Students at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology have triumphed in the 2021 Architecture MasterPrize contest. Fifteen designs from the school won honors at the highly prestigious design event. Among them is a walkway that reduces pedestrian exposure to ultraviolet light. The structure will use plant proteins to regulate UV levels, opening and closing to create a built environment that in effect breathes.
This computer simulated graphic is the “photosynthesis protective shell.” It was designed over three months by second-year master’s students Chen Chien-hsun陳建勳 and Sun Hsiao-yu. The design won the students’ prize in the 2021 Architecture MasterPrize contest.
Chen Chien-hsun
NTUST architecture graduate student
We have a deep understanding of environmental issues and we care deeply about environmental protection and disasters. We concentrated on designing for topics like the environment and the greenhouse effect. I have entered the ADC Awards contest before. It’s really a difficult prize to win. This year, I feel it’s serious recognition for our team’s design to win.
The design was inspired by the high levels of ultraviolet light in Australia. Its protective shell mimics the opening and closing of a plant. It can absorb UV radiation, monitor UV levels, and protect people from overexposure. The shell automatically closes to protect pedestrians when UV levels are high and opens when levels are low to create a pleasant environment. It can even store UV light absorbed in the day, and reemit it at night as lamplight, saving electricity.
Prof. Chen Yen-ting
NTUST Architecture Department
During in-person learning, each of them got on with their own tasks. They were often way ahead of the progress targets we had set for them. It was the same when we had remote learning. Every week we discussed their progress and their work, and there was always an enormous amount. So that makes me think that our students are not only able to perform well in their specialty. They also have an excellent attitude toward their studies. That’s really special.
The Architecture MasterPrize, based in New York, is one of the most highly regarded global architecture awards in the world. This year over 2,000 designs were submitted, but only 192 were awarded prizes. Fifteen of the prizewinning designs came from NTUST’s architecture department, landing the university sixth place among schools globally.
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