Department of Cultural Affairs

The “Red Building,” Taipei School of Industry

The Taipei School of Industry was originally the Lecture Hall of Industry, operating under the colonial Department of Civil Administration during the era of Japanese rule (1895-1945), and was reincorporated as the Provincial School of Industry in 1921. In its day the most prestigious industrial school in Taiwan, it offered courses in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and architecture, and played a key role in the Japanese colonial government’s industrial policy.
The school buildings were made mostly of redbrick and wood, and were gradually replaced with reinforced concrete structures over the years. Only one group of redbrick buildings remains today, standing as valuable historical evidence of the school’s original appearance. The structures were two stories in height, long and slender in shape, with protruding columns. Air vents under the windowsills were made with molded iron and engraved with the Provincial School of Industry logo. The masonry was of uniformly high quality, reflecting the era’s design aesthetic based on strict proportions.