Low-Carbon Technology Innovation Promotion Center

Wu Qingshan

Low-Carbon Technology Innovation Promotion Center of the Sino-Swiss Low-Carbon Eco-City

• Architects

"Everything has cracks, that's how the light gets in." Both humans and things have flaws and shortcomings, but it is just because of these cracks that light is able to penetrate and enter our lives, allowing us to see a more beautiful world. The problems faced by modern cities are not just endpoints, but new starting points. In the process of development, it is necessary to analyze and seek opportunities from the most basic level, take proactive actions, continue moving forward, and create a better future.

In September 2020, China officially announced its the goals of reaching "carbon peaking" by 2030 and achieving "carbon neutrality" by 2060. The "dual carbon" strategy promotes a green, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon lifestyle. In the field of building design and construction, through the setting up of "zero-carbon buildings" and "zero-carbon communities", the embedded carbon emissions in the construction and operation processes are comprehensively considered during the design phase in order to achieve zero carbon emissions throughout the entire lifecycle of the building.

The Wuxi Sino-Swiss Low-Carbon Eco-City project is located in the core area of the new urban center called "Taihu New City" in Wuxi. By taking urban design and creation as a breakthrough, this project studies the concepts and methods related to ecological economy, eco-habitat, eco-culture, and eco-environment to adapt to global climate change. Through exploration and practice on current urban issues, the project aims to find a path for the future of Chinese cities and to explore new models for sustainable development construction.

After nearly a decade of exploration and practice, the Sino-Swiss Low-Carbon Eco-city has taken shape and has gradually completed key projects such as distributed photovoltaic engineering, distributed energy system engineering, and zero-carbon campuses. The "Low-Carbon Technology Innovation Promotion Center" will serve as a centralized platform for showcasing the development process, green construction concepts, development achievements, and various modern low-carbon technologies of the Sino-Swiss Low-Carbon Eco-city. Moreover, it will provide technical demonstration space for representative cooperative enterprises, international organizations, and resident companies. This center not only integrates various exemplary low-carbon ecological technology measures but also sets a technological benchmark for the comprehensive development of the area construction in the next phase.

The building is located on the northeast side of the intersection of Qingyuan Road and Qingshu Road, occupying an area of 7 500 square meters with a building area of 3 735 square meters. The project has achieved a three-star rating in green building standards, with a prefabricated assembly ratio of 88%. It adopts a minimalist design approach, accommodating all functions within a suspended rectangular volume. The structure is made of fully prefabricated steel, with an extremely high assembly ratio, allowing the building to be completed in less than four months.
The architectural structure, enveloped in a complete metallic cladding and intersected by lines, resembles cracked rocks, radiating the enchanting light from within.

The metal box is suspended on a transparent pedestal, with a clean and smooth surface. The whole and full-length sandwich composite metal panels are chosen as facade materials. The exquisite frosted metal surface reflects the ever-changing urban scenery, presenting a colorful appearance under different lighting conditions. The cracks run through the vertical windows and skylights on the facade. The basic composition logic that divides the patterns is derived from an abstract interpretation of the urban texture, which also serves as a unique identification symbol of the building. Transparent glass releases the magnificent glow from within, creating a rhythmic variation of scales on the facade. The building appears to float above the river of light, and the permeating flowing light becomes the pulsating heartbeat of the vibrant city that never rests.

The entrance of the building features a naturally enlarged triangular corner, which is echoed by the form of the metal canopy. This creates a strong geometric attraction, drawing in light, people, and external scenery, naturally connecting to the interior through a interconnected lobby. The design of the building, including planning, structure, construction, facilities, materials, and operation, embodies the concept of low-carbon and environmentally friendly design and creation to the greatest extent possible. Thus, this building becomes an exemplary exhibit that best aligns with the theme of the new area's development. We consider the creation of the building as a dynamic interpretation process and try to search for a connection between artificial structures and nature, as well as between artificial structures and culture.

The upcoming significant changes in the new area differ from the conventional urban development patterns. They represent a completely new, top-down intervention approach: a brand new road network, new structures, new buildings and spaces, and new users from outside. The only constant point is the connection between architecture and nature: while the traditional villages on the original site may be covered, the traditional relationship of mutual reliance and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature remains as a core thread. This relationship will be preserved and extended in the mode of constructing new buildings and cities in an environmentally friendly manner.

Thanks to adhering to the usage characteristics of different functions, the building possesses voluminous spaces and sculptural masses. Strong cutting techniques create a solid and firm spatial arrangement. As a distinct architectural type, the ecological-themed exhibition hall not only showcases ecological and environmental concepts but also embodies the principles of sustainable development through its design, including energy and water conservation, environmentally friendly materials, and the utilization of renewable energy sources. From the beginning stages of construction, we have taken into consideration the sustainable functionality transformation to adapt to the rapidly changing urban needs. All materials used can be fully recycled and reused in order to reduce the generation of construction waste. The design and construction of the building incorporate several ecological measures, including:

1. Reducing building energy consumption
(1) The angled design of the facade ensures rhythmic window openings. The use of local glass curtain walls and roof skylights provides good natural lighting and ventilation, improving indoor comfort and reducing reliance on artificial lighting and ventilation systems.
(2) Recessed parts on the building facade create shadows, preventing direct sunlight and reducing energy consumption inside the building.
(3) The external walls are made of prefabricated integrated metal composite rock wool fireproof insulation boards, without thermal bridges, providing excellent insulation and soundproofing properties while maintaining a smooth exterior appearance.
(4) High-performance external doors and windows with excellent energy-saving and insulation effects are utilized. The superior airtightness of the doors and windows reduces indoor air circulation.

2. Circular use of energy
(1) The building roof incorporates a solar photovoltaic system, which not only meets the energy demand of the exhibition hall but also enables the overall supply of green energy.
(2) A "collect-and-reuse" system for rainwater is established: courtyards and building roofs are designed as optimal areas for rainwater collection. Combined with a mature reclaimed water system, water is recycled multiple times to minimize water consumption in the building.
(3) The ground source heat pump systems replace traditional cooling machines and boilers for air conditioning, heating, and supplying heat, to improve urban air quality and save energy.

3. The optimal optimization of energy efficiency involves using intelligent control systems to achieve more efficient energy management and environmental control. Through sensors and automation systems, parameters such as energy consumption, temperature, humidity, and lighting inside the exhibition hall can be controlled and monitored to achieve optimal energy efficiency.

4. Creating an environmentally friendly ecosystem:
(1) The building design not only focuses on the structure itself but also emphasizes the ecological landscape design of the surrounding environment. By selecting local plants and increasing vegetation coverage, the building and landscape can integrate with each other, creating an ecologically friendly external environment.
(2) The construction measures of a sponge city are adopted, wherein a rainwater garden purification system is installed on the building site. (Rainwater from the square flows into the rainwater garden, where it undergoes a series of processes including sedimentation tanks, primary purification tanks, secondary purification tanks, tertiary purification tanks, before finally reaching the landscape ecological pond.)

The design of the Sino-Swiss Ecological City's Low-carbon Technology Innovation Promotion Center reflects the concept of ecological friendliness and sustainable development. It is an innovative and challenging task. By incorporating green building materials, efficient energy-saving technologies, renewable energy utilization, and ecological landscape design, this project sets a remarkable example that guides the public towards a sustainable future. Moreover, the project disseminates environmental knowledge through educational and interactive designs, inspiring people to actively engage in environmental protection actions and fostering a heightened environmental awareness. Together, these efforts contribute to the construction of a better and harmonious city.