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Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (February 11):
Question:
In recent years, the Government has been promoting the greening of buildings to save energy and reduce carbon emissions through enhancing the thermal insulation capability of buildings. Various government departments, statutory bodies and subvented organisations have also implemented greening projects for their buildings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has set effectiveness indicators in respect of the policies and measures for promoting the greening of buildings, and when such policies and measures were last revised;
(2) of the total size of the greened areas of the greening projects undertaken and completed by the aforesaid departments and organisations for their buildings in each of the past three years, and set out in a table, by the District Council (DC) districts where the buildings are located, the names of such buildings as well as the types of greening projects (e.g. roof greening and/or vertical greening, etc.) implemented and the sizes of the greened areas concerned;
(3) of the respective total expenditure, in each of the past three years, on the greening projects for the buildings of the aforesaid departments and organisations, with a breakdown of the expenses on the works, repair and maintenance, etc.;
(4) of the projected total size of greened areas to be provided by the greening projects that the aforesaid departments and organisations will undertake for their buildings in the next three years, and set out in a table, by the District Council (DC) districts where the buildings are located, the names of such buildings, as well as the types of greening projects (e.g. roof greening and/or vertical greening, etc.) to be implemented and the sizes of the greened areas concerned;
(5) of the reference standards adopted by the aforesaid departments and organisations when determining the sizes of the greened areas to be provided and the species of the plants to be planted under the various greening projects for their buildings, and whether it has considered factors such as the air pollution indexes, carbon emissions and urban heat island effects in the districts where the buildings concerned are located; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(6) of the irrigation systems for the plants currently used in the roof greening and/or vertical greening projects for the buildings under the aforesaid departments and organisations; whether the energy and water consumption of such irrigation systems have been measured; if so, of the details and the specific figures; if not, the reasons for that;
(7) whether the aforesaid departments and organisations have assessed the effectiveness of the various greening projects, including measuring, upon completion of such projects, the drop in carbon emissions and average indoor temperature of the buildings concerned, the amount of energy saved, as well as the effectiveness in improving the air quality of the surrounding areas; if so, of the details and the specific data obtained from such assessments; if not, the reasons for that; and
(8) whether, in order to tie in with the recommendation made in 2008 by the consultant of the Environmental Protection Department of the adoption of a carbon intensity reduction target of 50 per cent to 60 per cent by 2020 when compared with the 2005 level, the Government will review afresh the existing planning standards for greening projects for buildings, as well as the measures taken by government departments and statutory bodies for enhancing building energy efficiency, with a view to reducing carbon emissions; if so, of the details and the specific work to be carried out; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The consolidated replies of the Development Bureau and the Environment Bureau to the question are as follows:
(1) In respect of promoting greening in private buildings, the Buildings Department has since April 2011 implemented the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines. New building developments must comply with the building design standards (including Site Coverage of Greenery) under the Guidelines as a pre-requisite for the granting of gross floor area concessions for green and amenity features.
As for Government buildings, the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) has been taking effective greening initiatives in enriching the landscape, enhancing energy performance of buildings and reducing the heat island effect. The ArchSD will include where practicable roof greening in new government buildings which have usable roof area, and encourage the management departments of existing government buildings to consider the development of green roofs whenever there are major works involving the roofs of the buildings. The ArchSD will also explore opportunities for vertical greening of new government buildings and encourage the management departments of existing government buildings to consider implementing vertical greening whenever practicable. Furthermore, the Government has implemented two energy saving demonstration projects as planned to showcase the latest energy efficiency design and technology. The Sing Yin Secondary School at Choi Wan Road commenced operation in 2011. Another demonstration project involves the construction of the Trade and Industry Tower in the Kai Tak Development which is expected to complete within 2015. We expect that the Government's efforts will lead the private sector and encourage the private entities to improve the environmental performance of their buildings, so that we can work together to develop a green community and promote the development of a green economy.
(2) Information on roof greening and vertical greening of Government buildings in the past three years is set out at Annex I and Annex II.
(3) The total expenditure of completed greening projects of Government buildings in the past three years is set out in Annex III.
As roof greening and vertical greening are part and parcel of a building, the repair and maintenance costs are subsumed under the overall maintenance cost of the building, the Development Bureau does not have the breakdown of the expenses incurred.
(4) The number of Government greening projects and the area involved in the next three years may change in tandem with the future developments of the projects. The estimated greening area in the next three years that has been worked out on the basis of available information is set out at Annex IV and Annex V.
(5) In the process of designing the greening areas of buildings and plant selection, works departments will take into account the design and works requirements of the project; environmental considerations (e.g. soil quality, above and below ground space for growth, drainage, prevailing wind, microclimate and sunlight, impact on sightline and traffic, etc.); and characteristics of the plant species (e.g. tolerance to drought, shade and toxicity, etc.). The greening plans will be implemented after matching the design and plant species on the basis of the principles of sustainability and planting "the right species in the right place".
(6) The ArchSD will provide the appropriate irrigation system including manual and automatic systems for completed greening and vertical greening projects, taking into account different factors such as the size of the greening area, types of plants, and the maintenance requirements of the management/maintenance department. The operation of irrigation facilities for greening area generally takes up a small portion of the total energy and water consumed by the building. The ArchSD does not collect information on the energy and water consumption of individual irrigation facility.
(7) The ArchSD completed the "Study on Green Roof Application in Hong Kong" in 2007. This study report mentions various benefits of green roof, including the environmental benefits such as improving air quality and reducing urban heat island effect; as well as the economic benefits such as enhancing building insulation and energy efficiency and extension of roof life. However, the ArchSD has not conducted specific assessment of each of the benefit brought about by greening in each individual project.
(8) About 90 per cent of our electricity consumption is related to buildings, and such electricity consumption accounts for 60 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong. Promotion of the environmental performance of buildings will bring about huge environmental benefits for our built environment. To lead by example, the Government has been promoting environmental protection in Government buildings. Since 2009, we have been implementing a target-based green performance framework for government buildings. It sets out specific targets for various aspects including energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, indoor air quality, waste management, water management, greenhouse gas reduction, etc. We are reviewing the framework with a view to promoting further the environmental performance of buildings in Hong Kong. In respect of energy conservation, the Government has been leading by example by setting electricity saving targets. In 2009, we set a target of five per cent saving in the total electricity consumption in government buildings from 2009/10 to 2013/14 under comparable operating conditions, using the electricity consumption in 2007/08 as the baseline. The Government has already met the five per cent electricity saving target in 2013/14. Building on our experience, we set a new target of reducing further five per cent of electricity consumption of government buildings in the next five years from 2015/16 to 2019/20 under comparable operating conditions, using the electricity consumption in 2013/14 as the baseline. We will introduce a series of measures, including the conduct of energy audits for major government buildings with comparatively high annual electricity consumption and more electricity saving potential to identify energy management opportunities. Bureaux and Government departments will be invited to implement electricity saving measures and projects identified in the energy audits.
In respect of planning standards for greening projects for buildings, the Development Bureau has implemented standards and requirements on Site Coverage of Greenery for new Government building projects and the methodology of measurement and calculation for the purpose of the required Site Coverage of Greenery since 2012. The minimum requirements on Site Coverage of Greenery include achieving a total Site Coverage of Greenery of 30 per cent for site areas of 20 000 square metres or more and 20 per cent for site areas less than 20 000 square metres; and provide at-grade greenery area of at least half of the required Site Coverage of Greenery. Apart from the required minimum standards of Site Coverage of Greenery to be achieved, the Development Bureau also encourages departments to set a target, preferably 30 per cent Site Coverage of Greenery for sites over 10 000 square metres as a planning or design parameter. The Development Bureau has no plan to review the standards and requirements concerned.
Ends/Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:52
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