According to Trung, Vietnam now ranks 17th in Asia and 37th in the world in the number of green buildings, and the construction of such buildings has been steadily increasing, going up from 28 in 2016 to 48 this year.Green buildings are defined as those with high efficiency in the use of energy and materials and not having much adverse effect on human health and the environment.
In Vietnam, the concept of green buildings is still relatively new to the public and is not fully understood even by those working in construction and architecture, Trung said, adding that there remains hurdles to develop the green building construction in Vietnam.
Green buildings contribute significantly to the process of urban development.
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Misconceptions about green buildings are the next hurdle. People mistakenly think a green building must have a lot of trees and energy saving equipment, it is only about unique architectural solutions.
Besides, people also think it is very difficult to get green certification and green buildings are very expensive, but they are wrong, Trung said, explaining that they cost 5-30 per cent more than normal buildings, but a very good consultant could bring it down to just 0.5-2 per cent.
Vu Linh Quang, vice president of the club, said: “Green buildings also contribute significantly to the process of urban development by creating a sustainable living environment, attracting foreign investment and increasing tourism.”
Joseph Azzarello, senior staff engineer – sustainability, at Kohler Company and LEED certification coach at the US Green Building Council (USGBC) said: “Buildings have a great impact on the environment and we must change them to green for environmental protection.”
Globally, buildings account for 17 per cent of water use, 33 per cent of CO2 emissions and 40 per cent of the energy consumed, he said.
