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intelligent
building solutions to promote energy
efficiency in the chinese booming construction
sector –
ecobuild media
roundtable with experts on energy efficient
building from Germany and China |
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Prof. Xu Jihuan from the Shanghai
Pacific Energy Center of Tongji University
Shanghai, Mr. Thomas Dittert, architect
from Dittert und Reumschuessel, Hamburg,
Germany, and expert in the frame of
the ecobuild
project, Dipl. Ing. Robert Meierhans,
Swiss professor at the Department of
Urban Design at Wuhan University, and
Dr. Roland Winkler, coordinator of ecobuild
shanghai 2006, met with local media
representatives in Shanghai on Thursday
23 November 2005. |
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After an introduction of the ecobuild
project from Dr. Roland Winkler, Prof.
Xu Jihuan illustrated the actual building
situation in China. Before 1990s, the
central government only allowed the
heating of buildings in the northern
part of China, above the Yangtze river.
In the course of economic development,
these restrictions were dropped, and
heating in the southern part has driven
a growing rate of energy demand in the
whole country. |
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Finding ways to promote energy saving
in a sector that consumes about half
of China’s total energy, is the
aim of ecobuild
shanghai 2006: therefore, this
roundtable provided an opportunity for
experts from various background to exchange
views and address the press. |
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Thomas Dittert informed the journalists
about the actual building situation
in Germany. Since two years, there is
a new law on energy saving which encourages
insulation and heating systems.
Passive housing, a new concept of low
energy housing, offer a very good insulation
in windows, walls and roofs and always
a closed air conditioning system. The
thickness of roofs, walls, basement
ceiling and windows is supposed to be
40, 30, 40 and 0, 7 cm respectively.
With these values, houses only need
15 kW/ hour/ sqm/ year of extra energy,
values which are reached by more than
5000 one-family houses in Germany so
far. |
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A group of researchers around Dr.
Wolfgang Feist in Darmstadt, Germany,
set the standard for passive housing
in the early 1990s: passive houses need
almost no outside energy and don’t
need an active heating system. The amount
of houses build on this model in Germany
is increasing fast, meanwhile in other
countries, other standards have been
developed, such as the LEED, Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design,
in the USA. |
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Prof. Xu cited the example of an old
temple in Nanjing to explain that passive
housing, a new concept in China, has
been implemented in Chinese traditional
building in the past. Entering the temple
the visitor feels as if the room is
air-conditioned, cool in summer and
warm in winter. A harmonious composition
in terms of openings and orientation
of the building leads to a comfortable
indoor climate without any use of air-conditioning.
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Costs for building passive housing
in Germany are at the moment eight to
ten percent higher than the one for
standard building, due to requirements
in terms of insulation and other techniques.
Return on investment occurs about 10-15
years later, considering that there
is no increase in energy prices, according
to Thomas Dittert. Examples from China
were mentioned by Dr. Winkler, such
as one project of the ecobuild, in Pujiang,
where pay back period is calculated
to be as short as 4-5 years on an office
building. |
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Robert Meierhans, Swiss Professor
at the China Academy of Building Research
in Beijing and Professor at the newly
founded Department of Urban Design in
Wuhan, presented his recommendations
for the Chinese building sector. Prof.
Meierhans is also an advisor of the
Ministry of Construction of China in
Beijing concerning energy efficiency
in buildings. |
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Open windows for ventilation and lack
of wall insulation, a common practice
in China, promote a wasteful usage of
energy. |
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Solutions to improve energy efficiency
in buildings could include:
- Outside insulation
- Flexible outside shading
- Air tight building shells and mechanical
ventilation with energy recovery
- Indoor mass coupling |
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The concrete core cooling system is
increasingly being used in China. The
region “Hot summers and cold winters”
would be suited to use this technology;
however it must come along with sufficient
insulation. |
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A concrete example of building where
these technologies have been used is
the MOMA in Beijing. This project’s
construction costs where not higher
than other developments of same standard,
and sold at higher value. |
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In the end, Prof. Xu presented the
projects that the Shanghai Pacific Energy
Center has been involved in, including
developments for more energy efficient
buildings: a shopping mall in Harbin,
an apartment building complex in Shenzhen,
a research center in Beijing and the
second terminal of the Pudong airport
in Shanghai. |
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Journalists from Oriental Morning
Post, Xinming Evening News, Shanghai
Daily, the Bund, Hunter, and Time +
Architecture were present at this expert
and media roundtable and questions followed
on the various views on how to promote
energy efficiency. |
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This event has been organized in the
frame of the ecobuild,
a cooperation project between the cities
of Hamburg and Shanghai: ecobuild
is an awareness
raising campaign resulting in an exhibition
of buildings projects, showcasing
innovative techniques and technologies
for ecological building on various building
types in several districts of Shanghai.
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ecobuild press roundtable with Thomas
Dittert, Prof. Robert Meierhans, and
Prof. Xu Jihuan. |
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