SDG13
NCKU Launches Taiwan’s First Near-Zero Carbon Building Course with MOENV and MOI
As the first of its kind in Taiwan, this course serves as a major policy benchmark. Spanning specialized fields such as building energy conservation and net-zero transition, integrating instructors with both professional credentials and practical experience is no easy task. By assembling leading experts in architecture and net-zero initiatives to pioneer this specialized class, NCKU actively responds to the 2050 Net-Zero Transition policy, embodying a concrete step in translating government policy frameworks into talent development and practical implementation.
In his remarks, Director and Vice President Liang-Ming Whang expressed gratitude to NERA for its long-term support of NCKU’s net-zero green-collar talent initiatives, as well as to ABRI for its strong backing in extending training into the specialized field of near-zero carbon buildings. He also extended special thanks to Distinguished Professor Yaw-Shyan Tsay, Associate Dean of the College of Planning and Design, and Distinguished Professor Tzu-Ping Lin of the Department of Architecture for their dedication to curriculum planning—holding numerous discussions over weekends and staying closely connected even while traveling abroad—ultimately uniting inter-ministerial and interdisciplinary resources to bring this course to fruition.
ABRI Director-General Jung-Chin Wang noted that enrollment reached six times the originally planned capacity, requiring a last-minute venue change to accommodate the surge—demonstrating intense public interest in near-zero carbon building training. Praising NCKU’s faculty lineup, he pointed out that the Low-Carbon Building Label and the Building Energy-Efficiency Rating System are the "two key instruments" driving the MOI’s near-zero carbon building policy. With Professor Tzu-Ping Lin’s deep expertise in green buildings and energy efficiency, and Professor Yaw-Shyan Tsay’s specialization in low-carbon building labeling, having both renowned domestic authorities teach the course is a rare opportunity for participants to thoroughly master key frameworks and practices.
NERA Deputy Director-General Shu-Hsing Hung remarked that NCKU brought out its "top-tier elite" for this program, assembling premier instructors and pooling leading expertise in near-zero carbon architecture. Noting that developing such a specialized curriculum requires substantial coordination of course design and faculty resources, she thanked NCKU along with Professors Lin and Tsay for their preparation efforts, enabling trainees to systematically acquire professional knowledge in the field.
Led by Distinguished Professor Tzu-Ping Lin of NCKU’s Department of Architecture—who also serves as a member of the Presidential Office’s National Climate Change Committee—the program was co-designed with ABRI by bringing together architecture faculty from NCKU and Chaoyang University of Technology (CYUT). The teaching team includes NCKU Distinguished Professors Tzu-Ping Lin and Yaw-Shyan Tsay, NCKU Associate Professor Chen-Yu Pan, and CYUT Architecture Professor Po-Yen Kuo, covering building sustainability, embodied carbon, building energy efficiency, and equipment energy performance.
Immediately following the opening ceremony, Professor Tzu-Ping Lin delivered the inaugural lecture titled "Architectural ESG: Sustainable Environmental Development," exploring sustainability and net-zero transition from an architectural perspective. Balancing policy trends, regulatory instruments, and practical applications, the curriculum covers sustainable architecture and net-zero environmental development, embodied carbon (EC) inventory and labeling systems, building energy-efficiency ratings and operational carbon (OC) strategies, as well as energy-efficiency diagnostics and evaluation for building equipment. Through systematic professional training, the program equips participants with whole-life-cycle carbon reduction concepts and practical tools to foster the talent needed for the building sector's net-zero transition.
Since 2025, NCKU has partnered with the MOENV to advance the Net-Zero Green-Collar Talent Cultivation Program, co-establishing the Southern Regional Training Center with NERA. Uniting 15 universities and colleges across Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung, NCKU has built a regional green-collar training network. In addition to offering foundational courses, on-campus specialized credit programs, and dedicated classes for corporate and public-sector personnel, the university has expanded its focus this year to key areas such as resource circulation and near-zero carbon buildings, developing value-added courses tailored to industrial and policy needs.
The launch of this "Near-Zero Carbon Building" value-added course signifies the maturation of the green-collar talent cultivation framework, extending from foundational literacy to specialized domain training. Moving forward, NCKU will continue to integrate interdisciplinary faculty and industry-government-academia resources in accordance with national net-zero policies and industry demands, deepening specialized green-collar education to build a solid talent foundation for Taiwan’s 2050 Net-Zero Transition.
Group photo at the opening ceremony. Front row, from left: Yaw-Shyan Tsay, Associate Dean of the College of Planning and Design at NCKU; Tzu-Ping Lin, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Architecture; Liang-Ming Whang, Director of the Headquarters of University Advancement and Vice President for R&D; Jung-Chin Wang, Director-General of the Architecture and Building Research Institute (ABRI), Ministry of the Interior; Shu-Hsing Hung, Deputy Director-General of the National Environmental Research Academy (NERA); and Chieh-Hung Lin, Deputy CEO of the Taiwan Architecture & Building Center (TABC).
Instructor of the inaugural session: Tzu-Ping Lin, Distinguished Professor of the Department of Architecture at NCKU.
NCKU faculty for the Near-Zero Carbon Building course: Distinguished Professor Yaw-Shyan Tsay (left) and Distinguished Professor Tzu-Ping Lin of the Department of Architecture.
