Green features of the building include extensive use of green roofs, drought tolerant landscaping, low water use fittings, energy efficient lighting and air conditioning, use of low VOC materials, extensive re-use of recycled materials and photovoltaic panels that will produce around 10% of the building's total energy requirements.
The United Nations is also working with Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to examine the possibility of taking excess power generated by the house to the national grid.
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UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta said that one of the UN’s priorities in Vietnam is supporting sustainable environment development. The environmentally friendly building, expected to enter operation in the first quarter of 2014, will use energy and water extremely efficiently while also reducing CO2 emissions, she added.
VGBC executive director Tran Van Thanh said he believes that the new UN house will help lay out new environmental criteria for the construction industry in Vietnam.
The building will bring together all UN staff who are currently working in more than 10 different locations throughout Hanoi.
It will also enable the UN to pool various administrative services and achieve sizeable cost efficiencies.
The Green One UN House project is a joint endeavour between the Government of Vietnam, donors and the UN Country Team.
Golden Lotus Certification is announced at the annual meeting of VGBC in Ho Chi Minh City. The event attracts more than 150 participants across the country including government policy makers, real estate companies, urban planners, architects, engineers, contractors, and experts from other industries.
