Shopping Mall in Guangzhou Awarded LEED-Platinum Status

May 3, 2017January 16, 2019 Green Building 3334 Views Arquitectonica, China, EBOM, food digester, greywater flushing, Guangzhou, Herman Chui, led, leed, leed-gold, LEED-Platinum, sustainable operations, Swire Properties, TaiKoo Hui Mall, Tianhe Central Business District, water conservation

By Rachel Leber

GUANGZHOU, China — The TaiKoo Hui Mall in Guangzhou was awarded LEED Platinum status under the LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EBOM) rating system on Feb. 12, making it the first mall in the world to earn this certification.

The about 1.3 million-square-foot mall was built in 2011 and is a large-scale complex located in the Tianhe Central Business District of Guangzhou, developed and managed by Swire Properties. The China-based architecture firm Arquitectonica designed the structure. The LEED Platinum certification was awarded to the TaiKoo Hui Mall in recognition of its exceptional performance in all LEED benchmarks through the efficient use of materials, water conservation and overall energy consumption.

The mall employs sustainably designed restrooms equipped with water-saving fixtures such as waterless urinals and uses greywater for flushing. The mall optimized its air-conditioning systems and has upgraded lighting in public areas and parking lots to LEDs. Glass panels allow for natural light to penetrate from the top floor to the basement floors, creating an open feel and reducing heating and lighting costs. Additionally, the mall has installed a food digester, which has helped to convert food waste into fertilizer for plants in the building.

Swire Properties makes high environmental performance of all of its properties a priority and takes an active role in implementing sustainable measures throughout a building’s life cycle.

“At Swire Properties, we take sustainability very seriously,” said Herman Chui, general manager of TaiKoo Hui, in a recent statement. “I am proud that TaiKoo Hui is helping lead the way by implementing innovative sustainable measures to improve our environmental performance. This recognition from LEED is testament to Swire Properties’ commitment and ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability in our operations and invest in the well-being of our staff, tenants and visitors.”

Due to their focused efforts, both office towers at the TaiKoo Hui Mall already achieved LEED Gold certification in 2012, and by the end of 2016, Swire Properties had 12 LEED-certified buildings.