PLATINUM DESIGN. The Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai (top photo) consists of more than 2.2 million square feet of development across multiple buildings. (Image courtesy of LRS Architects)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #41 (October 14, 2008), page 11.

By Julie Stegeman

The Northwest China Council’s China Business Network (CBN) recently sponsored a talk by architect Raymond Cheng on green building in China. A representative of LRS Architects, which has offices in Portland and Shanghai, Cheng introduced the business audience to "Building Green in China: A Case Study of LEED Platinum Design."

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a third-party certification program of the U.S. Green Building Council and a benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The LEED rating system is based on five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water reduction, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

LRS Architects won the bid on the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, competing against German and Japanese firms. LRS was aided by its use of the LEED certification system, which allowed a recognizable, measurable way of quantifying the "greenness" of the design.

The project consists of more than 2.2 million square feet of development across multiple buildings. LRS’s goal is to achieve the LEED Platinum rating, the highest level possible. The Platinum rating for new construction is reached by scoring 52 to 69 points on the LEED scale. Points are earned by having access to public transportation, using recycled materials for construction, and utilizing water-efficient landscaping, among many other sustainable practices.

When designing the hi-tech park, LRS configured the buildings to maximize the available sunlight and the cooling power of the wind. They considered a plan to create power locally with a gas-powered generator instead of relying on power from a coal-fired plant, but the idea was discarded in part due to cost and an unreliable gas source. The final plans included, among other things, creating roof gardens to reduce heat gain in buildings in addition to collecting rainwater and decreasing water demand by treating toilet water onsite for use in irrigation.

Only a small number of buildings in China are LEED certified. The Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park is targeted to become one of the first Platinum-certified projects in China and the largest in the world. Cheng said the Chinese central government is pushing to implement sustainable development, but currently offers little or no incentive to do so. He explained that when LEED started several years ago, interest in sustainable development was low "until the U.S. government offered subsidies and started pushing LEED design in public building." He hopes the Chinese government will do the same, but thinks the push will come from the need to cut energy consumption and to increase water efficiency.

Highlights of working in China, according to Cheng, include the opportunity to work on large-scale sustainable projects, the wonderful hospitality, and the ability to promote cultural exchange. Challenges presented are the need to establish a local presence to reduce cost, language barriers, the fast-paced work schedule — although slow to select, once the decision is made things happen very quickly — and adapting local practices. It’s all about "who you know, not what you know," he said.

According to Cheng, the initial cost of the construction is about 10 percent higher with the LEED Platinum rating, but the sustainable features in the building design should pay back the additional cost in five to 10 years.

The project is scheduled to break ground in March 2009 and take 18 months to complete.

To learn more about LEED, visit <www.usgbc.org/leed>.