People’s Daily Page 5, June 10, 2019
Passive house is a type of energy-saving building. Its design is based on a passive model, which means it can keep the room temperature at a constant level via various systems, in a way that only very little energy is needed for heating and cooling of the building. Though its name bears the word of “passive”, the research and application need very active efforts.
In November 2014, I came to Sino-German Ecopark in the Qingdao West Coast New Area for the first time as a newly enrolled staff member of the Ecopark. My position was installation engineer at Passive House Construction Technology Co., Ltd. I still remember that back then, people were rarely seen in the Ecopark and infrastructure was scarce. There were only a small handful of companies and paved roads were newly built. Villagers lived on the hill here and there. The lush mountains reminded people how rustic this place was. I decided to work hard here and make my due contribution to this place.
The company was new. There were only a few employees so everyone’s workload was pretty heavy. Passive house technology was a new area for us and we needed to do a lot of exploration. Every detail must be studied, discussed and calculated repeatedly. For example, the standards of passive house technology were mainly introduced from Germany. They didn’t work well in Qingdao unless some adjustments were made according to the local situations. Regional conditions such as high humidity, temperature range, sunshine duration and living habits also put extra challenges to research. Passive house technology requires a complete industrial chain where upstream and downstream sectors are needed. But back then those were highly inadequate in China, which led to repeated delays of projects. Passive house also has very strict construction standards but the construction techniques in China back then could barely meet all those requirements.
Despite all the difficulties, everyone in our team was highly motivated and learned through doing. We were the first in China to carry out technological cooperation with German Passive House Institute and have worked out the passive house solution that suits the climate of China. We have led the effort to build the largest single passive building with most comprehensive functions in Asia. We have undertaken several national key R&D plans for the 13th five-year period. We acquired nearly 10 patents. Our work not only contributes to the replacement of old growth drivers with new ones and to green low-carbon development, but also promotes the transformation and upgrading of building energy conservation industry in China.
I see the growth of young people as an upward spiral process. Looking up at the stars or keeping your feet to the ground, perseverance and diligence are always necessary ingredients for growth. I started with the demonstration project of a single function of buildings and then moved on to exploring all types of functions. In this process, the concept and application of passive house has gained more and more recognition. There were setbacks and frustrations along the way, but if you see hard work as a lifestyle and a philosophy to live by, you will surely get somewhere.
Not long ago, the 4th Asian Passive House Conference was held at Sino-German Ecopark. Our work was once again under the spotlight. All the experiences have brought me closer and closer to realizing my dream. And I keep growing in this way. New technologies and new frontiers are limitless like the ocean. With aspiration as the lighthouse and faith as the sail, we can forge ahead like a ship riding the winds and cleaving the waves.
(The author is a staff member of Passive House Construction Technology Co., Ltd. of Qingdao Sino-German Ecopark.)
