Taiwan Quick Take: Solar awards announced

The first prize in the 2006 Solar Award has gone to a building renewal project developed by Bioarchitecture Formosana, a local architecture and civil engineering company, sources at the Hsinchu-based Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) said yesterday. The award, organized by the ITRI and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, chooses and honors outstanding local building designs that combine photovoltaic devices into daily life. This year's event saw 11 groups selected from around Taiwan. The idea behind Bioarchitecture Formosana's work is to transform illegal rooftop structures, which are common in Taiwan, into private solar energy powerhouses. The group attaches solar panels to the surfaces of the buildings, on the one hand "beautifying" the exteriors with a touch of modernism, and on the other allowing residents to use "clean" energy.