Vietnam - Green projects need both incentives and enforcement

The Government’s preferential policies and enforcement should be among the factors to promote the application of green designs now that more and more high-rise buildings are developed in urban areas.

Also, material price hike, environment protection and market demand have created a motivation for property investors to seek green designs to save energy in their buildings, said Kevin Hydes, general director of Integral Group Canada at the FuturArc Forum held in HCMC last Friday.

However, despite many efforts, there are still obstacles due to the limited awareness of the community and the lack of connectivity from the design to the final completion of the project, said Hydes.

In fact, more investment capital is needed in green projects and the return will last longer.

Speaking on the sidelines of the seminar, Tran Dinh Thai, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment under the Ministry of Construction, said green designs offer energy efficiency and huge benefits. Still, he agreed a hefty capital is required, especially with completed projects wishing for upgrade to save energy.

However, Thai said if an investor has a long vision, he will accept higher cost at first to reduce operational expenses later.

Meanwhile, Yannick Millet of the Vietnam Green Building Council said as for new projects, green design will cost less if there is cooperation between architects, engineers, and related partners to provide energy-saving solutions, meaning a connectivity from the design to the final completion of the project.

Millet stressed this would be a long-term process and demanded encouraging and support of the Government.

Millet said the Government can help develop the program not necessarily with money but its policies. This is an indirect way to encourage investment in green projects applied by several countries.

The Vietnam Green Building Council with its green building assessment scheme Lotus has four green projects under construction and some others in preparation, Millet added.

Thai of the environment department said encouraging policies are required in the current period. However, in the long term, sanction and regulations are also necessary to force investors to apply green designs to their projects.

Dinh Dung - The Saigon Times Daily

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