Quality standards key to healthy property sector

Efforts to establish and expand the application of a more comprehensive set of quality homebuilding standards are crucial to China's residential property sector amid the drive to transform its sluggish real estate industry and stimulate potential homebuyers' demand for improved living spaces, said officials and experts.

Standards which dictate how quality homes are built are not only a significant prerequisite for better livelihoods in China, but also a key step in paving a new development track for the country's real estate sector, they added.

"Quality housing standards not only reflect the requirements outlined in the country's latest development agenda, but also echo people's demands and industry needs," said Xu Jiefeng, chairman of the China Academy of Building Research, a leading Beijing-based research and development institution.

"In-depth research on 'good houses' — both from theoretical and technological aspects — is necessary for the formation of the standards. The CABR has been ramping up corresponding efforts to this end, including promoting the grasping of key generic technologies, leading the formulation of industry standards and norms, and carrying out engineering demonstrations and practice," Fan Jinlong, general manager of the CABR, said during a recent high-quality housing development forum in Beijing.

According to the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, the nation will increase the supply of improved housing in accordance with city-specific policies, carry out housing quality improvement projects and property service quality enhancement initiatives, and establish a full-life-cycle housing safety management system covering the entire process from design and construction to habitation and maintenance.

Along with the whole industry chain of the housing sector, the CABR will further explore and promote the application of quality housing and form a tech-oriented new system, which can effectively support the comprehensive improvement of people's living quality, Fan said.

With a vision of "ensuring that people live and thrive every day", the CABR unveiled its "365 Good Housing System" — a framework of three core values, six excellence goals and five support systems — during the forum.

Built based on over 1,100 national and industrial standards, 5,000-plus technological achievements and data from 300,000-plus project inspections, the CABR said the system provides a more systemic base for participating entities spanning the whole housing sector in pursuit of excellence, aiming to optimize layout, decor, quality, environment, cost and services for homebuyers.

For the first time, the phrase "quality homes" was featured in the Government Work Report unveiled during this year's two sessions.

To meet people's demand for high-quality housing, China will improve standards and regulations for building quality homes that are safe, comfortable, eco-friendly and smart, the report noted.

China's housing market has made substantial strides, with average per capita housing floor area in cities having exceeded 40 square meters, Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong said earlier this year.

"People's expectations for housing are shifting from 'having a place to live' to 'living in quality housing'," said Li Xiaolong, vice-minister of Ni's ministry, during the Beijing forum.

"The whole industry chain needs to work collaboratively and persevere with sustained efforts. We will continue to make efforts in high standards, quality design, superior materials, excellent construction, and efficient operation and maintenance, striving to provide the people with more 'good homes'," Li said.

The National Bureau of Statistics said that in the first 10 months, total sales of newly built commercial housing nationwide stood at 6.9 trillion yuan ($979.1 billion), down 9.6 percent year-on-year. Residential sales accounted for 6.07 trillion yuan of that total, reflecting a 9.4 percent decline from the same period last year.