One of the top research universities in Taiwan, NCTU looks ahead to setting new directions in engineering, medicine, and life sciences, and to developing leadership in the biomedical technologies. The proposed Bio-Tech building for the original 1950’s Boai campus is pivotal in moving toward this goal.
The study began with the creation of a framework plan for the campus and site selection for the Bio-Tech building. The great asset of the campus is its landscape structure. The formal lawn lined with majestic Banyan trees and buildings nestled behind the trees gives the campus an intimate identity as an “academic village.” Proposals for the Boai campus of the 21st century include creating a new West Gate, realigning the main Campus Boulevard at its western end to provide multiple new building sites, and maintaining the “village scale” of the older eastern end of the campus and encouraging new larger buildings at “city scale” on the western end of the campus. The lawn will remain the central focus and open space of the campus. Along the extension of the Campus Boulevard, a new bio-swale and bio-filtration ponds will replace existing open drainage ditches.
The new Bio-Tech building will be a new landmark announcing the campus “city scale” with a tower element facing the lawn and prominently visible from the new West Gate. A low three-story wing houses the wet laboratories, while the dry laboratories are stacked in an 8-story tower. A central two story research commons of offices and informal interactive lounges joins the low wing and the tower. On the ground floor active classrooms, café, and social spaces are open to the landscape. The tower is crowned by a conference center and roof terrace overlooking the campus and mountains beyond.
