At the National Housing and Urban-Rural Development Work Conference held at the end of 2020, it was proposed that in 2021, China will accelerate the development of “China Construction” and promote the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry, including promoting the coordinated development of intelligent construction and new building industrialization, actively promoting new construction methods such as prefabricated steel structure buildings, and accelerating the development of green buildings.
With the release of the “Recommendations of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee on Formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of Henan Province and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035,” the “14th Five-Year Plan” recommendations of all provincial-level administrative regions across the country have been basically published since mid-November 2020. From the content of the recommendations from various regions, “actively promoting prefabricated buildings and green buildings” has become a common consensus during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, and prefabricated buildings and green buildings have become important levers for the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry.
“Promoting the development of prefabricated buildings” is frequently mentioned
Developing prefabricated buildings is one of the important means to promote the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry. Many places have explicitly proposed in their “14th Five-Year Plan” recommendations to promote the modernization of the construction industry, advance the development of prefabricated buildings, and promote the coordinated development of intelligent construction and building industrialization.
Guangxi proposed to promote the modernization of the construction industry, further expand and strengthen the hundred-billion-yuan industry, and build trillion-yuan industrial clusters such as advanced equipment manufacturing and green new materials; Fujian also proposed to promote the modernization of the construction industry and cultivate a large workforce of construction industry workers for the new era; Hainan proposed to comprehensively improve energy and resource utilization efficiency, promote the formation of green production and lifestyles, vigorously advance the green and low-carbon transformation of industry, energy, and transportation structures, and promote the development of prefabricated buildings. Meanwhile, Tianjin and Qinghai also mentioned developing prefabricated buildings and promoting green buildings.
In addition, Shaanxi proposed to promote technological transformation and upgrading of traditional industries such as machinery, metallurgy, and building materials, achieve high-end, intelligent, and green development, and promote the coordinated development of intelligent buildings and new building industrialization. Sichuan also proposed to build a modern industrial system, promote the coordinated development of intelligent construction and building industrialization, and facilitate the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry.
In addition to the “14th Five-Year Plan” recommendations, during the National Housing and Urban-Rural Development Work Conference in December 2020, responsible persons of competent departments in some regions also mentioned “promoting the development of prefabricated buildings” in signed articles published in the “China Construction News.” Su Haiming, Party Secretary and Director of the Gansu Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, stated that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Gansu will vigorously develop prefabricated buildings such as steel structures and accelerate the improvement of prefabricated building technology and standard systems; Feng Renfei, Party Secretary and Director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, stated that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, it is necessary to actively promote the transformation and development of the construction industry, accelerate the transformation of construction methods, and promote the industrialization, digitalization, and intelligent upgrading of construction; Li Hongbin, Director of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, stated that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, it is necessary to comprehensively promote the accelerated development of prefabricated buildings and continuously increase the proportion of prefabricated buildings in new buildings.
Recently, relevant documents issued by some localities have also mentioned development plans for prefabricated buildings. In December 2020, Jiangxi issued the “Several Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Prefabricated Buildings in the Province,” proposing that by 2025, the proportion of new prefabricated building starts in Jiangxi to the total new building area should reach 40%, the level of building industrialization, digitalization, and intelligence should be significantly improved, and the technological innovation capability of construction enterprises should be notably enhanced; in January 2021, Chongqing issued the “Implementation Opinions on Implementing the Several Policy Measures of Chongqing Municipality to Promote the Modernization of the Construction Industry and Promote the High-Quality Development of the Construction Industry,” proposing to focus on developing prefabricated buildings, accelerate the modernization of the construction industry, form a relatively complete modern construction industry chain, and by 2025, the proportion of new prefabricated building starts in Chongqing to new buildings should be no less than 30%, and engineering construction projects should fully implement digital construction methods.
“Developing green buildings” is a consistent choice for practicing green development across regions
“Green” is one of the five major development concepts. The central “14th Five-Year Plan” recommendations propose to promote green development and promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Specifically, it includes: strengthening legal and policy guarantees for green development, supporting green technology innovation, promoting green transformation of key industries and important areas; developing green buildings; and carrying out green lifestyle creation activities.
The “14th Five-Year Plan” recommendations of various regions also mention “green development,” among which developing green buildings has become a consistent choice for practicing green development. Beijing proposed to plan and build the city sub-center at a high level, firmly establish the green development orientation, and promote green buildings; improve the level of green, low-carbon, and circular development, and comprehensively promote green transformation of key industries and important areas such as industry, construction, and transportation.
Guangdong, Hunan, Jilin, and Ningxia all proposed to promote green and low-carbon development. Specifically, Guangdong will promote green and low-carbon technology innovation and clean production, advance green transformation, develop green buildings, and carry out green lifestyle creation activities; Hunan will promote the formation of green development methods, comprehensively implement clean production and green transformation in key industries and areas, and develop green buildings; Jilin will accelerate green and low-carbon development, promote green transformation of key industries and important areas, vigorously develop green industries and environmental protection industries, and promote green buildings, green building materials, and new technologies, products, and equipment for high-efficiency energy conservation; Ningxia will promote green transformation, support green technology innovation, develop green buildings, and carry out green lifestyle creation activities.
In terms of forming and practicing green development methods, Heilongjiang proposed to build a green and low-carbon industrial system, building system, and circulation system, accelerate the development of green finance and green technology innovation, and promote the green environmental protection industry to grow into a pillar industry; Henan proposed to carry out green lifestyle creation activities, develop green transportation and green buildings, implement garbage classification and reduction and resource utilization, and accelerate the construction of a recycling system for waste materials. Jiangxi proposed to develop green ecological industries, accelerate the green transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, encourage parks and enterprises to promote clean production and carry out green transformation, and develop green buildings.
In addition, Inner Mongolia proposed to strengthen energy consumption budget management, implement energy efficiency improvement plans, and accelerate clean energy substitution in industry, transportation, and buildings; Shanxi proposed to improve development policies for green energy, green buildings, and green transportation. Zhejiang, Anhui, Hebei, Yunnan, Guizhou, Fujian, Chongqing, and other places also explicitly require the development of green buildings.
At present, documents to further promote the development of green buildings at the national level have been issued. In July 2020, seven departments including the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development jointly issued the “Green Building Creation Action Plan.” In terms of creation goals, the plan proposes that by 2022, the proportion of green building area in new urban buildings in that year should reach 70%, the energy efficiency level of existing buildings should continuously improve, and the proportion of prefabricated construction methods should steadily increase.