Kao Erh-pan (高而潘), one of the first-generation of post-war architects in Taiwan, passed away on Nov. 14 at the age of 95. Upon hearing the news, Culture Minister Lee Yung-te (李永得) expressed his condolences and stated that Kao was a practitioner and teacher of architecture for years, and created numerous works that reflected the progress and achievements of Taiwan's society, economy and culture since the 1960s.
Kao was born in 1928 in Taipei and graduated from the Department of Architecture of the Taiwan Provincial College of Engineering (now National Cheng Kung University) in 1951. After passing the civil service senior examinations for architects and industrial technicians, Kao took up a teaching position at the Department of Architecture at Tamkang University and Chinese Culture University. In 1966, Kao established an architectural firm. He previously served as the president of the Taipei Architects Association and National Architects Association.
Kao's works includes a wide range of genres and can be found all over Taiwan, such as the Hu Shih's Graveyard, New Tamsui Golf Club, Yue Li Lodge, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, CTS Building and many others. He won several awards for his works, including the 1980 and 1984 editions of the Taipei Municipal Design Excellence Award and the 15th edition of the Taiwan Architect Magazine Award for International Cooperation Excellence in 1993, and more.
According to MOC, Kao donated more than 8,000 pieces of his architectural drawings to NTM, adding to its collection of iconic post-World War II Taiwanese buildings, as the museum began its effort to digitize valuable historical records of Taiwan in 2007. In 2020, NTM held the "Foresights: the special exhibition of the masterpieces by architect Kao Erh-pan" and also published an exhibition monograph.