo in one bathroom.
Kitchens with stoves, refrigerators, and air conditioning units still hanging on the wall screamed for the modernity that the entire project was aiming for back then. What I found quite appealing was that in front of the boxy beachfront villas, and below many of the Futuro-designed homes, there were tables and seating along with grills and gardens. It resembled what I thought of as camping, where families could gather and cook outdoors to enjoy nature and the company of their loved ones. An interesting contrast of feelings and mood for such a place.
Overall, the energy was a weird mix of extreme creepiness offset by a feeling that it actually could have been a very nice community to live in if it had been successful. The interior design of the villas, coupled with the uniqueness of the community, could have made a very nice place for a camping vacation getaway just a short distance from the capital.
Lessons and lighting
The beachside villas established by Mr. Su Ming provide a unique and interesting view of Taiwan’s past and global trends in general. The place is an unmissable opportunity for any traveler or photographer who comes to Taiwan in search of a unique sight. Fortunately, he has so far been able to avoid the bulldozer, unlike his unlucky West Coast brother Pod Houses in SanZhi, but it’s impossible to tell when his day will finally be numbered.
Just a short drive from Taipei, it’s also a good reminder of just how amazing Taiwan is as a travel destination. As one of the undiscovered gems of the East, Taiwan’s landscape and culture remain rich and unique, but the country’s modernity makes it all very accessible. Undiscovered Taiwan Future Village is an amazing travel experience and I would highly recommend it as a day trip for those who are interested in a place that is off the beaten track, has a unique and rich history, and is all in a very photogenic package.