Symposium
on Green Building Labelling
PRESS RELEASE
Symposium on Green Building Labelling, 19th March
2004, Hong Kong
The Symposium on Green Building Labelling was held
today to demonstrate the importance of recognising the need for
improved environmental performance of buildings, and to consolidate
the views on the way forward for green building labelling in Hong
Kong - and as highlighted in the HKSAR Government’s 2001 Policy
Address, establish a system with the underlying objective of promoting
high performance, healthy and sustainable buildings.
This symposium, the first of its kind in Hong Kong,
was jointly organized by the Professional Green Building Council
(PGBC) and the HK-BEAM Society, and co-organized by the Buildings
Department HKSAR and the Environmental Protection Department HKSAR.
It addressed both the global and regional overview of green building
issues while tapping into the local expertise and knowledge of environmental
and sustainable design.
Keynote and opening speeches were delivered by; the
Hon Michael Suen Ming-yeung, Secretary for Housing, Planning and
Lands, and Mr. Keith Kerr, Chairman of Provisional Construction
Industry Co-ordination Board.
International and regional experts:
The keynote speaker Mr Nils Larsson, Co-founder &
Executive Director of the International Initiative for a Sustainable
Built Environment who presented an overview of the international
perspective of green building rating and labelling systems, and
Professor Shuzo Murakami, Chair of the World Sustainable Building
Conference in Tokyo, and Dr Sang-dong Park, President of the Korea
Green Building Council who both traced the development of green
building labelling systems in their countries.
Local experts:
Dr MF Hui, Buildings Department HKSAR presented a
progress report on a consultancy study commissioned by the Buildings
Department in 2002 to draw up a Comprehensive Environmental Performance
Assessment Scheme for buildings. This study ties in with a recommendation
of the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) which three
years ago urged the industry to Construct for Excellence.
Dr Daniel Ho of the HKU Faculty of Architecture addressed
the importance of healthy buildings following the SARS outbreak
in 2003, and shared his current research on building classification/labelling
based on the University’s “Building Health and Hygiene
Index” and “Building Safety and Conditions Index”.
Mr. Kevin Edmunds, Deputy Director of the Business
Environment Council described the pioneering work undertaken to
establish and introduce the Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment
Method (HK-BEAM) which is now owned and operated on a voluntary
basis by the HK-BEAM Society, and which has successfully assessed
the environmental performance of almost 100 buildings in Hong Kong.
“The Orchards” residential development,
which has been awarded an “Excellent” rating under HK-BEAM,
was also presented as a case study by the developer, architect and
contractor to illustrate the green design and construction approach
applied.
The symposium also highlighted some of the key issues.
Dr Alain Lam from Environmental Protection Department HKSAR focused
on indoor air quality (IAQ) while Professor Edward Ng from CUHK
Department of Architecture described effective use of daylight and
natural ventilation to provide a healthy work or living space.
In parallel to the concern about health and hygiene,
both energy efficiency and waste reduction are prime issues in the
building sector. Ir. Welman Leung from Electrical and Mechanical
Services Department HKSAR presented the Energy Efficiency Registration
Scheme for buildings, while Ir. David Westwood representing the
Waste Reduction Task Force for the Construction Industry, Hong Kong
promoted the better use of our resources and called for a waste-less
construction industry.
Dr Albert So representing the Asian Institute of
Intelligent Buildings presented the Green Index within their Intelligent
Building Index (IBI). Last but not least, Mr. John Ng, Chief Architect
from Housing Department HKSAR, illustrated a holistic approach on
sustainable housing design from the perspective of a practitioner
/ professional architect.
Professor Patrick Lau, Chairman of Professional Green
Building Council concluded the symposium with the following closing
remarks,
“It is our belief that the close collaboration
among various stakeholders in the building industry is critical
for optimizing the benefits and effectiveness of a green building
labelling system for the society – the people and the environment.
This symposium is a starting point for building such a synergy -
further cooperative efforts have to be taken if we are to design
and build a healthy and environmentally responsible world-class
city.”
For more information please contact: Mr Tom
IP of the Symposium Organizing Committee at 2528 0232
