By Annie Xu
Photos Courtesy of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association (IRLA)

The 2013 Nanjing World Green Roof Congress was successfully held in the Purple Palace from September 15th to the 17th.

The event was sponsored by the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency, Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, China Green Building Council of Chinese Society for Urban Studies, Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Jiangsu Province, World Green Infrastructure Network and the International Rooftop Landscaping Association (IRLA).

The group pictures above are of the smog in Beijing this past June.  We can see clearly there are 18 days of haze in merely a month, which brought Beijing to the top 10 cities with the worst air quality in China.  In fact, it’s not only Beijing that is in this situation, but many other cities in China are suffering from this severe pollution as well.  As the air quality and environmental pollution are getting worse and worse, the Chinese government has also realized that it’s time we should do our best to restore fresh air, clear water and vigorous nature, which contributed to the theme of the Nanjing Congress: vertical greening dispelling haze, conservation culture beautifying cities and towns.

During the congress, we visited several outstanding greening projects in Nanjing, all of which expouse advanced ideas and technologies.  For example, all buildings in the Zidong International Creative Park, the cooperator of the congress, have attained the standard of national green building, and all of the buildings have green roofs.

“Phoenix Valley” boasts mobile remote controlling for all of its rooftops offering precise irrigation solutions.

A little different from Phoenix Valley, here you can see “Hexi New Ecocity,” with the idea and realization of the new ecocity as green architecture and smart city, along with vertical greening.

Among all the projects, the most creative one should be the “Tree Cube” in Changzhou, because the buildings have made micro circulation and zero garbage discharge come true.

These projects are just typical representatives of green architecture in China.  Through this Congress, Chinese designers and people who are enthusiastic in greening can exchange ideas with experts all over the world, and also learn experience from them, thus enabling more people to construct more green projects like these.

With this goal, and to facilitate the communication among designers from different countries, the award ceremony of the Green Award International Landscape Planning Competition* was held simultaneously with the 2013 Nanjing World Green Roof Congress.  Academician Zhaozhen Meng, left below, attended the ceremony as award presenter.

The 2013 Nanjing Congress, with over a thousand attendees, greatly inspired students, manufacturers and designers as well.

Above you can see the Award Ceremony of the highly successful Green Award International Landscape Planning Competition, with IRLA Vice Chairman Wang Xianmin, left middle, and Zhaozhen Meng, right middle.

The Sino-Singapore Green Land Property Forum, Sino-Japan Hanging Garden Forum and forums about new materials and technologies pointed out bright ways for relevant Chinese workers in our industry.  After the three-day congress, many attendees told the council they felt fruitful and willing to learn more about how to practice the theories.  They also expressed their anticipation of the 2014 Qingdao World Green Roof Conference.

With all these magnificent achievements from the 2013 Nanjing Congress this time, we believe that in the future, more classic projects will spring up, and our greening industry will prosper in every corner of the world.

We invite you to participate in the 2014 Qingdao World Green Roof Conference!

~ Annie Xu

*Publisher’s Note: Read more about the Green Award International Landscape Planning Competition at my blog post of July, 30, 2013, “Contributions Wanted for Green Award – an International Landscape Planning Competition & Photo Contest: Nanjing World Green Roof Congress 2013.”

Annie Xu works in the International Department of the International Rooftop Landscaping Association (IRLA). Contact Annie at:

Email: wrgmay2010@hotmail.com
Web: www.wgrc.cn; Tel:+86 10 67115339
Address: Building 4, No. 9 Yuan, Institution of Construction, Sanlihe Road, Haidian District, 100037, Beijing, PRC