DOE Technical Assistance Contributes to Beijing Olympic Village Designation of LEED Gold

Public Affairs Section
American Embassy, Beijing
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August 13, 2008

DOE Technical Assistance Contributes to Beijing Olympic Village Designation of LEED Gold

The U.S. Government is pleased to present the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Award to the Beijing Olympic Village in recognition of its environmentally-friendly design.

The LEED Gold Award from the U.S. Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org) recognizes the highest level of performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and innovative design. Ninety percent of the total building square footage within the Olympic Village is LEED certified.

In 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology developed a “Protocol for Cooperation in Clean Energy Technologies for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.” The Protocol resulted in plans to seek LEED certification for the Olympic Village.

DOE worked closely with Olympic Village developer Guo Ao Development Company by providing technical assistance for the construction of 42 six- and nine-story high-rise buildings that are 50 percent more energy efficient than similar buildings in Beijing. 

Developed on a 160-acre site, the Olympic Village is the largest non-competition venue at the 2008 Olympic Games.  In addition to the 42 residential buildings, there are seven community centers, three commercial and retail center buildings, a health center, library, gyms, swimming pools, tennis courts, and a kindergarten.  The Village currently houses more than 16,000 Olympic athletes, team officials, and country delegations and accommodates meetings and cultural activities.

DOE provided technical design and implementation assistance throughout the project’s development, highlighting international cooperation to promote cleaner and more energy efficient technologies. The design uses solar photovoltaic power and solar thermal power to generate lighting and hot water for the community. High efficiency heating and cooling systems, on-site waste processing, and the visibility of open green space are some of the techniques that were used to seal the certification.

The project also reduces storm water runoff from the site through an extensive network of parks and green open space. On the Village grounds, drought-resistant native plants make up more than 90 percent of site landscaping and water-efficient irrigation systems will use collected rainwater.  The vegetated green roofs on more than 60 percent of the total roof area lower the amount of impervious surfaces, which further reduces storm water runoff.  A signature feature of the Olympic Village is the pedestrian and bicycle network that spans and connects the community with bikeways and multi-use trails within ¼ mile of all buildings. 

The Village also has a ‘near-zero energy building,’ known as the Micro-Energy Olympic Village Welcome Center.  This center generates the bulk of its power, heating and cooling from renewable sources like solar cells and geothermal heat pumps.  The net generation of the building very nearly equals its annual energy consumption.  The Micro-Energy Building will become the face of the first LEED Gold-rated Olympic Village, the first such neighborhood development in China to receive the LEED award from the U.S. Green Building Council

After the 2008 Olympics, the Guo Ao Investment Company will convert the development into a tourism site and residential area, available to Beijing residents in early 2009 with planned conversion to 1,700 high-rise apartments, while the welcome center will become a childcare center and kindergarten.

The Chinese design team, in conjunction with the DOE and environmental building consulting company Environmental Market Solutions, Inc. (EMSI), created the Olympic Village as an excellent model for new energy efficiency construction that can save consumers on energy costs while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  EMSI served as sustainable design and LEED consultant as part of the United States’ commitment to providing technical assistance to the project.