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HARMONIOUS WITH NATURE:

THE CHINESE APPROACH TO


BUILDING ENERGY REDUCTION
Jiang Yi
140 141

A few years ago, one of my PhD students was working Energy guzzlers
on a project in building design in China. I asked him
to collect building designs prior to the Industrial With the rapid development and adjustment to
Revolution from all over the world. He came up with the economic structure in China, the proportion of
a collection of fifteenth and sixteenth century building structural energy consumption of commercial energy
designs. Each design was unique to its environment, is continuing to grow and, as in many developed
unique to its culture. Prior to the Industrial Revolution countries, will soon account for around thirty per cent
you could look at building design and tell if it was of overall energy use (industry and transportation
from northern Europe or from an African city—each accounting for the other seventy per cent of energy)
was distinct and each conveyed location. However, (Zho & Lin, 2004). According to the World Wildlife
after the Industrial Revolution, human beings became Fund (WWF), “China is set to overtake the US (at
powerful. We could use technology to do anything— 21%) as the biggest producer of greenhouse gases
we could control climate and lighting and soon, by 2025 unless current trends are modified” (n.d.).
buildings grew to resemble one another. I asked that Seven of the world’s ten most polluted cities are in
same student to collect building designs from the last China and seventy-five per cent of China’s energy
few years. We could no longer distinguish place in the production comes from burning coal (WWF, n.d.).
designs. We could no longer distinguish culture.
With economic development and a rise in living
In some ways we have forgotten culture and we
conditions, currently China is moving towards the
run a real risk of forgetting nature.
direction of developed countries and gradually closing
I often ask myself what kind of building is right for itself off to traditional building methods and natural
China. This is a difficult question to answer but it internal environments.
is our responsibility to find the right fit for China.
Many large-scale modern office buildings and other
There was a time when, like many others, I focused
similar landmark buildings are gradually replacing
on technology for an answer. But, to understand the
typical public buildings, slowly becoming the
real situation in China, I’ve moved beyond this to
mainstream of new non-residential buildings in any
examining the real data collected on China’s energy
downtown metropolis. Every new office building,
consumption and the influence this should have on
university campus with residences, and even primary
design. I was surprised by what I found. Potentially,
school classrooms are following suit with demands
it isn’t technology that has the biggest impact on
to ‘take the foreign track’. One by one, large-scale,
energy consumption—it is culture. Human behaviour
centrally air-conditioned, machine-reliant power
is different across cultures and hence different
guzzling buildings are being erected in our cities.
cultures require different buildings.
This is a startling consideration for China as it
concerns not simply the path of progress, but also
the historic relationship the nation has with nature.

Currently, China’s people can still differentiate


themselves from the west by their behaviour
still driven by traditional Confucian values which
include frugality, hard work and personal sacrifice.
Cultural theorist Hofstede quantified the Confucian
work ethic and the important cultural attitude
of perseverance and estimated this value to be
substantially higher for China than for the US,
the UK and Australia (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005).

Data collected by Li (2007), indicates patterns in


residential building occupant behaviour that proves
Chinese are still frugal by nature. The energy used
by hot water, lighting, household appliances, air
conditioning and other electricity-powered items is
considerably lower in Chinese residential buildings
than in the European cities with similar climatic
conditions. For example, in Germany total residential
building energy consumption averages 222 kWh/m2
(Engelund Thomsen, Wittchen, Jensen, Aggerholm,
& The Danish Building Research Institute, 2007).
In China, total residential building energy
consumption is under 50 kWh/m2 (Li and Jiang, 2006).
One of the main reasons for this difference is how
internal environments and living spaces are used.

As of 2005, China still lagged behind the US in net


electricity consumption at 2197–3816 billion kilowatt
hours (Energy Information Administration, 2007).
Interestingly, current energy efficiency guidelines
put forth by the US Department of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, encourage
behavioural change such as part-time, part-space
consideration for air conditioning usage and raising
the starting temperature as a way to decrease
consumption rates by as much as 15% annually
(2007). Fortunately, these are habits already in
place in China.
142 143

Studies have shown that people


who do not use air conditioning
are comfortable in a much broader
range of temperatures and are highly
adaptable to the environment.
A matter of hot air Chill-out Thermal tolerance: Changing behaviour

Forty per cent of China’s total building energy Another difference between urban China and Constant reliance on artificial controls to maintain
consumption is accounted for by heating urban developed nations’ energy consumption is cool air a stable, temperate working and living environment
buildings in the north of the country (Tsinghua conditioning. In a survey conducted by the Energy not only leads to increased energy consumption,
Building Energy Research Centre, 2008). China’s Information Administration (2007), in the northeast but also affects people’s response and adjustment
systems of coal-fired boilers and thermoelectric United States, again, an area climatically similar to to temperature changes and heat, lowering their
generators are less efficient than those used in northern China, the average consumption measured resistance. Studies have shown that people who
Europe, where most buildings rely on decentralised about 40 kWh/m2 for electric air conditioning do not use air conditioning are comfortable in
internal boilers (gas and oil) or electric heating. consumption. a much broader range of temperatures and are
highly adaptable to the environment. In a 2006
Chinese buildings have poorer grade insulation According to the study conducted by Li (2007) field study of thermal environments and adaptability,
systems than large buildings in Europe, however, the in Beijing, despite the fact that on average every natural ventilation contributed in great measure
difference in the total amount of energy used for household contains an air conditioning unit, statistics to an increased degree of what was considered
warming buildings is not so significant. This is because indicate that the average air conditioning energy an acceptable, comfortable temperature
the relatively shorter heating season and the relatively usage is only 2.3 kWh/m2 a year. It was clear in this (Ye, Zhou, Lian, Liu, Li & Liu, 2006). Zhao, Xia and Li
lower room temperature the Chinese people tolerate study that the difference between western countries (1997, as cited in Ye et al., 2006) similarly found that
during winter makes a significant savings impact. and China was unrelated to building performance comfortable temperatures could reach 30 oC
China’s heating systems, which are operated or the structure of air conditioning units; it was due in naturally ventilated buildings, but the threshold
centrally, are only run for a given period which is to the different lifestyles and lessened reliance on was less than 27 oC when occupants were in
generally shorter than the period used in climatically artificial temperature control. air-conditioned buildings.
similar areas of Europe. In China, Beijing has 120
days of heating allocated by the government; the Although this recent study shows promising figures, We need to challenge ourselves as to whether we
northeast region has 170. Other developed nations energy use is on the rise, and China has seen an maintain constant internal room temperatures and
will heat according to the climate usually for a much increase in central air conditioning that runs year- levels of humidity to obtain high-comfort standards,
longer period. round to maintain a constant temperature in high- or allow the internal environment to change as the
class residential buildings. Although these buildings climate changes outside. The latter requires more
Despite the fact that the Yangtze River valley regions use energy saving technology, energy consumption tolerance. This is a core question about what we
such as Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Chongqing is still much higher than average residential buildings. consider modern living and our understanding
have external temperatures as low as 0 oC in the Even in 2000, the number of air-conditioned homes of comfort to be. When we face an extraordinary
winter, there are basically no centralised heating increased to 10 million up from 12 800 just nine years difference in energy consumption between two
systems. In southern China the primary heating earlier (Ji et al., 2006). Overseas returnees, foreign different lifestyle choices, we must realistically and
method is individual air conditioning heating pumps, immigrants and other high income residents are also responsibly consider the implications for the planet
small individual heating stoves and electric heating changing ways of life creating higher levels of energy and future development.
dispersal units. Most Chinese do not remove coats consumption.
and outer layers of clothing when they enter a
room; consequently Chinese do not need drastic Outside major city centres, villas and townhouses
differences in external and internal temperatures. have become popular, particularly on China’s east
Ji, Lou, Dai, Wang and Liu (2006) noted that clothing coast. These homes are not only large in size but
types and behavioural customs impact people’s their consumption of energy is substantially more
satisfaction of their thermal environment. Homes than the average Chinese residence. These are
and offices typically maintain a room temperature shifts in ideology and custom that seem to intimate
of 10–14 oC and generally heating is only provided a higher standard of living. Yet they come at a steep
part-time. Southern China generally does not have environmental cost. As we face severe shortages of
twenty-four hour continuous heating like in northern natural resources on a global level, it is vital to find
China. Even when including individual electric heaters, solutions to stunt China’s energy use.
these regions only use 5–8 kWh/m2 for winter
Why are we diminishing reliance on natural
heating, whereas France, which is similar climatically,
conditions, such as daylight and natural air circulation,
consumes about 27 kWh/m2 in winter heating, nearly
to improve the internal environment? Only when
three times more (Engelund Thomsen et al., 2007).
we cannot fulfil our own needs should we rely on
automation for assistance.
144 145

China’s traditional culture has always


emphasised harmony with nature in
creating living environments—the idea
that man and nature are one.
Harmonious with nature China’s traditions still applicable

Professionally, I have steered away from using terms The current method of constructing and maintaining
such as high performance building because the built environments is inadequate. Sustainable
construction of a building is not the only factor that developments demand a re-investigation of culture,
decides its overall energy consumption. It has to of society and of lifestyle. They demand a rethink
do instead with the way a building is used and the of our relationship with nature. Only then can we
different behaviour of the occupants in that building. affect building energy conservation on a large
Fundamentally, green technology in building design, scale and from this begin to lessen the increasingly
as seen increasingly in the West, is a return to the serious pressure put upon the earth’s environment
considerations of nature; not simply in minimising and resources.
an ecological footprint, but in consideration of
building placement, positioning, and sunlight use China’s traditional culture has always emphasised
among other things. harmony with nature in creating living environments—
the idea that man and nature are one. Whether it be
Beyond these natural considerations of course, the clay-silt caves in the northern Ordos Desert which
green technology relies on emerging innovations. are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, the
Until certain technologies become a universal courtyards of old Beijing homes that allow natural
standard, developed and developing nations alike circulation, or the sky-well courtyards of the Anhui
grapple with growth and massive energy expenditure region which rely on eaves and awnings to allow
in the building industry. However nature need not natural airflow whilst protecting from winter winds,
take a back seat to technology or rely on technology China has considered and relied on nature. All of
for consideration. Rather, on an individual level, we the internal spaces of these structures were created
can fundamentally and positively impact energy to meet the needs of the local climate and create
consumption. In consideration for China’s people a comfortable environment. This is our tradition;
and traditions the answer seems simple: China needs our national character is about perseverance
buildings which are open to nature. and adaptation and this necessitates a deep
understanding of our behaviours and our relationship
There are two contrary philosophies of how we can with nature.
approach the way we design and use buildings:
Let us hope that we do not lose sight of this tradition
1. 天人合一 Tian rén hé yi in the way we design our buildings and the manner
/ Harmonious with nature in which we live in them. Humanity has become
/ Nature and man are one so technologically advanced, perhaps our greatest
/ Adjust demand according to natural conditions strength post Industrial Revolution is to choose
/ Encourage thrifty behaviours not to inflict that might on nature.

2. 人定胜天 Rén dìng sheng tian


/ Mechanised
/ Man shall conquer nature
/ Designs demand according to 'paradise'
/ Depends on high tech and renewable energy

The first necessitates a return to nature. This means


allowing air to circulate naturally, going back to
traditional building structures, no longer trying to
control nature, and using artificial means only when
it becomes unbearable or necessary. The other path
is to continue to use technology to manipulate the
environment in the creation of comfort. This means
increasing the use of mechanised circulation and
environmental controls.
Harmonious with nature: The Chinese approach to
building energy reduction
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Illuminant Partners

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