Green building trending: experts

Solar power system of the German Factory DBW at the Long Hau IP in Long An Province’s Can Giuoc District, the first ever green factory in Viet Nam. - VNS Photo Van Chau.

The Green Factory workshop held at the Long Hau Industrial Park in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Long An on Friday to raise awareness and share experiences in building green factories attracted the park’s tenants, business groups and the green building industry.

Long Hau is known as a green industrial park geared towards businesses’ sustainable development.

According to the Viet Nam Green Building Council (VGBC), the organiser of the workshop along with Long Hau Joint Stock Company, a green building trend is developing in Viet Nam.

Currently, there are four rating systems for green building certification, LEED of USA, GREEN MARK of Singapore, LOTUS of Viet Nam and EDGE of the International Finance Corporation.

Vu Linh Quang, deputy director of ARDOR Sustainable Design, said green buildings offer several benefits for investors in terms of lower infrastructure costs, short payback period, low maintenance costs, healthy environment and increased productivity.

“Some investors think that green buildings only help marketing and sales or are only for foreign and export enterprises.”

2-5% costlier

Le Luong Vàng, a green building engineer from the Royal HaskoningDHV Viet Nam Ltd, said the cost of a green building is only 2-5 per cent higher than that of a normal building.

“Many businesses still fail to construct green buildings though their benefits are long-term.”

Nguyen Thanh Tam, investment promotion consultant of the Long Hau Joint Stock Company, said the IP has attracted 160 local and foreign manufacturers.

Since it opened in 2006 it has provided significant support to investors in building green buildings to ensure a long-term and sustainable development.

“It has set a target of having at least 22 factories with green buildings by 2020.”

A foreign company in the IP, German Deutsche Bekleidungswerke Limited (DBW Ltd) was the first-ever green factory in Viet Nam obtaining LEED Platinum and LOTUS certificates.

Phung Thi Lan Phuong, HR, admin and compliance manager at DBW Lt., said the task of building green factory had faced many problems caused by difficulty in getting workers with awareness of energy-efficient methods.

But she is confident that the green factory model will become the best choice for sustainable development.

Long Hau IP has a strategic location in the southern key economic zone, near HCM City and served by both waterways and roads.

It is the only IP in Viet Nam to achieve the Quest for Excellence Award at the International Asia Pacific Quality Award (IAPQA) by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO) in 2010.

Its tenants include big names such as Puma, Lotte and Japan’s Tazmo.