China is the second-most populous country in the world. As a country that prioritizes technology, it is synonymous with industrial expansion and urban density.
However, beyond its tech, manufacturing, and recent tales of tariff wars with the U.S., China has also been making the headlines for being home to some of the country’s most sustainable buildings.
Here are the top 20 of China’s most sustainable buildings, which redefine practicality, innovation, and beauty.
1. Pearl River Tower – Guangzhou
The beauty of Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou isn’t limited to its exterior; it features a blend of wind engineering and solar integration. This skyscraper’s aerodynamic form funnels wind through turbines for natural energy generation, making it nearly self-sufficient and a carbon-neutral building, too.
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2. Shanghai Tower – Shanghai
Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in all of China, but that’s not where it stops. The tower is a “vertical city” but with a twist. The spiral shape of the building reduces wind loads and boosts energy efficiency. Also, features like wind turbines, rainwater recycling, and a double-skin façade contribute to sustainability.
3. Linked Hybrid – Beijing
Designed by Steven Holl Architects, Linked Hybrid in Beijing is another popular sustainable building in Shanghai that deserves recognition. The building features geothermal heating and cooling, sky bridges, and a vibrant public courtyard, promoting community living and an ecological balance.
4. Vanke Center – Shenzhen
Another building in China designed by Steven Holl Architects, Vanke Center, resembles a floating horizontal skyscraper. The entire building is built on stilts, allowing green spaces to flourish underneath. Solar panels, passive cooling, and water collection systems create a sustainable microclimate.
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5. Hangzhou Alibaba Xixi Campus – Hangzhou
Resembling a futuristic workplace, Hangzhou Alibaba Xixi Campus is a building that balances innovation and sustainability with nature. There are features like green roofing, rainwater harvesting, and open spaces, fostering biodiversity and sustainability.
6. Tianjin Eco-City’s Yujiapu CBD Tower – Tianjin
The Tianjin Eco City is a fairly ambitious project focusing on green architectural experimentation. The buildings, especially the CBD Tower in the Eco City, utilize natural ventilation, bright lighting, and sustainable materials, ensuring carbon neutrality.
7. Shenzhen Energy Mansion – Shenzhen
Designed by BIG, Shenzhen Energy Mansion features a pixelated façade that reduces solar gain and maximizes natural ventilation. What’s alluring about this building is its sculptural sustainability doesn’t slash the aesthetics. Also, the building is designed for an energy company, showcasing a bold approach towards environmental conservation.
8. Nanjing Green Lighthouse – Nanjing
The Nanjing Green Lighthouse is a sustainable and low-carbon design, one that’s inspired by Denmark’s zero-emission model. It is China’s first public building with zero carbon emissions since it utilizes natural daylighting, solar panels, and geothermal systems to operate efficiently.
9. Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Exhibition Center – Tianjin
The Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco City exhibition center is another ambitious project in China aimed at ensuring sustainability. Solar energy, green roofing, and low-impact construction set a precedent in Tianjin’s flagship Eco-City project, aiming to house over 350,000 residents sustainably by 2035.
10. Beijing’s Phoenix International Media Center – Beijing
If you are in Beijing, head to the Phoenix International Media Center. Its double-layered glass façade facilitates natural ventilation while providing insulation. The center also leverages solar panels and has rainwater collection systems that filter and reuse the rainwater as needed.
11. Shanghai Natural History Museum – Shanghai
Featuring a blend of bioclimatic design and integration of natural elements, the Natural History Museum in Shanghai is yet another sustainable building worth looking at in the country. The museum is located within Jing’an Sculpture Park and is a green sanctuary. Living walls, geothermal heating, and daylight-maximizing design contribute to sustainability.
12. Tsinghua University Low Carbon Energy Building – Beijing
Tsinghua University has a dedicated section that focuses on low-carbon energy and sustainability initiatives. With photovoltaic façades, a green roof, and intelligent climate control, it’s a dynamic showcase of environmental responsibility within academic circles, especially in the heart of the busy capital city of Beijing.
13. Bamboo Town – Baoxi, Zhejiang province
On your next visit to China, consider visiting Baoxi in Zhejiang province to truly unfold the beauty of utilizing bamboo, a renewable and eco-friendly material, to create various structures, including youth hostels and a ceramic museum. Visiting this town truly lets you unfold the versatility and strength of bamboo and how they are used to create sustainable buildings and homes.
14. Mini Sky City, Hunan
Although a 57-storey skyscraper, Mini Sky City in Hunan follows sustainability with its construction. The building was constructed by Broad Sustainable Building using modular construction techniques. Despite its fast construction time, completed in 19 days, the project demonstrates how sustainability at the forefront doesn’t have to hinder completion. The building also incorporates green building technologies and passive heating/cooling systems.
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15. 1911 Revolution Museum / CADI – Wuhan
The 1911 Revolution Museum is another sustainable building in China, located in Wuhan. The entire building structure has been designed with a low carbon footprint, ensuring little to no maintenance costs. Not just that, the materials used in the construction were renewable, including abandoned rock powder, Ballast, GRC sheets, etc.
16. Giant Interactive Group Corporate Headquarters – Shanghai
Relatively less talked about, the Giant Interactive Group’s Corporate headquarters is like a compact and sustainable village amid Shanghai. An artificial human-made water body and green landscapes surround the building. The overall construction has used fewer resources with efficient construction.
17. Huaxin Business Center – Xuhui
If you are in Xuhui, head down to the iconic Huaxin Business Center to truly understand the definition of sustainability. Six trees obstructed the construction on the land where the building was constructed, but none were chopped down. The entire building’s construction traverses around these trees.
18. Chongqing Taoyuanju Eco-Hotel – Chongqing
The Chongqing Taoyuanju Community Center, designed by Vector Architects, is a prime example of sustainable design and integration with the natural landscape in Chongqing, China. One of the main highlights is the large green roof that features a rainwater collection system, passive ventilation, and the entire hotel is built using locally sourced materials.
19. Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center – Nanjing
The Nanjing Zendai Himalayas Center prioritizes sustainability through the integration of nature and modern living. The project, designed by MAD architects, includes public gardens, mountain-like towers with curved glass louvers, and water features, which contribute to sustainability and ecological balance.
20. Guangzhou Opera House – Guangzhou
Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Guangzhou Opera House is another prime example of sustainability in building design. The building’s design embraces principles of green building, incorporates natural ventilation and lighting, utilizes sustainable materials like GFRC, and considers the surrounding environment.
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Final Words
The next time you are planning a trip to China, these are the top 20 most sustainable buildings that truly redefine how the world should prioritize construction. Every design and every thought put into these buildings showcase a shift toward greener, smarter architecture that aligns with the nation’s climate goals.
