Advancing Green Building Education In China
The province of Jiangsu has been a leading advocator in China for the promotion of green building development. Following this trend, the Jiangsu provincial branch of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) and the International Green Building Alliance have launched a program named The Experts Opinion on Green Building in December 2021. In March 2022, Jiangsu MOHURD moved these efforts forward with a new program for public education on green building, supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Urban and Rural Construction Vocational College.
Through engagement with Jiangsu MOHURD, FII China promoted the cooperation programs that have been developed with universities and colleges in Jiangsu, such as the training program established with Jiangsu Provincial Urban and Rural Construction Vocational College, which culminated in the Nearly-Net Zero Energy Consumption (NNZ) demonstration project built in partnership with Canada Wood China (CW China). As Jiangsu MOHURD prepared to launch new green building programs, they invited FII China and CW China to participate in an expert panel to present how wood could serve as a solution for the green development and introduce the NNZ demonstration project built at the college. The Tech team of CW China responsible for the project gave a presentation on the planning, design and construction of the project to introduce the advantages of wood in carbon reduction throughout the life-cycle of projects.
Due to the pandemic-related lockdowns, the event was carried out on-line on May 9, 2022. In addition to the participation of officials from the Jiangsu MOHURD, students and faculty from the college, the expert panel was also broadcasted publicly to industry professionals. The participating speakers included a senior fellow of the China Academy of Engineering, the deputy director general of Jiangsu MOHURD, the principal of Jiangsu Provincial Urban and Rural Construction Vocational College, provincial design masters, and an expert from Nanjing Tech University. CW China was the only external organization invited to participate.
It is worth noting that in the presentation by the deputy director general of Jiangsu MOHURD, he also highlighted the joint declaration initiated in the first Jiangsu-Canada Green and Low Carbon Development Summit that was organized by FII China and the Jiangsu Foreign Affairs Office in 2021. The International Green Building Alliance and CW China made the joint declaration together with 24 partner organizations to promote the advantages of wood construction as a solution for Jiangsu’s green and low carbon development.
Changzhou Sino-Canada Nearly Net Zero Demonstration Project details
Location: Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Size: 592 m2
Developer: Jiangsu Provincial Urban and Rural Construction Vocational College
Architects: Jiangsu Urban Construction College Architectural Planning and Designing Institute
This project is a two-storey guesthouse with a light wood-frame structure covering a building area of 592 m2 with glue-laminated timber used in the main hall and the entrance. It is China’s first wood-frame nearly net-zero energy project, which serves as an important milestone for the government’s endorsement of wood’s contribution to energy efficiency in the construction sector.