Surrounded by boring concrete office blocks, Tsinghua University's latest research center stands out like a diamond in the rough.

Staff began work in the cutting edge Sino-Italian Ecological and Energy Efficient Building for the first time yesterday.

The gleaming all-glass building, which houses the Sino-Italian Environment and Energy Exchange and Interdisciplinary Research Center, has been designed to be as energy efficient as possible.

With as much floor space as three football pitches, the green building has been created as part of a Sino-Italian co-operation programme for environmental protection.

Located at China's leading science and technology institute the 10-storey C-shaped center showcases green construction technologies, such as automatic lighting and ventilation, water recycling and environmentally friendly construction materials.

"For a country like China with 1.3 billion people and an annual 7 per cent economic growth, this green building will be a good example of how constructions can save energy," said Zhang Xinsheng, vice-minister of education.

The center will serve as an education and work research center for the university's Department of Environmental Science and Engineering.

(China Daily July 7, 2006)