Government offers more incentives for green buildings
The Buildings Department has taken the promotion of green and innovative buildings in Hong Kong another step further with the releasing of the second Practice Note on green features for new building developments.
Jointly prepared by the Buildings Department, the Lands Department and the Planning Department, the Practice Note for Professional Persons sets out a new package of green building features to be exempted from Gross Floor Area (GFA) and Site Coverage (SC) Calculations.
Explaining the incentives at a Press Conference today (Tuesday), the Director of Buildings, Mr Leung Chin-man, said the features included non-structural prefabricated external walls, utility platforms, mail delivery rooms with mailboxes, noise barriers and communal sky gardens for non-residential buildings.
Mr Leung noted that the cumulative GFA exemption for some of the green features should not exceed eight per cent of the total permitted GFA.
"Mail delivery room together with balconies, wider common corridors and lift lobbies, acoustic fins, sunshades and reflectors, wing walls, wind catchers and funnels announced in the first package of incentives are included in the calculation of the maximum accumulative GFA exemption," he said.
"However, prefabricated external walls, utility platforms, noise barriers, and communal sky and podium gardens are not subjected to the eight per cent GFA cap," he added.
On lease conditions, Mr Leung said that suitable clauses would be inserted in new leases allowing the Lands Department to exempt the green features from GFA and SC calculations. For existing leases with restrictions, lease modification may be required.
Elaborating on the green features, Mr Leung said that the use of prefabrication, particularly precast concrete, eliminates the use of formwork and falsework and improves site conditions.
"Housewives will welcome the provision of utility platform providing additional space and convenience for laundry washing, drying and associated activities. It leads to reduction in energy consumption for clothes drying, improvement in external appearance of buildings and reduction in dampness arising from wet clothes hung inside flats," he said.
On other green features, Mr Leung said mail delivery room improved security of mail while noise barrier reduced the noise impact on the occupants. Communal sky garden improves micro-climate and provides a green resting and recreational space at interim levels of building.
Mr Leung stressed that the Government would monitor the use of the features and would take enforcement action, including prosecution against non-compliance.
"The green features are to be listed in the sales brochure," he said.
"Utility platforms are not to be enclosed above parapet height and the sky gardens are for the exclusive use of the owners, tenants and their visitors," Mr Leung added.
End/Tuesday, February 5, 2002