Students from Taiwan Tech have won international awards! Tzu-Chien Liu and Chia-Wei Lin from the Department of Architecture received 2024 iF Student Design Award for their architectural work “Therm Harvest Nexus”, which was also named the best of the year, outshining competitors from around the world - making them the only awardees from Taiwan. Additionally, Yan Zhang from the Industrial Design Group of the Department of Design received an award for “Banana-Pro-Bag”, a solution to the agricultural plastic problem. Both teams demonstrated Taiwan Tech's outstanding design capabilities.

Taiwan Tech students Tzu-Chien Liu (center), Chia-Wei Lin (third from right), and Yan Zhang (second from right) took a group photo with other award-winning students.

The iF Design Award is often referred to as the Oscars of the design industry, and the iF Student Design Award aims to nurture emerging designers, making it one of the most prestigious student design awards globally. The 2024 iF Student Design Awards were recently announced in Milan, with only 76 out of over 7,000 submissions winning. Among the winning rates of less than 1%, two groups of Taiwan Tech were included.

Architecture students Tzu-Chien Liu and Chia-Wei Lin received 2024 iF Student Design Award for their project “Therm Harvest Nexus”, which was also named best of the year.

Notably, the architectural work “Therm Harvest Nexus” by Tzu-Chien Liu, a graduate from the Department of Architecture, and Chia-Wei Lin, a third-year student, not only won the Student Design Award, but also achieved the prestigious title of best of the year. Only nine teams worldwide received this honor, making them the only awardees from Taiwan. Both of them expressed their gratitude for this achievement and that they were very lucky. Tzu-Chien Liu explained that their design focuses on reusing high-temperature wastewater generated from geothermal power generation. Given Iceland’s cold climate, which poses challenges for agriculture, the project centers around a greenhouse that utilizes wastewater of varying temperatures for greenhouse operations and agricultural irrigation.

Students from the Department of Design of Taiwan Tech Chia-Wei Lin (right) and Tzu-Chien Liu (center) traveled to Milan to receive the 2024 German iF Student Design Award and took a photo with iF CEO Uwe Cremering (left).

The iF jury praised their design, stating, “This design is very comprehensive and innovative, addressing sustainable energy issues and promoting a symbiotic relationship between people and the environment”. Tzu-Chien Liu noted that the most challenging part was the design conceptualization. Initially, they aimed to focus on Taiwan and conducted field research in Beitou multiple times. However, under the guidance of their advisor, Associate Professor Yan-Ting Chen, they decided to shift their focus to Iceland, where geothermal solutions for agricultural challenges are more urgently needed. Chia-Wei Lin and Tzu-Chien Liu also expressed gratitude to their behind-the-scenes supporter, Jun-You Lin, a graduate from the previous class. Chia-Wei Lin remarked that senior Jun-You Lin selflessly shared his competition experience and offered different perspectives and suggestions, helping them address design blind spots.

The design work “Banana-Pro-Bag” by Yan Zhang from the Industrial Design Group of the Department of Design of Taiwan Tech won the 2024 iF Student Design Award.

Zhang Yan, a student from the Industrial Design Group of the Department of Design, created the “Banana-Pro-Bag” to address the issue of agricultural plastic waste. Inspired by her grandparents, who are fruit farmers, she noticed many farmers discarding used plastic bags into the soil when she returned to her hometown. Some people burned them, leading to serious environmental problems. Observing that banana trees are cut down after they bear fruit each year, she was inspired to use banana trees as a sustainable recycling material.

The banana paper bag is not only strong, waterproof, and insect-resistant, but it also changes color due to the ethylene produced during banana ripening, serving as a reminder for farmers to harvest. Zhang mentioned that while the initial concept emerged during her undergraduate studies, it was during her master's program, where she took courses in sustainable design, that she was able to refine the design further. This project also received sponsorship from TSMC's Youth Dream Building Program, turning her design into an actual finished product.

Yan Zhang (right), a student from the Industrial Design Group of the Department of Design of Taiwan Tech, took a photo with iF CEO Uwe Cremering (left).

With a winning rate of less than 1%, Yan Zhang encourages younger students to pursue their creative endeavors, emphasizing the importance of trying and having clear communication skills in addition to design. Chia-Wei Lin believes that aspiring designers should not just focus on their work but should also explore the world, and stay aware of current events and trends, which will enable them to create designs that are relevant and forward-thinking.