Builders take expertise to China

A delegation of almost 100 participants is heading to Shanghai on Nov. 7-8 for the National Association of Home Builders' second international conference, World Focus on Housing: China.

The conference is occurring in conjunction with the four-day Building Shanghai 2001 Exhibition, where 45 U.S. companies will be represented at an NAHB/USA Building Technology Pavilion.

Developed by NAHB, the NAHB Re-search Center and other industry organizations, the conference will address technologies for environmentally friendly applications of wood; industrialized building construction; energy-efficient building materials; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; solar energy; smart homes; light-gauge steel; green building; and housing for seniors. A special session will educate U.S. participants about how to do business in China.

Joseph Honick, chairman of the conference and president of GMA Inter-national in Tucson, has announced that the American Forest and Paper Associa-tion and the Housing Action Resource Trust are helping to sponsor the conference and exhibition. The U.S. Depart-ment of Commerce, the Chinese Min-istry of Construction and the Shanghai Housing Bureau are also providing substantial support to these events, and the number of conference attendees is ex-pected to exceed 400.

The extended conference program includes several business meetings and visits to construction sites, building supply stores and historic places. The NAHB delegation also will travel to Beijing to meet with high-level Chinese officials and enjoy the hospitality of the U.S. Consul General.

According to Shen Jianzhong, deputy director general of the Department of Housing and Real Estate and director of the Housing Industrialization Promotion Center, Ministry of Construction of China, the country's housing sector expects extensive development over the coming decade to achieve "the target of 23 square meters of living space for every urban resident."