N.H.O headquarters acquires LEED Green Construction Certificate

The award event took place at the headquarters building of N.H.O at 44B Nguyen Van Troi, Phu Nhuan district, Ho Chi Minh City.

With many guests, including partners, executive committee, and employees of the company, the event had a special significance, proving what N.H.O is committed to and demonstrating the company’s core values, such as green and sustainable development.

According to the Organising Committee, Vietnam currently has three prestigious Vietnamese green building certification systems, including LEED granted by USGBC, EDGE by the International Finance Corporation, and LOTUS by the Vietnam Green Building Council. As of the third quarter of 2022, only 242 projects have achieved one of these three certificates.

The USGBC, founded in 1993, is a member-based non-profit organisation that promotes the sustainable design, construction, and operation of buildings.

And LEED is a set of standards in energy and environmental design developed by USGBC in 1995 to create energy-saving buildings and protect the living environment. With the ability to apply to different types of buildings, LEED has become a leading standard applied to big green projects worldwide.

To obtain a LEED certification, a project needs to achieve a minimum of 40-49 points and if the projects want to receive the grade of Silver, Gold or Platinum, construction projects need to accumulate 50-80 points, corresponding to the criteria of the LEED standards.

To achieve the Silver level LEED certificate, N.H.O headquarters must meet the seven most rigorous criteria from design to operation, including innovation, indoor environmental quality, materials and resources, location and transportation, sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, water efficiency.

The N.H.O headquarters consist of three floors with a total floor area of 450sq.m, capable of saving up to 27.9 per cent of total annual energy consumption (kWh/year) compared to the basic level thanks to energy-efficient solutions, such as high-efficiency VRF system that provides cooling for the building, a motion sensor LED system, heat-resistant glass with good control of solar radiation energy, and a pressure sensor to monitor the operating status of the fan, among others.

The headquarters can save 40.15 per cent of total annual water consumption compared to basic level thanks to the installation of low-flow sanitary equipment to optimise water consumption at the source and using drip irrigation system which helps to consume less water and save physical work.

In terms of waste disposal, the headquarters has dedicated an area to sort, collect, and store five types of recyclable materials (mixed paper, cardboard, glass, plastic, and metal), as well as arrange areas for hazardous and organic waste.

The green area in the building occupies 20 per cent of the total area, with the green gardens right in front of the facade on all floors of the building.

“Green and sustainable development are some of the core values that make N.H.O’s success and difference in the market during the past 10 years,” said Park Seung Hoon, deputy managing director of N.H.O.

“We hope this milestone will make a positive impact not only on our environment but also on the lives of our employees, residents, and community partners. And we really hope that more and more companies join in this trend of positive change.”

Han Hyun Jin, director of ADU Co., Ltd., the building’s architectural design unit shared, “Before working on the design, our team of architects studied and evaluated the overall location of the project. The architects have overcome the stiffness of the walls and concrete blocks with blue systems with green gardens right inside the building, giving the building tenderness and coolness. The staff working here feel a wide open, and fresh space right inside the building in the middle of a crowded residential area in Ho Chi Minh City.”

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