First-ever Ultra Low Energy Consumption Kindergarten of Beijing with a Yearly Carbon Emission Reduction of 290 Tons

Noises of the heavy traffic on the street are not heard, and coolness can still be felt without turning on the air conditioner in midsummer. Entering the Sihai Kindergarten (Yizhuang X88 Kindergarten, formerly known as the Oriental Montessori Kindergarten) in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, one can easily perceive the uniqueness of the building. 

Sihai Kindergarten is As an ultra-low energy consumption building, the Sihai Kindergarten meets the national three-star standard for green building and can reduce electricity consumption by about 100,000 KWH every year. It calls for no municipal heat supply and reduces a carbon emission of 290 tons each year. Since the kindergarten opened on September 1, 2019, it has been running efficiently and smoothly for 3 years.

Today, we walk into the ultra-low energy consumption kindergarten in Beijing, the first one put into operation with its design and consulting undertaken by Beijing Institute of Residential Building Design & Research Co., Ltd., one of UCD’s subsidiaries. 

Sihai Kindergarten located in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area

In 2022, Sihai Kindergarten successfully passed the review for being a demonstration project of ultra-low energy consumption buildings in Beijing, and was reported by such media as people.com.cn, China City News, Beijing Daily and Beijing TV Station as a demonstration project of ultra-low energy consumption buildings of Beijing. The assessment experts and the media fully affirmed and spoke highly of the demonstration and leading role played by the project in the field of ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

01 Providing sunny and healthy activity space for children

The architectural structure of Sihai Kindergarten is steel structure, and the construction content includes rooms for children's activities and subsidiary rooms, offices and subsidiary rooms, living rooms and outdoor playgrounds. The kindergarten exercises a system of 21 classes (30 students for each class). The total construction area of the project is 8795.01 square meters, and there are three main teaching buildings in the north, middle and south. The total construction area of the ultra-low energy consumption demonstration area is 7,531.2 square meters, including all ground areas and underground stairwells, kitchens and canteens.

The kindergarten is mainly divided into living rooms and the intermediate service rooms in the north and south buildings. The sports ground is located on the east side, and the west side is the main entrance of the campus. There is a logistics entrance at the northwest corner to immune two types of people and vehicles entering and leaving the kindergarten from being disturbed and meanwhile to facilitate the rapid evacuation of people.

The project design always follows the "people-oriented" concept to provide children with a sunny, healthy and diversified activity space. The design emphasizes changes in vertical space and clear traffic flow lines, promotes communication between children and creates more indoor and outdoor activity spaces in different scales to become a bond connecting children. The patterned metal perforated plate design for the public activity space looks more lively and agile.

02 Friendly coexistence of humans, buildings and environment

The project adopts the design scheme of high thermal insulation and air tightness, with summertime external shading devices installed and better energy conservation doors and windows chosen. Renewable energy sources such as high-efficiency heat recovery fresh air system, ground source heat pump and solar energy are applied, thereby significantly reducing the heating and cooling demand of the buildings, and indoor constant temperature, constant humidity and constant oxygen are achieved throughout the year. Compared with the national standard, the designed energy consumption reduces at least by 60%, while the actual relative energy saving rate reaches 66.4%.

At the same time, by combining fabricated construction with ultra-low energy consumption technology, the project overcomes the adverse effects of steel structure on the envelope structure in terms of air tightness and thermal bridges, deeply optimizes and maintains detailed structural nodes, and minimizes thermal bridge efficiency.

The east, west and south exterior windows of the project are equipped with electric external sunshade devices. The north and south buildings are layered with a centralized fresh air system and a machine room. The fresh air system adopts a total heat recovery device, with the sensible heat recovery efficiency being no less than 75%, and the total recovery efficiency being no less than 70%. At the same time, a micro-electrostatic high-efficiency air purifier is installed, with the PM2.5 filtration efficiency being no less than 97%. The air supply ducts of the fresh air are equipped with mufflers to cripple the impact of air duct noise on children's activity rooms.

In the basement of the kindergarten, there are three ground source heat pump hosts, which undertake the responsibilities of cooling the entire buildings in summer and heating them in winter together with the solar energy facilities at the top of the building and the deep underground well. Different from ordinary air conditioning and refrigeration, the system can effectively increase air humidity, reduce the consumption of such resources as coal, natural gas, electricity and water and decrease the emission of such pollutants as carbon dioxide while cooling the buildings, thus realizing the friendly coexistence of humans, buildings and environment.

In order to keep in line with the project conditions more deeply, optimize the project design to the maximum extent, reduce the difficulty of construction, and improve the quality, 3D BIM technology is used for the project to assist the architectural design, and the professionality in architecture and structure is used to set up professional models in 3D software to ensure the unity of architecture and structure. At the same time, in the 3D software, some nodes are optimized. With the help of the intuitive 3D model, the complex nodes can be clearly expressed.

At the same time, a BIM 3D operation and maintenance management platform is set up for the project, which can collect, store, measure and analyze environmental and energy consumption indicators, scientifically guide equipment operation management and realize intelligent energy-saving operation. Meticulous optimized design, high-performance materials and equipment, strict construction management, and intelligent operation and maintenance are all necessary conditions for the construction of ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

03 Carbon emission to reduce by 290 tons each year

Principal Xu of Sihai Kindergarten once taught in many kindergartens. She said in the interview that "Children's respiratory system is not yet well-developed, so appropriate air humidity is much conducive to children's health. Constant temperature and humidity plus green and healthy building materials have brought the kindergarten an attendance rate much higher than that of ordinary kindergartens opened in the same period, and the number of children catching cold in the flu season reduces by nearly one-third compared with ordinary kindergartens. Even the number of wooden teaching aids damaged and replaced reduces significantly. The teaching aids are not easy to crack thanks to the suitable indoor humidity and they can be used for a longer period of time.”

Principal Xu also showed the energy consumption spending by the kindergarten: Expenses for running the kindergarten come to about 135,000 yuan per year, while those of an ordinary kindergarten add up to about 358,600 yuan per year, resulting in more than sixty percent of the operating cost saved. In addition, the kindergarten can reduce electricity consumption by about 100,000 KWH per year, and calls for no municipal heating supply, which can reduce carbon emissions by 290 tons per year.

In future prospects, low consumption, high efficiency, economy, environmental protection, integration and optimization are the benefit to share between Man and Nature, modernity and future as well as a means of construction for sustainable development. Sihai Kindergarten will for sure provide valuable experience for future educational passive housing projects in Beijing, North China, and even the whole country, and has also presented the possibility for the actual implementation of China's energy-saving and emission-reduction policy goals.

Sihai Kindergarten uses green and low carbon to guard the health and safety of children, and uses science and technology to help with the urban low-carbon sustainable development!

About the project

Project Name: Yizhuang X88 Kindergarten

Construction Unit: Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone Land Reserve and Construction Service Center of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area 

Construction Site: Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area

Construction Area: 8795.01 square meters

Time of Completion: August 2019

Design & Consulting Unit: Beijing Institute of Residential Building Design & Research Co., Ltd.

Main Designers: Qian Jiahong, Yi Tao, Li Ningyu, Liu Yulin, Guo Haifeng, Wang Yingqi, Li Ruixue, Bai Yu, Wang Guojian, Guo Hongbo, Liu Minmin, Yun Yan