The Construction Industry Council (CIC) of Hong Kong has incorporated more than 80 green building principals into its three-story office building, which it has named the Zero Carbon Building (ZCB). The ZCB was one of three stops on a green building tour of Hong Kong held in coordination with EcoExpo Asia 2014.The ZCB, constructed in 2012, serves as a green building showcase in Hong Kong, with tours conducted three days each week.
Dr. Li Guiyi, director of the ZCB, says a combination of solar panels and a waste-cooking-oil-fueled combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) plant allows the building to generate 180 percent of the energy it requires. “We have surplus energy to export to the grid,” says Li, making the ZCB the first such building in Hong Kong to do so.
In terms of construction materials, the ZCB uses some locally sourced materials, such as bamboo flooring, as well as steel and aluminum, which offer a low carbon footprint during their life cycle because they are easily recyclable.
Another tour stop was the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Building, constructed on the runway of Hong Kong’s former Kai Tak Airport. The cruise ship passenger terminal building features a rooftop garden, solar panels and a system that recycles the condensation from air conditioning units to water plants and shrubs.
The Energizing Kowloon East Office, the third stop on the tour, is a 1,200-square-meter (12,900-square-foot) building made in part from 22 steel overseas shipping containers. The building also uses paving blocks made from recycled aggregates and glass, according to Timothy Lam, senior project facilitation manager for Energizing Kowloon East.
The Energizing Kowloon East building has received final platinum BEAM Plus certification, while the other two buildings have applied for the status. The BEAM (Building Environmental Assessment Method) Society Ltd. offers the system for assessing and certifying green buildings in Hong Kong.
EcoExpo Asia 2014, organized by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd., was Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the AsiaWorld-Expo convention center in Hong Kong.