The Sino-Swiss Zero Emission Buildings Project (ZEB) is a joint initiative in the sector of green buildings supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) between 2021 and 2025. It aims to address global climate change and promote a low-carbon transformation of the building sector. Organized by the Embassy of Switzerland in China, the exhibition showcases the significant achievements of bilateral cooperation in zero-emission buildings over the past five years. In her opening remarks, Ambassador Marty Lang stated, ‘Through this collaboration, Swiss expertise in sustainable construction and environmental protection techniques has met Chinese innovative technologies and futuristic design skills, concretely illustrating meaningful applications of zero emission buildings standards across China.’
The exhibition gathers research findings and practical experiences of both countries from ZEB projects, organized into three sections: hundreds of research reports curated by Swiss curators, presented in a visual, infographic-style ‘experience summary’; eight zero-emission demonstration buildings captured by Swiss architectural photographers; and China’s oldest architectural treatise ‘Yingzao Fashi’ (Building Standards), reproduced on solar panels using silkscreen printing technology.
The ZEB project represents a long-term collaboration between Switzerland and China in sustainable development and climate action. Over the past five years, more than 100 experts from over 30 enterprises and universities in both countries have worked closely on three main areas: standard research, demonstration projects, and capacity building. The project conducted comparative studies of Sino-Swiss building energy and carbon reduction standards and proposed recommended indicators for low-carbon, near-zero, and zero-emission buildings suitable for different building types in China. It also developed approximately 200,000 square meters of zero-carbon demonstration projects, with technical routes jointly defined by Chinese and Swiss experts, while exchanges and technical seminars strengthened capacity building. The demonstration projects cover offices, residential buildings, and schools across Beijing, Shanghai, Shaoxing, and other cities, integrating Swiss expertise to provide replicable and scalable models for China’s zero-emission building development.
In her address, the Ambassador also extended special thanks to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, the China Academy of Building Research, and Swiss partner institutions including Intep, Skat, and the Swiss Green Buildings Association for their long-term contributions. ‘The success of the ZEB project is not an end, but a beginning. It paves the way for new pilots, deeper standardization work, and investments that bring us closer to a zero-emission future,’ she noted.
The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from January 29 to February 13.
