Nestled in Liechexincheng community in Gaobeidian, Hebei Province, the dappled shadows of trees and a gentle breeze offer respite from the scorching summer. Clean and tidy corridors lead to homes that seem to breathe, nestled near lawns of green grass.
Liechexincheng community in Gaobeidian, Hebei Province, is a pioneering example of \”zero carbon\” living. (People\’s Daily Online/Zhu Longchao)
\”The energy lost each year through doors and windows accounts for 45 to 50 percent of a building\’s energy consumption,\” said an executive from Heibei Orient Sundar Group. “If existing doors and windows can be replaced with thermally insulated, green and low-energy alternatives, it will be much easier to achieve energy conservation in buildings and the national \’dual-carbon\’ goals.\”
Orient Sundar Group, established in 1988 and based in Gaobeidian, aligned its construction of Liechexincheng community with Bahnstadt in Heidelberg, Germany. The community adopts a green and tech-driven ethos, integrating cutting-edge energy-saving technologies such as digital smart technology, ecological restoration techniques, and new energy applications. This strategy establishes the area as a \”breathing city,\” serving as an example of a zero-carbon, green sponge city.
A research group under the theme \”Hello, Carbon Neutrality,\” organized by People\’s Daily Online, recently visited Baoding, Hebei Province, to experience these \”houses of the future.\”
Members of the research group experience the model room at Gaobeidian National Residential Experience Center. (People\’s Daily Online/Zhu Longchao)
In the National Residential Experience Center, the team was introduced to the community\’s \”green intelligent ecological housing,\” which maintains a constant temperature, humidity, oxygen, quietness, and clean air. The innovative homes astonished visitors with their ability to muffle outside noise, demonstrated by playing music from a phone placed outside a window, which became almost inaudible once the window was closed.
According to the manager, these homes employ unique sound insulation, smart home systems, and indoor pollutant absorption systems. Each home maintains an indoor temperature of between 20-26 degrees Celsius, a relative humidity of 30 to 60 percent, and an average PM2.5 concentration of fewer than 35 micrograms per cubic meter. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide is kept below 1,000 parts per million (ppm). The systems contribute to a comfortable and healthy environment, enhancing healthy living through a number of patented technologies such as formaldehyde removal technology, negative oxygen ion technology, and bacteria and virus elimination technology. In this way, a livable \”natural oxygen bar\” is created, mitigating health conditions caused by air conditioning and heating while providing day-long protection for residents\’ health.
Green building systems, considering various climate zones and architectural characteristics across China, are progressively taking shape in China.
Fanny Beatrice Pittemans from People\’s Daily Online introduces Liechexingcheng community. (People\’s Daily Online/Zhu Longchao)
\”We have built a complete industrial chain that includes R&D, design, production, transportation, construction, testing, operation and maintenance,\” said the company executive. \”By constantly optimizing the integrated system of green health buildings, we can further improve its comfort and health performance.\”
The company collaborates with internationally renowned enterprises to develop and assemble green health building technology and achieves mass production through joint research and development of customized production lines. Prefabrication and modular assembly in factories, along with standardized construction, enable the creation of mobile green health buildings and the further expansion of diverse application scenarios for green health building technologies.
\”I wish we had houses like this in our country,\” said Pascoal Manuel Calunga, an African student at Huaqiao University.