Think Green Live Clean

While environmentally friendly building has become a worldwide trend, rarely is Asia a popular topic when it comes to green construction.  The majority of the building in the region consumes more energy then those of developed countries- and therefore has a substantial environment impact.  If buildings use more energy than any other sector as well as contribute to climate change, and China alone is said to currently be contributing over half of the worlds new floor space, eco-friendly features should be a major point of interest.  Serving as a leader in the region, Tapei 101 of Taiwan (the world’s tallest completed building) will hopefully set a positive example of green construction in the Eastern part of the globe. Equipped with a solar powered roof and other green features, the skyscraper stands alone not only in height, but in its environmental characteristics.

To put the matter into perspective, think about this fact:  office buildings use at least 30 percent of an average countries total energy consumption, and produce a strong amount of their greenhouse gas emissions.  However, builders in the Asian region tend to stray away from the elevated costs that come along with green construction (about 5%), even though it pays for itself in 5 to 10 years.  While some progress has been made with initiatives to reduce energy use by 60 percent in new buildings, there is still the issue of enforcement- an area in which countries like China have always had a problem.  But at least there is hope: China currently has 166 projects registered with the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), followed by India who holds 56 LEED certificates for building projects and South Korea with 49.

Hopefully with increased pressure from foreign firms and multinationals for “green office space”, Asian builders will be pushed to take further action.  Buildings last for decades, and their impacts last even longer…which is why the worlds busiest construction sector must ramp up their efforts in eco-friendly building.  And in the essence of the world being a shared community by all, it is important that we as a developed country help in the eco-friendly growth of others.

To understand more about green building and initiatives in this region, click here.