20 October 2006 - Press Release
Construction Industry needs new paradigm for development
In the Taipei Conference themed Promoting Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Reduction from Buildings, BEC's Chief Operating Officer, Kevin Edmunds, raised the need for a new paradigm for development for the construction industry.
"Sustainability is about change." Edmunds highlighted that the change will occur within individual enterprises and throughout the industry as a whole. "Authorities, clients, investors, designers, contractors, occupiers and operators, all contribute to make the change happen." (Click here to download Edmunds' presentation)
He went on to address the challenges of cost issue, a key topic in moving forward to sustainability. "It requires an acceptance of the difference between cost and value, and longer rather than short-timescales. Least cost solutions are almost always unsustainable in ecological, social, whole-life terms."
He also brought the green building assessment concept into Taiwan. "The HK-BEAM standard embraces, in priority order, safety, health, comfort, function and efficiency whilst protecting local, regional and global ecosystems during construction and operational lifetimes."
He continued to stress that "compliance is a minimum -- it is not what it is all about when you want to stay ahead."
The conference was designed to review progress in promoting energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction from residential and commercial buildings in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United States. Other overseas speakers included representatives from the National University of Singapore and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Energy Center. It was attended by government officers, building owners and managers, energy services and building technologies providers from Taiwan.
This event held on 4 October was sponsored by the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency. Co-organizers included the Taiwan Environment and Development Foundation, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Architecture and Building Research Institute, Chinese Architecture and Building Centre, and Architecture Department of Cheng Kung University.