2026-01-20

Students from the Department of Architecture at National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) delivered outstanding results in the 2025 National Association of Architects Student Design Competition, one of Taiwan’s most prestigious architecture student contests. A total of seven students received awards, highlighting the department’s strength in design education and critical engagement with public issues.

The competition was integrated into a third-year architectural design studio led by Lecturer Tsai Ning, with co-instruction from faculty members Yang Hsin-Chieh, Chao Wen-Shen, and Hsieh Ting-Ting. This year’s theme, “Architecture for Well-Being,” did not prescribe a specific site or building type. Instead, students were encouraged to independently define their project context and explore the concept of “well-being” through architecture—addressing spatial design, urban environments, cultural perspectives, and social structures. The open-ended nature of the brief posed a significant challenge, requiring both integrative thinking and strong conceptual articulation.

Tsai Ning noted that the competition is widely recognized for its flexible scope and high expectations. Participants must not only propose compelling spatial solutions but also establish clear value propositions and social relevance. By aligning the competition theme with studio coursework, the program guided students to develop classroom exercises—such as site analysis, conceptual frameworks, and public issue exploration—into fully realized competition-level proposals.

Many of the submitted projects selected the Guomao Market area in Zuoying, Kaohsiung, as their site. Students examined the market as a space of everyday life, a repository of community memory, and a node within the urban public realm. Their proposals reimagined the role of traditional markets in contemporary cities, addressing topics such as the reconfiguration of circulation systems, reinterpretation of architectural boundaries and publicness, and adaptive responses to the needs of different generations. These works demonstrated nuanced observations of site context and daily human behavior.

Among the awardees, student Chiang Hsing-Yun received an Honorable Mention for the project “Guomao Market Reimagined – Connections.” The design explores relationships among the market, residents, and the city, positioning the market as a key interface linking community life and public space. Through spatial organization and circulation strategies, the project redefines social interaction, earning strong recognition from the jury. Six additional projects received Merit Awards, each approaching themes such as spatial flow, urban edges, layers of publicness, and community memory from distinct perspectives—reflecting mature design thinking and well-developed architectural narratives.

Tsai Ning emphasized that the multiple awards not only reflect individual student dedication but also demonstrate the effectiveness of integrating design education with real-world contexts and public issues—an approach long emphasized by the department.

Beyond conceptual design competitions, NUK architecture students also excelled in hands-on, community-based design practice. A student team comprising Hsueh Ning-Yin, Wu Hsin-Ying, Kuo Yu-Chen, Huang Po-Hsiang, and Chang Hsuan-Jung won the Gold Award at the 2025 Tainan “Cornerstone Architecture” Community Space Design Competition with their project “The Entrance Where Phoenix Flowers Bloom (A Gathering Corner).” The project transformed the backyard of an old house into a shared garden, integrating community participation and sustainable design principles—demonstrating the students’ ability to translate design concepts into real-world applications.

The Department of Architecture noted that students have consistently performed well across both national-level conceptual competitions and community-based design-build projects. Moving forward, the department will continue to integrate coursework with University Social Responsibility (USR) initiatives, encouraging students to address societal needs through architectural design and deepen engagement with local communities and urban public issues.

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