Conference on Tall Buildings China to Discuss Ways to Improve Building Sustainability in China

Conference will enhance industry's understanding of the latest building designs, construction and project management techniques that are shapingChina's skyline

BEIJING, Oct. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ --

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Discussions to focus on current and future regulations for tall building construction in China
• Attendees will have a unique opportunity to tour the site of the 220,000 square meter pedestrian-oriented Linked Hybrid complex, one of the largest green residential projects in the world
• Conference venue and dates to coincide with Facade Design and Engineering China 2011, presenting attendees with unique networking opportunities

With one tall building being erected every five days in China, the construction industry in this country is facing unique challenges as it grapples with new policies and regulations while meeting the demands of customers.

Like many of the world's leading economies, China has pledged to reduce the country's carbon footprint by introducing building regulations designed to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. However, some legislations are viewed as being counterproductive, such as the requirement for transparent areas of office buildings to consist of 30% of windows.

"The aim of the legislation is to foster natural ventilation, but because the code specifically mentions windows, it precludes the use of other measures, such as ventilators or louvers from being implemented," explains Jan F Clostermann, Director of the Sparch architect consultancy in Beijing. "In most cases, windows are not operable once installed as central air-conditioning cannot be individually controlled when someone opens a window."

Challenges such as these are set to be key discussion points at the Tall Buildings China 2011 conference in Beijing. Hosted by Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel from 28 to 30 November 2011, the convention will coincide with the Facade Design and Engineering China 2011 summit held at the same venue. The co-located conferences present attendees with a valuable opportunity to network with industry professionals. Clostermann will present his case study on "Developing Vertical Urbanity to Meeting the Challenges of Urbanization" on Day Two of the three-day conference.

"Sparch's goal is always to spread out public areas vertically through buildings," Clostermann continues. "This is not a matter of vertical buildings affecting the social structure. Instead, I feel it is the other way around. It is the growing density and mix of people in China that predicates a vertical and differentiated concept for public space."

Challenges to social structure

Tall Buildings China 2011 will also feature workshops designed to address two areas of utmost concern in the industry today: retrofitting older buildings and improving the cost efficiency of buildings.

The first workshop will identify the biggest opportunities for energy savings in China, including which building activities, which regions and which building owners to target. The second workshop will discuss how Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be used to improve a building's sustainability and how traditional processes may be transformed into new workflows that emphasise green solutions from the start.

"Energy efficient buildings are very attractive to consumers right now, and this directly affects their buying decisions," says Chen Yin, Chief Engineer at Modern Green Development Co., Ltd. "A green building gives users double rewards: lower costs of operation, and a more comfortable living environment. Contemporary residential developments make every effort to balance these two rewards, giving users high-quality living environments at a higher price in order to maintain normal returns on investment. By offering energy-efficient designs, developers also achieve green development."

Nonetheless, Yin also believes that high-rise buildings in future artificial ecosystems may have a profound impact on social structures and will strain the traditional relationships of family, neighbourhood and settlement.

"Given the current technological and social development in China, I would be afraid to rely on high-rise, high-density urban architectural forms to solve the problems of urbanisation in China," says Yin. "We do not have sufficient resources to make sure that every family enjoys a large enough private space in the form of urban land."

Yin and Clostermann will be joined by 10 other industry-leading experts at Tall Buildings China 2011, which will also give attendees a unique opportunity to tour the site of the 220,000 square metre pedestrian-oriented Linked Hybrid complex. 655 geo-thermal wells, each 100 metres deep, provide Linked Hybrid with cooling in summer and heating in winter, making it one of the largest green residential projects in the world.

Besides discussions on current and future regulations that affect tall buildings in China, the conference will also discuss innovative structural design solutions for high rise buildings and allow participants to learn new ways to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of construction.

Tall Buildings China 2011 will be held from 28 to 29 November 2011 at Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel, followed by a post-conference workshop on 30 November 2011. For more information, visit http://www.tallbuildingschina.com/Event.aspx?id=568142&mac=PRNW or send an email to enquiry@iqpc.com.sg.

Media Contact:

Joyce Shi
Tel: +65-6722-9446
Email: joyce.shi@iqpc.com.sg