The World Bank estimates that by 2015, half of the world’s new building construction will take place in China. The nation’s eleventh five-year plan (2005-2010) aims for a 50% reduction in building energy consumption, and related new policy measures include energy efficiency (EE) standards and labeling for buildings. But there is still a strong need for capacity-building in energy efficiency-oriented design and technology for the design and construction professionals who make new development happen on the ground.
Against this background, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) has teamed up with Himin Solar, China’s largest solar water heating manufacturer and a major property developer in its own right, and the Bern University of Applied Sciences to deliver an energy efficiency training programme targeting Chinese design professionals.
The Best Practices in Sustainable Building for Design Professionals course kicked off on May 26th in the Solar Valley of Dezhou, in China’s Shandong province. Some 30 well-known lecturers in the field of renewable energy, energy efficiency and building technologies delivered a five-day training programme to 80 participants from Chinese state construction and architectural design institutes, individual architects, and building professionals from real estate developers.
The five-day course covered a wide range of topics including the specifics of how to design power conservation into a building from the outset, energy-efficient lighting, designing for daylight, integrating solar technologies into a building, the latest technologies in air conditioning and building envelope, and current Chinese efficiency regulations. Follow-up courses are planned for later in the year. Professor Peter Boelsterli, Head of the School of Architecture at the Berne University of Applied Science is excited about his organisation’s role in this effort: “As a leading Swiss institution in sustainable development and architecture, we are happy to contribute to a more global society by organising specialised programmes such as this for Chinese professionals.”
“Over the last ten years, Himin Clean Energy has amassed considerable experience in terms of how to integrate renewable energy and energy efficient systems into buildings,” says Huang Ming, the firm’s Board Director and partner in launching this training, “and we are very much interested in sharing this experience, so others don’t have to take any detours on the road to clean energy building.”
“China’s buildings account for up 30% of our total energy consumption, so this training programme created by REEEP and Himin is very timely.” notes Mr Zhu Junsheng, president of Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association, “As an international player, REEEP can build such a platform and Himin can share their decades of experience in energy-efficient building with others. On this basis, the development of energy-saving buildings is accelerated.”
“This kind of targeted intervention is a hallmark of REEEP,” says Marianne Osterkorn, the organisation’s Director General, “and as a small, nimble organisation we can identify a need on the ground and bring together partners to make a solution happen very quickly.”
