New building technology has helped the Taipei 101 skyscraper to claim the title of world's tallest green building after earning LEED certification in Platinum.
Platinum is the highest rating available from the American LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) assessment systems for environmentally friendly buildings. To receive the certification, a building must be 30 per cent more energy efficient than the average.
Taipei 101, which was optimised over a period of 20 months at a cost of US$2 million, now boasts approximately ten percent lower electricity and water consumption and waste volume than was the case prior to the modernisation measures.
Annual energy costs have been reduced by US$700,000 and carbon dioxide emissions have decreased by nearly 3,000 tons per year.
Siemens says its building technologies made a major contribution to the building's certification in the energy, atmosphere, and air quality categories.
The 508-meter Taipei 101 skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it opened in 2004, designed with energy efficiency in mind, and it was also equipped with the Siemens Apogee building management system, among other things.
Apogee was expanded into an energy monitoring and control system for the LEED certification process, which allowed Siemens to conduct detailed analyses of energy consumption.
An energy audit was also carried out to identify savings potential. Optimisation measures focused on the building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units, as these account for more than 40 percent of total energy consumption.
Temperature and humidity sensors were installed on each floor, and the entire facility was recalibrated. Among other things, the energy management system automatically shuts down lighting and cooling systems in the evening. In addition, the operating times for the cooling system were adjusted to ensure it can run primarily at night, when electricity is cheaper. The system produces ice that helps cool the building the next day.
