Environment
UN office in Hanoi receives green building award
  • | dtinews.vn | May 23, 2017 07:54 AM
Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC) has awarded the Green One United Nations House with the Platinum LOTUS Certification, the highest level market-based green building rating award.




The Green One United Nations House on Kim Ma Street, Hanoi. Photo by Laodong

The award was presented on Monday with the participation of representatives from the UN, VGBC, the Diplomatic Corps Service Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concerned ministries, international development partners and UN staff in Vietnam.

The certificate is recognition of the building as a high-performance green building enhancing efficient use of resources through smart ecological design and management.

The Platinum LOTUS certification follows the building’s previous accreditation as one of the first buildings in Vietnam to be awarded a provision Gold LOTUS Rating from the VGBC.

VCBG’s Platinum Certification is currently the highest level of the LOTUS rating system for designing and constructing Vietnam’s greenest, most energy efficient and high-performing buildings. The LOTUS rating system promotes the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings with an aim to ultimately bring about efficient use of all forms of resources; protection of occupants’ health and productivity; and reducing all forms of environmental degradation.

Advocating climate change mitigation and adaptation, the GOUNH is constructed of ecologically friendly materials such as lead-free paint and furniture low in harmful Volatile Organic Compounds. Efficiency of heating, cooling and energy systems is maximised through photovoltaic panels harnessing solar energy and generating at least 10 percent of the building's annual electricity consumption. Additionally, through the application of an innovative Green Office Guide, UN staff have adopted green behaviours such as the reduction of paper, plastic and energy use as well as carbon-free transportation.

Accepting the certificate, UN Vietnam Resident Coordinator and Chair of the GOUNH Management Board Kamal Malhotra, congratulated and acknowledged the collated efforts of the government of Vietnam, donors, UN agencies and development partners. Malhotra reiterated the UN’s readiness in reinforcing partnerships, emphasising the “critical objective to provide a model building that demonstrates the viability of innovative sustainable buildings in Vietnam.”

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