As you might have noticed from the news, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is constructing a District Cooling System (DCS) at the Kai Tak Development area. In this regard, the EMSD has kicked off a series of consultations for the relevant professional institutes, including the HKIS. Mr Donald Ng, Principle Assistant Secretary for the Environment (Energy) of the Environment Bureau; Mr K.K. Li, Assistant Director/Electricity & Energy Efficiency of the EMSD; and three of their colleagues made a brief presentation to us to introduce the proposed scheme and how it would work. We were led to understand that the DCS will produce chilled water at the central chiller plants and distribute it to user buildings in the vicinity for air-conditioning purposes. The DCS will target public and private non-domestic developments. All public developments in the region will have to connect to the DCS. For private developments that have chilled water-type central air conditioning systems, connection to the DCS is required in their land lease conditions.
A check for compliance with these conditions will be conducted by the Lands Department before it issues the development a Certificate of Compliance. The government claims that by using the DCS instead of traditional air cooled and individual water-cooled air-conditioning systems that employ cooling towers, developments will save 35% and 20%, respectively, on electricity. The briefing also
covered the background of the DCS project, the mandatory connection requirement, the technical requirements for a building’s structure and design to facilitate its connection to the DCS, the charging principle and formula, the operation and maintenance of the DCS, etc. As it is the first project of its kind in Hong Kong, the complexity of its operation will definitely induce intense argument and debate, especially over the charging formulae, but we are, in principle, supportive of this environmental initiative being introduced in Hong Kong. A public consultation will be launched shortly and members are highly encouraged to submit your views on this matter.
I recently attended a very meaningful event, “Skyrise Greenery Award 2012 – Award Presentation Ceremony cum Seminar,” organized by The Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section of the Development Bureau. I was glad to have seen the passion and dedication to greening and environmental initiatives demonstrated by all the award winners. But the most impressive was the collective efforts and innovative ideas coming from groups of primary and secondary school students. It was amazing that they could achieve similar results without huge financial and expertise support while, at the same time, be able to deliver a clear message of collaboration between humans and nature. Members are encouraged to actively participate in and contribute our professional expertise to this endeavor.
On 17 May 2012, I represented the HKIS as a juror for the Best Landscape Award for Private Property Development 2012, organized by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The entries were overwhelming, as each juror was required to vet around 40 different submissions. The quality of the entries had also improved, which, in my opinion, was in line with an increasing environmental awareness in Hong Kong. The list of award winners will be announced shortly.
As reported in my previous Chairman’s message, we have formed a divisional CEPA task force to formulate strategy and plan the way forward in developing our presence in Mainland China. We recently held our first task force meeting. Our focus was on Shanghai and Beijing. Having deliberated on the matter, we shall explore the opportunity to recognize some relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses at a renowned university in China. Closer ties with Shanghai and Beijing property management institutes and visits to both cities top our future agenda. Meanwhile, I have compiled our wish list with the HKIS CEPA Committee, which will submit a full report, including wishes from all divisions, to the office of the CE-elect for further handling.
The Green Building Conference 2012 will be held on 11 June 2012. The keynote speaker is Mrs. Carrie Lam, Secretary for Development. I urge your full support for and participation in this conference, as we will share the same mission of sustaining the betterment of the living environment and making Hong Kong a greener environment. To register, please visit the official website: www.hkgbc.org.hk.
