Society

First building in Vietnam receives Gold Lotus certificate

The Green One UN house, which will house the 16 UN branches operating in Vietnam, has become the first Vietnamese infrastructure project to be awarded the Gold Lotus standard by the Vietnam Green Buildings Council (VGBC).
The Green One UN house, which will house the 16 UN branches operatingin Vietnam, has become the first Vietnamese infrastructure project to beawarded the Gold Lotus standard by the Vietnam Green Buildings Council(VGBC).

The Gold Lotus certificate was recently announcedduring the annual VGBC conference in Ho Chi Minh City, with theparticipation of over 150 delegations from all over the world, includingpolicy-makers, real estate development companies, urban planningagencies, architects, engineers, contractors and experts.

Praising this achievement, VGBC Director Tran Van Thanh stated that theGreen One UN House could help set a new environmental standard for theVietnamese construction industry, and hoped that future infrastructureprojects will learn from this eco-friendly model.

According toDr. Pratibha Mehta, UN Coordinator in Vietnam, one of the UN’spriorities in Vietnam is to protect the environment. The projectcontributes to the reduction of carbon emissions as well as water andelectricity consumption in the UN organisations in Vietnam.

Thesix-story building and surrounding complex were designed as aneco-friendly structure that complies with international standards ongreen architecture.

The entire complex is designed to maximisethe effectiveness of the ventilation system and uses thermal insulation,minimising the need for air conditioning. Its atrium-based design letsin plenty of natural light, reducing the amount of electricity neededfor lighting by at least 25 percent, compared to traditionalarchitecture.

Moreover, the building’s water managementsystem, which harvests and filters rainwater, is expected to reducewater usage by 36 percent, while the solar panels installed on the roofof the building will generate up to 10 percent of the building’s annualpower consumption.

The UN is also working with the Electricityof Vietnam (EVN) to feed the national power grid by excess energy fromthe house.

Construction on the Green One UN House began in early 2013, and is scheduled to become operational by the end of October 2014.-VNA
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