East China Urban Architectural Design and Research Institute: Designing Shanghai Chongming Ecological Art Exhibition Hall and promoting the green building

Company profile
 
Affiliated to Arcplus Group PLC, East China Urban Architectural Design and Research Institute (hereafter shortened as East China Urban Institute) is a modern sci-tech company with architectural design as its core business. Since the implementation of restructuring in 2013, East China Urban Institute inherited the assets, qualification, personnel and business of its parent company, Shanghai Xian Dai Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd (hereafter referred to as the Group). The Group ranked first in Chinese architectural design institutes in the ranking conducted by the Department of Engineering Quality Safety Supervision and Industrial Development of the Ministry of Construction in 2008 and was listed by the Engineering News-Record (ENR) of America as one of the international top 200 and global top 150 engineering design companies for 10 consecutive years, ranking 67 in the globe in 2012.
 
Challenges
 
According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development recently, the building energy consumption in China has reached 28% of the total energy consumption of the whole society. The Thirteenth Five-year Special Plan for Building Energy Saving has proposed the requirements of developing green building. However, the lack of understanding of the mass greatly impedes our nation’s pace of promoting green building design. A considerable number of proprietors are unfamiliar with the fiscal subsidy policies targeting at green buildings of different star levels, and take it for granted that green buildings are higher in construction cost, and that the plenty of high-tech energy-saving technologies applied in green buildings would increase the difficulties for later operation and maintenance, thus being unwilling to adopt green building design in practice.
 
Solutions
 
In order to promote the public’s understanding and acceptance of green building, East China Urban Institute insists in the design idea and technology route emphasizing on the ontology design of green building and integrative use suitable to energy-saving technology to promote the green building in an all-around way.
 
Shanghai Chongming Ecological Art Exhibition Hall designed by East China Urban Institute for its proprietor, Shanghai Chenjia Town Construction Development Co., Ltd., is a typical example of ontology energy-saving design (passive energy-saving). Chongming Ecological Art Exhibition Hall is positioned as a community energy control center for Chongming Chenjia Town international ecological practice community to be developed and a green technology application, research and development, and demonstration center. In the early stage of negotiation with proprietors, East China Urban Institute communicated with them actively surrounding the planning, design, construction and later maintenance of green building and presented them with green building cases having been finished so as to increase their knowledge of and understanding toward green building and its value. Meanwhile, in order to meet the star building standard, East China Urban Institute fully communicated with proprietors and made real-time evaluation and adjustments in economy and suitability so as to achieve the best balance of architecture and technology.
 
In its design proposals, East China Urban Institute proposed a design idea and technology route emphasizing on the ontology design of green building and integrative use suitable to energy-saving technology. The company adopted a series of low-tech energy-saving measures in architectural plane, space and details preferentially to attribute the design of green building to its source, to reduce its reliance on mechanical and electrical energy-saving equipment, to achieve building energy saving, and to reduce the burden of later maintenance for proprietors. Chongming Ecological Art Exhibition Hall made a good attempt in the control of architectural form, building natural ventilation, building self sun-shade, and the choices of building thermal insulation materials and renewable building materials. The best of all is that these energy-saving measures are well integrated with the architectural space. For instance, the ramps of building are not only the most excellent space for the circulation, but also optimize the indoor natural ventilation route.
 
Achievements
 
Social benefits
 
Shanghai Chongming Ecological Art Exhibition Hall realized the goal of “land saving, water saving, energy saving, and materials saving” in construction to the maximum. It saved 75% -80%the integrated energy consumption, the ratio of renewable energy utilization in building energy consumption has realized more than 50%, and renewable resources utilization rate reached more than 60%. At the same time, the exhibition hall also helped Chongming County build a green business card to promote Chongming’s good ecology, and spread the concepts of green building and environmental protection to the public in a wider range.
 
Economic benefits
 
On the one hand, the institute helped the proprietor realize the building energy efficiency on the basis of reasonable cost and helped them produce direct economic benefits in the construction process. On the other hand, in the unique concept and advantage of green service, the institute was recognized by more customers. Many green building projects have obtained the 3-star certification of green building, and it has become the partner of BOCOM Smart Network Technologies Inc., and the China Three Gorges Corporation. Its market competitiveness and brand image have been strengthened.
 
Prospects
 
East China Urban Institute will continue to strengthen technological innovation in green building, and constantly expand the promotion methods and channels of green building. Through green building practices, green building display centers, and green building knowledge and cultural publicity campaigns, the institute will promote the green building in a wider range to expand the social influence of green building and itself.