On March 29, China Vanke Co., Ltd, Bayer Material Science and several other companies announced the signing of a framework agreement that will see Bayer's EcoCommercial Building (ECB) program and the program's partner companies join Vanke's Green Technology Alliance. Vanke and the ECB program will join forces for the development of the Beijing Green Building Park and the implementation of a lighthouse project within the park's precincts, in a move that paves the way for a long-term cooperation between the two parties. The cooperation will focus on the development and construction of zero-carbon emission building prototypes within the Beijing Green Building Park, as well as the assessment of energy consumption levels of representative buildings.
In 2011, the Vanke Group reached an agreement with the Beijing Municipal Construction Committee and the Fangshan District Government to co-develop the Beijing Green Building Park. At the same time, Vanke has worked to set up partnerships with leading green construction institutions both in China and internationally to form the Beijing Green Building Park Green Technology Alliance in order to ensure optimal results in the development of the park, as well as to promote green construction in China. As a member of this alliance, the ECB program will partner with the Vanke Group to promote sustainable building in China and contribute to the development of the Beijing Green Building Park.
Bayer MaterialScience is a world leading provider of high-tech materials, which are used in a wide range of fields including construction. Bayer's products play an important role in improving sustainability of a building and making it more environmentally-friendly and cost-efficient. A good example of this is the use of insulation material to reduce a building's energy consumption.
"With expertise from Bayer MaterialScience and ECB's network of experts, a new window of innovation has been opened through our cooperation with Vanke, one of China's largest real estate developers," said Dr. Michael Voigt, Head of Bayer MaterialScience's ECB Centre of Excellence. "Through this project, we will continue to put into practice our innovative concepts and solutions for buildings. This comprehensive project will provide us with more hard data to back up our work. This will help to incur changes in the conventional construction market models, and help shape a market for eco-friendly and sustainable buildings."
Daqing Mao, Executive Vice-President from Vanke Group also noted, "Going Green is the trend for the construction industry, and also central to Vanke's long-term strategy. As the main initiator of the Beijing Green Building Park Green Technology Alliance, Vanke is going ‘fully green.' In the future, the company will strive to advance the construction of the Beijing Green Building Park. We hope to establish effective long-term technical collaborations and training mechanisms with Bayer EcoCommercial Building Program member companies, and work with them to build a better tomorrow."
Areas of cooperation between the Vanke Group and Bayer's ECB program will include zero-emission technologies, individual building energy-consumption simulations and monitoring, building life-cycle carbon emission assessment, and the use and promotion of low-carbon building technologies.
Bayer's ECB program will also spearhead the development of the "Vanke Low-Carbon Building", which will be located in a prominent position within the park and take up a total area of between 2,000 to 10,000 square meters. As a low-emission lighthouse project, the building will be opened to visitors and researchers for study purposes after its completion. During the course of the building's development, Bayer's ECB program, with its network members, will provide Vanke with energy-saving advice and technical consultation. Vanke will also actively provide climate data and geological survey data in Beijing, as well as information on basic infrastructure and community facilities in the area for the ECB program to provide appropriate and feasible eco-friendly building solutions.
