separate architecture-based competitions. The first was Lai Chia-Hao, who took second place in the well-known d3 Natural Systems Competition. The other was Tsai Pei-shan, who placed second in the Chain Qui Construction 2011 Architecture Competition. The Chairman of the Department of Architecture, Dr. Lai Ih-Cheng, commented: “The pride of the TKU Department of Architecture is its students’ ability to continually gain new inspiration and ideas. They also do their very best to put these ideas into practice.”

The d3 Natural Systems Competition is a bi-annual international competition held in America that attracts future pioneers and experts in the field of architecture. Chia-hao was awarded a second placing in the competition for his design of a vegetation system for rooftop add-ons in Taipei, which would solve current problems related to water drainage and catchment, mitigate the phenomenon of desertification found in major cities, and enhance the aesthetic quality of Taipei.

Tsai Pei-shan, who lives in the Wan Hua district of Taipei, observed that a lot of the housing in her local area is old and run-down. So, in the recent Chain Qui Architecture Competition, she incorporated this theme into her design, which took the title “Co-Exist Housing.” In her model, Pei-shan envisages young professionals living together with their parents, allowing the professionals to save money by not having to pay rent or a mortgage, and the parents to have the company and care of their children. Pei-shan, who persisted with her idea in the face of resistance from her supervising teachers, offered the following advice to up-and-coming architecture students: “Although the training involved in an architectural degree may be taxing, it is a good form of preparation and practice for your future career.”