Temple Plaza Renovation: Preserving Old Trees and Performance Spaces

Design a contemporary upgrade of a Taiwanese temple forecourt that respects how it is actually used. Show the plaza repaved in large permeable granite slabs laid flush, with the drainage handled by a fine linear channel around the perimeter rather than a raised kerb, so the surface stays completely clear for processions and performances. Retain the existing old banyan with a widened circular stone bench at its base and a permeable surface over its root zone. Move parked scooters into a defined bay at one edge, marked by a change in paving rather than by barriers. Add a low continuous stone bench along the boundary wall for the elderly residents who sit there daily, and slim ground-recessed uplights that leave the ground plane uncluttered. Keep the temple facade and the furnace untouched. Show the plaza in ordinary use — chess players, children, a vendor — with the space clearly ready to be emptied for a festival. Light with warm late-afternoon sun. Photorealistic, restrained, respectful and practical, eye-level view across the plaza.