Green light: Hong Kong to go flat out to build eco-friendly skyscrapers

Following on from the government convened Climate Change Stakeholder Engagement Forum, more focused efforts are now being made to make the city’s high-rise buildings cost-efficient and environmentally friendly

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Green buildings, such as the Sing Yin Secondary School in Choi Hung, which was named as one of the Greenest Schools on Earth in 2013 by the World Green Building Council, can save money by reducing the amount of energy and water used, experts say.

Published: 2:29pm, 29 Jul 2016Updated: 2:29pm, 29 Jul 2016

In the near future, Hong Kong is expected to go full swing in the use of green technology for skyscrapers, making them cost-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Earlier this month, the government convened the Climate Change Stakeholder Engagement Forum, attended by officials, stakeholders and legislators, to exchange views and come up with a strategy to reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The forum was chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration Carrie Lam. Also involved in the forum was Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing and representatives from other relevant policy bureaus and government departments.

The concept of green buildings is being aggressively pursued by the government as they can significantly save energy and water without incurring substantial costs, according to experts.

At the moment, Hong Kong does have a number of certified green buildings, according to the World Green Building Council. This could be ascribed to government incentives, in particular the granting of extra buildable floor area on new projects having achieved or pursuing a green-building certification.

The city’s certification system is based on the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) Plus, which is a voluntary group and is owned by the BEAM Society, a non-profit organisation. Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is the certification body.

Getting “additional gross floor area is undoubtedly one of the key incentives that motivate developers to pursue a BEAM Plus certification on their new-build projects”, says Nathan Lee, chairman of building surveying, project management and environmental professional group of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Hong Kong board.