Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) held the "BEAM Plus Platinum Project Certification Ceremony" on December 12 at Ovolo Southside Hotel. The organiser was very honoured to have Mr. Vincent LIU Ming-Kwong, JP, Deputy Secretary for the Environment, to officiate at the ceremony. Ir Conrad WONG Tin-cheung, BBS, JP, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council, Prof. John NG Cheuk-yee, Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council and Chairman of its Green Labelling Committee, as well as representatives from the project teams of the Platinum projects also attended the ceremony.
Mr. Vincent LIU Ming-Kwong, JP, Deputy Secretary for the Environment, said, "The Hong Kong SAR Government has spared no effort in protecting the environment and building a green community to achieve a better quality of living for all. The HKGBC has been playing a vital role in promoting "Green" to the community. Since BEAM Plus was established in 1996, the scheme has been contributing significantly to uplifting the quality of our buildings."
"BEAM Plus" is a green building labelling tool with Hong Kong Green Building Council as the certification body and BEAM Society Limited as the assessment body. It is a comprehensive environmental assessment scheme focusing on six aspects of a project: site aspects, materials use, energy use, water use, indoor environmental quality, as well as innovations and additions. A rating will be assigned to the project according to the scoring after assessment.
Ir Conrad WONG Tin-cheung, BBS, JP, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council, said that the projects demonstrated the support from different sectors to 'Green Building'. He said that the Council would keep on promoting 'Green Building' via diversified activities. Prof. John NG Cheuk-yee, Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council and Chairman of Green Labelling Committee, pointed out, "The HKGBC has devoted a lot of resources to nurturing green building practitioners and promoting 'Green Building' in order to combat climate change and improve the wellbeing of the people ofHong Kong."
Up to the present, there are more than 590 properties registered with BEAM Plus, and more than 190 of them have been assessed. During the ceremony, 18 projects were presented the highest rating - Platinum. The projects included government projects, commercial projects, institutional projects and non-profit organisation projects. Those buildings have their own unique green features like extending landscaped areas to reduce urban heat island effect, coordination between buildings and environment to minimise street canyon effects, and adopting different water and energy saving systems to reduce resource usage. The support to BEAM Plus from different parties helpsHong Kong develop a sustainable living environment.
"BEAM Plus Platinum Project Certification Ceremony 2014"
Residential Buildings
* The Public Rental Housing Development at Anderson Road Sites A and B Phases 1 and 2 * HSMC Jockey Club Student Residence Halls * Public Rental Housing Development at Ex-Au Tau Departmental Quarters at Yuen Long * Public Rental Housing Development at Tung Chung Area 56 * Public Rental Housing Development at San Po Kong * MARINELLAOffice Buildings
* Maxim's Centre * Trade and Industry Tower in Kai Tak Development Area * A Harbour-front Office Development with "Solar-responsive Facade" at 14-30 King Wah Road * Energizing Kowloon East Office Institution and Community Facilities
* Sports Centre, Community Hall and District Library in Area 14B, Sha Tin * Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme * Kowloon City No. 1 and No. 2 Sewage Pumping Stations * Kowloon Bay Sewage Interception Pumping Station * The New Campus of Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong * Hang Seng Management College - S H Ho Academic Building Existing Buildings
* Kwai Shing West Estate * Business Environment Council Headquarters - Jockey Club Environmental Building According to research carried out by the HKGBC, buildings with BEAM Plus Platinum rating on average consume 30% less energy and 39% less water than the baseline values. Referring to statistics from a leadingMassachusetts enterprise, a maximum of 42% of electricity and 34% of water can be saved in green buildings compared to other ordinary buildings. Other statistics published by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2012 show an increase in occupancy by 6.4% and a decrease in operating costs by 13.6% for new green construction, and also the value of property can be raised by approximately 5%. Therefore, building green is a good strategy in project investment, and at the same time makes our city more sustainable.
