ZYF Construction Group Headquarters

The new headquarters for the Zhongyifeng (ZYF) Construction Group was developed in partnership with ZYF, Shanghai Electric Matechstone (MTS) and Canada Wood China. To transform and upgrade its business model supporting Chinese prefabrication policies, ZYF was seeking new technologies and new products to feature as a case study for their new head office building. They were interested to integrate the Matechstone Prefab Energy Cladding (PEC) 2.0 system developed by MTS as energy-saving technology.

This project is built with 80 m³ of Canadian SPF, reinforcing the possibilities for hybrid prefab construction in China and opening new opportunities for Canadian wood in the mainstream building sector. CW China provided technical support and lumber materials to the project as an opportunity to demonstrate the use of precast concrete structures with the MPEC system for a commercial project with the large-scale office building of one of the largest contractors in Suzhou.

Energy saving and Carbon benefits

• Building operations are responsible for 28% of global energy-related carbon emissions. According to the developer’s requirement, the office building is designed according to the Chinese standard for “three-star green buildings,” which could also be considered as a nearly net-zero energy building. By relying heavily on efficiency and renewable energy, net-zero energy buildings align with China’s goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060. Wood in-fill walls offer significant benefits for the measurement and management of energy usage and carbon emissions.

• CW China supported this project from the design phase, to optimize the design and connections, and to ensure the details for energy efficiency. CW China helped design the office to be energy efficient, especially with regards to wall insulation, airtightness and the ventilation system. On-site training was also provided to the construction team to help them problem solve and understand the importance of  quality construction procedures.

• CW China’s collaboration with MTS progressed from a test project in Changzhou to the development of the MPEC system 1.0 in the Taixing R&D center, to MPEC system 2.0 in the Rugao Intelligent Manufacturing Center. ZYF Construction Group Headquarters is the first external commercial project using MPEC system 2.0 as an energy-saving technology for office buildings. This shows a proof of concept for the MPEC infill wall systems, for new opportunities in non-residential and commercial building segments.