Tangjiawan edifice aces energy-saving evaluations

The R&D building of Zhuhai Singyes (Xingye) New Energy Industrial Park in the Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone has become the city's first to obtain the Platinum Certificate for LEED Building Design & Construction (LEED BD+C:NC).

Covering more than 20,000 sq m, it is also the largest single building of its kind to be so honored in South China. The company manufactures and sells indium tin oxide films for touch-screen devices. It offers smart light-adjusting films and smart light-adjusting glasses for construction companies and building contractors; and smart light-adjusting projection systems for construction companies and users for commercial purposes, according to Bloomberg.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is the world’s top third-party evaluation system for high-performance green architecture. Developed by the non-profit US Green Building Council (USGBC), it covers design, construction, and operational aspects.

Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points across several areas that present sustainability. Based on the number of points achieved, a project then receives one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum.

LEED Platinum Certification [Photo courtesy South Plus]

Named "Green Yes," the 17-story edifice is located at Technology Innovation Coast in Tangjiawan Town. After three years for planning, design, and construction, it is now undergoing tests and adjustments.

The building was designed by the Zhongjing International (Zhuhai) Construction Design & Research Institute. It exemplifies ultra-low energy consumption by focusing on land, water, power, and materials conservation along with indoor environmental protection.

More than 40 innovative and 10 key technologies have been applied to the R&D building. They include an office construction-based smart micro-energy network, illumination energy saving, architectural adaptation, and mixed-mode ventilation developed and used for demonstrations. The technologies are all adaptable to the local environment, which is hot in summer and mostly warm in winter.

According to a project leader, the building is designed to consume 51 kWh of energy per sq m in a year, approximately one-third the average energy consumption of office buildings in Guangdong Province. However, test results forecast even lower actual consumption of 35 kWh per sq m. If realized, the project will far exceed requirements for an ultra-low energy consumption building.

The R&D building will next be nominated for the Green Building Evaluation Label (China Three Star), a voluntary national rating system in China administered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD).

Logic Zhuhai Eco Office Building in the Hi-Tech Zone received Gold certification in 2015 whereas Zhuhai Chief ITFC in Xiangzhou was pre-certified for Gold in 2014 as was Shizimen CBD Iconic Tower in 2011. China Communications Financial Plaza in Hengqin was pre-certified for Silver in 2015.

A check of the USGBC website shows that LEED certification currently is in progress for the Zhuhai Shizimen CBD Iconic Tower; Zhuhai Angsana Hotel in Xiangzhou; Zhuhai Art Museum on Lovers Avenue, and numerous other new buildings around the city.