Eco-Friendly Design

Image [via] chinese-architecture

BEIJING - The sprawling Beijing Olympic Village has won its own gold medal for going green.  U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson presented Chinese officials with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold award during a short ceremony, saying the 160-acre Olympic Village could serve as a future prototype for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly design. “China’s leaders know the development of green buildings is a critical need and the Olympic Village can serve as a model for this development,” Paulson said.

The award, based on standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, is an international benchmark for high performance in green design and construction. The village’s 42 six- and nine-story residential high-rises, which house more than 16,000 Olympic athletes, are 50 percent more energy efficient than most buildings in Beijing, using solar panels for energy and recycling waste water for heating and cooling.

“With this award, the Olympic Village is being recognized for its contributions to making this year’s Olympics the greenest ever,” said Paulson.

Though much attention has focused on the country’s efforts to curb its air pollution, China’s huge push to achieve its goal of a Green Olympics has also meant a major investment in other environmental efforts including the construction of green Olympic venues.

At the Water Cube, where Olympic swimming events are held, builders used material similar to plastic wrap to create 4,000 translucent bubbles as the outer shell, allowing sunlight to filter in. The skin lets the building use natural lighting, while a rainwater capture system on the roof saves water for irrigation and landscape purposes, said Kwok.

Solar panels in the 91,000-seat stadium, known as the Bird’s Nest, generate enough energy to power the huge underground parking lot. The arena’s open design, with its intricate external latticework, allows for natural ventilation instead of having a heating and cooling system, while the rainwater collection system uses 108 water tanks, said Kwok.

[via] www.bostonherald.com