Green Architecture and Lifestyle in a Demonstrative Community

By staff reporter VERENA MENZEL

O WING to rapid urbanization in recent de- cades， China now faces an array of issues. One conundrum is how to make green lifestyle and low-carbon residential buildings a reality in Chinese major cities.

The Chinese government has been seeking effec-tive measures and models nationwide， as well as a path that leads to low-carbon urban living. Yet this is a cumbersome issue for China considering its vast territory， 1.3 billion people， and remarkable regional disparity.

However， there is hope. Nanchang Alpha International Community has presented a prospect of green urban living in 21st-century China.

A Green Living Paradigm

Supported by the government， the demonstration project is located inside the Hongjiaozhou Ecological Zone of Honggutan New District， Nanchang City， Jiangxi Province， just a few hundred meters away from the Ganjiang River. Founded in 2008， the first phase of the residential buildings finished construction in 2012 and the second phase finished at the end of 2017. The total floor area of those buildings measures 232，000 square meters， the equivalent of 33 football fields. Over the past nine years， around 900 commercial housing units were built here.

Listed by the Ministry of Housing and RuralUrban Development and the Ministry of Finance as one of the demonstration projects of residential blocks utilizing renewable energy， Nanchang Alpha International Community pursues an environmentally-friendly and low-carbon lifestyle and building style. This project is unprecedented in Jiangxi Province. A sizable amount of capital has been infused into this project for the environmentallyfriendly features of the buildings. It stood out among similar domestic projects – Forbes selected it as one of the paradigms of green living in 2009； it has since been granted several other national awards and medals.

So what is unique about this residential project？ Vice Manager Chen Xiaobing of the Construction Department of Sunny World， the property developer based in Nanchang， said that his company participated in both the initial design and construction of the buildings. He said： “We have invested more than the average amount in environmentally-friendly building materials and interior decoration in line with environmental protection standards ever since 2008， the year we launched the project. It was a groundbreaking project back then.”

Chinese engineers teamed up with an American architectural agency in its design. Copious materials and techniques for construction were imported， particularly from Europe.

The results of this project are gratifying. Vice Manager Chen elaborated， “Compared with other residential buildings， the energy efficiency of Nanchang Alpha International Community outperforms by 65 percent. Energy-saving and green materials in line with the highest technology standard have been adopted in the development and operation of those buildings， including materials for walls， insulation， ceilings， doors and windows， radiator and ventilation systems， electricity and sewage， lighting facilities， etc.”

Chen Xiaobing added that insulation of the outside wall is a core part of a building design since it guarantees a basically constant indoor temperature in both winter and summer. Within the context of Nanchang， this is a significant breakthrough in energy saving for buildings. Nanchang， along with Nanjing， Wuhan， and Chongqing， are the Four Furnaces of China， with high temperatures from June to August.

Another feature is top quality interior decoration， utilizing healthy as well as environmentallyfriendly materials. Chen Xiaobing said： “These residential blocks could reach five-star hotel standards， another unusual feature.” In this way operators could guarantee that the selection of wall paint， the design of kitchens and bathrooms， and the installation of household electric appliances and lighting devices are all in line with the highest standard of environmental protection. Besides， heating， cooling， and sewage systems are all centralized. Underground water was utilized for heating systems and natural gas was used in bathrooms and kitchens.

Chen Xiaobing admitted these costly materials considerably narrowed profit margins. Although properties were sold at above-average market prices， profits were negligible. But the extra cost was shouldered by the government， which helped curb the developers urge to maximize profits.

Green Consumption

What is the opinion of potential proprietors/consumers？ Will Nanchang people pay out for the concept？ General Manager Zhang Xiaoyan of Qingdao Yayuan Property Managements Nanchang Branch told China Today that 900 of the first and second phase apartments have practically sold out， with only 13 left.

He Yinong， aged 56， is a proprietor of two apartments here. “First， I was drawn by the outstanding heat-proof and energy efficiency of the building， which prompted me to purchase. Living here， we hardly feel the temperature difference between scorching summer and cold winter. Without the air conditioner， the room temperature in winter averages 15 degrees centigrade， which saves us an air-con bill，” He Yinong said.

Apart from central heating and a ventilation system that can save residents money， property management has exerted measures to limit costs and eliminate waste to further benefit them. Zhang Xiaoyan told us： ”Here we practice strict refuse classification. Non-recyclable garbage is collected in bags and transferred in one go， to avoid leaking pollutants. We deem recyclable waste as productive sources； therefore we truly recycle and utilize them.”

They treat rainwater in a similar manner. Zhang Xiaoyan said： ”It is common for rainwater to be discharged like sewage. But what we do is to collect rainwater in a special pond， which is then channeled to the landscape pool， or used for irrigation， washing and scrubbing walkways. Only when the rainwater pond is full will it be piped as sewage.”

Zhang Xiaoyan stressed that benefits from costsaving and pollutant-reducing is only a start. With other staff， Zhang built an “oasis” inside the community and now vegetation encompasses 36 percent of the community. At the center of the community， the landscape pool is fringed with lush bushes， pomelo trees， and date trees. The green area not only serves as entertainment for people， but also purifies exhaust emissions and dust caused by vehicles passing neighboring streets. Inside the community， cars are parked underground.

With this smart and green management concept， the property management has given proprietors solid faith that their properties have added value.

Zhang Xiaoyan believes that in the long run， the concept of environmental protection should be seen as so “normal” that it could be thoroughly implemented. He said： ”In order to protect the environment and realize a green lifestyle， people should adjust their habits. With this in mind， we regularly host environmental protection-themed gatherings and other events. We plant trees with residents on Arbor Day and host photography contests in spring when flowers blossom. Our residents are active participants. They have even set up their own association to promote environmental protection awareness in households.”

Whenever new residents move in， the management staff educate them in the low-carbon lifestyle through green decoration brochures， and brief them on the usage of energy-saving lights and how to classify garbage， etc.

Indeed， this oasis in an urban setting， spearheaded by the Nanchang municipal government， has demonstrative significance. But how do we practice this model in other settings？ Is it doable in other areas？ Chen Xiaobing told us： “Upon the establishment of the community， numerous representatives from other companies visited and expressed interest in studying our project.”

Zhang Xiaoyan asserted： “I believe in the future， projects like this will multiply. Since China has come to a point in growth where the quality of products and service is more strongly valued， with elevated living standards， consumers will raise their expectation of quality. Chinese today are willing to pay more for top quality and sustainability. Thus， I believe that it is only a matter of time before our project is replicated in a wider range.”

In the future， to what degree this sustainable， lowcarbon lifestyle and building style could be promoted in China would depend on whether the government could change peoples mindset. The decisive factor would be view of the general public on pressing environmental issues.