Abstract

Ever since the Expo’92, issues of “ecology,” “sustainability,” and “green” architecture have been proposed continuously in following expositions for educational or strategic demonstrations. The exhibitions not only narrate the cause and effect of disasters, but also project environmental issues and energy crises through exhibits or the design of space itself. However, this paper would ask whether these international expositions and their venues are approachable and closely related to local people’s everyday life. What kinds of means and settings of exhibition are inspirational to local people? From the viewpoint of localisation, this paper intends to explore the potential for narrating local environmental stories through recycled materials and temporary settings. The paper firstly discusses some projects presented in international expositions through analysing their design strategies, material usage, and means of spatial narration. In so doing, some design concepts for presenting “sustainability” and “green” architecture in the exhibitions could be suggested. Secondly, in order to connect the exhibition with local people’s daily activities, the paper studies reusable, flexible, and temporary structures, as well as exploring the means of locating these structures in urban public spaces. At the end of this paper, a design proposal that suits to specific sites in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, will be proposed.