With Lanyang Campus winning the Green Building Certificate, the issue of being green and ecological sustainability in other campuses has become equally pressing. Tamsui and Taipei Campuses are not as green as LC on the whole, but TKU has been working on adding green features each time it renovates or remodels an existing building or structure in recent years, according to Chiang Yu-san from the Construction and Repairs Section.
When Chueh Sheng Memorial Library was constructed during 1996, some concepts of green buildings were already incorporated in its design. For instance LED light was installed on the roof top and stairways to save energy. Natural lighting is abundant and air-conditioning system can be adjusted to various capacities.
In 2004 and 2005, traditional water heaters were replaced by heaters run on heat pumps in the Sung Tao Women’s Dormitory 3 and 1. These new heaters are energy efficient and quiet. The Foreign Languages and Literatures Building and Shao-mo Memorial Gymnasium that were completed in 2005 and 2006 respectively are equipped with efficient AirCon system, LED light, flow restricted taps, and low flow toilets. In 2005, the Department of Architecture installed solar panels on their rooftop pioneering solar energy for powering its ventilation system.
Starting December, 2007, an energy consumption monitoring system has been in place to regulate power usage in various places of the campus. In the first stage, the university will economize the biggest power consumption location which is the library by regulating its central air conditioning system. In the second stage, TKU will focus on the energy use in the gym, research centers, and labs.
Mr. Chiang also mentioned about implementing smarter ways of managing water resources in Tamsui campus by installing waste water treatment system as in Lanyang. The old water heater in the Shao-mo Memorial Natatorium Complex will also be replaced by a more efficient heat pump water heater.
Energy saving and reduction of CO2 emission, Mr. Chiang believes, are very critical to the contributions TKU can have to combating global warming. Although Tamsui and Taipei campuses, which are limited by their original designs, cannot become all-round green buildings as Lanyang, they can still improve on areas such as energy conservation, water saving, and eco-friendly lighting. Of course, he adds, any new building that will be constructed in Tamsui and Taipei, will definitely follow green building standard. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )
