China Water: July 8, 2008: Upscale Green Living in China.

As mentioned previously, it's official! Clean Air and Clean Water, or "Green Living" is now a luxury item in China and is being marketed as such.

Peter Huston
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Green living makes headway in China
By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-07 13:45


http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-07/07/content_6824708.htm

As environmental living becomes synonymous with high-end living, green buildings are making headway in China's construction industry as a solution for both environmental protection and market differentiation.

Motivated by the prospect, a small number of real estate developers in China are working to develop the Chinese concept of "green" and feed the growing demand among middle-class Chinese and foreigners for healthier living and working environments.

Embracing such a corporate strategy for the development of sustainable buildings, Shenzhen-based infrastructure and property developer Shenzhen Fountain Corporation has aligned itself with the green building industry in China. The company will develop LEED-registered residential buildings in Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Changsha in Hunan province, in order to bring world-class environmental standards to more Chinese people.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is an internationally accepted rating system and benchmark for evaluating and certifying sustainable sites, water and energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality.

The United States Green Building Council, a non-profit organization committed to sustainable building design and construction, developed the LEED.

The Shenzhen developer will cooperate with a US-based green building and design consulting firm Environmental Market Solutions Inc (EMSI) for LEED consulting and certification services for both projects.

With LEED certification, buildings are expected to bring both environmental and economic benefits. They can save 20 to 60 percent on energy consumption and enhance indoor comfort. With such returns-on-investment, LEED-certified buildings are highly competitive with other projects although they are comparatively pricier to build, says Zhou Yan, project manager from EMSI.

The incremental costs for the construction of LEED-certified buildings depend on different levels and may vary from 5 to 15 percent or more of the original estimate.

But by going green developers can build a competitive edge, which showcases their international status as well as environmental responsibility, says Zhou.



http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2008-07/07/content_6824708_2.htm
Page Two.

Green living makes headway in China
By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-07 13:45


"China's increasing appreciation of green has made green building certification sought-after for many real estate developers with an eye for market differentiation," Zhou says.

In partnership with USGBC for LEED projects in China, EMSI has been engaged in more than 20 green building projects that cover a total construction area of more than 5 million sq m.

China has one of the world's largest and fastest-growing construction industries. Statistics from McKinsey Global Institute show that China will build almost 40 billion sq of floor space over the next 20 years, requiring the construction of between 20,000 and 50,000 new skyscrapers.

The World Bank also estimates that by 2015, half of the world's new building construction will take place in China. By that time, urban China will account for 20 percent of the global energy consumption and up to one-quarter of the growth in oil demand and pulling environmental concerns right to the top of the government's agenda.

Pushed by rising environmental concern as well as the demand for better living environments, China has become increasingly interested in LEED and other international green building certification systems.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, for example, has introduced The Green Olympic Building Assessment System for the 2008 Olympics, which is modeled primarily on Japan's Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency and, to a lesser extent, LEED.

China has also developed its own green building certification system. Released on June 1, 2006, the Green Building Evaluation System officially defines eco-friendly buildings in China and has three rating levels looking at similar areas of environmental health.

Based on the average energy efficiency of buildings in 1980, the system sets minimum requirements on all new construction in China to decrease their energy use by 50 percent before 2010 and by 65 percent before 2020. But cities like Beijing and Tianjin have already raised their minimum requirement to 65 percent, according to Xu Qiang, chief engineer from Shanghai Research Institute of Building Sciences.

Such certification systems do not only address environmental issues, but also target long-term savings as well. The trend towards sustainable design and high-performance buildings has progressed in tandem with the demand for energy efficiency, says Xu.

According to Qiu Baoxing, deputy director of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, new constructions in China during the first 10 months of last year reduced the consumption of 5 million tons equivalent of coal. The momentum is expected to continue as buildings represent the greatest opportunity for considerable reductions in CO2 emissions, analysts say.

Yet despite the push, the green building industry in China has yet to win recognition from mass consumers, Xu notes.

"Many developers and consumers in China do not have a proper understanding of a building's green standards. Maintaining green lawns and clear swimming pools does not necessarily guarantee a minimum impact on the environment. The certification of a green building should cover the design, construction and operation of a building during its life," Xu says.

"Comfort, resource conservation, and overall environmental health are seen increasingly as the new standard for healthy living, and this is exactly the essence of green buildings," Xu adds. "We need more people to identify with such a life style, even if it comes at an additional cost. These people will help drive the market demand for green buildings."