The entrance of a new, ecologically friendly building in the Tianjin Architecture Design Institute. [Photo by Yang Qiuyu/People.com.cn]

The new ecologically friendly buildings of the Tianjin Architecture Design Institute officially opened recently. They represent another achievement in green architecture after the launch of the first such building in 2010.

The building has achieved three-star identification, which is an evaluation system recognized nationwide for green buildings. It is also applying for the Golden Award by the US Green Building Council and the Green Mark Platinum Award by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority.

The greenery wall can adjust room temperature and air quality. [Photo by Yang Qiuyu/People.com.cn]

The project was designed with ecology in mind, with large spaces reserved for greenery The design sufficiently considers the influence to the site and applies the sustainable architecture layout to the blueprint which greatly optimizes the construction. The project reserves large amount of sites for greeneries and has temperature control from solar and geothermal energy. The project also has an integrated energy management system and a united monitoring platform.

A window shows damping structures made from soft steel in the wall. [Photo by Yang Qiuyu/People.com.cn]

One window shows the structure of the wall, which contains damping structures made from soft steel. This not only guarantees the security of the structure but also protects the environmental protection concept. The building overall architecture uses a total of 88 dampers to alleviate shock from earthquakes, as well as saving 1,350 cubic meters of concrete and 49 tons of carbon emissions.

The smart management center monitors energy consumption in the building. [Photo by Yang Qiuyu/People.com.cn]

The brain of the building, the smart management center, monitors all energy consumption in the building. Staff can manage lifts, lighting, and curtains directly through the platform.

The institute specially developed a monitoring system using green technology for its documentary building. The system can evaluate the consumption data in the building and summarize, analyze, and manage the data. Based on such monitoring system, the institute adds new functions such as integrated control, energy management, alert management, operation record, and maintenance management. The upgraded system reduces costs and difficulties in high operation requirement, difficulties in management, and high cost in maintenance.

The solar energy collector on the roof can rotate automatically according to the angle of the sun. [Photo by Yang Qiuyu/People.com.cn]

The solar energy collector on the roof can rotate automatically according to the angle of the sun, improving energy efficiency. The utilization of renewable energy exceeds 70 percent.

The institute has been dedicated to ecologically friendly buildings since its first green construction in 2008. It has created dozens of green buildings including the Sino-Singapore Ecological City’s Service and Exhibition Center as well as the Community Activity Center on Jiefang South Road.

Director Liu Jun said that the new building is an integration of many cutting-edge technologies that can be applied in different areas in the future. Liu added that the institute will push the green construction in Tianjin and contribute to environmental protection in the city.