LOUD Holds Signing Ceremony with Shanghai Technology Exchange and Tongmu Construction Group

On the afternoon of April 9th, the Shanghai Technology Exchange, Tongmu Construction Group, and the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science (LOUD) held a signing ceremony at the Front Beach Campus of Shanghai New York University. Xie Jihua, Chairman, and Yan Mingfeng, President, of the Shanghai Technology Exchange; Zhou Wei, Chairman, and Zhou Yougang, President, of Tongmu Construction Consulting Co., Ltd.; Professor ChengHe Guan, Joint Director; Professor Ying Li; and other members attended and jointly witnessed the signing ceremony.

The three parties jointly initiated a research project on data-driven low-carbon urban development under the background of the "dual-carbon" goal. The LOUD will undertake relevant scientific research work, the Shanghai Technology Exchange will provide industry services empowered by technology, and Tongmu Construction Group will utilize its nationwide cross-regional service network to explore the implementation of the project.

At the signing ceremony, Professor ChengHe Guan, the director of the LOUD, first delivered a welcome speech. He thanked all the guests for their attendance, expressed expectations for future cooperation, and pointed out the importance of developing research and the construction of low-carbon cities. He also shared his unique insights into ecological goals.

Following that, Xie Jihua, Chairman of the Shanghai Technology Exchange, delivered a speech on behalf of the exchange. He stated that the Shanghai Technology Exchange has been deeply involved in the technology trading market for thirty years, with rich experience in industry incubation and innovative resources. Not only does the exchange focus on promoting the industrialization of technological innovation and deep integration with industries, but it also participates in promoting international cooperation, introducing advanced technology to the Chinese market, and promoting the integration of domestic small enterprises with international technology. Technology and data play important roles in advancing intelligent technology innovation, urban renewal, low-carbon construction, and industrial development.

Next, Dr. Zhou Wei, Chairman of Tongmu Construction Group, introduced the achievements of Tongmu in the field of building construction and carbon reduction since its establishment in 2011. Tongmu has a deep research foundation and industrial experience, not only having three major research institutions, including the Tongmu Architectural Academician Surendra P. Shah Workstation, the Tongji-Tongmu Institute of Architecture Materials and Structures, and the Tongmu Building Dual Carbon Research Center, but also forming a nationwide cross-regional service network through its unique public-private partnership model and strategic cooperation with more than 40 local government platform companies. Additionally, Tongmu has actively engaged in innovative business focusing on "low carbon, data" in response to the call for upgrading traditional industries and creating new productive forces. Tongmu has developed a unique digital + low-carbon urban "open-source and conservation" comprehensive solution that has contributed to reducing over five million tons of carbon emissions for the country, industry, and society, continuously contributing to achieving dual-carbon goals in the construction field.

LOUD and the Shanghai Technology Exchange expressed their recognition of Tongmu's work and vision. The three parties engaged in in-depth discussions on future cooperation content and models, focusing on directions such as scientific research collaboration, environmental policies, and sustainable development in the low-carbon construction industry, to outline a blueprint and set targets for future cooperation.

Subsequently, Yan Mingfeng, President of the Shanghai Technology Exchange, Dr. Zhou Wei, Chairman of Tongmu Construction, and Professor Ying Li from the LOUD signed a cooperation agreement. Xie Jihua, Chairman of the Shanghai Technology Exchange, Zhou Yougang, President of Tongmu Construction Group, and Joint Director ChengHe Guan from the LOUD jointly witnessed the signing, marking the beginning of the three-party collaboration on research projects.

After the signing ceremony, Wang Jun, Chief Planner of Tongmu Construction, introduced the background of the collaborative project, preliminary research results, and future short-term and long-term goals to the attendees. The project will focus on confirming carbon emissions and footprints in the construction industry as well as establishing a low-carbon building evaluation index system. Ultimately, this will form a standardized set of calculation and evaluation standards. These standards will not only provide reference and guidance for the low-carbon development of buildings but will also, in the future, integrate concepts such as data elements, data assets, big data computing power, and storage to form a comprehensive and intelligent data service platform for low-carbon urban and rural construction. It will provide methods for data management in the construction industry, address pain points for local governments, urban construction enterprises, and others, and be an effective, comprehensive low-carbon solution.

At the end of the signing ceremony, Professor Ying Li, Joint Director of the Key Laboratory, once again thanked all the guests for their attendance and summarized today's discussions on the project. She mentioned her hope that today's signing event will promote future collaboration and communication among the three parties, jointly supporting the development of low-carbon urban construction and achieving dual-carbon goals in the construction field.

Crossing boundaries and collaborating on innovation, the signing of this cooperation agreement signifies a new level of collaboration among the three parties. In the future, leveraging their respective strengths, they will harness the advantages of in-depth integration of industry, academia, and research, delve into collaboration points, discover new trends, seek out new highlights, actively innovate and develop, and contribute to achieving the "dual-carbon" goals and building a beautiful China.

[The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science]

The Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science (LOUD) was founded by Professors ChengHe Guan and Ying Li, with academician Fu Bojie from the Chinese Academy of Sciences serving as the chairman of the academic committee. Members of the academic committee include Michael Keith from the University of Oxford, director of the Urban Research Program, and Nobel laureate Paul Romer. The laboratory is committed to addressing international cutting-edge issues in urban science, focusing on precision urban science, with the goal of promoting the digital transformation of Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region and constructing a globally influential science and technology innovation base.

LOUD takes Shanghai's major urban research needs and the task of transforming the Yangtze River Delta region into a digitally intelligent city as its guidance. It adheres to the guiding principles of being research-driven, application-oriented, talent-centered, and socially focused, providing strong support for the development and transformation of the urban agglomeration in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region. Relying on the research strengths in urban science, data science, and social science at Shanghai New York University, the laboratory expands its international vision and cooperation, strengthens interdisciplinary collaboration, promotes the integration of industry, academia, and research, and forms an innovative academic center and an international cutting-edge digital city sharing platform.

[The Shanghai Technology Exchange]

The Shanghai Technology Exchange was established in 1993 as China's first national-level permanent technology market, jointly established by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, serving as a national-level demonstration institution for technology transfer. On December 31, 2019, the Inter-Ministerial Joint Conference on the Rectification and Regulation of Various Types of Trading Venues replied to the Shanghai Municipal Government, agreeing to register the Shanghai Technology Exchange with the joint conference. On October 28, 2020, the Shanghai Technology Exchange officially opened, establishing a core trading system, organizing technology achievements and technology trading services in accordance with the law, and providing one-stop trading settlement and trading certification services to generate a gathering effect of innovative resources and promote the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements.

[Tongmu Construction Group]

Established in 2011, Tongmu Construction Group has always adhered to the development philosophy of being technology-oriented and prioritizing science and technology, making unremitting efforts to build a better and greener home. "Tongmu" originated from "Tongji Civil Engineering," inheriting the spirit of "mutual assistance and continuous self-improvement" of Tongji University for a century, and is committed to the innovation and application of architectural technology. The group currently operates the "Tongmu Academician Surendra P. Shah Workstation" and the "Tongji-Tongmu Institute of Building Materials and Structures.". Dr. Zhou Wei, the chairman, currently serves as a postdoctoral researcher at the Tongji University Institute of Intelligent Materials and Structures. The company's executives and technical leaders all hold doctoral and master's degrees in architecture-related majors from Tongji University.

While actively cooperating with developers, general contractors, and private owners, Tongmu Construction Group is dedicated to collaborating with governments, central enterprises, state-owned enterprises, and urban investment companies. It has already established joint ventures with government platform companies in multiple provinces and cities, such as Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Yunnan. In addition to becoming a "technical think tank" in government engineering construction, it helps local governments manage design quality, control project costs, reduce building carbon emissions, and save social resources.

Tongmu Construction has always been a practitioner of energy-saving, low-carbon, environmentally friendly, and intelligent construction. Dr. Zhou Wei was the first in China to propose the concept and implementation path of carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of construction projects. He was invited to attend the Zhongguancun Forum in 2021, where he delivered a keynote speech, presenting the world's first "comprehensive solution for carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of construction projects.". In 2022, he pioneered the "Political and Trustworthy Carbon Reduction Super Methodology throughout the Life Cycle of Construction Projects," contributing to the country's "Dual Carbon" strategic goals of "carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.".

Tongmu Construction has always adhered to Dr. Zhou Wei's corporate values of "benefiting the people, benefiting society, and benefiting the country.". It has provided consulting services for hundreds of millions of square meters of various projects, saving tens of billions of yuan in social resources and successfully reducing carbon emissions by millions of tons. Tongmu Construction earnestly shoulders the social responsibilities of enterprises and strives to give back to the people and the country.