Happiness Dragon for You: Embracing the Spring with Carbon Reduction Actions

To celebrate the Lunar New Year, the New Taipei City Government transforms the lobby of its building with creative New Year decorations every year. It has incorporated sustainable and eco-friendly design principles since last year to enable recycling and reutilization of the installations. This year, in collaboration with National Taiwan University of Arts, the local design team led by Assistant Professor Li Wei-lang adopted the theme “Happiness Dragon for You.” The main visual design features two intertwined dragons soaring among clouds, symbolizing prosperity and akin to the dragon dance celebrations of the Lunar New Year, praying for favorable weather and peace for New Taipei City. Large spring couplets hang above the lobby, inviting citizens and children to weave through the dragons, taking photos and soaking in the festive atmosphere.




The twin dragons' main visual design was created with reuse in mind; the dragon's belly light boxes repurpose last year's rabbit lanterns, and the dragon's body can be disassembled into eight sofa chairs, with the dorsal fins becoming 17 cushions and backrests. After the Lunar New Year, these sofa chairs, cushions, and backrests will be donated to city-run kindergartens for continued use and can be borrowed for future events, promoting the reduction of one-time decoration waste and achieving the city's sustainability goals.




 Low-Carbon, Recyclable Materials Combined with SDGs Create the New Taipei U-GROUND

Recently, the Secretariat renovated the B1F public space of the city hall with minimal repairs, integrating the United Nations SDGs and circular economy principles to create a sustainable public space. This offers citizens and city employees a warm, comfortable, and vibrant inclusive space.

The redesigned B1F public space features new rest areas under the staircases on both sides, with wooden wall cabinets and furniture adding warmth. The seating is made from recyclable plastic crates and recycled yarn fabric, designed to be reconfigurable into seats, tables, and movable carts, accommodating over 20 different seating arrangements for reading, dining, and socializing to cater to the diverse needs of users. Additionally, to encourage eco-friendly practices among families, water dispensers and child-friendly washbasins are installed next to the staircases, enabling even young children to wash their hands independently, promoting hygiene and reducing the use of disposable tableware.



The B1F public space renovation was a collaborative design project between the Secretariat's City Hall Management Office, Bio architecture Formosana, and Ping Pong Interior Design, resulting in the New Taipei U-GROUND. The "U" stands for Circular and Underground, incorporating the spirit and color elements of the SDGs into the design. Features include a U-themed wall, U-ceiling signage, and SDGs display cabinets, providing citizens with a friendly and pleasant daily walking experience while subtly highlighting the space's educational function.


▲ After the renovation (right), the space introduces concepts of circular, low-carbon smart design, including a display cabinet for the United Nations SDGs, integrating sustainability into daily life. (Photo provided by Ping Pong Interior Design)

This renovation project embraces the circular economy concept, minimizing manual repairs and using low-carbon construction methods to reduce carbon footprints and waste, blending old and new materials for sustainable value. The construction had no impact on service operations and minimized pollution, indirectly encouraging the public to consider their contribution to sustainability while enjoying the space. Architect Lee Chin-wei stated that collaborating with the New Taipei City Government on this space transformation not only improved the environment but also incorporated educational elements into the design, marking a significant breakthrough for the designers.


▲ Before (left) and after (right) the renovation: the addition of a rest area increases seating capacity to over 20. (Photo provided by Ping Pong Interior Design)

A city's competitiveness and sustainability are closely linked. Yao Ching-Yu, the Director-general of the New Taipei City Government Secretariat, stated that the New Taipei City Government is the first in Taiwan to voluntarily review its achievements in promoting the United Nations SDGs. In managing spaces, the Secretariat continually explores how to achieve sustainability and inclusion. Examples include the award-winning Smart Energy Management Center; Taiwan's first gender equality base, including all-age-friendly, inclusive restrooms and the “All Gender NeST Room”; the Comma Lab for shared spaces; and shared parking spaces, among others. In the future, the New Taipei City Government will continue to create a friendly, sustainable, and inclusive city for its citizens through innovative and boundary-pushing thinking.


▲ After the renovation (right), recyclable plastic crates can be reconfigured into seats, tables, and movable carts, meeting diverse user needs. (Photo provided by Ping Pong Interior Design)