VET for Passive and Low-Energy House Technologies in Hangzhou

Best Practice Example for Sino-German Cooperation on Vocational Education and Training for Passive and Low-Energy House Technologies in Hangzhou

"Impressive events," "Immaculately planned," "Outstanding demonstration of innovative technologies and construction quality under one roof." On 30th November and 1st December 2018, domestic and international guests were impressed by a series of events in Hangzhou, the capital of the eastern Chinese Zhejiang province. During the two days, Zhejiang College of Construction (ZCC) held its 60th anniversary celebrations. As renowned professional training institution for construction specialists, ZCC celebrated its successful history of far-sighted training for sustainable skill-development in front of both a Chinese and an international audience. Distinguished international guests attended a Sino-German conference on green building in the professional training context. Various ceremonies supported by leading speakers of the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) and other representatives of the political sphere, workshops by construction experts and demonstrations of up-to-date technology were framed by impressive musical and artistic performances.

Sino-German success story

The college's successful development has always been based on stable cooperation with strong industrial and training partners nationally, but also internationally. In this context, the General Manager of German BFW Bau Sachsen, Jens-Uwe Strehle, and Professor He of ZCC proudly presented the highlights of their successful Sino-German partnership. Since 2005, the two institutions have been working together in various fields. Their joint projects have been concerned with technology and knowledge transfer in the areas of industrial plant engineering, construction with aerated concrete and external thermal insulation composite systems, building automation technology, machine plastering, wastewater management as well as drinking water purification and legionella treatment. Starting with basic topics regarding the building envelope, the partnership has grown over the years to realize more ambitious, complex high-tech projects – increasingly with focus on green building.

Today their cooperation is considered a model example for training and technology transfer cooperation, culminating in the latest lighthouse project for passive and low-energy house technologies.

"Passive and low-energy house" project

The Saxon companies OBAG Hochbau and ENERelektronik had initiated this strategic partnership project in the framework of the develoPPP.de programme, supported by the German development finance institution DEG. A state-of-the-art low-energy house was planned by the German architects of Objekt- und Planungsservice Wedemeyer and was constructed according to German prerequisites and standards. German materials were used and partly sponsored by partners such as VEDAG, Schletter, Raab Karcher, KOCHS or Carbonit.

During the anniversary celebrations, the building with its innovative exterior look and comfortable inner climate caught the attention of over 200 representatives of vocational colleges from the Zhejiang province, of construction companies, of MOHURD and other guests of ZCC. "When entering the building, visitors can instantly feel a difference in coziness and comfort compared with traditional buildings," Jens-Uwe Strehle commented. "Furthermore, the energy balance is distinctly better than in comparable traditional buildings."

Hangzhou is located in an area with long phases of hot weather and high air humidity. Therefore, the building was designed with a double skin. The green roof supports a better room climate through cooling. The building utilizes alternative energy sources from photovoltaics and stores overcapacities in an additional power bank for time periods without sun. Heat exchanger pumps and air filtration provide efficient air conditioning and the house is equipped with a plant for drinking water treatment as well as a grey water system.

BFW Bau Sachsen as project coordinator, networking and training partner was responsible for a smooth and reliable cooperation between the Chinese education partner ZCC, ENERelektronik, that provided automation components for the building, and the German site manager of OBAG Hochbau. Frequent construction consultations in China and direct instruction of workers on site ensured fulfillment of the quality and time schedule of building work. "In spite of good preparation and communication, misunderstandings, differences in construction methods and in quality expectations still led to temporary setbacks in the construction process", Site Manager Erik Fleischer explained. He added that: "A lot of communication, consequent exchange and in-depth explanation of particularly relevant aspects were necessary. In the end, this led to a positive result, which both the German and the Chinese side can be proud of."

Philosophy and training approach

Teachers and trainers of ZCC were regularly involved in the construction process, learning about the principles of passive house construction and technologies. BFW Bau Sachsen had developed a training course for this field that has by now become part of the Chinese partner's curriculum for vocational education and training. Preparing ZCC's training staff to become skillful multipliers of relevant contents is one central key to the success of this project. Jens-Uwe Strehle explains the reasons behind this: "Even though energy-efficient construction and green building have been and still are key words in the construction sector in China, a lot of eco-cities, energy efficient areas or single building projects do not fulfil their expected energy-saving goals. This is usually not caused by incorrect planning, but is due to errors in the construction execution itself. A building, green or conventional, needs to function as a system, to guarantee its optimal energy efficiency. Enough green building materials from Germany can be found on the Chinese market. However, only few Chinese skilled workers are able to use or apply them correctly, so that their full energy-saving potential can be put into practice. Otherwise, the quality and performance of German products and technologies may be questioned. In other words, poor usage of German construction materials may be a risky obstacle for German export ambitions in China."

Eckehard Holzhausen of ENERelektronik, provider for building automation technology equipment in the newly erected low-energy house is convinced of BFW Bau Sachsen's approach: "Since our company offers customized solutions rather than concrete products, we needed to make sure that our project was connected with an educational approach. The Chinese side has to be well trained in the basic functions and control of our plant technologies, in order to successfully place them on the Chinese market. Our tailor-made training concept ensures a high skill-level of ZCC's teaching staff. ZCC will therefore be able to educate their students in our special field according to our needs and German standards. The new low-energy house will continuously serve as a training and studying location on the campus of ZCC. As a part of our holistic training concept, students and teachers will experience our technologies with all senses, whenever studying inside the building."

Steps ahead

Both the German and the Chinese side are pleased with their latest endeavor. Future projects to further strengthen the successful bond between Germany and China are already in the making: The college's new campus at Shangyu City will be supported by German technologies and expert courses in green building. German companies are welcome to contribute their solutions.


Source: econet monitor – Green Markets and Climate Change, China, econet-china.com, Issue December 2018