New BRE Group – Shenzhen Municipal Government deal could bolster UK green building supply chain

A whopping £200m worth of contracts could be in the pipeline for the UK's green building supply chain companies following a deal signed between the BRE Group and Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Since it's one of the four Tier 1 cities in China and with a population of over 10 million people, the City of Shenzhen in Southern China has been chosen by the Chinese government to be the pilot city for a number of new radical policies and reforms on sustainable development.

The new Shenzhen Green Building Promotion Policy requires all new residential buildings to be planned, constructed and operated according to the Shenzhen Green Building Technology Standards and Guideline, and achieve at least 1 star level in China's national 3 star rating system.

The agreement between BRE and Shenzhen government will seek to establish BRE's China head-office in Shenzhen, which will provide the base for collaborating on a number of areas including standards, research and professional training.

The facility will provide training on a national scale to other cities and promote its services, including certifying buildings to green construction standards. BRE China aims to certify more than 1,000 buildings across China to its standards which is expected to generate an income of £10,000.

BRE suggests that while the green building market is still in its infancy in China, the nation's goal of having green buildings account for 30% of new construction projects by 2020 could boost the industry.

Speaking at the signing event, UK Secretary of State for Business Innovation & Skills Dr Vince Cable, said: "The UK has a strong competitive edge in building modern and environmentally friendly cities, through our world-class expertise in architecture, consultancy, design, IT and engineering. China is paying increasing attention to green building standards and BRE's BREEAM standard is considered among the best. Today's announcement is good news for BRE as well as the many of other UK supply chain companies who stand to benefit."