National Tsing Hua University
OP-4: Building Operations and Maintenance

The green building of Taiwan is developed based on Taiwan’s subtropical climate characteristics with high temperature and high humidity that can sufficiently meet the need in ecology, energy saving, waste reduction, and health. The EEWH green building labeling system was established in September 1999 as the second certification system in the world right after the US LEED. The original system comprised of seven evaluation indicators: greenery(vegetation planting), water infiltration and retention, daily energy conservation, water conservation, CO2 emission reduction, construction waste reduction, and sewage and waste disposal facility improvement. In 2003, two indicators were introduced in the system, including biodiversity and indoor environment quality. The current nine-indicator green building evaluation was thus finalized, known as the EEWH system(listed in Table 1). Furthermore, a scoring and rating system was launched in 2007 for enhancing green building design quality and motivating builders/owners to pursue better performance and innovative techniques. The rating system defines five classes of green building design, including Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Following the international development trend of green building certification, it has also proven to be an effective strategy to encourage better green building design in Taiwan. Meanwhile, the green building of Taiwan can be redefined as a building with Ecology, Energy Saving, Waste Reduction, as well as Health.