Green buildings are still rare in Vietnam though the country is amongthe 10 most vulnerable in the world to climate change and sea levelrise.
Environment and construction experts told aconference on energy-efficient construction held on December 17 by theVietnam Green Building Council and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute forDevelopment Studies that green construction is still restricted toslogans.
Buildings use a lot of energy and this puthuge pressure on both the environment and house owners, especially inthe last decade.
With fuel bills headed in only onedirection in the foreseeable future and given the economic situation,Vietnam needs to put energy efficiency on the front burner.
Nguyen Minh Thong, CEO of the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC),said some environment-friendly buildings may have been built in recentyears but knowledge about them remains low.
Most of these buildings were the outcome of market demand rather than any government policy, he said.
People think building green is much more expensive than conventional,he said, adding, "It is funny how people in the construction industryfirmly believe that green buildings must be very expensive."
Melissa Merryweather, the VGBC's southern regional coordinator anddirector of Green Consult - Asia, agreed with Thong, saying greenbuildings can be cheap.
Information source
The Vietnam Green Building Council and Fairventures Worldwide took asignificant step forward in their efforts to promote a more sustainableand adaptive environment with the launch on December 16 of E4G.org, agreen database for buildings and urban planning in Vietnam and theAsia-Pacific.
It is meant to foster energyefficient buildings and practices through open knowledge-sharing,hands-on experience, case studies, insights into the benefits of greenbuildings, and networking.
E4G offers in-depth knowledge and expertise in green buildings and energy efficiency for free.
Fairventures Worldwide is a German non-profit and consulting organisation working in international development.
The project is sponsored by the Renewable Energy and Energy EfficiencyPartnership, an international non-profit organisation that aims toscale up clean energy solutions in developing countries.-VNA
Environment and construction experts told aconference on energy-efficient construction held on December 17 by theVietnam Green Building Council and the Ho Chi Minh City Institute forDevelopment Studies that green construction is still restricted toslogans.
Buildings use a lot of energy and this puthuge pressure on both the environment and house owners, especially inthe last decade.
With fuel bills headed in only onedirection in the foreseeable future and given the economic situation,Vietnam needs to put energy efficiency on the front burner.
Nguyen Minh Thong, CEO of the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC),said some environment-friendly buildings may have been built in recentyears but knowledge about them remains low.
Most of these buildings were the outcome of market demand rather than any government policy, he said.
People think building green is much more expensive than conventional,he said, adding, "It is funny how people in the construction industryfirmly believe that green buildings must be very expensive."
Melissa Merryweather, the VGBC's southern regional coordinator anddirector of Green Consult - Asia, agreed with Thong, saying greenbuildings can be cheap.
Information source
The Vietnam Green Building Council and Fairventures Worldwide took asignificant step forward in their efforts to promote a more sustainableand adaptive environment with the launch on December 16 of E4G.org, agreen database for buildings and urban planning in Vietnam and theAsia-Pacific.
It is meant to foster energyefficient buildings and practices through open knowledge-sharing,hands-on experience, case studies, insights into the benefits of greenbuildings, and networking.
E4G offers in-depth knowledge and expertise in green buildings and energy efficiency for free.
Fairventures Worldwide is a German non-profit and consulting organisation working in international development.
The project is sponsored by the Renewable Energy and Energy EfficiencyPartnership, an international non-profit organisation that aims toscale up clean energy solutions in developing countries.-VNA
