（File Photo）

The Hunan Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department recently issued Opinions on Promoting High Quality and Green Development of Construction Industry (hereinafter referred to as “the Opinions”). By 2020, all the newly-built civil architectures in Hunan’s central cities should meet the green building standards, and more than 30% of these buildings are prefabricated.

Green building (also known as sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. (Source: Wikipedia)

The Opinions marked that, by 2020, Hunan’s building energy intensity should be within the national average; the total civil building energy should be within 60 million tons of standard coal; and, energy consumption approaches or reaches that in developed countries. Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Xiangtan each will construct one to three provincial high standard green ecological urban areas. Other cities and prefecture will have at least one city-level green ecological urban area.

The Opinions also prescribes that new urban district construction and old town renovation should be ecological, low-carbon, and environment-friendly. Closely grouped green buildings should be planned. The provincial green ecological urban areas should: formulating green indicator system, and green ecological plans; not less than one km2, and; ensuring that at least 95% of the covered area of the newly-built civil buildings meet the green building assessment standards.

Beyond that, the “one-star” (primary level in China’s Green Building Assessment Standards) green buildings will be awarded with subsidies. The prefabricated buildings with 50% or above prefabricated parts, the low-energy buildings of more than 100,000 sqm, and the residential communities using renewable energy sources, will be rewarded by the local governments.

The Opinions will take effect from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023.

Source: enghunan.gov.cn