MG Architects, a member of the Archenerg International Innovation Cluster for Renewable Energy, Machinery, and Construction, won with the Terravapor project, a concept titled "Investigation of the evaporative cooling application of porous materials (serial ceramics)". It proved to be the best among nearly 400 applications. We interviewed Márkus Lőrinc about the competition and his experiences in Taiwan.
The competition was extremely popular, with 396 applications from 45 countries, most notably from Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Poland, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia. We asked Márkus Lőrinc, a member of MG Architects, about his experiences and impressions.
– First of all, the Archenerg International Innovation Cluster for Renewable Energy, Machinery, and Construction congratulates you on your success. Can you tell our members about this competition?
– We are very pleased to have been able to participate in this international competition and that our project was awarded. Go Green with Taiwan 2024 is a Taiwanese competition open to entries from anywhere in the world until August 2024. Nearly 400 applications were submitted in total. The call for proposals invited companies and individuals to submit ideas that solve problems related to sustainability and the green transition using Taiwanese resources. This was an ideas competition where you could start with business ideas.
– What are your memories of the elements of the application and the competition? How do you imagine such an ideas competition in practice?
– The competition took place in 3 rounds. First, the applications had to be submitted online and went through a pre-selection. The second stage was the semi-final, where a video had to be created to present the team members and the idea. At the end of the semi-final, the projects that could participate in the final were selected.
The final round, the final, was held on December 10, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan, where 5 of the 6 selected finalists participated. Here the teams got to know each other, then participated in the final, where they had to present their project in 5 minutes to a multi-member jury. An important part of the presentation was to address the feasibility and cooperation with Taiwanese companies. This was followed by 10 minutes for the jury to formulate questions, and the competing teams also had 10 minutes to answer.
The results were announced the next day, the 11th, with the participation of company representatives, the press, and other professionals. The 3 winning applications that submitted the best application for the Go Green with Taiwan competition were announced at the final.
– Who participated from the Hungarian side in the winning application?
– On the Hungarian side, we started with MG Architects Kft. with the Terravapor project, with which we reached the final and won an award at the competition. Thus, we won the $20,000 grand prize and also had the opportunity for joint collaborations with Taiwanese companies. Our team started with 3 people, Dr. Márkus Gábor, Homolya Rita, and Márkus Lőrinc participated in the development of the Terravapor project.
– What is the Terravapor project about, what can we know about it? Could you summarize it for our partners?
– Within the Terravapor project, we are designing a passive cooling technology that can produce cooling without external resources (electricity). This solution is based on 3 main physical principles: evaporation, Bernoulli's law, and shading. Our innovation is that we build passive cooling walls from special bricks in front of the outdoor units of air conditioners, which can reduce the energy consumption of air conditioners and less cooling would be needed. We plan to use this passive cooling wall for the construction of other facilities as well, such as bus stops or sports facilities.
– What were your experiences and what programs were there during the time you spent there?
– In the 2-3 days following the competition, the organizers organized programs for the finalist teams. We visited various companies, for example, we were also able to present the finalist presentations to the leader of the Circular Taiwan Network, followed by a joint discussion. We were also received at the office of the Makalot company, where they presented the innovative solutions on which the company is working. They also showed us a library building that was built according to the "green house" principles. In addition to the many interesting professional programs, we also visited museums and tried a thermal water bath (hot spring).