It’s out now: USGBC‘s LEED in Motion series, an extensive and insightful reportage on LEED adoption in various countries worldwide.  Among many other things, the report features profiles of successful LEED projects, growth statistics, analysis and insights from green building experts in their respective countries.

Launched last year, LEED in Motion is actually an ongoing report, a “living document” meant to be updated as LEED grows and extends its influence in various regions.

Greater China—that is Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau—is part of that report.  And for a good reason; over the years, LEED has been at the forefront of improving China’s built environment.

 

Good Times for LEED and Green Building in China

The U.S. and Canada still leads the pack in LEED usage, with China coming in a happy third.

According to the LEED in Motion : Greater China report, there are 1,961 LEED-registered and -certified projects in China.  A total of 110 million gross square meters are currently LEED-certified.  And LEED operates in 29 of the 34 provinces in mainland China.

Back in 2004, there were only two registered LEED projects; last year 499 projects registered.  This year, 54 projects have already been certified.  LEED v4 may not widely adopted yet (there are only 12 projects aiming for a certification under it), but it’s worth noting that the first ever LEED v4 certification went to Haworth Showroom in Beijing last year.

LEED’s exponential growth in China is actually remarkable considering the Chinese government already has its own homegrown Three Star Rating system for green buildings.  Then again, Three Star does not intend to override LEED, but complement its sustainability goals.  In fact some projects have achieved certifications from both LEED and Three Stars.

In China, it’s the multinational companies that were first to adopt LEED into their offices, headquarters, and warehouses.  Steadily, those efforts are beginning to have a ripple effect on small businesses, inspiring them to follow suit.  In a land where the old norm for ill-planned buildings is to take them down after a few years, LEED definitely has a big impact on creating better, safer, and healthier buildings that can stand the test of time and give back a positive legacy to future generations.

Suddenly, it’s not just about energy savings or increased market value anymore—it’s about true sustainability.

 

A Community of LEED Professionals

Part of the reason why LEED enjoys such a healthy presence in China is the robust community of LEED professionals there.

Currently, there are over 2,000 LEED professionals in the country.  That figure has doubled from last year’s 1,107.  China in fact has the most number of LEED APs outside of the US.

Without an organization to unite them, these practitioners will end up working in isolated pockets of excellence—perhaps in fierce competition with each other too—instead of simply sharing their knowledge and learning from each other.

Enter the LEED International Roundtable, a network of green building industry experts from across the globe.  Representing the country in which they are based, members gladly task themselves with coordinating with each other and disseminating new knowledge and updates regarding green building that are applicable to their region.  Three active groups represent the International Roundtable in Greater China—the Green Building Professional Partnership (GBPP) in mainland China, Platinum in Hong Kong, and seed in Taiwan.

LEED may be rigorous technically, but it still allows for some adaptive flexibility.  As such, it encourages the International Roundtable to “study LEED credits across all rating systems, evaluate their applicability in countries and recommend locally appropriate alternatives”.  All these without compromising LEED’s global consistency.

BEE founder Alessandro Bisagni is part of GBPP which he helped co-found.  Sharing his insights in the LEED in Motion report, he cites the top ten reasons for being a LEED professional.

1. It enables you to differentiate yourself professionally.
2. It opens up more job prospects.
3. It provides a framework to understand the interconnection between sustainability issues.
4. It presents a common global language for building sustainability.
5. It allows you to be part of an international network of like- minded professionals.
6. It helps you identify innovative value propositions for both new and existing clients.
7. In a market with limited continuing education resources, it offers valuable learning opportunities for professionals in China.
8. A LEED AP can trust that LEED will continually evolve and introduce new issues that are at the forefront of today’s green building industry.
9. As a green building consultant, LEED allows you to present sustainability features to clients that would normally not be open for discussion.
10. LEED is evolving to become more China-specific, with dedicated Alternative Compliance Paths, Regional Priority Credits, and local groups such as GBPP, Platinum, and seed working to give voice to all LEED APs across the region.

That last part is very telling.  As LEED evolves over the years, so do the thousands of LEED practitioners who hone their expertise through the guidance and support of a friendly like-minded community.  This community serves as a forum for everyone’s voice, regardless of whether you are a seasoned veteran or just starting out.

Indeed it’s a refreshing scenario that dispels the usual notion of professionals as cutthroat.  By helping each other to become more aware, educated, and empowered, these LEED practitioners can effectively contribute their green building expertise to shape the future cities of China.

 

Why China Needs LEED More Than Ever

China is in a precarious spot right now.  Its economy might be vigorous, but that progress is certainly taking a toll on the environment.

For many years now, smog has been an on and off problem in many urban areas in China, reaching a historic high last October 2013 when PM2.5 particulate matter reached 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, endangering people’s health.  The unabated growth of gas-spewing manufacturing plants is to blame, made worse by the natural barriers of mountain ranges that contain the smog.  As the New York Times reported back in 2007, “Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the European Union.”

This is the kind of grave scenario that green building in China has to address.

Fortunately, the newest version LEED v4 lays out a clear focus on human health, not just building performance.  Those two factors, among many other impact categories provided for by LEED, are very crucial in China nowadays: emphasizing good indoor air quality and ensuring energy efficiency that reduce demand from power plants (and consequently reduce carbon emissions).

China may be plagued by the cliché of progress vis-à-vis environmental degradation, but green building is doing something about it.

The LEED in Motion report points out, “Whereas our original version of LEED focused on limiting damage caused by a building project, the latest generation of LEED emphasizes the potential for projects to contribute positively to their communities and the planet.”

 

LEED and Worker Productivity

LEED v4’s concern for the health of building occupants resonates even more in China wherein companies place importance on strict work ethics.  Healthy buildings are known to inspire productivity and lessen absenteeism among office workers.

But a bigger and more serious issue lies in the Chinese culture of overworking one’s self, which can lead to adverse health effects, even death.  (There’s even a Chinese term for it: guolaosi)  Green building may not be in a position to address this deep-seated problem, but at the very best it provides an environment that promotes the comfort and well-being of occupants.

 

Green Building in China Is NOT the Answer to Everything

In all of these, we would be mistaken to expect green building to solve China’s long-standing problem of pollution.  LEED builders may create strong buildings with excellent indoor air quality, but what about what happens outside?  A design strategy can only go so far.  The government itself has to have a strong political will to rein in economic growth, which is the root of the problem.

Incidentally, the Chinese government’s 12^th Five Year Plan, which spans 2011-2015, includes the environment in its list of priorities.  It’s just saddening that the issue of environment still has not been properly addressed.  Concerned citizens groups are fed up and taking action, and even companies like IBM are willing to intervene and help.  Indeed these are very challenging times for green building in China.

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View the LEED in Motion : Greater China report.