A panel discussion at a conference on green building in HCM City where experts stressed the benefits of adopting such standards. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Adopting green building standards andcertifications is highly desirable, especially with rising energy costs andpollution, experts told a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11.
Nguyen Thanh Xuyen of the city Department of Construction said greenconstruction is a rising global trend to combat climate change and pollution,but the number of green buildings in Vietnam is low since it is not mandatory.
His department is working with other related agencies to draft policies toencourage green construction, and they would soon be submitted to the city forapproval, he added.
Nguyen Thu Nhan, manager of the International Finance Corporation’s VietnamGreen Building Programme, said there is a lack of awareness of green buildingsin the country though that is changing with more and more adopting thepractice.
"Green buildings can help investors save costs in the long run and improvea property’s attractiveness," she said.
IFC’s green building certification EDGE (Excellence in Design for GreaterEfficiencies) has been conferred on around 1.42 million square metres ofbuildings in the country, she said.
Martin Maier, Switzerland’s consul general in HCM City, said green buildingcertifications such as EDGE add value to buildings and benefit societies.
Richard Colville, director of Property Management at property consultancy CBRE Vietnam,said more people will build green buildings in the future as electricity costs,incomes and environmental awareness increase.
Investors who build properties and operate them for a long time would reap thebenefits of green buildings, but there are some that sell finished buildingsimmediately and so do not care for such standards, he said.
They should be persuaded “they have an interest and the community has aninterest in keeping the buildings green, even if their connection to thebuilding is short term,” he said.
He said many big companies greatly prefer having offices in buildings certifiedas green.
Currently Vietnam has 104 properties with 2.5 million square metre of land havegreen building certification, a small proportion considering that 58 millionsquare metres of properties were developed in 2018 alone.
The conference was organised by the IFC, CBRE Vietnam and Switzerland’s StateSecretariat for Economic Affairs. - VNS/VNA
VNA
