原點：SDG 與原型結構的對話

在建築與結構之間，存在一個被不斷追問的起點——那個尚未被命名的「原點」。它是材料被發現的瞬間、力被感知的方向，也是建築思考的源頭。SDG（構造設計集團）正是在這樣的原點上，重新定義了「結構」的意義，讓構造成為設計的核心語言，也啟發了台灣原型結構的誕生。

SDG 的精神：結構即設計

在 SDG 的實踐中，設計與結構從不分離。渡邊邦夫強調：「沒有什麼材料不能被設計，沒有什麼構造不能被想像。」他要求設計師以建築師的眼光提問，讓力學成為理解形體的語言。結構因此不再隱身，而以線條與力的節奏，參與空間的生成，成為建築詩學的一部分。

從 SDG 到原型結構

回到台灣後，陳冠帆將這份精神化為實踐，創立「原型結構工程顧問有限公司」，主張結構與建築本為一體。他將 SDG 的自由思維延伸至竹構與木構研究，讓材料成為思考的起點，而非形式的裝飾。SDG 對原型結構最深遠的影響，正是在於讓結構回到設計的原點，讓材料回到自然的秩序。

Origin: SDG and the Prototype Structure

Between architecture and structure lies a point that is constantly questioned—an unnamed origin.
It is the moment when material is discovered, when force is first perceived, and when architectural thought begins to take shape.
At this origin, SDG (Structural Design Group) redefined the meaning of “structure,” turning construction into a core language of design and inspiring the emergence of Taiwan’s Prototype Structure movement.

The Spirit of SDG: Structure as Design

Within SDG’s practice, design and structure are never separate.
Kunio Watanabe emphasized: “There is no material that cannot be designed, and no structure that cannot be imagined.”
He encouraged designers to ask questions through the eyes of architects—why this system, and how would space transform if the forces changed?
Through such inquiry, mechanics became more than calculation; it became a language for understanding form.
Structure no longer hides behind architecture but joins the rhythm of lines and forces, shaping space and becoming part of its poetic expression.

From SDG to Prototype Structure

Upon returning to Taiwan, Kuan-Fan Chen transformed this spirit into practice, founding Prototype Structural Engineers to advocate that structure and architecture are inherently one.
To him, structure is not a technical afterthought but the first line written in the act of design.
He extended SDG’s freedom of thought into explorations of bamboo and timber construction, treating material not as ornament but as the origin of inquiry.
SDG’s most profound influence on Prototype Structure lies in bringing structure back to the origin of design, and material back to the order of nature.