HK Govt Offers Incentives for Green BuildingsThe Buildings Department of Hong Kong has taken the promotion of green and innovative buildings in Hong Kong as a major step forward with the releasing of a 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 the incentives to be provided by the government to encourage the design and construction of such buildings. Explaining the incentives at a press conference Tuesday, Leung Chin-man, director of buildings, said that green features may be excluded from gross floor area (GFA) and/or site coverage (SC) calculations. These features include balconies, wider common corridors and lift lobbies, communal sky gardens, communal podium gardens, acoustic fins, sunshades and reflectors, wing walls, wind catchers and funnels. On lease conditions, 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. Leung pointed out that the Buildings Department had set conditions to prevent misuse of incentives. The conditions include listing the green features in the sales brochure, ensuring balconies are not to be enclosed or sky-gardens and podium gardens are for the exclusive use of the residents, tenants and their visitors. "We will monitor the use of the green features and will take enforcement action, including prosecution, against non-compliance with the conditions of exemption," Leung stressed. "We aim at adopting a holistic life cycle approach to planning, design, construction and maintenance; maximizing the use of natural renewable resources; minimizing the consumption of energy and reducing construction and demolition waste," he added. |
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