•Publication Date：09/01/2014
•Source： Taiwan Today
A community guesthouse project offering free, self-sufficient accommodation through the participation of community volunteers and solar power will welcome its first guests Oct. 25 in Taipei City.
Sun Self Hotel, situated in Nanjichang community, is the brainchild of Japanese artist Jun Kitazawa who is involved in a number of similar participatory projects in Troide, Ibaraki prefecture.
“Kitazawa felt the passion and friendliness of the local residents when he visited Nanjichang last year,” Sun Self organizer Yeh Chia-jong said. “He thought it would be a good location for the hotel.”
Zhongqin Borough Chief Fang Her-sheng said the community spent NT$100,000 (US$3,346) refurbishing the former two-story community center, adding new showers, toilets, beds and other furniture. “A lot of work needed to be done. This was a former community center and before that the home of Gen. Gong Hao.”
According to Fang, the hotel is being run on a trial basis, with local residents volunteering to work as receptionists and cleaners. “We asked industry professionals to provide the volunteers with special training,” he said. “It is up to the residents if they want to continue once the test period is over.”
Another special feature of the project is energy self-sufficiency. Guests will be given a guided tour of the community, visiting the night market, youth park and local food bank.
“We expect those staying in the hotel to wheel around a cart equipped with solar cells during the tour,” Fang said. “The power they collect can then be used for lighting their rooms.”
