Participation in WSBE17 Hong Kong & iiSBE meeting (Part: 4)
![]() On June 7, when no activity was arranged, the delegation visited the Kowloon Park where a fort was built during the Opium War of 1840 under the supervision of Lin Zexu, Viceroy of Liangguang. Today, the large forest in the park has attracted different kinds of birds, such as the flamingo, the swan and the Muscovy duck. Inside the park, there was The Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre refurbished from a former British Army barrack and the only open-air swimming pool for international events in Kowloon. ![]() On June 7, 212 participants presented papers, with speeches focusing on construction materials. Currently, wood is the eco-friendliest construction materials and considered as "a material with the best carbon reduction effect." However, the usage of wood varies by species. For example, we can build good "tree houses" or log cabins with the cypress (Cupressaceae), arbors, and bamboo based on the species-specific properties. In addition, a light-reflecting coating can be painted on the roof surface to reflect sunlight so as to reduce indoor temperature. A zero-energy building does not really mean zero energy consumption. Instead, it means a build that can produce energy equivalent to the consumption. There are many ways known for energy production, and solar panels, plants, and algae are the most common among others. In his paper, instead of the "zero-energy" algae-powered building, Mr. Li Tsan-chien of Archilife recommended the diversification of algae functions to turn algae-powered buildings into multifunctional, productive buildings with the algae-powered building in Hamburg, Germany, as an example. Related ideas of combining biodiversity and biomass resources will surely be introduced in the future. ![]() ![]() 下午場次的演講內容,除了生物相關建材外,也有利用礦物的特質進行二氧化碳吸附後,使結構更為緊密的材質,對於環境永續與新科技的發展皆有很大的助益。利用具有超吸附力與聚合功能纖維,使水泥狀的建材能夠進行自我修復。其次也有利用動態玻璃來調節光線照射進入室內角度與光強度的技術,可以有效的穩定室內溫度,降低能源消耗。 In the afternoon speeches, apart from bio-related construction materials, some proposed the use of minerals to absorb carbon dioxide to fortify material structure, which can benefit both sustainable environment and new technology development. Fibers with absorption and polymerization functions enable the self-repair of cement-typed construction materials. Some suggested using dynamic glass to adjust the angle and strength of light entering the dwelling to effectively stabilize indoor temperature and reduce energy consumption. ![]() The closure of WSBE17 Hong Kong was drawing near as all meeting ended. In the closing ceremony, Professor Raymond Cole of the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia, Canada, re-stressed that global warming is still in progress, and the resulting extreme weather change will cause severe disasters in all parts of the world. Therefore, it needs intergovernmental cooperation to sustain the living environment on the Earth. Lastly, Mr. Nils Larrson announced that the next World Sustainable Built Environment Conference (WSBE20) will be held in Göteborg, the second largest city of Sweden, during June 9-11, 2020. Secretary General Huang also took pictures with the conference VIPs on the stage as an iiSBE director from Taiwan. This suggests that Taiwan has successfully maintained its pace and earned global respect at the conference. |