Design, city expo gets underway in Taipei

2014-10-07

The Taipei Design and City Exhibition, focusing on the theme of social awareness embedded in world-class design, opened Oct. 4 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park.

Organized by Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the expo features 22 projects created by 10 designers from Taiwan, Australia, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, U.K. and U.S.

DCA Commissioner Liou Wei-gong said the event will facilitate in-depth understanding of design cultures around the world, keeping Taipei abreast of the latest developments.

The city government, in its role as 2016 World Design Capital, has been stepping up efforts to acquaint locals with the importance of design in everyday life, according to Liou.

“Design is more than high concepts and fancy ideas,” he said. “It plays a catalytic role in improving human life and advancing social progress.”

One highlight of this year’s event is National Chiao Tung University’s innovative Orchid House project. Employing a form of manmade photosynthesis, the concept features solar panels capturing energy from the sun and providing electricity. In addition, it harvests, circulates, recycles and reuses its own water.

Designed mainly for use on rooftops, Orchid House tackles the challenges of high temperatures and humidity through integrated design solving architectural, energy and urban issues at once. It won first prize at July’s prestigious Solar Decathlon Europe in France.

Other notable projects include a stackable, all-electric concept car designed for urban use by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Tentatively named CityCar, the vehicle features a folding chassis enabling it to occupy a small parking footprint.

Similarly transport themed is Siva Cycle’s Atom, a lightweight bicycle mounted with a generator and rechargeable battery. The system is powered as the rider pedals and can also charge electronic and mobile devices via USB.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=222538&CtNode=413)