Hefei City, Anhui Province introduced new regulations to prevent green buildings from being "ungreen"

In recent years, the rapid increase of Hefei's civil green buildings has also exposed some problems, causing some buildings to be "unworthy of their names." To this end, the Municipal Construction Bureau has introduced new measures for the high-quality development of green buildings to prevent green buildings from becoming ungreen and enhance the sense of acquisition and experience of the majority of residents.

Status Quo: The rapid development of green buildings exposes some problems

As the first city among prefecture-level cities in the country to issue regulations related to green buildings, up to now, the "Hefei City Green Building Development Regulations" has been implemented for nearly two years. The start rate of green buildings for Hefei's citizens has reached 100%, and the completion rate has increased from 32.4% in 2017 to 63% in the first half of 2019.

The full spread of green buildings also exposed some problems. In particular, green building design drawings are inconsistent with planning requirements, project sites are not constructed according to drawings, and green building application measures have shrunk, which will directly cause some green buildings to be ungreen, affecting residents' sense of gain and experience of building energy efficiency.

Therefore, this month, the Hefei Urban and Rural Construction Bureau issued a policy document requesting the promotion of high-quality development of green buildings, and through innovative regulatory measures to effectively solve the current problems in the process of green building construction.

Innovation: Construction drawing review tolerant handling improves efficiency

In the future, the city’s green buildings should follow the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, combining the characteristics of the climate, environment, resources, economy and culture of the local area, implementing special inspections and special inspections to ensure that the building meets the performance requirements of safety, durability, health and comfort, resource conservation, and environmental livability.

In the project planning permission stage, a review of the green building planning and design plan should be applied, including green building grades and technical indicators, prefabricated construction methods, renewable energy applications, sponge cities, reclaimed water systems, and new energy vehicle charging pile construction. The construction drawing review certificate shall indicate the project’s star rating, and those that fail to meet the corresponding star rating requirements shall not pass the review.

In order to improve the efficiency of project construction, shorten the time of project construction, innovatively implement construction drawing review tolerant handling. When submitting construction drawing review materials, if the construction unit fails to submit special design documents such as landscape, decoration, curtain wall, etc. due to objective reasons, it shall issue to the construction drawing review agency a letter of commitment that the relevant special design meets the requirements of green building standards. In addition, the documents and materials should be supplemented within 6 months.

Supervision: New commercial housing must obtain a green building pre-evaluation report

In order to ensure that the quality of building materials does not "shrink", green building materials such as wall materials, thermal insulation materials, energy-saving doors and windows, ready-mixed concrete (mortar), and prefabricated external wall panels that enter the construction site need to be re-inspected. The construction unit shall also inspect air-conditioning systems, lighting equipment, water-saving appliances, renewable energy systems, metering devices, etc. Those that have not been inspected or failed to pass the inspection shall not be used.

In addition, the city's green building projects must be included in the scope of quality and safety reporting, and special green building projects must not be dismembered and contracted. For new commercial residential buildings, the construction unit must obtain a green building pre-evaluation report, and the pre-evaluation report is placed on the construction site for inspection. Encourage construction projects to apply for high-star green building evaluation labels. Advocate full (fine) menu-style decoration to meet the individual needs of consumers.