OREANDA-NEWS. Population growth and urbanization are two megatrends reshaping our cities and creating the need for a global dialogue focused on sustainability. In support of this, United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) hosted Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series events in Beijing and Singapore, on Tuesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 16, respectively. These are the 28th and 29th lecture series events held since the series launched in 2011.

Growth in green building activity is expected in China and Singapore by 2018, according to the 2016 World Green Building Trends report. China is expected to see the largest levels of growth reported in new commercial buildings and new high-rise residential buildings and communities, with protection of natural resources and improved indoor air quality highlighted as driving factors. The same report finds Singapore poised to be a global leader in building retrofits and new commercial, institutional and high-rise residential construction. These findings made both locations a natural fit for UTC's Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series, attended by approximately 350 international thought leaders and sustainability experts.

Both events featured presentations from Dr. Joseph Allen, Assistant Professor of Exposure Assessment Science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Director of the Healthy Buildings program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Chan School, and John Mandyck, United Technologies Chief Sustainability Officer.

"Global green building continues to double every three years, and both Beijing and Singapore have made significant strides to increase green activity," Mandyck said. "We can accelerate this growth by demonstrating the impact of green buildings on the health and productivity of its occupants. We were pleased to host these lecture series events to help further advance the green building movement."

Dr. Allen gave a lecture focused on new research from "The Impact of Green Buildings on Cognitive Function" study. Also known as The COGfx Study, the research was led by Allen and in collaboration with researchers from SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University. Conducted at the Total Indoor Environmental Quality Laboratory at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Syracuse, New York, the research found that improved indoor environmental quality doubled cognitive function test scores. Primary support for the study came from United Technologies and its UTC Climate, Controls & Security business.

"These results fill important knowledge gaps in existing research about the relationship between green buildings and occupant health," Allen said. "In Beijing and Singapore, the study is especially timely given that green building is growing in both countries. Our goal was to produce high-quality scientific results that will allow practitioners to make data-driven decisions for buildings."