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buildings with exterior windows or window shading, on- site renewable energy,
green or vegetated roofs and walls, and building energy- saving management and
services projects.
Given the context of China’s low- carbon transition to green building in
urban areas, the green building pathway consists of two main components:
energy efficiency in the building sector, and renewable energy in the building
sector and the electricity system. These have also been indicated in The Comprehensive Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in the
13th Five- Year Plan Period. The component on energy efficiency of green building again contains two parts: new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings.
Renewable energy in the building sector is not only about on- site renewable
energy installations but also emphasises the promotion of renewable energy
supply in the electricity system.
The green building transition pathway can be viewed through the life cycle
of the building including: building- process energy consumption, which consists
of building planning, design, and construction, and a building’s energy consumption, consisting of the operation and utilisation of the building (Chen and
Luo, 2008). Energy consumption during the operational phase accounted for
80% of total consumption during the life time of the building (Zhang, Kang,
and Jin, 2018). Thus, a low- carbon transition that emphasises the operation
phase of a building will be the primary emphasis in the pathway’s discussion.
Research process and methods
The present chapter is based on a qualitative research design that includes two
methodical approaches: stakeholder analysis, involving mainly workshops and
interviews, and policy document analysis.
The data collection started with governmental documents, archives, and
related literature reviews. This covered more than 50 documents issued by
national governments and more than 19 regulations or programmes at the local
level. These documents helped identify key factors, processes, actors, and the
political framework of the building context. Based on that, a key set of questions
was discussed with stakeholders in workshops and interviews, which developed a
general understanding of transition pathway in building sector:
1 Is the current policy mix deemed adequate for achieving the desired green
transition in the building sector? What additional policies are required to
promote the transition pathway?
2 What are the barriers and challenges in the implementation of transitioning the
building sector? What are the criteria from the stakeholders for estimating them?
3 What are the (positive or negative) impacts of green transitions on the
social- technological structures?
Furthermore, the participatory research approach contributed to provide a
multiplicity of opinions and perceptions about the drivers, implementation risks,
buildings with exterior windows or window shading, on- site renewable energy,
green or vegetated roofs and walls, and building energy- saving management and
services projects.
Given the context of China’s low- carbon transition to green building in
urban areas, the green building pathway consists of two main components:
energy efficiency in the building sector, and renewable energy in the building
sector and the electricity system. These have also been indicated in The Comprehensive Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in the
13th Five- Year Plan Period. The component on energy efficiency of green building again contains two parts: new buildings and retrofitting existing buildings.
Renewable energy in the building sector is not only about on- site renewable
energy installations but also emphasises the promotion of renewable energy
supply in the electricity system.
The green building transition pathway can be viewed through the life cycle
of the building including: building- process energy consumption, which consists
of building planning, design, and construction, and a building’s energy consumption, consisting of the operation and utilisation of the building (Chen and
Luo, 2008). Energy consumption during the operational phase accounted for
80% of total consumption during the life time of the building (Zhang, Kang,
and Jin, 2018). Thus, a low- carbon transition that emphasises the operation
phase of a building will be the primary emphasis in the pathway’s discussion.
Research process and methods
The present chapter is based on a qualitative research design that includes two
methodical approaches: stakeholder analysis, involving mainly workshops and
interviews, and policy document analysis.
The data collection started with governmental documents, archives, and
related literature reviews. This covered more than 50 documents issued by
national governments and more than 19 regulations or programmes at the local
level. These documents helped identify key factors, processes, actors, and the
political framework of the building context. Based on that, a key set of questions
was discussed with stakeholders in workshops and interviews, which developed a
general understanding of transition pathway in building sector:
1 Is the current policy mix deemed adequate for achieving the desired green
transition in the building sector? What additional policies are required to
promote the transition pathway?
2 What are the barriers and challenges in the implementation of transitioning the
building sector? What are the criteria from the stakeholders for estimating them?
3 What are the (positive or negative) impacts of green transitions on the
social- technological structures?
Furthermore, the participatory research approach contributed to provide a
multiplicity of opinions and perceptions about the drivers, implementation risks,