Strong cybersecurity practices and early certification efforts are helping Taiwan lead smart building innovation.

Taiwan is carving out a leadership role in smart building innovation, blending cybersecurity vigilance with pioneering certification programs. As global demand for intelligent infrastructure rises, Taiwan’s early moves position it as both a technology provider and a standard-setter in Asia and beyond.

As smart building technologies have evolved, Taiwan’s Internet of Things (IoT) manufacturers, innovators, and service providers have emerged as important players in regional and global supply chains.

While Taiwanese companies have contributed cutting-edge know-how to smart buildings, the island’s industry associations have helped form regional alliances to guide policymaking toward a long-term strategy.

Among Taiwan’s most prominent examples of intelligent architecture is Taipei 101, the iconic skyscraper that has evolved into a model for sustainable high-rise development. In 2011, Taipei 101 became the tallest building in the world to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification for existing buildings.

The tower integrates a sophisticated Building Management System (BMS) to monitor and optimize energy usage across lighting, HVAC, and water systems. Additional features such as low-flow water fixtures, rainwater harvesting, and an energy-efficient curtain wall contribute to substantial resource savings.

But buildings don’t need to be new to be smart. Proving this thesis is the Taiwan Power Building, headquarters of Taipower in Taipei. Originally completed in 1983, the building has since undergone significant upgrades to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability through digital integration. The adoption of an Intelligent Building Energy Management System, upgrades to the air conditioning system, and creation of a green data center have together enabled annual electricity savings of 1.6 million kilowatt-hours and water savings of nearly 4,000 metric tons.

In recognition of these achievements, the building received LEED Platinum certification for existing building renovations, making it Taiwan’s oldest LEED-certified structure and a leading example of how legacy assets can be adapted to meet modern environmental and operational standards.

Elevated intelligence

One recurring theme in conversations with industry stakeholders in Taiwan is the need to move beyond a narrow view of smart buildings as purely automated systems. While automation plays a key role in managing routine functions, it falls short of enabling the adaptability required to meet the changing needs of occupants.

Instead, intelligent buildings should be developed and seen as systems that are capable of learning from and adapting to real-time variables, such as occupancy, weather, and even the mental and physical well-being of occupants. Incorporating energy efficiency, sustainability, security, and human-centric solutions would further elevate smart buildings from simpler automated systems to truly life-enhancing environments.

“Smart buildings are becoming more emotionally aware and capable of adapting not only to schedules but to people’s states of mind and physical needs,” says Paul Cheng, chief strategy officer of the Taiwan Intelligent Building Association (TIBA). “The buildings of the future won’t just know what time it is – they will know how you feel and will respond accordingly.”

Examples of these features include circadian-aware lighting, personalized thermal and acoustic comfort, touchless voice and gesture control, and biometric sensing for stress, fatigue, and focus, says Cheng, who is also the global solution manager for Delta Electronics, a leading Taiwanese provider of smart building tech.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, indoor health quality has become a top priority. Cheng says that smart buildings can actively monitor and optimize indoor air quality, temperature, humidity, lighting quality, and occupancy levels for overcrowding or space usage. In workplaces, IoT-driven environments are playing an increasingly important role in shaping employee performance, wellness, and job satisfaction.

“It’s about creating environments that are adaptive and sustainable to the human experience,” says Cheng.

Industry experts cite Taiwan’s aging population as a key demographic for smart building and IoT solutions providers to target. This year Taiwan officially becomes a “super-aged society,” with at least 20% of the population aged 65 or above. Exacerbated by declining birth rates, the growth of this graying population poses significant challenges to society, calling for ways to effectively leverage IoT technology in public and private spaces to support the elderly and their care networks while reducing pressure on healthcare systems.

However, a certain level of digital literacy is essential to the adoption of smart facilities, ensuring that users – particularly the elderly – can comfortably interact with these technologies and fully benefit from the enhancements they offer.

“Over the past few years, I think more elderly people have become interested in going online,” says Jofan Yu, managing director and CEO of Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC), a nonprofit organization under Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs responsible for parts of the island’s internet infrastructure, including management of “.tw,” Taiwan’s country code top-level domain for websites.

Yu notes that the openness among Taiwan’s elderly to embrace online and remote healthcare options has increased since the pandemic. “But there are physical and mental challenges to accessing [the internet] and using devices,” she says. “I think IoT can be really beneficial in helping the elderly to overcome some of these issues. It’s about creating the right environment.”

Taiwan possesses outstanding internet infrastructure and high levels of penetration, says Yu. With about 60% of connections using the most recent Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), placing Taiwan 12th worldwide in penetration rates and enabling vastly more devices to connect to the internet. There is also considerable expertise across a broad range of key areas.

“With good domain knowledge and service applications, I think Taiwan has strong advantages in terms of IoT development,” says Yu.

Another key resource supporting the development and operation of digital healthcare products and services is the maintenance of extensive, centralized databases, such as the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), says Yu. Containing detailed information on the disease burden and healthcare processes of nearly all of Taiwan’s residents, the NHIRD and other government databases provide a strong foundation for future innovations aimed at addressing the most pressing healthcare challenges.

From security to leadership

For companies such as Winhome, a provider of communication products that integrate with embedded systems and network technology, data security should be at the heart of any approach to smart buildings. “While cost and convenience are always important – especially for many Taiwanese – they must sometimes be secondary [factors],” says Vivian Ke, senior consultant at Winhome. “The priority should always be safety and security.”

Onsite data collection and storage, powerful encryption tools, and reinforced endpoint protection of IoT devices are all part of a security-first strategy, which Ke emphasizes is a “core value” for the company.

In Taiwan, security considerations must inevitably account for potential threats from hostile state actors, particularly in government buildings and critical public services. The rise of smart building technology has dramatically increased the number of potential vulnerabilities that threat actors could exploit. In response, Winhome – which last year received substantial investment from the National Development Fund under Taiwan’s Executive Yuan – pursues a strict “100% made in Taiwan” policy.

TWNIC’s Yu supports paying heightened attention to cyber threats despite the rewards of expanded connectivity, noting that part of her job is to “promote digital policies, including privacy and cybersecurity regulations, that are in line with global development.”

Nonetheless, Taiwan’s unique circumstances must be considered. This is particularly the case when it comes to the government’s intentions to ramp up AI and IoT development and integration across sectors, consequently creating more vulnerabilities. “For Taiwan, which is attacked heavily and intentionally, this is especially important,” Yu says. “If you have IoT and smart buildings, they become points for cybersecurity.”

Emphasizing that national approaches to IoT regulation vary significantly, Yu says that “in some jurisdictions, regulations may require certain operators to grant authorities broad access to data from connected devices.” These secret or built-in access points in a device’s hardware or software allow an outsider, like a foreign government or private user, to discreetly monitor, control, or extract information whenever they want. “So that becomes a further concern.”

TIBA’s Cheng stresses the importance of maintaining domestic control over the IoT industry to ensure that data remains within Taiwan’s jurisdiction, calling it “a fundamental element of national infrastructure protection.” He points to occupancy behavior, energy use patterns, surveillance footage, and facility access as examples of sensitive data that could be vulnerable to compromise.

Still, he notes that these circumstances create an opening for Taiwan to become a “global influencer and standard-setter” in smart building tech. In fact, Taiwan showed early leadership in the field, becoming the first country in the world to introduce smart building certification through the Taiwan Intelligent Building Label, first introduced by the Architecture and Building Research Institute under the Ministry of the Interior in 2004.

The system analyzes metrics such as ICT infrastructure, system integration, security automation, safety, and user convenience and comfort. The recognition structure comprises five levels: Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Similar frameworks, such as WiredScore, a certification system launched by the company of the same name with support from then–New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013, and its spin-off SmartScore (2021) for intelligent architecture, emerged much later.

“At a time when most countries were only beginning to establish energy-efficient or green buildings, Taiwan had already created a formal, technology-based rating system for smart buildings,” says Cheng. He points out that Taiwan’s regulations now require buildings valued at over NT$200 million (US$6.2 million) to receive intelligent building certification under the system.

Taiwan’s early progress is important, he says, not only because of the “first-mover advantage” it confers but also because it has created a wealth of data rooted in real-world testing in public and commercial buildings, including schools. “Most importantly, it laid the groundwork for Taiwan to influence regional policy discussions.”

With this in mind, TIBA was instrumental in establishing the Asia Pacific Intelligent Green Building Alliance alongside like-minded associations across the region (including four from China). One of the alliance’s goals is to develop an Asia-centered smart building ratings system comparable to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification, which provides a framework for designing, constructing, and operating buildings sustainably.

Another inspired rating system is the WELL Building Standard, which focuses on health and wellness in buildings, such as comfort, water quality, and lighting, by the New York-based International WELL Building Institute. In positioning Taiwan as a regional hub, such initiatives will facilitate Taiwan’s shift from a provider of technologies to a shaper of policies.

Inevitably, Taiwan’s new role will require contributions from all sectors. “Good collaboration between government, associations, and industry not only helps Taiwanese companies compete globally, but it also allows Taiwan to participate in the next wave of international smart building governance and development,” says Cheng.