Sustainable renovation

The largest ever renovation of houses built before 1980 in Beijing over the coming five years is an antidote to the long controversial nationwide demolition-construction model of the past decades.

The Beijing government will invest more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in consolidating and renovating about 40 million square meters of old buildings constructed before 1980, making them strong enough to resist earthquakes, more energy efficient and updating facilities.

This renovation, according to the plan, will extend the life span of these old buildings, including hospitals, schools, kindergartens, shopping malls and residential buildings, by at least 10 years. The space of an old apartment will increase by 10 sq m and energy intensity will be reduced by two-thirds.