Next on Hong Kong’s property market: flats with one fireproof shelter per floor
Spaces will protect elderly and disabled residents who can’t escape burning building in time, but feature will mean higher management fees for owners
The first private housing estates featuring fireproof shelters on each floor, which will give elderly or disabled people a place to hide if a blaze breaks out, are expected to go on sale in the second half of this year, the Post has learned.
But having this protective feature will mean higher building management fees, with one property expert estimating that the owner of a 500 sq ft flat could pay HK$1,200 (US$153) more each year.
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The estates are the first residential developments subject to a new policy requiring all buildings taller than 13 metres – in most cases, about four storeys – with more than two flats per storey to have at least one fire-resistant space on every floor. The rule was introduced in October 2014.
The space must have a CCTV camera and intercom linked directly to the building’s management office, to help emergency rescuers locate those who are trapped.
Each year, Hong Kong has several cases of residential fires involving elderly residents.
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Architect Joseph Kwan Kwok-lok, an advocate of increasing accessibility for the elderly and disabled, described the new policy as a “breakthrough in barrier-free design”.