Part of the outer-wall is made with live plants. These plants help to absorb the heat and help cool down the building.
The top of the building is also eco-friendly. There's green grass everywhere that helps cool down the building but also collects water, and look behind me you're gonna see solar panels.
The project manager of the French case guided me around. She told me the eco-design also includes wind and heat exchange, solar panels and a ground source pump. Adding up, it could cost five times a normal building. But the front-end investment is worthwhile, as these technologies can save half of the electricity used to cool down the inner area. The manager also revealed another eco-technology that the building uses. That's the water recycling and purification system.
And these technologies are more than just concepts or expo cases. As in Shanghai's surburban Minhang District, eco-technologies have already been put into use in a business park called Pujiang Intelligence Valley. And that was in 2008. It adopts ten mature energy-efficient technologies, including a sunshine prevention rolling screen, energy saving lighting, solar walls and a system to collect rain. While the Rhone-Alpes model displays the high utilization of natural power, it also presents a way to appreciate the beauty of nature…like the rose garden in front of it. These roses were exported from France and planted here in Shanghai as a gesture of friendship between the Rhone-Alpes Region and the city of Shanghai.Hundres of years ago, the first rose that arrives in France came from China via the silk road. These are now eight different types created in France and given as a gift back to China.Opposite the Rhone-Alpes Pavilion on the other side of the rose garden is the another case from France. This one is from Alsace, and it showcases a unique wall. These cooling wall and solar panels were orignally installed in a high school in France. They've proven so effective in keeping the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer that a duplicate was installed here. Now we're gonna go inside the building and test how effective it is.You may be wondering how we're gonna test the effectiveness of this technology. One way is to bring an old-fashioned thermometer. Outside the temperature is about 32. That's pretty hot, and we're going to see what the tempeature is on the inside. On the second floor, there's a chart explaining how the water-skin solar wall functions. Tell me about the technology.
This works as a green house. The glass is two layed, so there's air in between. In winter, the sun heat the air, and the air will go into the room through a tunnel. And there's solar pannels. It collect energy that can be used in the heat system. And in summer, the water runs through the wall, that is able to cool down the room. SU:Thanks for joining me on this two UBPA destinations. Before I say goodbye, let's check the therometer. Look at that, a comfortable 20 degrees.