Reviewing the development of sustainable residential areas in Beijing
On September 14, a review meeting was held to discuss research on carbon emissions reduction standards for residential areas in the Yanqing District of Beijing. The research is a special project overseen by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) on the topic of energy efficiency and green building, with the research led by China Real Estate Association (CREA). As a strategic partner of CREA, FII China is supporting the research project in areas related to wood construction practices. More than 40 experts from MOHURD, leading industry associations, universities, and real estate companies participated in the meeting, with representatives joining both online and offline.
On behalf of FII China, Senior Manager of Government Relations Yike Qin delivered a presentation to introduce Canadian best practices and international standards for green residential areas, using Brock Commons as a case study. During a panel discussion session hosted by FII China, experts discussed challenges and opportunities for the application of modern wood construction technologies in residential areas. Building with wood, as a low-carbon construction solution with environmental, health, and economic benefits, is becoming more and more popular with officials and industry experts in China.
The meeting was hosted at a conference hall in the Ba Da Ling National Forest Park, which provided the participants with first-hand experience of high-end wood projects. In addition, the meeting included a visit to the National Sliding Centre, as an iconic local wood project. The Centre featured a red cedar roof covering its entire length of 1.9 kilometers, with 16 curves that had different angles and slopes. The track included a vertical drop of 121 meters, equivalent to 47 floors high, where bobsleighs can reach a maximum speed of 134.4 kilometers per hour. As the first sliding track in China, it hosted the events for bobsleigh, skeleton and luge in Beijing Winter Olympics. The facilities are seeing ongoing use for practice by the Chinese national winter team and are open to visitors for recreational purposes.
Under China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, wood construction has been applauded as a green and low-carbon solution for the construction industry, which is a major source of carbon pollution. With greater attention spent on improving standards to reduce carbon emissions, the ability of wood to sequester carbon and serve as a carbon sink, as well as the environmental benefits of wood construction have highlighted its potential to serve as an important part of China’s efforts to reduce emissions and work towards carbon neutrality.