Low-carbon: A New Revolution in the Construction Industry
Liu Rongyao, Chairman of the Board of Directors, CRCEG
A recent research indicates that 70% of the greenhouse effect is generated by the construction industry and its related fields around the world. The whole process ranging from the production of building materials to construction engineering then to the use of buildings constitutes the main emission source of greenhouse gas. At present, the energy consumption of the construction industry accounts for nearly 1/3 of the total amount of China, and this proportion will grow fast along with the rapid development of urbanization. It is no doubt that the construction industry is obliged to speed up its development of low-carbon mode to directly or indirectly reduce energy consumption, thus realizing energy saving and emission reduction and becoming the mainstay of the low-carbon economy era.
The Revolution of Construction Concept and Management Mode
Considering the industrial chain of construction industry, we must attach great importance to the development, the construction and the promotion of green buildings so as to realize the transformation from high-energy consumption development to low-carbon development. Not referring to the three-dimensional greening or roof garden in a general sense, the “green” here stands for an idea of constructing environmentally-friendly buildings which can make full use of natural environment and resources without destroying the ecological balance. Specifically speaking, they can help to save resources (including energy, land, water and materials) to the largest extent, protect the environment and reduce pollution. And the popularization of green buildings can bring huge low-carbon effects. For instance, the solar-photovoltaic power generation technology applied for Beijing South Railway Station can generate electricity for 180,000 KWH each year, reduce an emission of waste gas for 170 tons and substitute for 65 tons of standard coal. It can not only reduce energy & carbon consumption and provide human beings with more comfortable living space, but also promote the pursuit of producing and using low-carbon products in many relevant industries.
From the perspective of economics, the process to realize low-carbon development for construction enterprises is to transform the external diseconomy caused in production into the internal cost, i.e. the process of self-digestion. And what are emphasized here are carbon management throughout the whole process of production and production & operation practice conducted according to the law of nature. In other words, the pattern of low-carbon development will initiate a revolution of management mode among construction enterprises.
This revolution will involve many aspects of enterprises, such as the management concept, the structural adjustment and the technological innovation. And in the context of low-carbon economy, it is of vital importance to integrate the concept of “being originally ecological, environmentally friendly, green and intelligent” into the construction management. To realize effective carbon management, enterprises are bound to make adjustment to their product structure. And only by continuously adjusting product structure and gradually forming the complete industrial chain which covers the upper, middle and lower ends of real estate development, housing construction and building materials management, can construction enterprises make the carbon management more effective and included in every link of the whole chain so as to transform the well-managed carbon into their business capital and competitiveness.
The Revolution of Technological Innovation in Construction
Compared to the change of concept and the adjustment of structure, technological innovation has a more direct influence on the low-carbon development of construction enterprises. Specifically speaking, there are four ways for those enterprises to realize green or low-carbon construction during the whole process. Firstly, maximize the efficiency of machineries through scientific design of construction organization so as to reduce energy consumption and the emission of CO2 caused by themselves; secondly, through optimized design, promote the use of green, environmentally friendly and ecological building materials, the application of low-energy consumption equipment as well as the final realization of low-carbon and zero-carbon construction products; thirdly, on the premise of scientific feasibility, cut down on the use of building materials effectively, especially the steel, the concrete and revolving materials through technological and process innovation; and fourthly, carry out the standardized management of engineering projects in a deep-going and extensive way so as to guarantee the safety and high-quality of construction products and avoid more waste caused by fake and inferior ones.
In the long run, the low-carbon economy can boost construction enterprises to improve their own technologies, develop emerging markets, adjust their business structure and expand to new fields, thus yielding more profits. Meanwhile, it can also bring huge economic and social benefits to the whole human society and open up a new construction era. Those economic benefits to enterprises brought by low-carbon are mainly shown in the saving of costs and the expansion of emerging markets. It is true that while focusing on the internal development with the low-carbon concept, construction enterprises should also attach more importance to the expansion of emerging fields related to low-carbon. Here it involves two aspects: one is to occupy the construction market newly emerged in the low-carbon economy by improving the construction ability of new energy projects; and the other is to apply the technology of carbon capture & storage into building materials through scientific and technological cooperation, and develop green & intelligent buildings with materials absorbing greenhouse gas so as to create a new construction civilization.
Selected from China Economic Weekly (No. 18 May 10, 2010)