An experienced architect who specialises in low-carbon buildings is expected to head the Environment Bureau in the new government.
Wong Kam-sing, a core member of the Green Building Council and a key government adviser on rules to stop developers inflating the size of flats through 'environmentally friendly improvements', refused to comment on the job yesterday.
But Wong (pictured) is understood to have been invited by chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying to take up the post, and is expected to increase public involvement in policymaking.
Wong's possible appointment was welcomed by environmentalists and green activists.
Edwin Lau Che-feng, from Friends of the Earth, has known Wong for about 15 years: 'I sought advice from him on a renewable energy project launched in Tai O in the 1990s. He is happy to listen to people and has an international vision.'
Lau said Wong would be a capable secretary who could apply his green vision for architecture on a broader scale. He urged him to use the new government headquarters in Admiralty as an example of cutting energy consumption in buildings.