Qihang Chen

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a sustainable community certification system promoted by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The first community to be officially certified by LEED in China is the  precinct  project named Vanke Future Sky City. The design of this precinct focuses on a TOD complex with office, commercial, residential, cultural and sports functions, and its sustainability performance consists of three main aspects: l   High-density land use.  Several high-rise residential towers are erected next to the metro station to achieve more effective usage of land resources and reduce travel distances. l   Greening. Providing large areas of grassland to enhance life quality and satisfy the requirements of green, low-carbon development. l   Change in transport options. Achieving environmental sustainability by encouraging low-emission forms of transport such as metro, cycling and walking. Compared to...

Hangzhou is a city in the east of China with an important position regarding social and economic development. It is also a city with rapidly developing tourism and high-tech industries that have achieved a position at the forefront of sustainable development in China. Starting today, I am going to write my own evaluation of some of the sustainable buildings and projects that are currently in progress or have been completed in Hangzhou, based on my personal experiences during my study for the Bachelor of Civil Engineering in the city, along with information from the internet and the content of my sustainability course this term, and to create a digital sustainable development journal. At the beginning of the journal, I will give a general assessment of Hangzhou's urban sustainable development based on my current knowledge and understanding. In economic aspects, Hangzhou has a relatively balanced industrial structure, with many large internet companies such as Alibaba and Netease, as...

In this week's lecture the terms 'green' and 'sustainable' are mentioned separately, even though they are often confused in daily life contexts. A product, building or activity can be described as green or sustainable when it is considered to be nature-friendly, low-carbon and energy-efficient. However, the two terms are different: the concept of green is included in the objective of sustainability. "Green" requires the conservation of natural resources, and the mitigation of damage to the environment, often with a focus on recyclability and health. Sustainability, however, requires social and economic benefits in addition to the environment, such as fair treatment and welfare for separate groups.   I then tried to consider why this confusion in terms had arisen and suggested that there are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the term "Green" appears more often in the daily sustainable behaviours of citizens, such as reusable objects and biod...

The first week's lecture introduced some basic concepts and the history of the development of sustainable cities. This included the concepts of green and sustainable buildings, which I was very interested in. This type of building aims to reduce energy consumption, use resources efficiently and reduce the environmental impact of artificial structures through advanced technology or design. However, achieving this requires a certain level of technology and, more importantly, adequate budgets, thus for many developing countries building sustainability seems unachievable. I, therefore, wondered how sustainability could be achieved through more detailed design if sustainable buildings could not be constructed immediately. One example from my civil engineering-related studies is the installation of double glazing in some areas, which is created by injecting inert gas between two pieces of glass to achieve thermal and acoustic separation. This allows the building to be more comfortable an...