HCM CITY — There will be a boom in green buildings in Việt Nam if the community’s awareness of environmental protection improves, an expert told a symposium in HCM City on Thursday.

Green buildings are defined as those with high efficiency in the use of energy and materials and not having much adverse effect on human health and the environment.

Trần Khánh Trung, president of the HCM City Green Architecture Club, said: “Việt Nam now ranks 17th in Asia and 37th in the world in the number of green buildings, but the fact is the construction of such buildings has been steadily increasing, going up from 28 in 2016 to 48 this year.”

He listed the hurdles to green building construction in Việt Nam.

“Low awareness of the community about how green buildings can protect the environment is the biggest challenge.

“Misconceptions about green buildings are the next hurdle. People mistakenly think a green building must have a lot of trees and energy saving equipment, it is only about unique architectural solutions.

“People also think it is very difficult to get green certification and green buildings are very expensive. They are wrong.”

He said they cost 5 – 30 per cent more than normal buildings, but a very good consultant could bring it down to just 0.5 – 2 per cent.

He himself constructed a green building for his company at 8 per cent extra cost, he said.

“I spent 4 per cent more for energy efficiency and fully recovered my money in three years.”

He invested another 3 per cent to ensure no harmful materials or equipment were used indoors, considering that an investment for his and his staff’s health, he said.

In Việt Nam, the concept of green buildings is still relatively new to the public and is not fully understood even by those working in construction and architecture, he said.

He was confident that “If the community’s awareness of environmental protection improves, there will be a boom in green buildings.”

Vũ Linh Quang, vice president of the club, said: “Green buildings also contribute significantly to the process of urban development by creating a sustainable living environment, attracting foreign investment and increasing tourism.”

Joseph Azzarello, senior staff engineer – sustainability, at Kohler Company and LEED certification coach at the US Green Building Council (USGBC) said: “Buildings have a great impact on the environment and we must change them to green for environmental protection.”

Globally, buildings account for 17 per cent of water use, 33 per cent of CO2 emissions and 40 per cent of the energy consumed, he said.

The symposium attracted property developers, architects and interior design specialists, giving industry professionals an opportunity to share and discuss problems, hear from leading experts about world trends, and promote green buildings in the country.

Following the symposium, Kohler organised an LEED Green Associate training programme, and awarded attendees a certificate that is a pre-requisite for the official LEED GA certification exam. — VNS