‘Layman’s manual’ on Hong Kong’s green roofs hopes to allay public fears
The group behind the plans, which includes professionals and environmentalists, hope it will avoid a mass removal of green spaces which have already been installed.
A “layman’s manual” is being drafted to ease public fears over the safety of green roof projects following the collapse at City University last month.
The group behind the plans, which includes professionals and environmentalists, hope it will avoid a mass removal of green spaces which have already been installed.
Led by Chinese University associate professor Edward Yiu Chung-yim, the group has also called on the government to set up a taskforce so industry practitioners and building owners can be given clear guidelines on when and how regulations should be followed when undertaking greening work.
Issuing a petition letter on Wednesday, which was endorsed by WWF Hong Kong and Greenpeace, Yiu said society should not only learn from the CityU incident, but also take it as an opportunity to step up promotion and development of greening projects in Hong Kong.
One of the suggestions is to implement a categorised surveillance system so individual owners can gauge whether further action should be taken after assessing the age, design, loading limit, and condition and maintenance levels of the building.
Asked why owners should take matters into their own hands and bear the risk, Yiu said ownership of buildings in Hong Kong is often split between multiple parties, and owners’ corporations were often reluctant to shell out money to hire professionals.
The manual is expected to be published in two to three months.
Development undersecretary Eric Ma Siu-cheung reiterated the government’s commitment to rooftop greening, claiming that as long as there was “careful planning” and “appropriate maintenance”, they would pose no negative impact to a building. “People need not worry so much,” he said.
Nigel Lam Lai-chong, an engineer from the Professional Commons, said separate guideline will be out next week to help schools which have installed green elements on their rooftops. He said examples will be provided to inform school management on what action to take.
One focus is finding out whether the roof was designed to be accessible, meaning it is strong enough for people to walk on it. He said in the CityU case, the steel structure was an inaccessible roof, and the access ladder was built for maintenance purposes only.
Meanwhile, the investigation committee on the roof collapse is confident a report, to be submitted next Monday, will be comprehensive.
Panel chairman Paul Lam Kwan-sing said on Wednesday after its sixth meeting that they have met with six staff members to verify reports that certain objects fell from the roof of Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre 10 days before its collapse.
He insisted the objects were not made of concrete, and would not hurt anyone as they were “light and small”.
