Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Applying green initiatives to the segment of low- and medium-price property will create sustainable communities in line with development goals set by the Ministry of Construction, said Deputy Minster Do Duc Duy.
He made the statement during a workshop on the issue, which took place in Hanoi on April 27.
Duy said he noticed environmentally friendly designs that save energy and use smart technologies are mostly used in the high-end segment.
The largest part of the population, however, reside in affordable housing, thus consuming much higher amount of energy, he added.
According to Vu Thi Kim Thoa from the USAID Vietnam Clean Energy Programme, green architecture is capable of saving up to 50 percent on energy use compared to traditional designs, without pushing up costs.
Dang Thanh Long from the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC) said the VGBC's rating tools (LOTUS) are popular in the country, as they were specially developed to match the local environment.
He pointed to an example of some LOTUS-labelled construction in response to flooding, which is common in Vietnam.
Attending Dannish experts said green building became compulsory in their country in the 1960s. Denmark is striving to reduce energy consumption of local buildings to zero percent by 2020.
Vietnam is ranked seventh among global countries damaged by climate change.
Some experts said green building is less likely to be selected for the segment of low- and medium-price property due to the profit factor and low social responsibility of Vietnamese developers.-VNA
