LettersHong Kong icon Excelsior is gone: will its spirit live on to fight climate change?
- What plans does Jardines have for the remains of The Excelsior, and will it advance the dialogue on climate change?
- Create a building that the world will talk about as a beacon of green design, architecture and engineering
It has been bittersweet to say farewell to the 46-year-old grande dame of Hong Kong’s hotels. But now that the doors are permanently closed, what next?
The Excelsior, the 34-storey Jardine Matheson Group hotel, is to make way for a gleaming new office building, but where will all its bits and pieces go? In the age of global warming when right-minded companies are committing to sustainability, what plans does Jardines have for the remains of The Excelsior, and will it advance the dialogue on climate change?
The government has its waste disposal regulations, and meagre green initiatives: how will Jardines respond? Will the group seek to be an environmental warrior and groundbreaker?
Is all the furniture gone? The fixtures? What is the recycling process for all the kitchen fittings and the electrical, electronic and steel infrastructure? Will we see usable materials sold, recycled or even returning in the new building structure?
Will whatever that is left of The Excelsior simply be taken to a landfill site and forgotten? Will Jardines replace The Excelsior – and wow us all – with an innovative, energy-efficient, and environment-friendly building?