陳重仁 brought a panel that looked like stone. From a distance it had a gray mineral pattern; connected to a circuit, it could charge a phone. The object made the distinction behind building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) immediately visible: solar power was no longer equipment mounted on a building but part of the building material itself.

Once photovoltaics become a building material, the criteria change. A roof or façade must first keep out water, resist wind and fire, while a window must also admit light and control heat. Electricity generation is an added function on top of those duties. 陳重仁 therefore separated building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) from BIPV: the former adds equipment to a completed building; the latter must resolve the interfaces among materials, structure, mechanical and electrical systems, and appearance from the design stage onward.

Taiwan's Standards for the Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation Equipment on Buildings took effect in August 2026. They cover new construction, additions and alterations with at least 1,000 m² of total floor area and, in principle, require one kilowatt of equipment per 20 m². 陳重仁 told the audience that he had participated in the related interministerial discussions. His concern was not to restate the regulation, but to ask when photovoltaics first appear on the drawings: the later they are introduced, the less room architects and structural, mechanical and electrical teams have to adjust.

The most consequential part of the talk was the mismatch between the service life of the photovoltaic layer and that of the building envelope. 陳重仁 used a scale of roughly 20 years for photovoltaics and 30 to 50 years for a façade. If the two are permanently bonded, replacing the photovoltaic layer may require removing a wall that could otherwise remain in service. Whether the energy component and the building layer can be replaced and recycled at different times therefore becomes part of integrated design. A system with a higher initial cost also has to include maintenance, replacement and residual value across its life cycle before its real cost becomes visible.

The same interface determines engineering responsibility. If a fault lies in the photovoltaic device, wiring or connection, the façade contractor cannot be made responsible for every consequence. If waterproofing or attachment fails, the generating module cannot be the only object examined. 陳重仁 singled out fire responsibility because an accident is where previously blurred roles become most exposed.

Façades offer a large area, but specifications cannot multiply without limit. The talk described a practical path in which five to seven sizes might first be organized and then consolidated into three or four molds. Transparent zones preserve daylight; opaque zones carry more of the generating function. Design freedom does not disappear—it shares the same drawing with manufacturing, inventory and future replacement.

The talk also addressed LEED v5. A Core and Shell project seeking Platinum requires full electrification, higher energy efficiency, qualified renewable energy sufficient for all base-building energy use, and reductions in embodied carbon. These requirements do not resolve interfaces for the architect, but they make energy sourcing and material choices harder to postpone until after construction.

When the photovoltaic module needs replacement 20 years later, whether the façade can stay in place was already decided in the first design drawing. For BIPV, replacement is not a maintenance note added after completion. It is part of the building-material specification.

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