Smart builders look to Germany for inspiration

China's demand for advanced building technologies will increase as it seeks to maintain economic growth and reduce carbon emissions, and Europe's experience in building industrialization could be helpful, experts say.

Building industrialization refers to an integrated and standard method stretching from architectural design to construction, and in which building components are made in factories and assembled on site.

With China's higher standards for conserving energy and cutting emissions, building industrialization has become attractive to many, given that it reduces construction times and damage to the environment and increases the longevity of buildings, says Liu Qianwei, chief engineer of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Construction.

"A lot of building industrialization technologies from Europe, North America and Japan have been introduced in China, and that is another leap for building industrialization in this country," Liu said at a forum in Shanghai recently.

In 2009, China promised to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 40 to 45 percent per unit of GDP by 2020 compared with 2005. But officials and experts have expressed concerns about whether, based on current progress, that goal can be reached.

The Financial Times in London reported recently that more than 70 cities and counties in China have given environmental protection priority over economic development.

Since last year the Shanghai municipal government has published several policy papers on promoting building industrialization in the region.

The government has asked all residential developers to meet the minimum requirements of green buildings in their new plans starting from the second half of this year. In addition, all new residential buildings in downtown areas must implement building industrialization by 2016.

Most of China's building technologies drew on those from the Soviet Union in the 1970s. Zhang Hua, president of Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design Co Ltd, says these technologies are poor in terms of earthquake resistance, waterproofing and retaining heat, and they are aesthetically outdated.

Buildings account for nearly half the energy consumption and gas emissions in China, and the construction phase accounts for nearly a quarter of the total energy consumption by buildings.

Building industrialization, on the other hand, will not only solve such issues by applying higher standards in building components manufacturing, but also significantly reduce water and energy consumption and lower PM2.5, or particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, a serious challenge for Chinese cities in recent years, Zhang says.

Experts estimate that building industrialization in China could help reduce energy use by 20 percent, water use by 60 percent and the volume of rubbish by 90 percent compared with current levels.

China and Europe are already working closely together on improving building technologies.

During the 2011 UK-China summit in London, Wang Shi, founder and chairman of China Vanke, one of the largest real estate companies in China, signed an agreement with the CEO of the Building Research Establishment to collaborate on green building technology, which has since been adopted to increase building industrialization in China.

Vanke Garden City in Shanghai, a residential real estate project on which green building technology has been used, has attracted widespread praise for its environmental friendliness.

In Germany over many years a fully integrated construction industry chain has developed that takes in architectural and engineering design, production techniques, logistics and transport, construction and installation, accessories and automation and information systems.

Christoph Angerbauer, general manager of the Shanghai office of the German Industry and Commerce Greater China, said at the forum in Shanghai: "Germany is renowned for its advanced building industrialization and has always been a leader in the research and practical application of building industrialization globally.

"The country is home to a considerable number of successful projects, civil and commercial. Well-developed building industrialization has greatly contributed to the sustainable development of German society and the country's economy."

The Shanghai International Building Industrialization Exhibition to be held at the Shanghai New International Exposition Center over three days from Oct 16 will showcase the industry's achievements and look at how Europe's building industrialization experience can be applied in China.

"We hope we can provide a platform for leading German and Chinese companies in the building industry to exchange knowledge, and improve the level of sustainable building technologies in China," Angerbauer says.

weitian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 09/12/2014 page20)