Near the east of second rind road, adjacent to the embassy
neighborhood and the Central Business District, an innovative new
ecological residential community is rising in Beijing.
The Grand MOMA is among many striking new developments under
construction in the capital city. Named by Time magazine as one of
2007's 10 architectural marvels - along with CCTV headquarters and
the "Bird's Nest" Olympics Stadium - its eco-friendly approach has
made it a showcase of innovation.
Designed by American architect Steve Holl, Grand MOMA features
constant humidity and temperature for optimal comfort provided
through much lower consumption of energy.
The complex is designed to use as much passive energy as
possible. Without heating and air conditioning machinery, it uses a
ground heat pump system for heating and cooling.
Beneath the floor of the underground parking lot, some
six-hundred 100-meter-deep caissons filled with water provide the
source for heating and cooling. Because temperatures underground
are nearly constant year-round, water cycled under the earth
absorbs or releases heat. After a heat exchange with soil, the
buildings' indoor temperature is controlled by direct heating or
cooling from ceiling radiators.
The complex's ceiling system replaces traditional radiators and
air conditioners. As well, floor slabs are embedded with pipes
carrying water from underground caissons that has been heated or
cooled by the ground to maintain temperatures between 20 to 26 C,
the most comfortable range for residents.
The MOMA design can produce three to four times more heating or
cooling than traditional systems for each unit of energy used, says
Chen Yin, vice-president of Modern Group, developer of Grand
MOMA.
"The ground heat pump and ceiling radiation systems are not
technically complicated and can be widely adopted in China," says
Chen. "But they cost one or two times more than radiators and air
conditioners to install. That's why they are yet rarely seen across
China."
Houses and facilities at Grand MOMA will produce 482 tons of
wastewater a day, 58 percent of which will be cooking and bathing
water that will be treated using membrane biology technology.
After passing through bio-reactor and sterilizing devices, most
wastewater will be reused in commercial outlets, the kindergarten,
the theater and other buildings, with the rest used for watering
grass and landscapes or refilling waterscape features.
To combat pollution, outside air is filtered to remove any
particles, then sterilized, heated or cooled and humidified so that
fresh air blows into every room.
To conserve heat, windows are equipped with double-paned glass
filled with argon gas that also blocks ultraviolet sunrays.
Apartments at the development come already decorated and
re-decoration is not permitted, says Chen. "That ensures the
decoration is completely environmentally friendly and that the
hi-tech system of the complex won't be damaged."
He adds that once completed, a property management company will
take responsibility of the complex's maintenance and management.
"The property management company is going to be in charge of energy
saving in residents' daily lives," he says.
Green is less
Qiu Baoxing, vice-minister of the Ministry of Construction, says
construction and operation of traditional buildings consume 50
percent of global energy and produce 34 percent of total pollution.
Green architecture can reduce energy consumption by 70 to 75
percent.
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Model of the Grand MOMA now
under construction in Beijing. It is expected to be completed late
this year.
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"But the green building concept hasn't been accepted by the
public in China," says Chen. "Very few people bought our apartments
for environmental reasons. They still put the location, design,
quality and potential of increase in price ahead of environmental
value."
Green buildings will take a long time before being fully
embraced by the public, says Chen.
"Government officials, real estate developers and the media
should join forces to promote this meaningful concept."
But it is already widely discussed topic and even a buzzword, so
much so that developers were found using "green" as part of their
promotional trickery.
As a result it has been defined by the Ministry of Construction
through national criteria and detailed rules for implementation to
protect both the environment and the rights of home buyers.
According to statistics, truly green architecture currently
accounts for only about 1 percent of the total in China.
(China Daily January 29, 2008)
