City and Lifestyle Renaissance

Wu Jianzhong, one of the masterminds of the Shanghai Expo's city theme, comments that the Eco-House in Shanghai and its prototype are intended to highlight a holistic eco-living concept instead of isolated energy-saving and emission reduction technologies. "The model is just one cell of the city. If every building can reduce its drain on surrounding resources and orient to future reutilization, our low-carbon city will be realized," he says.

"Eco-construction points the way for the development of world architecture in the 21st century. It can reconcile relations among men, architecture and nature and propel the development of new materials and trades," remarks Wang Wei, vice president of the Shanghai Research Institute of Building Science and head of the pilot eco-construction project. Wang predicts the market potential for this big picture within Shanghai will amount to RMB 16.4 billion. By his estimate, the adoption of eco-construction will save RMB 100 million in construction garbage treatment each year, cut cement consumption by three million tons and reduce building materials cost by RMB 600 million. In addition eco-buildings can save 747,800 tons of standard coal in energy consumption, and the adoption of green building materials can save another 420,000 tons of standard coal. The result is an annual reduction of carbon dioxide discharge by 1.35 million tons.

Studies show that the energy consumption of existing buildings in Shanghai is three or four times that of developed countries. Industrial insiders point out that eco-construction is an architectural and lifestyle revolution, and its popular application depends very much on making its cost acceptable to consumers. They call for effective stimulus measures, policy guidance and support, related rules and regulations, comprehensive green standards, and an evaluation system. Much is yet to be done in these respects.