BROAD Sustainable Building: The Real Thing
by David B. Sutton, Ph.D.
I have written before that sustainable building is really more about the process of designing, constructing and operating the resultant building than the structure itself. One Chinese building enterprise has taken this to heart and focuses directly on the most meaningful aspects of these processes.
They stand in stark contrast to the way most development is done in China where attention to such fundamentals gives way to flashy, full-color promotional presentations — beautiful facades and decorated and furnished spaces with little or no attention to what’s behind the facade and servicing the spaces. It is all about image, little substance with little or no attention to the processes producing resource saving, functioning sustainable structures.
A fully integrated design and functioning structure requires thinking of whole systems integration at the conceptualization, planning and design phase before even talking about deploying new technologies and monitoring on-going operations. Good design solutions can double the efficiency with which we use materials and energy and they are much cheaper than increasing energy supply, quicker, safer and of more lasting benefit. Implementing them is also more labor-intensive (1).
Enhancing the building envelope — the separation between the interior and the exterior environments of a building – through increased insulation, multi-glazed windows, green roofing and other passive solutions is a critical first approach to reducing heat gain or loss. Then and only then should the most “appropriate technology” be used to meet the remaining demand.
I have previously written about notable examples of fully integrated sustainable building and design occurring at the World Expo. The most comprehensive and laudable example that I found was the BROAD Pavilion. Nobody represented this fully integrated sustainable building process better.
Integrated Design in Practice: The BROAD Pavilion
BROAD used their Pavilion at the World Expo to launch its new Sustainable Building Division. They assembled their factory pre-fabricated Pavilion in just 24 hours at the Expo site using one-sixth the materials and producing 1% of the wastes in construction. The lightweight design, combined with steel diagonal bracing structures, made the building impressively resistant to a Magnitude 9 earthquake.
They were able to do this by systematically designing and constructing the building’s modular components in their factory in Changsha. Insulated floor and ceiling panels are pre-fabricated as well as wall panels containing conduit tubes for HVAC, water and electrical wiring. Each 3.9 m by 15.6 m “main board” (walls, flooring and ceiling), embedded with shafts for ventilation, water supply and drainage, as well as electrical wiring for lighting are transported by flat bed truck along with all accessories for each floor consisting of columns, diagonal bracings, walls, doors, windows …etc. to be assembled upon a fully developed foundation on-site. On-site construction takes up only 7% of the project, because 93% of the building is factory-made.
Using a combination of Super-insulation in walls and roof (150mm thickness), Triple-glaze windows (100% more effective than double pane for energy savings, 4 times more effective than single pane), Non-conducting window trim, external solar shading, LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, super efficient gas-fired air-conditioning (2) and a fresh air heat recovery system, energy consumption was reduced to 45kwh/sq.m/year, a savings of 80%.
The Pavilion was equipped with their cutting-edge air purification system where air-circulated inside the pavilion underwent 3 stages of purification, at efficiency rates approaching 95-99%, before distribution. The air is exchanged 1 to 2.5 times per hour and is 20 times cleaner than the surrounding outdoor air.
I attended the UNEP Sustainable Building Conference at the World Expo in 2010 in the BROAD Pavilion. It was very clear to me then that BROAD was committed to making a difference.
Since the Expo, time-lapse videos of BROAD’s more recent large sustainable building constructions have gone viral on the internet.
One showing the construction of a 17-floor New Ark Hotel at the Company’s Changsha Headquarters (assembled in 90 hours), and another featuring the thirty-floor Hotel completely assembled in 15 days in Hunan Province. This Hotel, called T30, built on Dongting Lake in Hunan province, is indeed BROAD’s most amazing feat thus far. It has 330 hotel rooms with a total floor space of 17,338 sq m (or 578 sq m on each floor). (3)
In order to spread its model, BROAD has decided that the group will look for franchisees around the world. Due to the vastness of China, logistics for transporting any the modules beyond 500 km would immediately negate the benefits of any carbon reduction. They have already have six franchisees in different cities in China and are seeking other international franchisees.
It is sobering to reflect on the impact that such building techniques could have on reducing the energy and materials needed for construction and operation of new buildings worldwide.
In 2011, Zhang Yue, BROAD’s Chairman received the Champion of the Earth Award, the United Nation’s highest award for environmental leadership. BROAD was one of ten companies to be recognized by the BusinessWeek Greener China Business Awards in 2009, and was also named one of the “20 Most Admired Companies in China” in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 by China’s Economic Observer and Beijing University. In May
this year the UNEP-SBCI 2013 Symposium on Sustainable Buildings will be held at the BROAD Corporate headquarters in Changsha.
BROAD an authentic leader of sustainable business in China.
It is truly inspirational to see this kind of insight coming from a business enterprise. One that understands that Sustainable Development is not only about technology and economics; it is about a state-of-mind.
We need to appreciate our place in Nature and our absolute dependence on the natural processes that sustain us. Technology may give us the tools to more effectively interact with natural process but brute force technology forced upon the living landscape is not wise “scientific development” and certainly not sustainable.
Sustainable living is mindful living – being conscious of how we are involved with, how we affect and are totally dependent upon our planet’s life-support systems.
This fundamental foundation philosophy is clearly reflected throughout the BROAD Company Culture. In recent years all buildings at the BROAD Corporate Headquarters in Changsha, where 1,800 hundred employees live and work, were retro-fitted with super insulation, triple pane windows and heat recovery systems reducing energy consumption by 80 %.
Sustainability is a clearly articulated value throughout the BROAD organization. New employees receive an orientation in Environmental Studies using G. Tyler Miller’s comprehensive text, “The Living Environment” which BROAD had translated into Chinese. Ten resident farmers produce all the organic produce and food for the resident employees and visitors.
It is critical that we rethink how we use technology and design for sustainability. We need to focus on the first lines of defense against waste and inefficiency, by asking the right questions. What are the NEEDS that need to be met? How can we reduce those needs and then, only then, What are the least cost, most efficient means to meet those needs? The cornerstone of sustainable thinking is to seek to attain our goals with elegant frugality of energy and trouble, using our best technologies (ingenuity) to wring as much social function as possible from each unit of energy use. Reduce demand before planning for supply.
This is, of course, is what is so well demonstrated at the BROAD Sustainable Building. By focusing on the often neglected, yet easiest and most cost-effective “low-hanging fruit” of increased insulation, triple-pane windows, proper shading and air/heat exchange, energy consumption was reduced by 80%. And this was all done while minimizing construction waste using Broad’s new Sustainable Building Technologies.
I have been working in the environmental movement for a long time and have found myself, many times in an unhappy alliance with of inauthentic environmental advocates and business leaders. The world’s societies are awash with insincere attempts at green branding and “green-washing” (using a “green” image to further its sales with no real substance behind it).
A critical ingredient to any sustained movement are credible leaders that do what they say and lead by example and demonstrate the success that can come from sincerely doing what needs to be done.
The simple unavoidable fact, the inconvenient truth, as a fellow countryman has said, is that we cannot keep on going the way we are going. It is clear, even to the most jaded observer, that we must start doing things differently.
The green business movement can be a diversion if it focuses solely on the “green” accounting. The focus needs to be on how to reduce impact, to reduce the “ecological footprint” to use the current vernacular. What is important is doing the right thing to provide for needs (not wants) as efficiently as possible. In a rational just world this could lead to competitive advantage but that and the market share and money it brings should not be the primary motivation.
I have also had the honor of working with some authentic business leaders and I know that the amazing things they have done with their companies began with an act of will on their part to do the right thing— not as a financial calculation. In fact, they weren’t even sure that it wouldn’t cost them.
The fact that these companies saved money over the long run and received competitive advantage for doing the right thing is nice. It is good to see people rewarded for doing the right thing– and these examples add to the empirical database of best practice. But we need to acknowledge that these and most other true movements towards sustainability were taken because of a fundamental value shift — an ideological shift away from the status quo — not because of any new bottom-line calculation.
It is important to have real, authentic examples backed by a sustaining system of values. This is where hope for moving towards sustainability lies. Values and motivating philosophy are crucial to a successful sustainability movement.
BROAD is an enterprise that understands that motivation matters and is driven by a clear set of guiding values. BROAD is the real thing, it is an authentic example of wise sustainable thinking and decisive action doing the right things.
It’s enough to bring hope back to this battle weary environmental warrior.
Conclusion
Years ago I wrote, with my colleague Cyrille Jegu, an article for the World Expo entitled, “Towards Sustainable Cities” (2010 World Economic Analysis, glObserver). In it we hoped that:
“ Using these criteria we can look to the day when the rush of the world’s cities to build the tallest sky-scrapers is replaced by a competition to build the world’s most sustainable ones.”
To me, BROAD Sustainable Building, because of its real accomplishments, is well on its way to winning the competition.
Now they have designs on building the world’s tallest building as well using their sustainable building techniques. What they are calling “Sky City” is to be a “220-story energy and materials efficient, earthquake resistant, car-free city for 100,000 people” to be built in 210 days. (4)
Stay tuned for the next Chapter of BROAD Sustainable Building.
Currently pending various government approvals, only time will tell if both the world’s most sustainable and tallest buildings are within BROAD’s reach. I would not bet against them.
Notes:
(1) When properly calculated the additional capital costs in increasing energy efficiency in new buildings, especially commercial ones is often NEGATIVE, i.e. savings on the heating and cooling equipment more than pay for the modifications. Years ago the American Institute of Architects demonstrated that optimizing performance through integrated planning and design in new buildings can save 50 percent or more in office buildings and 80 percent in some new houses. They concluded in their study that improved design of new buildings and modification of old ones could save a third of current TOTAL national energy use – and save money too. The payback time would be only half that of the alternative investment in increased energy supply, so the same capital could be used twice over.
(2) It is important to remember the crucial role that BROAD’s Air-Conditioning played in the World Expo. Its super efficient non-electric air –conditioning units supplied the majority of the Expo’s Pavilions contributing more than anything else to having a “green” World Expo. (It resulted in a savings of 73,000 tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of planting 4 million trees.)
(3) Time lapse videos:
(4) “Sky City” is to be the World’s tallest building at 838 meters high (Burj Khalifa in Dubai is currently the tallest at 828 meters). This vertical self-sustaining township will contain 1 million square meters of floor space (10 763 910 Square feet). It is to be mostly residential, but will also have a hotel, school, hospital, shops and restaurants. Built from about 200,000 tons of steel and containing 104 elevators, Sky City will work in close collaboration with architects and engineers of the Burj Khalifa and utilize BSB modular technology, a construction method which features 95% factory prefabrication at a five story per day construction speed. Construction costs are estimated to be $620 million.