Olympic Village Micro-Energy (Near-Zero Energy) Building
APP/BATF Green Buildings Flagships in Beijing
Project background:
Over the last several years and as part of its APP collaboration, the U.S. Department of Energy has been working with the Beijing Olympic Village developer, Guo'Ao Development Company, to construct a near-zero-energy building to serve as the 2008 Olympic Village Welcome Center. The partnership was facilitated by the Beijing Science and Technology Development Commission. The approximately 2,200m2 building was used to welcome 17,000 athletes from around the world. Now that the Games are over, the building is currently being remodeled into its permanent function as a kindergarten for the National Olympic Village, which likewise is being remodeled to a residential district.
The building is as close to zero-energy as possible and generates the bulk of its power from renewable sources. The project also demonstrates water conservation and reuse, on-site waste processing, healthy indoor environment, and green building materials and technology. The building incorporates a large assortment of innovative passive and active energy efficient technologies. Its basic design includes a highly efficient building shell with daylighting through south-facing windows and a glazed central atrium. The HVAC system consists of radiant heating and cooling, with solar-heated water with a ground-source heat pump as backup, which is also used to make ice in the winter for a seasonal thermal storage system that is then used to provide cooling through mid-summer. A liquid desiccant system provides dehumidification when needed. There are also wind turbines and photovoltaics on the roof for demonstration. The high visibility of the Olympics ensured significant public exposure to the building.
Project status: Completed
Photos Courtesy of Joe Huang, White Box Technologies.