Glumac’s pioneering net-zero Shanghai office paves the way to greener buildings in China

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/china" target="_blank">China</a> is the <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/articles/usgbc-releases-new-report-leed-motion-greater-china-underscoring-regional-expansion-leed-gr" target="_blank">world's second largest market</a> for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/leed-certification" target="_blank">LEED</a> green building activity, but the sustainable architecture movement is still limited by local developers' preference for fast and cheap construction. However the newly minted net-zero <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/glumac" target="_blank">Glumac</a> Shanghai office could change that mentality in a big way. Developed by <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/gensler" target="_blank">Gensler</a> in collaboration with <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/shimizu-corporatio" target="_blank">Shimizu</a>, <a href="http://www.gigabase.org" target="_blank">GIGA</a>, and Glumac over the course of a year, the Shanghai office boasts a stunning array of high-tech sustainable features and is China's first LEED v4 Platinum certified building. It's also designed to become the first building to achieve <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/living-building-challenge" target="_blank">Living Building Challenge</a> certification in Asia. Click through to learn how one of Shanghai's healthiest offices is paving the way to a greener future in China.

The 6,000-square-foot project's LEED v4 Platinum and projected full-petal LBC certifications are impressive, but the arguably more outstanding accomplishment is how the cross-cultural and geographic team managed to meet those high green standards.

Living green wall helps purify the air.

As part of RESET, a real-time indoor air monitoring system was installed to track the indoor PM 2.5 versus the outdoor reading, humidity, temperature, chemical off-gassing, and carbon dioxide levels.

Because the outside air is purified through four different types of air filters before it reaches the office, the air inside will always stay healthy even when the city air pollution spikes to hazardous levels.

The use of wood, however, was limited because formaldehyde is used in most of the veneer in China.

The office was built to accommodate educational tours and its many high-tech sustainable features have even turned the office into an eco-friendly showroom and important precedent that provides inspiration for everyone from local homeowners to developers.

A radiant heating and cooling floor system helps reduce energy costs.

Custom dehumidification unit by uses a direct expansion cooling coil and dedicated heat pump to "super-dry" the outside air (OA) before it is delivered to the AHU.

The team also designed the project to be net-zero carbon through a careful selection of low-carbon and MEP materials; after all the carbon is calculated, the footprint will be reduced to zero with the purchase of carbon offsets.

Strawboard pillars assembled by Shimizu were left unpainted to show off the design and fulfill the certifications' green education component.

Gensler created a sound-dampening felt art piece to fulfill LBC's Biophilia component.

The art piece is installed on the ceiling above the places without carpet.

Luckily, the team found a unique location—a historic but centrally located site owned by the Chinese military—that also gave them the flexibility to design all mechanical systems and rooms from the ground up.

Excess energy produced from the solar panels will be fed back into the state grid.

Smart switchable glass serves as a white board when turned off.

All fixtures are dimmable with full wireless control.

Rainwater and condensation are collected, filtered and reused in water-efficient fixtures, bringing the office to net-zero water status.

This composting toilet only requires 0.2L/flush and maintenance is needed only every 6 months.

This carpet is made from corn-based materials.