building properties has increased from just 9 in 2015 to nearly 300 now. This is a great improvement.
With the transformation of Hong Kong building standards from time to time, how do you envision Hong Kong built environment in the future? What aspects can be improved? BEAM Plus strives to progressively improve performance and encourage innovations. Criteria are updated periodically as legal requirements and local practices evolve. When innovative practices become more prevalent and practical, these are also absorbed into the assessment criteria as a means of continual improvement.
Through observing the performance of projects in recent years, it is not difficult to envision the following ongoing trends in the industry: • Increased adoption of smart IT practices such as the use of Building Information Modelling, digital works supervision system as well as the use of Internet of things and wireless network technologies during construction process and in the permanent buildings. Smart home panels, smart meters and other real-time monitoring systems are also becoming popular. This is in line with Hong Kong’s ambition to become a smart city;
• Increased provisions to adapt to climate change and achieve climate resilience, such as high-permeability pedestrian paving designs to achieve a sponge city, the use of low- impact development techniques to make developments mimic natural processes, more provisions for storm water detention, as well as increased presence of soft landscape on facades, roofs and infrastructure facilities;
• Increased provisions to cater for social sustainability needs such as more projects designed to preserve history and local economies, foster active and healthy living, cater to the young and elderly, as well as designs to encourage multi-generational living;
• Use of modern methods of construction such as modular integrated construction,
Peak Galleria, certified with BEAM Plus Final Gold in 2015 Image by kylauf/Shutterstock
Whilst the Hong Kong government has set 2050 as a target for achieving carbon neutrality, the building sector being the largest demand-side user of energy would have to set its own target.
design for manufacture and assembly, lean construction and even the use of 3D-printed components;
• Increased use of low or zero carbon technologies such as renewable energy system, passive designs, district cooling and tri-generation systems, etc.
Challenges present opportunities. Our stock of existing buildings consumes a large amount of energy, retro- commissioning alone can reduce consumption of up to about 15% whilst deep retrofit measures can reduce a further 30% in favourable cases. With the development of new technology, we should examine how we can make the best use of the building envelope to limit solar heats penetration inside the buildings and fitting PV panels on the outside to produce renewable energy. Whilst our roofs are currently most used for installing plants and machinery, our buildings should be redesigned and regenerated to allow solar and wind energy generation on roofs.
Looking beyond, the building envelope is our city’s built-environment which comprises infrastructure, open areas and public facilities. The government will collaborate with HKGBC to explore the development of sustainability assessment modified for infrastructure works. To make the best use of natural elements such as wind, solar energy, water and even waste in the entire built environment, HKGBC will develop a Sustainable Built Environment Guide Book in 2021 to foster the use for buildings and infrastructure to reduce energy consumption and to generate and store renewable energy.
Whilst the Hong Kong government has set 2050 as a target for achieving carbon neutrality, the building sector being the largest demand-side user of energy would have to set its own target. HKGBC will explore the development of such target for the building sector and the practical measures we can take in new and existing buildings to achieve it.
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