If you've seen a construction site in California in the past 10 years, you've seen that sustainable building practices are being implemented to some extent. This comes as no surprise to those in the California construction industry. Not only has the California government historically focused on environmental issues such as fuel efficiency and reducing energy consumption, the state has also taken the lead in green building practices: among the nation's buildings are buildings that comply with the global green building rating system LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) The 15% is both in California, and the system was certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009.
But with the launch of the landmark new building code "California Green Energy Building Standards" in January this year, California has taken another big step in the direction of more sustainability. Today, it has the greenest building standards of any state in the United States (previous green building codes were only adopted in American cities, but this is the first time that the codes have been implemented across the state). And more importantly, it is mandatory. Now that California has taken action, will other states follow suit and introduce similar mandates? Will California's example help other countries become more environmentally conscious when it comes to construction?
The California Green Building Standards establish a series of sustainability measures for new buildings constructed in the state. The code includes mandated reductions in water use—less than the previous California Building Code Code, 20%—and the use of paint, carpeting, flooring and other materials that emit less pollution. It also requires that construction waste disposed of in landfills must be reduced by 50%, and local officials must oversee energy management systems to ensure that heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems meet energy efficiency standards.
Since building energy consumption accounts for 40% in the United States, and the energy consumption of the building and building materials industry is 12% higher than this proportion, California officials hope to use the newly implemented regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to pre-1990 levels by 2020. The goal is to reduce it to the 1990 level of 80% in 2050. It is also hoped that the new regulations will reduce the amount of construction waste in landfill, which is currently estimated to be 2.5 to 4 tons per household.
The "California Green Energy Building Standards" are similar to LEED to a certain extent. LEED is the world's most well-known green building evaluation mechanism, but there is an important difference between the two. LEED is voluntary and rewards excellence, but California's new code system is mandatory: green standards are effectively included in the state's building codes. Walker Wells, an architect and green city project director at the environmental NGO Global Green USA, said: “The impact of the California Green Building Standards has been huge. It made these things that were once foreign become official regulations...It stipulates that green environmental protection has already Becoming an integral part of the design and construction of California buildings sets a national precedent."
David Walls, executive director of the California Building Standards Council, the organization that promotes the California Green Energy Building Standards project, revealed that the code has become a milestone in sustainable building projects. He said: "No other states or cities have implemented or adopted green building codes. Some have adopted some LEED-based measures, but they have not broken through and have not formulated specific requirements like us. Many people have said This is a big step in the right direction.”
Many hope this "step" will take place beyond California's borders in the next few years. “People are used to LEED and take it for granted,” said Abhishek Lal, project manager at Building Energy Corporation in Washington. “The California Green Energy Building Standards make people look at it in a different light, and it also raises questions for the business community. Challenge. I think the California Green Building Standards reset the goals of the green building industry in a way that no other part of the country has done.”
The California Green Energy Building Standards can also provide a blueprint for other countries. Internationally, cities such as Dubai and Singapore have introduced mandatory regulations, but most regions still rely on resource certification systems to promote green building projects: in addition to LEED, there are various types of complex and overlapping and even sometimes There are conflicting building standards, such as the British Building Research Organization's "Environmental Assessment Method" (BREEAM), which was designed by the United Kingdom in 1990 and is now widely used in Europe; and Australia's Green Star.
In China, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MoHURD) established a three-star rating system in 2006, another voluntary program in which buildings are rated one, two, and three stars in six aspects: Land use efficiency, energy utilization, water resource utilization, resource utilization, environmental quality and operation management.
"China's green building industry is developing rapidly," said Zhai Chaoqin, technical director of EMSI Asia Green Building Consulting. "There are two main assessment systems in the certification market: China Green Building Design Label (three-star) and LEED, while green mark In other systems, only a few projects have passed.”
Zhai Chaoqin said that as a new face in the field of green building certification, the Samsung rating system has rapidly entered the Chinese market since its implementation. As of October 2010, it has 54 certification projects. However, officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development cautioned that widespread use of the three-star rating system is still limited by several factors: a lack of technical integration; that the standard should be promoted in more public buildings; and that local and national green building standards may There are conflicts etc.
One way for countries like China to make their fragmented green building markets work more efficiently may be to introduce self-codified standards like the California Green Energy Building Standards, although this goal is still some time away. "So far, I have not seen any intention from relevant departments to write green building codes. Relevant industries in China do not yet know about the California Green Energy Building Standards." Zhai Chaoqin said.
Today, LEED is still the default standard for green building practitioners in China, especially when many of China's green buildings are often located in major cities as key projects and involve international designers and consultants. For example, the recently completed Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou is known as one of the most energy-efficient skyscrapers in the world. It uses integrated wind turbines for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. It was designed by Chicago-based SOM Architectural Design Company.
"We have seen LEED being recognized in China from aspects such as evaluating building designs, and our current project clients require us to comply with LEED standards to a certain extent. They have seen the green innovations we have already made in the United States, including LEED-related matter," said Mark Sakishan, director of structural engineering at SOM's San Francisco office.
He also added that sustainable construction is an important topic in China, and many of SOM's Chinese customers and local authorities are interested in aligning designs with LEED standards. "We will take over some urban planning work in China, which will involve sustainable development issues on a larger scale." He said.
In addition to the development of China's three-star standards, collaboration with international design and consulting organizations will enhance China's green building standards in the coming years. "We have seen progress and future development. China has a good opportunity to develop a high-standard green building evaluation system." Sakishan said, "Some companies in the United States have seen this opportunity and are truly committed to it. , and I think this will happen. If Chinese and foreign design companies continue to promote these sustainable building concepts, it will have a significant impact on the built environment.”
If the United States could make mandatory green building standards the norm, it could greatly enhance the effectiveness of this effort.
— Source: Environmental Information Center
