Committing to Energy Efficiency
SOM determined that the complex should produce enough energy to sustain itself without draining natural resources. Among its historic output, the firm has produced several projects that pursue the benefits of sustainable technologies by employing energy-efficient layouts, high-performance building control systems, natural heating and cooling, and solar power to take advantage of both environmental and economic incentives.
Meanwhile, the relatively new yet noteworthy Chinese energy conservation movement is pushing heavily towards renewable energy—and southern China is leading the rest of the country in this movement. Guangdong Province established China’s first conservation area in the mid-20th century and is now home to the largest number of nature reserves in the country, totaling 209. Guangdong, however, is also one of China’s heaviest energy users, causing provincial officials to implement new programs—including commissions for energy-efficient buildings—to confront the area’s power consumption problem.
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