The future of Hong Kong’s workspaces starts with technology
- Giving built environments a new lease of life presents a unique opportunity to improve the office experience now, and in the future
- Technology is a key enabler for making older buildings more sustainable, operationally efficient and user-friendly
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As Hong Kong reopens its borders, and the anticipated influx of people and business resumes, it has the opportunity to strengthen its position as a leading global city in which to work and trade.
To achieve this goal, Hong Kong must ensure its buildings, as well as its financial, legal and incentives systems, are attractive to major global companies. The city’s offices need to support the shift to hybrid working, deliver on sustainability targets and inspire and engage the employees who work within them to remain globally competitive.
With the built environment contributing approximately 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, the real estate industry is under pressure to reduce both its embodied carbon and its operational carbon. Embodied carbon is associated with building construction, and makes up 11 per cent of global carbon emissions, while operational carbon emissions arise from all the energy sources used to keep buildings warm, cool, ventilated, lit and powered, which account for 28 per cent of global carbon emissions.
One way to do this is to refurbish or retrofit existing buildings, avoiding full redevelopment which incurs significant embodied carbon through the consumption of building materials. These retrofits include aesthetic improvements, but they must also be digitally led, utilising technology to improve the energy efficiency, user experience and operating cost of these assets to meet the needs of modern businesses.
What users need from their offices