August 30^th, 2010 was the 20^th anniversary of the opening of the China World Trade Center in Beijing. It was also the grand opening of the new tallest building in the city—the China World Trade Center III, winner of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Standard for its energy efficiency. The China World Trade Center III, which joined the directory of LEED certified buildings in May of 2008 under the Core and Shell 2.0 standard, features energy-efficient LED lighting structures and “fritted glass and metal fins” to conserve energy and direct sunlight, maximizing indoor lighting. The building, a project designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill SOM and engineering company Arup houses commercial space, restaurants, a hotel, and recreational space in addition to a rooftop pine garden and waterscapes that are open to the public.

The China World Trade Center III is one of many new projects in Beijing that have caught the public eye for the utilization of LEED standards in design, construction and operation. In 2006 China Dialogue reported that the first LEED project in China—the ACCORD21 Building—was completed in western Beijing in 2004. The 10-story office building utilized 70% less energy than buildings of a similar size and saves 10,000 tons of water a year. The report mentioned that in all of China, as of the time of writing (2006), there were only three other LEED certified buildings, located in Suzhou, Harbin and Shenzhen. The China Dialogue article also mentioned a few projects in construction in Beijing, one of which was the Modern MOMA complex, also known as the Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl, which was completed in 2009. Linked Hybrid is one of the largest residential complexes in the world to utilize a geothermal heating system.

The China Business Review provides a comprehensive analysis of the green construction industry and LEED buildings and consultation services in China. Since the time of the CBR article’s writing, the “green bar” in China has been raised even higher, especially with China’s commitment to improving its air and water quality. Lower energy requirements translate to a reduced use of power that is mostly generated by fossil fuels. Water-conserving and harvesting installations are appealing in a country that is water scarce. There definitely is economic incentive in sustainability. However the dialogue on how effective green building regulation given China’s national situation is divided: although intentions are often good, it is still relatively more difficult to obtain appropriate, standardized building materials in Beijing than in New York, there is often miscommunication between design and engineering companies and construction firms, and fundamental misunderstandings of the “green building” concept.

In preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China made a big push for more energy and water efficient buildings, despite the China Ministry of Construction’s former dislike of the word “green”, which had (and in many cases, still continues to be) falsely utilized to give new projects a feeling of modernity without adopting the appropriate techniques to ensure a standardized level of sustainability. The LEED standards are more and more filling the role of standardization in China. From the few LEED certified projects documented in 2006, the official LEED directory now officially lists 48 projects in Beijing alone. The growing number of companies seeking LEED certified engineers and foreign collaborators on green construction projects are a testament to LEED’s acceptance as a standard of the future of construction and planning in China.

Tags: LEED
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