Architecture and Design

Beijing Olympic Village is world’s first green neighborhood

Read the original press release here.

The Beijing Olympic Village is the first Olympic Village to achieve certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system.  The 42 buildings that housed 17,000 athletes from around the world earned a Gold rating, one step below the highest Platinum rating. The residential complex is one of only eight developments like it worldwide, and being in Beijing, it’s the first international project of its kind.

The residential area comprises 22 six-storey buildings and 20 nine-storey buildings of the same style, covering an area of 370,000 square meters. It is the latest example of USGBC’s commitment to engaging the people of China in its vision of buildings and communities that regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.

The LEED for Neighborhood Development is in its initial pilot phase and integrates the principles of smart growth, New Urbanism, and green building into a comprehensive system for neighborhood design.

“The world’s most pressing issues – including climate change, habitat destruction, water and energy shortages, human health, and social inequities – require global cooperation to solve,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chair of USGBC. “The Olympic Games represent the exciting possibilities that emerge when the world comes together. The commitment of the Olympic Village, demonstrated through its success in the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program, is an important part of that effort. It sets an inspiring example while the world is watching, and the real, measurable environmental and health effects will be a real benefit to the people of Beijing for years to come.”

The effort started four years ago in 2004, when the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology developed a “Protocol for Cooperation in Clean Energy Technologies for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.” The Protocol resulted in plans to seek LEED certification for the Olympic Village.

“China’s growing population, its emerging economy and the opportunities and challenges it represents ensure that China will play a key role in the future of our planet,” Fedrizzi said. “The fact that one of the world’s first LEED for Neighborhood Development-certified plans is a cause for great optimism that China’s growth in the coming years can be a model of sustainable development.”

Official details of the village were very…detailed.  “To ensure the athletes’ sweet sleep, each bed has been designed to be 2.2 meters long, and a special stool will be added to the end of the bed for giants like Yao Ming, whose body length is 2.26 meters.”

I’m very shocked that the world’s first green Olympic Village hasn’t been reported more.  Here in Beijing, I’ve had the TV on constantly for the past 16 days and haven’t heard a peep about it.

Anybody hear about this in the rest of the world?

It’s another example of a country that has paid attention to all the important details needed for a successful Games.

Sphere: Related Content

© 2008 ResponsibleChina.com: Environmental sustainability, corporate social responsibility and social entrepreneurship in China..