07/17/2012 | Press release

New green building rules coming in July

distributed by noodls on 07/17/2012 21:20

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The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has partially amended the provisions in the "Green Building Standards" chapter of the "Architecture Technology Rules" with the aim of dealing with climate change, reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and enhancing the efficiency of resource utilization. Beginning on July 1, the use of green interior materials in new buildings in Taiwan will have to reach 45% of the total, and at least 10% of exterior construction materials will have to be green.

The MOI notes that the current amendment is aimed mainly at the greening of construction sites, water conservation at construction sites, rainwater harvesting and gray water reuse by buildings, and the use of green building materials. It expands the scope of application and heightens review baselines.

The new rules raise the minimum ratio of green materials used in interior decoration from 30% to 45% and set the minimum ratio of green exterior materials at 10%. This will lighten the environmental burden and improve habitation health, while stimulating the development of Taiwan's green construction materials industry.

In respect to the greening of construction sites, in the past the standards applied only to schools that covered a relatively large area, high-rise buildings, buildings on slopeland, and buildings with open space; now, with the exception of individual farmhouses and buildings with a base area of less than 300 square meters, all public and private development projects will have to comply with the rules before receiving a construction license.

In addition, in times past only schools and high-rises had to comply with water conservation rules; in the future, all development projects with a base area of more than 300 square meters, with the exception of farmhouses, slopeland buildings, and buildings where the underground water level is less than one meter will be required to comply with water conservation standards to assure that the building base has adequate conservation, water collection, and rainwater infiltration capacity.

The new rules also expand application in regard to the reuse of rainwater and gray water. Originally, only buildings with a total floor area of 30,000 square meters or more were required to install the necessary equipment; now, new buildings with a total floor area of 10,000 square meters will also have to do so.

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