A new building using the world's most advanced energy-saving technologies came into use Thursday at China's prestigious Tsinghua University.

The building, jointly constructed by China's Ministry of Science and Technology and Italy's Environment Ministry, will be used as a teaching building for the Environmental Science and Engineering Department of the university.

Italian Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, who officially opened the building, said energy-saving technologies and renewable energies were important in realizing sustainable development.

The building would provide a new forum for cooperation on the environment and energy between China and Italy.

Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua said China must urgently construct more environment-friendly and energy-saving buildings to meet the demand for sustainable development and building a harmonious society.

The structure was designed by Italian architect Mario Cucinella of Mario Cucinella Architects, and Italian companies provided some construction materials.

With a total investment of 260 million yuan (32.5 million U.S. dollars), the "C"-shape building is 40 meters high, with a total floor space of more than 20,000 square meters.

A special sunshade on the outside can adjust direction automatically according to the intensity of the sun, so strong light in the summer can be blocked and more allowed in during the winter. An intelligent control system stops the sunshade when the building is unoccupied.

The entire building is powered by natural gas, and the abundant heat produced by the gas generator will be used for heating in the winter and to power cooling pipes in the ceilings to keep the indoor temperature at around 18 degrees.

With so many advanced energy-saving technologies, it could use 70 percent less energy than a comparatively sized building, the designer said.

China faces serious challenges in energy consumption, but 95 percent new buildings fail to reach energy-saving standards.

Source: Xinhua