Taipei, May 21 (CNA) A Taiwanese professor of architecture at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology was recognized by a prestigious Japanese engineering organization as a lifetime member for his outstanding work, the university said Monday.

Cheng Cheng-li, 50, was awarded an International Honorary Membership on May 15 by the Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Sanitary Engineers of Japan (SHASE), becoming the first Taiwanese to receive such honor.

The organization gave out a total of three memberships this year. Professor James Fergus Nicol of England and Dr. Thomas Edward Watson of the United States were also recipients.

Cheng, who specializes in water supply and drainage systems for green buildings, is the youngest person ever to have received the honor, according to the university.

Cheng has been actively involved in promoting water conservation by establishing the Taiwan Toilet Organization in 1999 and the World Toilet Organization in 2001, respectively, the university said.

In 2009, Cheng was named by the University of Tokyo as a Global Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Regeneration Fellow in recognition of his contribution to Taiwan-Japan academic development.

SHASE was founded in 1917 and has over 20,000 professional members around the world. It has given memberships to 21 recipients from 12 countries, including Germany, Denmark, Brazil, and China.

(By Hsu Chih-wei and Hanna Liu)
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