Comprehensively and accurately understand the essence of green construction

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A comprehensive and accurate understanding of the essence of green construction. Source: Construction Engineering Education Network. Abstract: The construction industry is a pillar industry of the national economy. In recent years, it has achieved high growth rates; overall, its scale continues to expand, its structural composition keeps improving, and its quality keeps rising, thus maintaining a positive development trend. How to promote the sustainable development of the construction industry in the new era is a challenge we all face together. Last September, the Ministry of Construction issued the \"Guidelines for Green Construction\" (hereinafter referred to as the \"Guidelines\") via Document No. Jianzhi 223. The purpose of these guidelines is to promote the adoption of green construction practices in the construction industry, to foster its sustainable development, and to make contributions to building a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society. I. Fully recognize the important role of green construction in promoting the sustainable development of the construction industry. ***** The report of the 17th National Congress stated that it is necessary to foster sound and rapid development of the national economy, strengthen efforts to conserve energy and resources as well as protect the ecological environment, and enhance the capacity for sustainable development. Therefore, the sustainable development of the construction industry must meet the needs of sound and rapid economic growth, while the industry itself must also comply with the basic requirements of resource and energy conservation as well as ecological protection. (1) A comprehensive and accurate understanding of the concept of green construction: As an important stage in the entire life cycle of buildings, green construction is a key element in achieving resource conservation and energy savings in the construction sector. Green construction refers to construction activities in project development that, while ensuring basic requirements such as quality and safety, make use of scientific management and technological advancements to maximize resource conservation and minimize negative environmental impacts, thereby achieving energy savings, land conservation, water conservation, material savings, and environmental protection (the \"four conservations and one environmental protection\"). To implement green construction, it is necessary to follow the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, and to apply the relevant technical and economic policies at the national, industry, and local levels. 1. Principles for implementing green construction. First, it is necessary to optimize the overall plan; during the planning and design stages, the general requirements for green construction should be fully taken into account to create the necessary conditions for such construction. Second, control is exercised over various stages such as construction planning, material procurement, on-site construction, and project acceptance, in order to strengthen the management and supervision of the entire construction process. The overall framework of green construction consists of six aspects: construction management, environmental protection, material conservation and utilization of material resources, water conservation and utilization of water resources, energy conservation and utilization of energy, and land conservation and protection of construction sites. 2. Green construction is different from green buildings. As defined in the \"Green Building Evaluation Standards\" issued by the Ministry of Construction last year, a green building is one that, throughout its entire life cycle, maximizes resource conservation, protects the environment, and reduces pollution; it provides people with healthy, functional, and efficient living spaces while coexisting in harmony with nature. Therefore, green buildings are characterized by the safety, comfort, energy efficiency, and environmental friendliness of the buildings themselves, while green construction is reflected in the four principles of conservation and environmental protection throughout the building construction process. Green construction aims to create green buildings as its goal, but it is not limited solely to the performance requirements of such buildings; rather, it places more emphasis on process control. Without green construction, building green buildings remains just talk. 3. Green construction is different from civilized construction. In the first two years, when the concept of green construction first emerged, its meaning was not yet clear, and many people tended to confuse it with civilized construction. At that time, to some extent, civilized construction could be understood as green construction in a narrow sense. With the development of **strategic policies and technological capabilities, the meaning of green construction continues to evolve. In addition to covering civilized construction, green construction also involves the use of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction methods and technologies to save resources such as water, electricity, and materials. Therefore, green construction is higher and stricter than civilized construction. For example, the Guidelines specify provisions regarding the protection of underground facilities, cultural relics, and resources, as well as measures for material and energy conservation. Green construction also needs to follow the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, and be carried out steadily and thoroughly in light of the different natural conditions and development levels of various regions, so as to avoid superficial efforts that lead to waste. (II) Green construction is a concrete manifestation of the construction industry’s commitment to social responsibility. ***** The report of the 17th National Congress stated that it is necessary to give top priority to building a resource-saving and environment-friendly society within the framework of industrialization and modernization strategies, and to ensure that this goal is implemented in every organization and every household. The construction industry bears an undeniable social responsibility in building a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society. Green construction is an important measure and practical approach through which the construction industry actively assumes this social responsibility. Construction activities have always been among the production processes that consume large amounts of natural resources and energy. The land occupied by buildings, the processing and use of construction materials, as well as the waste generated during construction and the pollution it causes to the surrounding environment, all have a significant impact on the ecological environment. According to statistics, the energy consumed directly in the construction and operation phases accounts for nearly 30% of the total energy consumption across society, with building water, steel, cement, etc., contributing a significant portion as well. Take water for construction, for example; according to relevant statistics, the country experiences a water shortage of 6 billion tons per year, and one-sixth of cities are facing severe water shortages. China’s annual production of concrete amounts to 2 billion cubic meters, and the amount of water required to produce this concrete is around 300 million cubic meters. Adding to this the water needed for curing the concrete (if traditional curing methods are used, the water consumption will exceed that required for mixing), the total amounts to one-tenth of 6 billion tons of water shortage per year. Moreover, at present, almost all water used in construction is tap water, resulting in unnecessary waste, as reclaimed water can be fully utilized for concrete mixing and curing. Although the water consumption in construction is lower per unit of output compared to industries with high water usage, the mobile and temporary nature of construction projects leads to relatively lax management of water use during construction, leaving significant room for water conservation and reuse. Also, take construction waste as an example; according to statistics from Beijing and Shanghai, an average of 500-600 tons of construction waste is generated for every 10,000 square meters built. And this construction waste can be reused through methods such as landfilling and paving. It is evident that the construction industry has great potential and bears a significant responsibility in implementing the **energy conservation and emission reduction strategy, and in building a resource-efficient and environment-friendly society. The guiding principle of green construction is based on the fact that the construction industry, through its engineering practices focused on \"four savings and one environmental protection,\" bears the undeniable responsibility to fulfill its social obligations in terms of sustainable development. The Guidelines provide targeted control measures to ensure the achievement of the goals of conservation, efficiency, sustainability, and environmental protection during construction. In terms of water conservation and utilization, they address improving water use efficiency, enhancing the use of non-traditional water sources (reused water, rainwater, groundwater from excavation sites), and ensuring water safety ； In material conservation and the utilization of material resources, emphasis is placed on measures to reduce material use, standardized and specialized production and processing of structural materials as well as optimized installation methods, the energy-saving properties of cladding materials, and the rational reuse of temporary materials ； In terms of energy conservation and utilization, it is required to use energy-efficient machinery and equipment, adopt energy-saving solutions for construction lighting, as well as for temporary facilities used in production, daily life, and office work; furthermore, processes should be designed reasonably and facilities configured in such a way as to reduce energy consumption ； In terms of land conservation and protection of construction sites, it is proposed to establish strict guidelines for temporary land use, strengthen the protection of such land, arrange the construction layout in a rational and compact manner, and make full use of existing buildings, roads, pipelines, and transportation routes ； In environmental protection, it is emphasized that dust control should involve the adoption of targeted control measures and standards based on different materials at various construction stages; for example, the visible dust height in areas where earthwork is being carried out should be kept below 1.5 meters, while in areas where structural installations take place, this height should be below 0.5 meters. Regarding the reduction of construction waste, the amount of waste generated per 10,000 square meters in residential buildings should not exceed 400 tons. Efforts should be made to achieve a recycling rate of 30% for such waste, 40% for waste resulting from building demolition, and 50% for soil and rock-related waste. (III) Green construction is one of the important ways to achieve a transformation in the development mode of the construction industry. Whether the construction industry can seize future opportunities to achieve sustainable development and adapt to the strategy of sound and rapid growth of the national economy depends on a fundamental change in its development mode. To shift the development mode of the construction industry, it is necessary to accelerate the reform and development of construction enterprises and enhance their overall competitiveness. The key lies in strengthening independent innovation capabilities, promoting management and technological innovation, and improving the quality of workers in this sector. The sustainable development of the construction industry involves a shift from traditional, resource-intensive, extensive growth models to more efficient, intensive ones, as well as a transition in construction methods from labor-intensive to technology-intensive. Green construction is one of the important ways to achieve this transformation. The introduction of green construction imposes higher demands on corporate management and project management, prompting enterprises to organize all aspects of project construction in a more scientific, rational, and efficient manner. Through innovative management methods, optimized processes, and refined management practices aimed at improving efficiency, such enterprises replace the extensive management style that relies solely on the input of production factors, thereby shedding outdated and primitive production methods. The introduction of green construction necessarily requires the widespread use of new environmental-friendly materials and energy-efficient equipment, the application of advanced and mature construction techniques, enhanced use of information technologies such as digital construction sites, as well as the vigorous development of building standard components. Increasing the proportion of industrialized production of building parts will help to establish an enterprise technology innovation and dissemination mechanism that is closely linked to production processes, thereby strengthening enterprises’ capabilities in original innovation, integrated innovation, and the ability to introduce, adapt, and absorb new technologies, and accelerating technological progress in the construction industry. The introduction of green construction inevitably places higher demands on the skills of workers on the construction sites; it is therefore necessary to pay attention to and enhance their training, especially that of migrant workers working on site, in order to ensure the implementation of green construction and thus improve the overall quality of professionals in this industry. (IV) Green construction is an important means for enterprises to transform their development concepts and improve their overall efficiency. The entities responsible for implementing green construction are enterprises. At present, construction enterprises in China still primarily rely on expanding their operations, competing in terms of equipment, and investing in labor to achieve profitability; they focus most on economic benefits, are paying increasing attention to social benefits, but lack sufficient awareness of environmental benefits. The focus of project organization and management in enterprises, as well as on construction sites, has always been on the speed of construction and economic benefits, resulting in widespread serious problems of pollution and waste at these sites. The fundamental purpose of green construction is to achieve the integration of economic, social, and environmental benefits. Implementing green construction does not mean that companies must incur high costs, which could affect project timelines and economic benefits; on the contrary, it enhances the overall efficiency of the company. Firstly, green construction seeks efficiency through technology, management, and conservation. During the planning and management phase of green construction, a green construction plan must be developed. This plan includes measures for environmental protection, energy conservation, land savings, water conservation, and material savings, all of which will directly help reduce costs in project construction. Therefore, green construction not only fulfills the social responsibility of protecting the environment and conserving resources, but also reduces costs for enterprises themselves, thereby making project management more scientific and rational. Secondly, environmental benefits can be transformed into economic and social benefits. Construction companies that pay attention to environmental protection during the project construction process will inevitably establish a positive social image, thereby generating potential benefits. For example, in terms of environmental protection, if control measures such as those related to dust, noise and vibration, light pollution, water pollution, soil protection, construction waste, and the preservation of cultural relics and resources in underground facilities are put in place, it will help to improve the negative social image associated with construction sites, which are often messy, disordered, and noisy. For enterprises, establishing a positive image helps them gain social support, ensure the smooth progress of all construction tasks, and even win market favor. Therefore, during the process of green construction, enterprises achieve economic benefits, as well as social and environmental benefits, ultimately resulting in overall benefits for the enterprise. II. Accelerate the advancement of green construction in the construction industry (1) Strengthen research and data collection, and establish comprehensive regulatory standards and systems for green construction. Green construction in our country is still in its initial stages, but it is showing good growth momentum. The department’s issuance of the \"Guidelines for Green Construction\" is just a beginning and represents only guiding requirements. The relevant green construction regulations and standards have not kept up, especially in terms of quantitative indicators such as energy consumption metrics. Therefore, we still have a lot of foundational work to do. On the one hand, it is necessary to promptly summarize the experiences of various regions and enterprises in the practice of promoting green construction, further quantify the evaluation criteria for green construction, and gradually establish relevant standards and specifications, so as to provide a basis for managing green construction. For example, in the Guidelines, evaluation management falls under corporate self-assessment, and the relevant evaluation indicators and methods need to be determined by the enterprises based on the characteristics of the projects and their own circumstances. With social progress and economic development, we will promptly summarize and study the good practices of certain enterprises; once the conditions are right, these practices will be elevated to standards, and some of them may even become mandatory standards. On the other hand, efforts are being made to establish a green construction responsibility system and a social commitment guarantee system for all parties involved in project construction, so as to encourage these enterprises to take responsibility voluntarily in the context of green construction and to create an external environment and management framework conducive to the implementation of green construction practices. (II) Taking green construction demonstration projects as a starting point, establish and improve incentive mechanisms. Implementing such demonstration projects can drive progress on a broader scale by serving as model examples. To this end, the Guidelines include a dedicated chapter on \"Model Projects for the Application of Green Construction,\" aiming to encourage various regions to promote the healthy development of green construction by accelerating pilot and model projects, while also establishing incentive mechanisms to guide enterprises in implementing green construction. At present, it is necessary to conduct further research on the technical aspects and key points for the promotion of demonstration projects for green construction. Incentive policies should be established gradually, using these demonstration projects as a platform to facilitate the faster and wider application of green construction technologies and management practices in engineering projects. Furthermore, green construction requirements should be included in relevant engineering evaluation systems in order to increase the degree of sustainability in projects, strengthen incentives, and boost enterprises’ enthusiasm for participation. (III) Strengthen publicity and training on green construction to create a favorable operating environment. It is necessary to actively carry out campaigns to promote green construction, guiding construction enterprises and the general public to raise their awareness of it, to deeply understand its importance, to enhance their sense of social responsibility, and to improve the unity and coordination in implementing green construction practices. It is necessary to make full use of the existing human resource advantages in the construction industry. By strengthening targeted training for technical and management personnel as well as front-line construction workers, construction professionals can become familiar with the requirements, principles, and methods of green construction at an early stage, and apply them effectively in construction practices to ensure the successful implementation of green construction. (IV) Actively play the role of key players in enabling construction enterprises to implement green construction. While a guiding role is certainly essential for implementing green construction, the key lies with the construction enterprises themselves. Enterprises are the main force behind the implementation of green construction. It is necessary to rely on various construction enterprises involved in construction, design, construction, and supervision to promote technological and managerial innovation in green construction, and to truly integrate the concept of green construction throughout the entire construction process. For example, the rational optimization of green construction plans, the evaluation and management of green construction, as well as various technical control measures—all of these require enterprises to continuously innovate and improve during implementation, in order to accumulate technology and experience. Construction enterprises should focus on actively adopting green construction techniques to improve the quality of their development, research and develop new technologies, materials, and processes for green construction, and enhance their capabilities in independent innovation.