We are AAVS Taiwan: Urbanity from the Ocean — a research and design initiative that reimagines the city from the perspective of the sea. At the heart of our work lies a simple yet profound question: what if we viewed urbanity not as a phenomenon rooted solely in land, but as one shaped by the ocean’s rhythms, resources, and histories?

In Taiwan and across coastal East Asia, the development of cities has always been deeply entangled with maritime trade, coastal ecologies, and oceanic infrastructures. From the early port economies fueled by sugar and tea to the contemporary geopolitics of microchips and seabed minerals, the sea has continuously defined economic flows and urban forms. Yet, conventional urbanism often overlooks this oceanic foundation. We seek to change that.

Our work intersects multiple domains: urban economy, as shaped by historical and emerging maritime industries; marine ecology and conservation, recognizing the ocean as a living system under threat; renewable energy, exploring the sea’s role in powering a sustainable future; and cultural conservation, uncovering the layered histories and identities tied to coastal landscapes and seafaring traditions.

In an era defined by climate change, resource scarcity, and shifting global alliances, we believe cities can no longer be studied in isolation from the oceans that sustain them. Through interdisciplinary research, speculative design, and critical inquiry, we trace the currents that connect urban development to the sea — economically, ecologically, and culturally.

We are a collective of thinkers, designers, and researchers seeking to shift the lens of urbanism. By understanding cities through the ocean, we aim to reveal new possibilities for sustainable, just, and resilient urban futures.

  • Programme Head

    K.B. Izac Tsai is a designer, an architect, an artist, a researcher, a historian, a theorist, a radio programme producer and presenter. He finished his RIBA part I and II at the AA and had also completed his Bachelors in Mass Communications and Masters in Marketing in Canada and the United States. His PhD at the Architectural Association focuses in economic and maritime history of cities in the Far East and Southeast Asia. He has competed and shortlisted in design competitions, and has been invited to present his work at London School of Economics, University of Norwich and University of Denver. He has taught at Leeds School of Architecture and University of Norwich. He is currently developing a multi-disciplinary platform for art, architecture, design, research and media that bridges knowledge from different backgrounds to experiment new possibilities. He is the founder of design studio KBITA and co-founder of research collectives Translocality.

  • Programme Head

    Doreen Bernath is an architect and a theorist trained at the University of Cambridge and the Architectural Association (AA). She is currently Executive Editor of The Journal of Architecture, trustee of the Society of Architectural Historian Great Britain, and a co-founder of research collectives ThisThingCalledTheory and Translocality. In parallel to teaching widely at different institutions, she teaches at the AA across PhD and postgraduate programmes and her publications have appeared internationally. She was a founding-director of the interdisciplinary platform DEZACT and AAVS Uncommon Walks ‘Pedestric Radicals’, as well as co-leader of MArch research and design studio Cinematic Commons at Leeds School of Architecture.

  • Main organiser

    Yu-Sen Chou is an Assistant Professor at the School of Architecture, Feng Chia University. He is both an architect and a scholar of architectural history. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, and later earned his Ph.D. in Architecture from the University of Edinburgh. He has extensive experience in both academia and practice, having participated in numerous architectural projects and public art initiatives. As a scholar, his research focuses on architectural theory and the architectural culture of Taiwan. In his teaching, he is dedicated to integrating architectural education with practical application.