Several architectural firsts for Taiwan
Born in Beijing in 1921, Chen earned his master’s in architecture at the University of Illinois and worked for Walter Gropius’ firm before joining the faculty of MIT. Apart from his work as an architect, he also gained renown for his paintings. In June of 2007 he died in San Francisco at the age of 86.
When describing the process of designing Tunghai University, Chen recalled that Pei had called Chang and him together for a brainstorming session, suggesting they build a vaulted gothic brick church and using his hands to convey its shape.
Chen insisted that such a building would not suit earthquake-prone Taiwan, but he made a model out of wood anyway. Much to his surprise and delight, it ended up looking like the upside-down hull of a wooden boat. Consequently, the three moved toward looking at using wood construction. Not long after, Chang was the first to leave for Taiwan to oversee campus construction, but the design of the church was left to Chen, who remained in the United States.
Chen described this stage of the work as involving the “integration of many different ideas.” Pei’s co-workers would also make occasional suggestions. It was during this period that the design incorporated “lines of sky” to separate the four “boat walls.” It was thus that the distinctive elements of the design took shape.
Han Pao-teh explains that the four conoid walls are each created with two straight and two curving lines. It gives the church a unique upward pitch.
The chapel was originally designed for wood construction, but Chen wanted to dispense with pillars and beams by shifting to thin-shell concrete, then a cutting-edge structural technique just gaining traction in the United States. Yet by taking this new approach, Pei was forced to start over with his structural calculations.
Back then reinforced concrete had yet to fully catch on in Taiwan, but via third-party introductions, Chen found Feng Housan, a structural engineer who had studied in France. Feng assessed the project and concluded that the thin-shell approach was feasible, and Chen brought him to New York to make a presentation to Pei. With Pei’s approval, construction began at the end of 1962.
The church is constructed from four conoid thin-shell concrete walls, the exteriors of which are covered with handmade ceramic tiles. After 50 years, the tiles are still in excellent condition.