Abstract: The construction industry has long been identified as a resource-consumer and a significant contributor to environment pollution. It is believed that the implementation of green and intelligent buildings has increasingly become imperative to many governments including China and the UK as it plays a fundamental role in energy-saving and reduction of natural resource consumption and carbon emissions. This research paper investigates the implementation of the green building concept in the UK construction industry and identifies some lessons learned in practice. Case studies of several specific building projects were undertaken to explore the details of implementation. Results revealed that green building design techniques such as optimised building orientation, natural ventilation and day-lighting made a significant contribution towards energy saving and can improve building performance as a whole. Whole life costing techniques plus legislative regulations are also revealed as key factors leading towards a green and sustainable construction industry. The findings of the research provided a significant reference which may be applicable to a wider range of buildings in different regions. Knowledge and lessons learnt can be shared with peers from the China construction industry.

Keywords: China, green design, sustainability, UK.