Hong Kong, 18 November 2014 – Co-organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), and led by Mr Paul CHAN Mo-po, MH, JP, Secretary for Development, Government of the HKSAR, the Hong Kong Delegation with more than hundred leading industry stakeholders attended the World Sustainable Building Conference 2014 (WSB14) during 28-30 October 2014, in Barcelona, Spain, marking a big step forward to the global collective vision of a sustainable and liveable future. With the full support from the government, industry, academia and the community, the CIC and HKGBC gladly obtained the hosting right of the next World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 (WSBE17), to further promote new ideas and innovations for the evolution of sustainable development in an even wider context.
Being the most influential of its kind in the world, the WSB14 attracted more than 2,200 leading green building experts and practitioners from across the globe, who debated on the latest developments and challenges which the building sector faces under the theme of “Sustainable Building Results…Are we moving as quickly as we should? It’s up to us!”.
The Hong Kong Delegation comprising 115 senior government officials, industry players, academia and representatives from public bodies, was the largest at the conference. To share our unique experience and achievement with overseas counterparts, Mr Paul CHAN delivered a keynote speech at the plenary session, which outlined the Government’s efforts and collaboration with the industry in driving green buildings in Hong Kong.
As a Platinum Sponsor of the WSB14, the CIC and HKGBC organised three debate sessions on the topics of “Sustainable Resources Management”, “Sustainability Through Urban Compaction”, and “Zero Carbon Building Technologies”. The sessions aimed to foster in-depth knowledge exchange were well-received that a conclusion was mutually reached after an interactive discussion among the speakers and the audience.
In addition, a prominent exhibition booth showcasing the development and milestones of Hong Kong’s green building movement since the 1980s, was opened with Mr Paul CHAN, Dr Christopher TO, Executive Director of the CIC and Ir Conrad WONG Tin-cheung, BBS, JP, Chairman of the HKGBC being the honourable officiating guests. Also impressing the visitors were the winning entries and submissions from the Hong Kong Green Building Week 2014 – Green Building Photo and Microfilm Competition which were put on display at the Hong Kong Booth. The Hong Kong Report on the State of Sustainable Built Environment 2014, a comprehensive account of the contributions for sustainable built environment from the Government, industry, academia and various sectors of the community, was also distributed at the conference.
At the opening ceremony of the 
Hong Kong Booth, Dr Christopher TO of CIC said, “The CIC & HKGBC are close partners in promoting sustainable building and construction and we are pleased to be the strong financial backer of the HKGBC in many initiatives, including the SB13 HK held last year, WorldGBC Congress 2015, and WSBE17. With the deepened knowledge and experience advanced by WSB14, we look forward to the WSBE17 to create constructive discussions and exchanges and draw conclusions to come up with a cohesive idea of the global roadmap and local action plan for the sustainable built environment.”
At the WSB14 Gala Dinner, Ir Conrad WONG of HKGBC, as the Chairman of the Organising Committee of WSBE17, accepted Hong Kong’s hosting right of the WSBE17 from Mr Nils LARSSON, SB Conference Series Coordinator. This symbolised the successions and transcendence of the WSB14 spirit.
“On behalf of the CIC and HKGBC, I would like to extend my most sincere gratitude to the selection panel for voting Hong Kong as the host of the next WSBE17,” said Ir Conrad WONG. “The concept of Sustainable Built Environment is evolving. If we want to create a larger impact on the planet, we need to focus our efforts on small urban scale development, for which will be our focus of discussion in the WSBE17 and Hong Kong is no doubt the best city to explore this concept.”
Held on a three-year basis, the SB Conference Series is a number of related events happening all over the world, to discuss different aspects of sustainable buildings. They are promoted by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC), International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE), and United Nations Environment Programme – Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI). The last series of national and regional SB Conferences has recently concluded with sixteen SB13 events, including the SB13 HK held last September.
In addition to WSBE17, Hong Kong will be welcoming guests from around the world to the WorldGBC Congress 2015 taking place in October 2015 alongside the Green Building Conference, which sees the key players coming together to share knowledge and insights on policy planning, urban design, industry technologies, and relevant research.
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.