Taiwan’s first zero-carbon building, the Y. S. Sun Green Building Research Center at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, is set to be inaugurated next week, according to NCKU Jan. 7.
The center, also known as the Magic School of Green Technology, is the world’s first green educational center, with the most energy-efficient structure, to have been built in the subtropical region
“The center’s annual energy usage intensity is 43 kilowatt-hour per square meter, which helps cut back on energy usage by 65 percent per year,” said Lin Hsien-te, an architecture professor at NCKU and leader of the construction team.
Lin noted that standard office buildings in Taiwan have a yearly EUI of 125 kwh/m2, while those in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S. measure at 304, 105, 217, 404 and 390, respectively.
“Besides saving electricity costs, the building also uses 50 percent less water than standard office buildings,” Lin stressed.
The center uses five natural ventilation energy-saving methods, two equipment reduction processes and five energy-saving and renewable energy technologies.
In spite of its advanced features, the 4,800-square-meter center was built at a relatively low cost of NT$26,363 (US$909) per square meter, Lin said.
The building has already won the highest green building certificate from Taiwan’s Ecology, Energy Saving, Waste Reduction and Health rating system and is currently being reviewed for certificates by the U.S. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, Lin said.
Built by NCKU and Delta Electronics, the center will be formally inaugurated Jan. 12. (HZW)
Write to Grace Kuo at morningk@mail.gio.gov.tw