(16 October 2024, Hong Kong) The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) welcomes the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address released today. With the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, the HKGBC is committed to working together with the Government and all stakeholders on the following initiatives to strive for a greener and more sustainable built environment.
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Accelerate Green Transformation to Build Our Future Together
The Council fully supports the Government in driving green and low-carbon transformation to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
The Council welcomes the Policy Address, which outlines specific plans to strive for carbon neutrality and advance the promotion of green building development as follows:
1. Enhance the Green Finance Ecosystem
The Council supports the Government in enhancing the green finance ecosystem. The Council is pleased to see the Hong Kong Monetary Authority rolling out the Sustainable Finance Action Agenda. With the advancement of green finance, the Council anticipates that the market could have greater incentives and resources for creating new green buildings and transforming existing ones.
In the realm of green and sustainable finance development, the Council has been actively collaborating with various sectors. BEAM Plus, the green building rating scheme operated by the Council, along with the Zero-Carbon-Ready Building Certification Scheme, has been incorporated into the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Hong Kong Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance, which was released in May this year. This allows industry stakeholders to define energy performance benchmarks, set carbon neutrality objectives, and justify projects for green financing, thereby accelerating the decarbonisation across Hong Kong’s entire built environment.
2. Facilitate R&D and Application of Construction Technologies
On the aspect of green technology, the Council is pleased to see that the Government has been actively facilitating the adoption of innovative technology in the construction industry, and formulating construction standards and certifications that are in line with China’s national standards and Hong Kong standards. The Government’s initiatives include:
- Take forward the formulation of the GBA Construction Standards;
- A Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) Manufacturer Certification Scheme will be launched in synergy with production bases in the Mainland, so as to leverage the complementarity of the construction industries in Guangdong and Hong Kong; the second generation MiC approach (MiC 2.0) developed by the Hong Kong Housing Authority can enhance site safety and construction efficiency, as well as minimising materials consumption and waste generation.
The Council hopes that the GBA Construction Standards can make reference to the BEAM Plus Global Version Assessment Manual, as well as guidelines on retro-commissioning (RCx) and retrofitting, to facilitate the transformation of existing buildings and accelerate carbon reduction goals. In order to encourage the implementation of green building technologies, Innovations and Additions is one of the assessment aspects of BEAM Plus so as to create a smart green environment and advance the goal of net zero emissions.
3. Advocate Elderly-friendly Design
The Council warmly welcomes the Government’s proposal to promote elderly-friendly building design, aiming to foster a caring and inclusive environment. The Council has been consistently advocating for integrating elements of elder-friendliness into building designs, providing the industry with guidelines on elderly-friendly practices through BEAM Plus Assessment Manuals and the previously introduced “HKGBC Guidebook for Sustainable Built Environment”. This effort aims to create a safe, inclusive and accessible environment, fostering social cohesion and integration of different generations.
The Council suggests that the Government’s proposal on elderly-friendly building design should cover the following areas:
- Mobility and Accessibility (e.g. enlarging elevator car dimensions and installing mirrors at the back);
- Design Adaptability (e.g. avoiding structural constraints to accommodate future installation of elderly-friendly facilities in flats);
- Well-being (e.g. increasing window sizes, lowering window sills, adding seating in corridors and lift lobbies);
- Advanced Technology (e.g. providing infrastructure during construction to facilitate future installation and application of gerontechnology).
BEAM Plus has already incorporated elderly-friendly facilities into its scoring framework. The Council recommends that the Government includes elderly-friendly building design as an additional specific standard for promoting a quality and sustainable built environment under the gross floor area concessions, so as to encourage the industry to adopt more designs that benefit the livelihood of the elderly.
Overall, the HKGBC is pleased to see the Government’s ongoing commitment to green transformation and decarbonisation initiatives. As the certification body for green buildings in Hong Kong, as of October this year, there have been over 2,600 projects registered under BEAM Plus, involving more than 8,400 buildings and covering over 87.6 million square metres of areas. The Council will continue to serve as a bridge between the public, the industry and the Government, promoting the transformation of Hong Kong’s built environment, optimising sustainable practices to achieve the goals of sustainable development and carbon neutrality.
