Answer the following 4 questions.
1. Read the reading 1 on ‘BedZED’, list all sustainability building feature.
2. Do you agree ‘BedZED’ can solve the global warm and the fossil fuel crisis? Can we classify this type of design as sustainability building? Describe your answer in detail. Read the following passages and scripts on the Three Gorges Dam project, answer the questions below.
3. Briefly describe the major scope of work of the Three Gorges Dam project.
4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Three Gorge Dam project, from environmental, economic and societal point of view.

The Architecture of Hope

With global populations rising, and with half of us living in ever-larger cities, is there any hope of maintaining a decent quality of life, while reducing our consumption of land, energy, and other resources? Green designers, architects, and builders-who com-bine artful design with clever strategies to conserve resources might have the answer. Architects and urban designers are not where most of us would look first to resolve our environmental dilemmas, but they are providing some of the best new ideas for improving our cities, our environment, and our quality of life, all at the same time.

One of the most exciting recent Green architecture projects is BedZED, short for the Beddington Zero Energy Development. Built on the grounds of an old sewage plant in South London, BedZED's green strategies begin with recycling the ground on which it stands. Designed by architect Bill Dunster and his colleagues, the complex demonstrates dozens of energy-saving and water-saving ideas (lig. 22.1). BedZED has been occupied, and winning awards, since it was completed in 2003.

Most of BedZED's innovations involve the clever combination of simple, even conventional ideas. Expansive, south-lacing triple glazed windows provide abundant light, minimize the use of electric lamps, and provide passive solar heat in winter. Thick, superinsu-lated walls store solar energy and reduce heat loss. Rotating "wind cowls on roofs turn to catch fresh breezes, which cool spaces in summer. In winter, heat exchangers use the heat of stale, outgoing air to warm fresh. incoming air. Energy used in space heating is nearly eliminated. Building materials are recycled, reclaimed, or renewable, which reduces the "embodied energy" invested in producing and transporting them.

BedZED does use energy. but the complex generates its own heat and electricity in a small, on-sile, superefficient plant that uses local tree trimmings for fuel. Thus BedZED uses no fossil fuels, and it is "carbon-neutral" because the carbon dioxide released from burning wood was recently captured from the air by trees. In addition, photovoltaic cells on roofs provide enough free energy to power 40 solar cars. These small energy sources are sufficient because the sile has so much energy efficiency built into its design. Fuel bills for BedZED residents can be as littie as 10 percent of what other Londoners pay for similar-sized homes.

Water-efficient appliances and toilets reduce water use. Rainwater collection systems provide "groen water for watering gardens, flushing toilets, and other nonconsumptive uses. Reed-bed filtration systems purity used water without chemicals. Water meters allow residents to see how much water they use, and just knowing about water use encourages conservation. Residents use about half as much water as other Londonors.

BedZED residents can save money and time by not using, or even owning, a car. Office space is available on-site, so some residents can walk to work, and the commuter rail station is just a ten minute walk away. The site is also linked to regional bicycle routes to encourage bicycle commuting. Car pools-groups that share ownership of several cars, in which users pay according to mileage driven-save pool mombers about £1.500 per year (nearly $3.000 U.S) compared to conventional car ownership. Car pools also reduce the amount of space needed for parking in BedZED.

BedZED is designed for humane, healthy lifestyles and community Interiors are flooded with natural light, ceilings are high, and most residences have rool gardens to grow their own food. which incidentally provide extra insulation. Community events encourage a sense of ownership and help people to know their neighbors The approximately 100 housing units are designed for a range of income levels, and child care facilities, sops, and entertainment facilities are available. Prices are lower than many similar-sized London homes-and few others in the city have abundant sunlight and private roof gardens.

Based on BedZED's success, larger projects are being developed in London and other cities in the United Kingdom Architect Dunster argues that BedZED-ke structures on cleaned up brownfields, at similar densities, could provide all of the 3 million homes that the U.K. expects to need in the next decade, with no sacrifice of open space. And as green building techniques. designs, and materials become standard, he argues they will cost no more than conventional, energy-wasting structures.

Does eco-living necessitate a lower quality of life? Dunster points out that for most people, quality of life is already degraded: An average American spends the equivalent of 11 40-hour work weeks per year driving to and from a suburban home, and commuting is a major source of stress. While average home sizes have doubled in 40 years, the cost of energy to heat, cool, and light those homes are climbing steadily. Many middle income households meet their rent and fuel bills with difficulty. With so many hours spent behind the wheel, we ruin our health, spend too little time with our families, and lose touch with our communities. BedZED designers insist that we can expect better than this, for ourselves, our cities, and our environment.

Three Gorges Dam

Project history
The dam was originally envisioned by Sun Yat-sen in The International Development of China in 1919. In 1932 the Nationalist government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, began preliminary work on plans for a dam in the Three Gorges. Then in 1939 the Japanese military forces occupied Yichang and surveyed the Three Gorges. A design, the Otani plan, was completed for the dam. Japan intended to build after its anticipated victory over China. In 1944 involvement from the United States began when the Bureau of Reclamation engineer J.L. Savage surveyed the area and drew up a dam proposal. Around 54 Chinese engineers were sent to the U.S. for training. Some exploration, survey, economic study, and design work was done, but the government, in the midst of the Chinese Civil War, halted work in 1947.

After the 1949 communist victory, the leader Mao Zedong supported the project, but the Gezhouba Dam project was begun first and economic problems including The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution slowed progress. In 1958, after the Hundred Flowers Campaign, some engineers who spoke out against the project were imprisoned.

During the 1980s plans were revived. Pushed through by Li Peng, the dam was approved by the National People's Congress in 1992 with a record number of abstentions and dissenting votes. The construction started on December 14, 1994. The dam was expected to be fully operational in 2009, but due to additional projects such as the underground power plant with 6 additional generators, and due to the complexity of the ship lift, the dam is not expected to become fully operational until about 2011.

Scale of the project
The dam wall is made of concrete and is about 2,309 metres (7,575 ft) long, and 101 metres (331 ft) high. The wall is 115 metres (377.3 ft) thick on the bottom and 40 metres (131.2 ft) thick on top. The project used 27,200,000 cubic metres (35,600,000 cu yd) of concrete, 463,000 tonnes of steel, enough to build 63 Eiffel Towers, and moved about 102,600,000 cubic metres (134,200,000 cu yd) of earth.

When the water level is maximum at 175 metres (574 ft) over sea level (91 metres (299 ft) above river level) , the reservoir created by the Three Gorges Dam is about 660 kilometres (410 mi) in length and 1.12 kilometres (0.70 mi) in width on average, and contains 39.3 cu km (9.43 cubic miles) of water.The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045 sq km. The reservoir will flood a total area of 632 sq km of land compared to the 1,350 sq km of reservoir created by the Itaipu Dam. The Three Gorges Dam reservoir is longer than the 560 kilometres (348 mi) length of Lake Superior, but only 1.1 % of the surface area of the lake (82,400 sq km) and about 1/700 of the volume of the lake (28700 cu km).

The dam will raise the water level the third time to its designed maximium water level (175m above sea level) by the end of 2008.

Economics
When finished, the project will have cost 180 billion yuan, over 20 billion yuan less than the initial estimated budget of 203.9 billion yuan, just under 30 billion USD. This is because the calculation accounts for the effect of inflation, and the lower costs are attributed to a low inflation rate in recent years. It is estimated that the cost of construction will be recovered when the dam generates 1000 TWh of the electricity, which will be sold at the price of 250 billion yuan. This will take 10 more years after the dam starts full operation.

Sources for funding include the Three Gorges Dam Construction Fund, revenue from Gezhouba Dam, policy loans from the China Development Bank, loans from domestic and foreign commercial banks, corporate bonds, and revenue from Three Gorges Dam before and after it is fully operational, with additional charges for electricity contributing to the Three Gorges Construction Fund. The additional charges are as follows: Every province receiving power from the Three Gorges Dam has to pay an additional charge of ¥7.00 per MWh. Provinces that will not receive power from the Three Gorges Dam have to pay an additional charge of ¥4.00 per MWh. Tibet does not have to pay any additional money.

Yangtze River Three Gorges Project

China's Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River has an important position and role in China's economic development. Before introducing the Three Gorges Project, we have to mention the Yangtze River.

With a total length of 6,300 kilometers, the Yangtze River is the largest river in China and the third largest river in the world. The river basin covers an area of 1.8 million square kilometers, and the average annual water flow into the sea is 961 billion cubic meters. The developable hydropower resources in the entire Yangtze River basin reach 197 million kilowatts [kW]. Just because the Yangtze River is very rich in water resources, some insightful people have already suggested that it should be developed. The Three Gorges Project was proposed as early as Sun Yat-sen's 1919 national founding plan. By 1993, the Three Gorges Project had officially started construction.

The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, starting from Baidi City in Fengjie, Chongqing City in the west, and ending at Nanjin Pass in Yichang City, Hubei Province in the east, with a total length of 193 kilometers. It is the general name of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. The Yangtze River Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project (referred to as the Three Gorges Project) is located in Sandouping Town, Yichang City, Hubei Province in the Xiling Gorge.

In 1993, the first phase of the Three Gorges Project started. The projects mainly include basic facilities in the dam area, river regulation, longitudinal cofferdam construction and the construction of the second-stage diversion open channel. From 1997, the second phase of the five-year project began. The project includes the construction of the flood discharge dam section on the left bank and the powerhouse dam section, and the construction of the permanent ship lock and the underground powerhouse dam section on the right bank. The third phase started in the middle of 2003. The third phase of the project is mainly to construct the dam section of the powerhouse on the right bank and the unit.

It is estimated that by 2009, the entire Three Gorges Water Conservancy Project will be completed. The Three Gorges Dam, built in a 17-year construction period, can increase the flood control standard of the Jingjiang River section from once in 10 years to once in 100 years, achieving the benefits of flood control.

The Three Gorges Dam Project is the largest water conservancy project in the world

The Three Gorges Dam can help regulate the flow of water and reduce the risk of flooding in the middle and lower reaches. It can also unblock the Yangtze River and improve shipping. In addition, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River can be used for hydroelectric power generation, providing a large amount of renewable energy, reducing coal consumption, and alleviating the air pollution problem along the Yangtze River.

The Three Gorges Dam project can meet the requirements of flood control, power generation, shipping, etc. At the same time, its impact on the ecological environment cannot be ignored. For example, due to the construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir, the submerged upland area is 632 square kilometers, and the directly submerged population is 846,200 people. In addition, 108 historical sites and cultural relics have been discovered in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, and some cultural relics will be destroyed due to the water storage of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Completely submerged or partially submerged, the more famous ones are Zhang Feimiao and Qu Yuantong. In addition, the cost of building a reservoir is extremely high, and the reservoir will silt up after years, which will reduce the flood control capacity of the reservoir.

It can be seen that the Three Gorges Dam project has both advantages and disadvantages.