In response to increasingly extreme summer heat driven by global warming and the urban heat island effect, reducing energy consumption in architecture has become a critical concern in Taiwanese design practice. At the same time, decades of over-reliance on reinforced concrete as a universal solution have shaped the architectural industry into one that resists innovation, as well as filling the urban landscape with concrete structures that are ill-suited to present climatic conditions and agenda.

This thematic research investigates the physical, practical, and cultural challenges facing sustainable building design in Taiwan, through the means of thermal climate simulation study, survey with architectural practitioners, and the analysis of the historical development of Taiwan’s architectural industry.

Building upon the insights gained from this research, the design phase proposes a climate-responsive renovation strategy for a typical concrete high-rise apartment building in Taipei. The design emphasizes low-cost, low-tech interventions with minimal structural modification and additions, focusing on passive cooling strategies. The core principle of the design process is to significantly improve the natural ventilation schemes throughout the building by converting existing spaces into air channels, and critically introduce community programs and passive design elements into the network of private/public spaces to facilitate neighborhood gatherings and more open living spaces.

Rather than offering a fixed set of climate design solutions, this project presents a flexible methodology for addressing both climatic and social challenges within Taiwan’s existing public housing typology.