Johnson Controls Inc. used its building technology and consulting expertise to help an 850,000-square-foot office tower in Changsha City, China, earn two prestigious green building certifications and cut energy consumption by 28 percent.

The Northstar Delta Office Tower is the first in the region to be awarded two green building certifications, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization that provides independent, third-party verification to confirm a building is operating at the highest levels of efficiency and sustainability. The second certification was the Green Building Evaluation Label, a program managed by the Chinese government that evaluates projects to ensure they conform to standards set for green building.

“We turned to Johnson Controls because of its expertise and long-term leadership in building solutions and green certification,” said Min Zhang, deputy general manager and chief architect of the Northstar Delta Office Tower. “The company was able to give us advice on the right building technologies and lead us on the path to certification.”

Johnson Controls’ recommendations included an innovative heat recovery system to harness waste heat. Heat recovery has become increasingly important due to a greater demand for more efficient and sustainable buildings at a lower cost. This is especially prevalent in China, where building construction is booming and air quality continues to worsen.

Other energy-saving features in the Northstar Delta Office Tower included Johnson Controls’ Metasys building management system and a variable air volume (VAV) system, the first used in a high-rise building in Hunan Province. Johnson Controls provided one-stop green and energy-saving solutions for the project.

“Building management has shown real leadership in its efforts to develop a facility that saves energy while reducing carbon pollution,” said Siew-Hooi Ling, director of service and energy solution for Johnson Controls’ China region. “This was an excellent project for us because we are committed to supporting efficiency and sustainability in buildings and facilities around the world.”

Johnson Controls has nearly 1,000 LEED-accredited professionals globally and certified 25 million square feet of LEED space in 2013 — equal to greening more than 25 50-story skyscrapers. The company has been awarded LEED-certification for its own facilities throughout the world, including its global headquarters in Wisconsin and its Asian manufacturing and research and development center in Wuxi, China. Johnson Controls’ new Asian corporate headquarters in Shanghai was designed to receive USGBC LEED Platinum and China’s Three Star Green certifications.

Publication date: 12/15/2014 

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