Background
Skyscraper walls are becoming a major concern in Hong Kong as developers built new supertall residential skyscrapers of at least 50 stories in redevelopment projects and new projects on reclaimed land. Many sit near the water, and are arranged in a wall-type fashion, prompting concerns from nearby residents that these large masses of buildings are blocking ventilation and increasing the heat island effect.

The objective of this thread is to track such skyscraper wall projects and how planning authorities are addressing concerns from such developments.

Heat Island Map (South China Morning Post)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/asiaglobe/IMG_2316.jpg

Examples

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070702/IMG_6731.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070225/IMG_2022.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070804/IMG_9803.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070225/IMG_0056.jpg

Wall effect buildings are ruining the health of our citizens
28 June 2007
South China Morning Post

Private residential buildings with a screen wall design increase the pressure of life in this city, disrupt its harmony and put at risk cohesive relationships within communities.

Worst of all, they destroy the air-ventilation. This exacerbates the air pollution problems, for which Hong Kong is so famous throughout the world. Unfortunately, despite public concern, there is no sign of an improvement of these problems. This means Hong Kong people are being forced to exist in a suffocating environment.

As I have said, these buildings, once erected, hinder air circulation and promote what is called the "heat island effect". At night, the concrete walls release heat absorbed during the day, leading to hotter nights. More air-conditioning is needed to cope with these hot nights, which raises the ambient temperature and creates a vicious circle.

Our developers prefer to build blocks in long rectangular shapes so residents can have coastal views and this is what causes these huge screens that impede circulation. Most of our best-known property developers have been involved in these projects. Can they honestly claim that they bear no responsibility for what these buildings do?

Sadly, reclaimed land on Hoi Fai Road, the last "ventilation window' for Tai Kok Tsui, has been sold. New buildings will join One SilverSea, the Long Beach and Hampton Place, to form a 200-metre-wide wall screen. Investigations in the local old area reveal that 72.5 per cent of responding residents claimed that ventilation at home in the summer was getting worse, while 43.4 per cent said their families suffered more airway or pulmonary diseases. But the area will be completely blocked and the health of local residents will be badly affected.

Green Sense has made a submission to the Town Planning Board for the residential plot ratio to be cut and for a 10-metre-wide ventilation corridor to be maintained at the north of the lot.

If property developers focus only on profit and continue to construct these buildings which create the wall effect, this merely shows their lack of corporate responsibility and conscience.

I appeal to them to stop what they are doing.

Tam Hoi-pong, president of Green Sense.

those are some big, (and not good looking) walls. the first picture is really crazy, I dont know why they have to make the buildings so wide...

those are some big, (and not good looking) walls. the first picture is really crazy, I dont know why they have to make the buildings so wide...

Those apartments that are facing the harbour cost significant higher than those don't. By making the buildings sit side by side along one frontage, it maximizes the number of units that can face the harbour for a better view. From the developers point of view, this is the way they can make the most profit from selling the flats.

And those old community sits behind the new highrise suffers the most, as well as the HK people.

BTW, a very good thread to start with, hk.

^This is not entirely true actually. Given that the same building would exist in separate blocks, then the left and right sides of each scraper (that now don't exist, but are the internals of the building), could have some view to the harbor, even with an angle. So, with a good configuration you could probably resolve this problem and decrease heat-island phenomena.

And the wall-scrapers are really ugly, because they don't repeat just in the vertical direction but in the horizontal as well.

^This is not entirely true actually. Given that the same building would exist in separate blocks, then the left and right sides of each scraper (that now don't exist, but are the internals of the building), could have some view to the harbor, even with an angle. So, with a good configuration you could probably resolve this problem and decrease heat-island phenomena.


Incorrect, because generally speaking the left and right sides of each building would either be the bedroom, or what is more likely, the bathroom/kitchen, hence not obstructing the view from those rooms (which wouldn't be seperate apartments themselves) at all.

I think that was what you were trying to say?

Space is expensive in HK, and developers see only money in their eyes.

I see a change coming, hopefully its not a reduction in height, but better tower designs in general.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070225/IMG_0056.jpg

Hey my aunt lives in one of these towers!

^^ I actually love Hong Kong's supertall apartment blocks or condominiums. They're, IMHO, the most aesthetically designed ones in Asia. I mean, they look more charming than those awful commie blocks of Seoul or Beijing.

The skyscraper walls are one thing I seriously love about HK. I can understand a lot of people not liking them, but riding past on the airport express you see so many. It makes you understand just how crowded and developed Hong Kong really is.

I loved them :)

Planners demand wind corridorsat Oil Street development site
11 August 2007
South China Morning Post

The waterfront site of the former government supplies depot in Oil Street must have three wind corridors to avoid a wall effect and improve ventilation in the area, the Town Planning Board said yesterday.

The board's metro planning committee accepted the Planning Department's brief for the North Point site after considering its air-ventilation study report.

The report suggested three parallel wind corridors - along Oil Street, in the middle part of the site from Electric Road to the harbour front, and along the northeastern boundary of the site. The department also said tree planting should be considered along Oil Street to reduce strong onshore winds.

The committee's vice-chairman, Greg Wong Chak-yan, suggested allowing developers to build footbridges linking blocks at the site, which is permitted to have a maximum gross floor area of 70,200 square metres.

"It is not necessary to have footbridges on each floor, but perhaps on four to five floors," he said.

Chief town planner Phyllis Li Chi-miu said it was feasible to have footbridges.

"If the footbridges are high enough, they will not affect ventilation in the area," she said.

Eastern District Council vice-chairman Wong Kwok-hing said three wind corridors were enough but they should not be all in the same direction.

Dr Wong said it would be better for the Lands Department to stipulate the width of the wind corridors in the lease.

But committee member Maggie Chan Man-ki said setting width restrictions would make it less flexible for potential developers.

Lands Department assistant director James Merritt said the lease would neither show the wind corridors nor require an air-ventilation study.

But any master layout plan of the site that developers submit to the metro planning committee for approval must comply with the planning brief endorsed yesterday.

The height restrictions of the site are 100 metres for commercial buildings closest to the harbour and 120 metres for residential buildings on the landward side of the site.

I think the skyscraper walls look cool.

I'm sorry, but we can't demolish these skyscraper walls. Many of them are too young for the wrecking ball.

`Wall effect' voices turn up at auction
1 August 2007
Hong Kong Standard

Developers called on the government yesterday to clarify conditions of land sales before auctions and suggested the relevant authorities outline environmental principles applicable to sites being sold.

This comes in the wake of issues highlighted by environmental concern groups such as Greensense, which asked the Town Planning Board to trim the plot ratio from 8 to 9 at the Wong Tai Sin site auctioned yesterday. The plot ratio determines the number of apartments that can be built on the site. Greensense also sought height restrictions, air-ventilation assessments and demanded that a minimum distance of 15 meters between blocks be imposed.

``Buying land is like shopping _ it's better to make the details clear,'' said Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Henderson Land Development (0012) general manager of property development.

Greensense had demanded that the auction be delayed while its application was considered.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor rejected the idea, while promising to review requirements of land sales to add certain ``green conditions.'' Greensense, which had earlier demanded that another plot in Ho Man Tin be split to help avoid a ``wall effect,'' said government bodies are found wanting in planning.

Greensense president Roy Tam Hoi- bong said under the disposition and height clause, the Towning Planning Board has the power to impose restrictions, but it has not exercised the powers for more than a decade. The board's powers are also limited since the government appoints all members.

Tam said the group will continue to monitor sites on the sales list.

In response to community concerns about the ``wall effect'' created by buildings, Kerry Real Estate Agency executive director Chu Ip-pui said the developer has ``listened to the voices,'' and the site could accommodate four to five towers built at a ``very comfortable distance.'' The planned towers will not create a ``wall effect,'' he said.

But he rejected calls from green groups to lower the plot ratio. He said Kerry Properties (0683), which won the bidding for Wong Tai Sin site yesterday, ``will definitely use up'' the plot ratio of nine listed in the condition of sales.

Meanwhile, members of the League of Social Democrats led by maverick legislator Leung Kwok-hung protested in the auction hall before the sale began. They were later ejected. Auctioneer James Merritt from the Lands Department considered it a minor disturbance.

Hong Kong is incredibly dense... I like that aspect of it, though.

nice

I'm sorry, but we can't demolish these skyscraper walls. Many of them are too young for the wrecking ball.

The focus is to prevent more skyscraper walls from popping up and blocking air flow. The existing buildings cannot be touched. The government doesn't own the land, and allowed the developers to build like that in the first place.

Good thread. I'll post some more pics when I have time.

i love the walls also.

The skyscraper walls are one thing I seriously love about HK. I can understand a lot of people not liking them, but riding past on the airport express you see so many. It makes you understand just how crowded and developed Hong Kong really is.

I loved them :)


^^ exactly. its a great drive from the airport to the city. i drove through there at about 8:30 at night when they were celebrating the 10th anivercity and it was truely stunning.

The focus is to prevent more skyscraper walls from popping up and blocking air flow. The existing buildings cannot be touched. The government doesn't own the land, and allowed the developers to build like that in the first place.

We may save the skyscraper walls that are under construction (most importantly the ones that are nearing completion) and scrap some of the approved and/or proposed walls. (I don't know what we can do with the sites of those approved walls) There have been only six unbuilt skyscraper projects and none of them involve highrise walls.

So those Scyscraper walls don't only look horrible?
They are bad for your health as well.
There's another reason to stop building them than.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/429024017_f660ad39ef_b.jpg

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1512/9011zz.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/80/271332528_4c86f31cc4_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/159891694_db7b3b254f_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/44/120662353_91a916a7a0_b.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/54/109158059_937b832dc9_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/60/196775467_16dee66dc1_o.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/114/257101641_6567b225af_o.jpg

They're actually secret military barricades in case invading armies try to land troops in HK :Lol:

Frankly I'm amazed at the number of apartment towers and complexes in Hong Kong. There are only 7 million people there!

Yes, but probably about 6 million of those live in apartments such as that...?

Why do so many people adopt the high-rise lifestyle in HK? Are there any truly low-rise residential neighborhoods of any extent and significance?

Why do so many people adopt the high-rise lifestyle in HK? Are there any truly low-rise residential neighborhoods of any extent and significance?

Basically, HKers have no choice but live in highrise. With the limited of land we have, even where people consider "suburb," like Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tin Tsui Wai and so, are still full of highrise. And the buildings are getting higher than those older buildings closer to the CBD.

There are some multi-family houses in the villages in the New Territories and outlying islands. These are usually more expensive to live in then living in an apartment in the higher density area excluding the transportation cost due to the more remote location. People who live in those houses are more towards the more quite and less crowded living environment, but also affordable to do so.

Single-family houses do exist in HK, in area like the Mid-level, Southern District near Stanely, Fairview Garden in Yuen Long and a few more in HK.
But single-family houses in HK are extremely expensive, not everyone can afford to live in one.

Unlike many cities in the US, land value variation is not big enough so that buying a house is the same as an apartment. And it's even more expensive without sharing the cost.

A lot of HKers admire the life of living in their own family house with front and back yards like a lot of Americans do. But it just doesn't happen in HK.

There are also some "low-rise" neighborhoods, depending on your definition of low-rise. Many buildings do not have more than 10 stories, in older neighborhoods like Sham Shui Po, as well as upper middle class areas like Kowloon Tong.

There is one (afaik, maybe more) American like suburban development in the New Territories, called Fairview Park.

Kowloon Tong, along (I think) Waterloo Road:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1403/874153262_21fbc6bbd2_o.jpg

Sham Shui Po:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1381/988401222_7f692dcbdf.jpg

I know its hard to imagine, but that's considered VERY low rise in HK!

Hong Kong does offer affordable lowrises / village houses not far from the city centre. There are a number of them in Shatin already, which is a reasonable 45 minute commute. The outlying islands also have a lot of these lowrises, such as Cheung Chau and Lamma Island. However, for most people, the highrise is both home and office.

Many residents in the older low- to mid-rise neighborhoods such as To Kwa Wan and Sham Shui Po are very nervous of these new towering blocks being built so close to them. Unfortunately, some of these older residents are now face a concrete wall out their windows as these new skyscraper walls tend to sit on a multi-storey podium.

Why do so many people adopt the high-rise lifestyle in HK? Are there any truly low-rise residential neighborhoods of any extent and significance?

They cost far, far more money.

A house on the island is out of the question - an average house in Red Hill, Tai Tam (row of houses, and probably the cheapest as far as houses on the Island go) will set you back at least HK$25m (just over US$3m), but usually these go for greater than HK$40m. Again, this is one of the cheapest for houses.

There are single houses are available in areas like Sai Kung, but then you need a car (Hong Kong has an 80% tax on cars), and these houses are again not all that cheap, costing about as much as a good sized apartment on the Island (about HK$8m-HK$16m, US$1-2m)

They should built something like that, and add highway on the roof :lol: :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/GDANSK%2C_Falowiec_na_Obroncow_Wybrzeza.JPG/800px-GDANSK%

Shhh keept it quiet!

The inept Hong Kong Government may actually make that a serious proposal.

Naah .. it'll go up, not across. It takes up too much land to build horizontally. :)

With any luck, they'll extend the Eastern Island Corridor onto the west side with those apartments, except they'll be thirty stories tall, and run right across the water front, with the new Western Corridor on top.

With any luck, they'll extend the Eastern Island Corridor onto the west side with those apartments, except they'll be thirty stories tall, and run right across the water front, with the new Western Corridor on top.

"Western Corridor" is already here and it's going under known as "Central-Wan Chai Bypass." The bypass connects with existing EIC in the east and Connaught Rd Overpass in the west with WCHT.

Shhh keept it quiet!

The inept Hong Kong Government may actually make that a serious proposal.

You better watch your language, boy. I hate that noise. :guns1:

The walls are one of the things that make HK unique!

Yes, these things are unique and nice, they are so appealing to the transitory visitor, though, ultimately, its the locals who suffer. The urban crisis that Hong Kong faces is one that is sadly very justified to occur.

Such buildings are indeed the most economically feasible way to store the people of the city efficiently and attractively. In my opinion, nothing can be done to curb this problem. Legislation may be the only way to minimize further damage.

It's the locals who were there before these buildings went up that suffer. The occupants in these brand new buildings enjoy uninterrupted views of the whole city, so they're enjoying it definitely.

Luckily, the people are expressing their concerns and the government is slowly taking action following a public outcry. Ventilation corridors were proposed for a new development on Hong Kong Island's north shore recently.

It's the locals who were there before these buildings went up that suffer.

Hardly - it's anyone who's out on the street.

Hardly - it's anyone who's out on the street.

During my walk in To Kwa Wan where two sets of these walls are located, the street life was still vibrant. The older neighborhoods still had street-level retail, and there was a lot of pedestrian activity. These buildings did not cast a shadow over the city below.

During my walk in To Kwa Wan where two sets of these walls are located, the street life was still vibrant. The older neighborhoods still had street-level retail, and there was a lot of pedestrian activity. These buildings did not cast a shadow over the city below.

Not a question of shadow, nor vibrancy.

Tis a question of heat developing because of lack of proper ventilation - hence why anyone out on the street suffers, but "locals" at home do not.

Not a question of shadow, nor vibrancy.

Tis a question of heat developing because of lack of proper ventilation - hence why anyone out on the street suffers, but "locals" at home do not.

The problem isn't as serious with one set of skyscraper walls since To Kwa Wan is open on the other 3 sides, so fresh air from the sea is able to blow in. Grand Waterfront is perpendicular to the water.

The problem is more in West Kowloon, where a wall stretching from Olympic and on and off to Nam Cheong across a series of estates is choking nearby residents in Tai Kok Tsui. However, much more research is needed to study wind patterns. In this case, the skyscraper wall stretches along the whole coastline, so fresh air from the sea won't be able to blow in from the west.

New bid to stop skyscrapers at Yuen Long station site
23 August 2007
South China Morning Post

Yuen Long residents are making a fresh attempt to block the erection of wall-like skyscrapers in a transitional area between the high-rise and low-rise areas of the new town. They say the buildings would "destroy the fung shui of indigenous residents".

Their application to rezone a 37,280 square metre site for "government institution and community" use will be heard by the Town Planning Board's rural and new town planning committee tomorrow. The site, which includes land near the Yuen Long station on the KCR's West Rail line and the adjacent public transport interchange, is designated for commercial and residential development.

The board has rejected an application to have the site declared open space.

In their application, 165 residents say that building skyscrapers would be "incompatible with the surrounding low-density traditional walled villages" and would "destroy the fung shui of indigenous residents".

The rezoning they seek would allow uses such as a public library, government office complex and recreational centre, history museum or multi-storey car park.

When it rejected the application to designate the site as open space in September, the board said the site was "at the prime location of a strategic transport node" and there was already adequate local open space for residents of Yuen Long New Town.

The Planning Department does not support the latest application because it says the site is suitable for high-density residential development and 12 hectares of land has already been reserved for the development of local government facilities.

Lau Shui-chi, the department's chief town planner for urban design and landscapes, acknowledges that high-rise development "will affect the gradual change of the existing residential development within the landscape character area".

The Town Planning Board will also discuss an application by environmental group Green Sense to reduce the maximum plot ratio of a site in Hoi Fai Road, West Kowloon. The group is proposing a limit on building heights to minimise the heat island effect created when high-rises block air flow, allowing a build-up of heat and pollutants that prevents warm air rising and being cooled.

Bid for wind corridor on waterfront site defeated
Hong Kong Standard
Saturday, August 25, 2007

The Town Planning Board has rejected an environmental group's bid to keep a 10-meter-wide wind corridor and to reduce the plot ratio on reclaimed waterfront land at Hoi Fai Road.

The core of the application lay in residents' concern with the area's ventillation.

High-rises ranging from 34 to 60 stories already line the southwest Kowloon waterfront. Building another high-rise at Hoi Fai Road would block sea wind from reaching the hinterland and aggravate air pollution in the area, applicant Green Sense argued.

Three private residential buildings surrounding the 11,353-square-meter site are between 112 and 177 meters in height.

The group, represented by town planning expert Stanley Ng Wing-fai, proposed a reduction of the maximum domestic plot ratio of the site from 6.5 to five.

It also pushed for a height limit of 30 meters and a 10-meter-wide wind corridor at the northern part of the site.

The site's current building height restriction is 140 meters.

A Planning Department spokeswoman said the current plot ratio was suitable for residential needs.

While some board members were concerned about air ventilation, they said the applicant had not produced adequate data to prove the necessity of a wind corridor.

However, the board recommended the Building Department should look into air ventilation before giving building plans the green light.

The application for amendments to the Hoi Fai Road site was submitted on June 4, before the land was auctioned to Sun Hung Kai Properties for HK$5.56 billion on June 12.

Before the auction, a judicial challenge against high-rise development on the waterfront site was defeated due to lack of supporting data. The Building Department will decide on the submitted plan to build eight residential blocks before the end of the month.

Out of the 131 comments received during the three-week public consultation period, the sole opposition to Green Sense's bid came from the landowner, Smart Globe, a branch company of Sun Hung Kai Properties.

Ng expressed disappointment at the decision, saying it showed the board was on the side of the developer.

He said for the sake of Hong Kong's future, there must be a revamp of the town planning system.

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong was also disappointed but said at least the Building Department was told to consider air ventilation before approving the plan.

Real estate tycoon Li Ka-shing of Cheung Kong (Holdings) warned on Thursday that conservation campaigns and calls for limits on high-rises could hurt government revenue and, eventually, the people of Hong Kong.

'Wall effect' response a breath of fresh air
25 August 2007
South China Morning Post

The days are long past when the social good of development was rarely in question. Now environmental concerns and heritage conservation loom large. The government's pledge to seek a sensible balance implicitly acknowledges that the city must continue to develop to remain competitive.

Striking the right balance with the quality of life has become a pressing political issue. A way forward may be found, however, in the latest turn of events in a current environmental topic - the "wall" or "canyon" effect of developments that block air flow, contributing to localised pollution and increased temperatures.

In rejecting a green group's application for provision of a wind corridor in the Hoi Fai Road development site in West Kowloon, the Town Planning Board nonetheless acknowledged that the idea had merit, despite the Lands Department's objection to the loss of revenue through any reduction of the scale of the development.

Environmental campaigners may count that a significant victory. The law does not empower planning authorities to regulate development to avoid creating the wall effect, although the government applies air ventilation assessment tests to its own large developments. A similar test recently included in urban design guidelines is not binding on developers. The authorities can address the part tall buildings play in the wall effect through imposing height limits for other reasons on entire localities or on particular development sites, and the government is believed to have been working on developing this approach.

The Town Planning Board's response should encourage it to make ventilation assessment tests mandatory for residential developments.

This is not the first time the Lands Department has drawn attention to the potential loss of revenue if a proposal for a wind corridor is adopted. Given that the government owns all the land, the department is only doing its job in trying to ensure that the maximum return is extracted from it for the public coffers. But if that amounts to rejecting alternative views of how Hong Kong should be developed in the future on revenue grounds alone, it only serves to underline the need to strike the right balance. The Lands Department's priority of maximising revenue may be held partly to blame for the way Hong Kong has developed over the years and the pressure now to put the lessons of past mistakes into practice.

Making the city a better place to live and work does not have to mean impeding development.

The Town Planning Board has given the government the cue to adopt a more flexible approach.

Environmentalists may have a victory in the war on the wall effect after losing yesterday's battle, but they would be sensible to draw breath and weigh the merits of other views.

Asked this week if his companies would reduce investment in property development because of pressure from environmentalists, tycoon Li Ka-shing pointed out that land revenue belonged to everyone in Hong Kong and that conservation and environmental campaigns would affect them. He has a point, and it is another reason to find the right balance.

Mr Li added, however, that history would be the judge, which raises the question how history has already judged the spectacular development over the past 20 years or so, in terms of the cost to the harbour and public access to it and concerns about pollution, open space and the quality of life.

KCRC in plan to limit wall effect
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, August 27, 2007

Kowloon Canton Railway Corp has proposed to scale down the residential development on West Rail's Nam Cheong Station amid the community's increasing concern over wind-blocking high-rises.

Sources said KCRC has submitted five or six plans to the government - the railway's owner - for consideration, warning that future development on Nam Cheong Station will be subject to "a lot of pressure" unless the development scale - now already a hot issue among green activists - is lowered.

A source said it is beyond KCRC's power to decide if the prospective Nam Cheong development would be scaled down as it is the government which has the final say.

"But it will face a lot of pressure from society if nothing is changed," the source warned.

It is understood that a consultant of the KCRC has put forward five or six "improved" plans to reduce the scale of the residential projects such as permitting fewer tower blocks or stories following months of complaints from environmental groups over the potential "wall effect" of giant property developments along the West Rail.

KCRC has yet to open the Nam Cheong development to tender.

The government is understood to have reservations about KCRC's proposal.

The financial implication has emerged to be the biggest concern within the government's power center since the reduction may shed hundreds of "billions of dollars" in land premium to be paid by the winning developers.

Another source said the Development Bureau as well as the Transport and Housing Bureau do not have strong feelings about the proposed reduction and are willing to back amendment of the original project approved by the Town Planning Board.

The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau has voiced reservations for fears that the proposed reduction will inevitably affect public income.

The news came as local campaigners made a fresh attempt to limit the development which had been approved to build 10 high-rise residential towers atop Nam Cheong station, citing fears over a wall effect.

Sham Shui Po district councilor Tracy Lai Wai-lan said yesterday the number of floors of the 52-story towers to be erected should be reduced although the plan had been approved by the Town Planning Board in 2004.

The project as approved by the Town Planning Board would create a 300-meter-long wall along the Sham Shui Po seafront, blocking sunlight and sealing off West Kowloon's last ventilation possibility from Tsim Sha Tsui to Mei Foo.

"The number of buildings to be axed from the plan should be at least three, and the height of the proposed towers should also not be higher than those at Fu Cheong Estate which is located directly behind," Lai said.

"Changes are never too late. The government shouldn't carry out projects that damage the environment and the people's health as the long-term costs likely to be inflicted on our health system and the environment will be far higher than profits derived from land sales," Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-ping said.

Planner Kenneth To Lap-kee said the government's air ventilation evaluation practice, which studies a district's annual average wind direction, is flawed as Sham Shui Po has different wind directions in summer.

Last month, a Sham Shui Po resident filed an application with the High Court seeking to halt the construction of wall- like buildings at a site on Hoi Fai Road in West Kowloon.

But the judge rejected the application, saying it was the executive's responsibility to manage the environment.

Cutback at Hung Hom site after `wall' fears
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, August 31, 2007

The Planning Department is looking at lowering the plot ratio of a site in Hung Hom, causing uncertainty about its eventual land auction price.

The department put forward the proposal as it concluded the first phase of a study of the harborfront area of the district.

It suggested only two blocks of residential buildings instead of three should be erected on the Hung Hom Bay reclamation site as three would be "too dense for the locality."

The plot ratio is correspondingly lowered to six from nine, while the height limit remains at 120 meters, or about 40 stories, the board said.

The 80,406-square-foot site would be available for sale by February 2008.

The plot ratio reduction is in response to rising concern about a "wind curtain effect" which occurs when dense buildings block a district's air flow.

Analysts said if one block out of three on the land were banned, the site's price would be cut by a third, but it would not necessarily hurt its accommodation value, or price per square foot.

What might affect the site's value is if another comprehensive development area, on the waterfront next to the residential site, were allowed to provide commercial, retail and hotel spaces.

Surveyors were concerned about whether the development would block the water views of the residential site, thus affecting its worth.

"The 20-storey part of the area may block views of half of the [proposed residential] building, and this would quite seriously hamper the site's development value," said Midland Surveyors director Alvin Lam Tsz-pun.

Lam expects the residential site could fetch HK$7,000 per square foot. However, Centaline Surveyors managing director Victor Lai Kin-fai said transportation was a more influential factor on price.

He said the site would be a traffic center being close to the Cross Harbour Tunnel, KCRC and the proposed MTR extension.

He tipped the site could sell for up to HK$6,500 psf.

lots of people agree in the future about 100 years from now, major cities like London and NYC will all have building 300 to 400 floors tall, and the low class will live at the bottom of the building with no view and dirty air, and the rich will live on the top will full view and clean air. Hong Kong just a model how the future living will be like when we reach 20 billion human on Earth

Tai Kok Tsui skyscraper wall

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070826/IMG_0356.jpg

Kowloon City / To Kwa Wan Walls (Grand Waterfront, etc.)

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070901/IMG_0626.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070901/IMG_0622.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070901/IMG_0620.jpg

TVB Jade showed a news documentary on this topic last Saturday nite; you may be able to find the programme online if you are interested.

HKSkyline which cameras do you use?

Some of your pics are extremely bad quality, whereas some are decent...

It's all about timing of the day. Pictures taken around sunset under clouds don't come out well at all, as expected.

What camera do you use though?

Proposals for developing Yau Tong Bay thrown down
8 September 2007
Hong Kong Standard

The Town Planning Board has vetoed all three options for the HK$20 billion Yau Tong Bay development plan.

Board members questioned the proposed height of buildings on the waterfront, one of which was 200 meters.

The Planning Department criticized Henderson Land's (0012) calculation of plot ratios and gross floor areas, saying they included the proposed promenade and deviated from planning standards.

The three options all have a total plot ratio ranging from five to six, with the developer planning for 5,000 residential units, with one option containing 10 twin towers and two low-rise blocks for residential use with heights ranging from 48 meters to 188 meters and a 178-meter office building.

The second has no office building but 11 residential twin towers and two low-rises with heights ranging from 48 to 188 meters.

The third option has 14 150-meter twin towers with a 200-meter office block.

Although the department preferred the second option which has no office blocks, none of the three options garnered support from board members.

Board member Michael Lai Kam- chang said he has reservations about all three designs with buildings close to 200 meters compared with the tallest building on the Hung Hom waterfront, which is only about 75 meters tall.

Another member, Stanley Wong Yuen-fai, said the developer did not provide adequate information or models to justify such high-rises on the waterfront.

Even the Planning Department considered the gross floor areas of the three proposals excessive and unacceptable for the waterfront.

Town Planning Board chairman Raymond Young Lap-moon requested the Planning Department give Henderson planning parameters and meet the board again in about two months.

Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Henderson Land property development general manager, said the decision was disappointing, adding that the board should not focus solely on building heights.

Wong said the ruling that the promenade area be excluded from the plot ratio was unfair.

Victor Lai Kin-fai, managing director of Centaline Surveyors, said the board was bold to show its concern about air quality.

Lai said since concerned groups have raised the issue of the ``wall effect,'' the government can no longer drag its feet in tackling the problem.

What worried him was that lower height limits may raise building densities, which also would hinder air flow.

thats hot...real hot... well ithink this phenomenon happen worldwide. just it's happen to appear for hong kong...

Weird. Never thought about that problem, and looks very expensive to fix. Who will pay it? Citizens, once again, i guess..?

Weird. Never thought about that problem, and looks very expensive to fix. Who will pay it? Citizens, once again, i guess..?

Indeed it's a new problem to HK, too. There is really no feasible way to fix it now, but can only to prevent it getting more serious. These new buildings are newly built an nowhere near they can be brought down for another many decades. From now on is just how to avoid more and more of these walls to be built along the shoreline by restricting the building policy.

The cost is everyone will suffer from the environmental impact due to the wall effect in short and long term. And the developers will also be more restricted how much can they make out off from a piece of land with more restricted policies.

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Now that's pretty crazy!

Move to avoid `wall effect' wins praise
11 October 2007
Hong Kong Standard

Environmentalists yesterday hailed Donald Tsang's decision to forgo government revenue in favor of better ventilation. But they urged the government to ensure ventilation clauses were inserted into future tenders to ensure private developers complied with the requirement. In his policy speech, Tsang proposed the lowering of development density in some areas to avoid the ``wall effect'' with regard to ventilation.

This was especially the case for the above-station property developments schemes at West Rail Nam Cheong Station and Yuen Long Station.

He agreed such measures would lead to a reduction in public revenue.

``But I am convinced that it is well worth it for the better living environment that will be created for our people,'' Tsang said.

Green Sense external secretary Ivy Chow Hiu-yan described the move as a sign the government was willing to take a step toward change.

However, Tsang did not spell out details on the level of density, the height limit nor the space between buildings.

Since August last year, air ventilation requirements have been written into the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines.

While all government buildings will be required to follow these guidelines, private developers are not bound to follow them.

Chao said Green Sense expected that in the long term, planning details on how to avoid the wall effect would be written into tender conditions.

Hong Kong Institute of Architects board of local affairs chairman Wong Kam-sing praised the government's new direction.

He said three separate breathways were added to the North Point Oil Street project and the lowering of development density was already being seen in other areas.

Other than writing planning conditions into tenders, he said architects also hoped to use creativity to help solve the wall effect problem.

Leslie Lu, head of the architecture department of Hong Kong University, said architects and planners should come up with creative solutions to keep the urban breathing space open.

Greens' call for more estate space rejected
12 October 2007
South China Morning Post

The Planning Department yesterday rejected a green group's call for a minimum distance to be imposed between blocks in a Ho Man Tin development to mitigate the "wall effect" the buildings will create.

The department said there was no evidence to show that leaving 15 metres between the buildings at the Fat Kwong Street site - as Green Sense advocates - would lead to better air flow.

"Air ventilation and visual impact are subject to many variables, such as [the relationship between buildings planned for the site and others around it], prevailing winds and detailed design and disposition of buildings," the department wrote in a paper submitted to the Town Planning Board.

Today, the board will discuss Green Sense's application for the minimum distance to be imposed, along with another request that seeks reduced development density at a site in Chun Yan Street, Wong Tai Sin, which the department has also rejected.

Green Sense said its proposal for the Ho Man Tin site was aimed at preventing residential blocks being connected, since this could reduce air flow in the area. But the department said other parts of the site were zoned for open space, green belt and a low-rise sports centre, which would allow wind flow in the area.

The 16,151 square metre site is zoned for residential use. Green Sense estimates a developer could build eight 30-storey blocks on the site.

Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president of Green Sense, said it was no surprise its applications had been opposed.

Harbourfront tower 'may block air flow'
2 November 2007
South China Morning Post

A proposed 33-storey hotel tower near the Causeway Bay harbourfront is too high and may hinder air flow into the North Point area, the Planning Department said yesterday.

The Civil Engineering Development Department also objected to Wharf Estates Development's plan because the site had previously been suggested for the relocation of the floating Tin Hau Temple, a historical icon of the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter.

Wharf Estates Development, the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Hong Kong Festival Fringe want to turn the 3,204-square-metre site, comprising A King Marine and adjoining government land, into a 129-metre-high hotel, gallery and studio theatre.

They said the plan satisfied the sustainability principles set out by the Harbourfront Enhancement Review to accommodate indoor leisure and entertainment activities.

"The proposal includes arts and cultural facilities for training classes, and small-scale performance and exhibitions, which are essential for long-term development of arts and culture of Hong Kong," they said in a paper submitted to the Town Planning Board yesterday.

The Planning Department argued the tower would be "visually dominating" and was against the urban design concept of descending building heights towards the harbour.

The site was said to be an important wind entrance to the inland area and the development might block this, it said.

But the Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing said he supported development of arts facilities by the private sector.

The Planning Department suggested the board defer the application pending a request to the Chief Executive in Council to sort out the zoning matter of the site.

The application is to be discussed in a Town Planning Board meeting today.

Planners had no grounds forlimiting tower height, judge rules
16 November 2007
South China Morning Post

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A judge has cleared the way for a controversial Mid-Levels development - nicknamed "the toothpick" by opponents - to proceed, ruling the Town Planning Appeal Board had wrongly taken traffic and visual considerations into account in blocking it.

Mr Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung yesterday ordered the board to reverse its decision blocking the relaxation of height and plot ratio restrictions on a block of land abutting Castle Steps to make way for the development by a subsidiary of Swire Properties.

The government said it would study the judgment in detail before deciding whether to appeal.

The order, which could affect other sites zoned similarly, came after International Trader Limited (ITL) sought a judicial review of the board's decision. The company wants to build a 54-storey building on a parcel of land comprising the disputed block and several others on Seymour Road.

The board, by a majority of three to two, had continued to refuse ITL's application to remove the 12-storey limit on the site because of traffic and visual considerations.

Mr Justice Cheung found that under the original Mid-Levels West outline zoning plan, the block, which has no direct street frontage, had been zoned for unrestricted residential development but had subsequently had restrictions placed upon it because of concerns about access for fire services and refuse collection.

Looking through documents associated with the rezoning, which took place in 1995, Mr Justice Cheung found there was little to indicate that traffic issues were behind the decision to limit development on the site. Rather, it was the lack of street access that motivated the change.

That was borne out by a proper reading of the outline zoning plan and its supporting documents, he said.

The judge accepted ITL's argument that, if traffic considerations were not in play, the concerns about access no longer mattered once the site was included in a development that had direct street frontage.

"Traffic and visual considerations are not relevant planning considerations" in relation to applications for the relaxation of restrictions on such sites, the judge said.

A spokeswoman for Swire Properties said: "Now that the matter is resolved we will go ahead and build [the tower]."

Central and Western District Council member Chan Chit-kwai said the implications of the court's decision were huge. "The new development is going to create a wall effect and residents of the Mid-Levels will have to double their time for travelling to the city centre," he said.

Town Planning Board members said the case was a typical example of developers' use of judicial procedures to get round the board's decisions.

Developers accused of abusing law
Planners fear judicial reviews will mean more unsightly projects
16 November 2007
South China Morning Post

Members of the Town Planning Board fear developers will increasingly abuse the legal system by seeking judicial reviews to push through their projects.

They raised their concerns yesterday after the High Court gave the green light to a high-rise development in Mid-Levels.

The court also overturned a board decision earlier this month by asking the board to reconsider its decision and allow development on three conservation areas in Clear Water Bay. The ruling was given by the same judge, Andrew Cheung Kui-nung.

The residential development in Seymour Road and Castle Steps, proposed by Swire Properties, was repeatedly blocked by the Town Planning Board, Town Planning Appeal Board and Building Appeal Tribunal from 2003 to 2006. The reasons were based mainly on the visual and traffic impact generated by the development.

Before appealing to the High Court, the developer had obtained approval from the Buildings Department to build a 57-storey building and a 12-storey building on two of four sites involved in the development. The court's decision yesterday, relaxing a height limit, means a much wider 54-storey high rise can be built across the two sites.

Gregory Wong Chak-yan, a member of the Town Planning Board, said the court and the board had opposing views on the development because the judge's decision was based mainly on legal documents such as the outline zoning plan, while the board looked at social changes taking place in Mid-Levels.

"The term 'wall effect' only came up in Hong Kong a few years ago and traffic was not that congested in Mid-Levels," Dr Wong said, "Planning concerns and restrictions stated in the outline zoning plan have not caught up with reality."

Another board member, Ng Cho-nam, said the outline zoning plans should be reviewed as early as possible to prevent developers from escaping the board's decisions and resorting to judicial reviews.

"It has become a trend now," Dr Ng said, adding that the board had an obligation to maintain people's quality of life by considering the cumulative impact of developments.

Central and Western District Council member Chan Chit-kwai said traffic in the area was so bad that it took 20 minutes to commute from Seymour Road to Hollywood Road in peak hours. He said the huge development would be an eyesore.

Green Sense said it was disappointed by the judgment and claimed the development would block winds blowing over the north of Hong Kong Island.

A Mr Man, who has lived in Merry Court, along Castle Road, for 30 years, said the opening of the Sun Yat-sen Museum had already greatly increased traffic. He was worried that air quality would get worse.

Leung Kai-chiu, who owns a hair salon in the area, was worried that the serious traffic jams could damage his business.

More than half of Hong Kong's 108 outline zoning plans at present do not have planning parameters specifying heights, plot ratios and maximum gross floor areas. The Development Bureau said priority would be given to sites along the harbour in its reviews.

Swire wins fight over height limit at luxury project
Hong Kong Standard
Friday, November 16, 2007

Swire Properties - one of Hong Kong's largest property developers - has won a legal battle with the Town Planning Board over height restrictions imposed on a luxury residential project in the Mid-Levels.

The site is one of several located between Seymour Road and Castle Steps where the developer plans to build a high rise complex comprising blocks of 50 stories or more.

International Trader - a Swire subsidiary - launched a judicial review after the board twice refused its application to relax the site's plot ratio and height curbs from 12 to 50 stories.

The proposed complex - at the junction of Seymour Road, Castle Road and Castle Steps - would cover an area of 2,132 square meters.

But the board rejected the application, saying it would cause severe traffic congestion and visual problems in the area.

The company appealed against the decision last December, but this was also turned down by the board.

In his ruling yesterday, Court of First Instance Judge Andrew Cheung Kui- nang said Swire's argument about traffic and visual considerations was not relevant in the planning process.

He said it would be unfair to isolate a relatively small site since it is surrounded by commercial and residential buildings as tall as 40 stories and with no height restrictions.

The judge also pointed out the plot was originally zoned as residential zoning group A in 1986, although it was later rezoned as residential zoning group C in 1995, with limitations imposed.

The court was also told that at a meeting in 1996, the Planning Department had allowed the site to be redeveloped without vehicular access.

Cheung said the plot was special with its geographical features since there are many steps, making it impossible for any vehicle to gain direct access.

The judge also said the visual problem was not an important point in the dispute, and there had been no detailed discussions of the issue in court.

The TPB was also ordered to pay court costs.

Greg Wong Chak-yan, former chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said traffic in the area would definitely worsen if more cars were allowed to enter it.

However, he said he was not sure if air quality would be affected.

"Unfortunately, there's no air assessment for private property."

Ho Ka-po, project manager of environmental group Green Sense, expressed disappointment over the ruling, and urged the government to take the case to the Court of Final Appeal.

She warned that air quality in Sheung Wan and Central was likely to deteriorate as winds would be blocked from the south to the northern coast, and traffic congestion would worsen.

A government spokesman said the authorities will study the judgment thoroughly.

A spokesman for Swire Properties said the company will complete the project.

Tycoon Gordon Wu Ying-sheung of Hopewell Holdings also has had his proposed Mega Tower hotel complex in Wan Chai blocked by the planning board - for nearly two decades.

The board has repeatedly rejected Hopewell's project, saying it is too large and would damage the neighborhood's environment.

The walls are one of the things that make HK unique!

And also on of the things that make HK uglier. :bash:

And also on of the things that make HK uglier. :bash:

Its 50/50. Some like it and some don't. I say that some areas especially Kai-Tak I wouldn't like the walls.

Midlevels itself is already quite crowded, so although this is a relatively small development, the overall effect would have impacted existing residents quite severely.

Ruling on tower puts spanner in the works
16 November 2007
South China Morning Post

A High Court victory yesterday by a subsidiary of Swire Properties concerned only a single site in Mid-Levels. However, it has troubling implications for residents in the district already plagued by overdevelopment, heavy traffic and the canyon effect of walled-in pollution and trapped heat. It also raises questions about how well the Town Planning Board can represent the wider public interest should developers choose to challenge it in court.

Private property rights must be respected. But the planning process must also work in a way which serves the wider public interest. In the judicial review launched by Swire's International Trader Ltd, Mr Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung of the Court of First Instance ruled that the court must adhere to the original intentions of zoning and rezoning plans. This is a fundamental legal principle. The problem, however, is that many such plans date back years, as is the case with the Mid-Levels site. As a result, they may not reflect contemporary concerns about the wall effect, visual impact and quality of life.

These concerns must be taken into account when future rezoning applications are made. The Planning Department has the power, under the law, to impose height restrictions where necessary. An upcoming government review of outline zoning plans must also have such concerns very much in mind.

There may even be circumstances where the public interest is served by a developer not exercising its rights to fully develop a certain site. In such circumstances, a development transfer arrangement might be considered in order to ensure that legal rights are respected.

There is no question that Mid-Levels has become overbuilt and its roads saturated. These problems are likely to worsen as developers zero in on the district to build more luxury residences. This is especially so at the junction of Castle Road and Seymour Road, where Swire has applied to build a luxury, 50-plus-storey complex on two adjacent sites. The 2,100-plus-square-metre site is only one of more than half a dozen sites on the two narrow roads that have either been bought by developers or where negotiations for collective sale to them are under way.

The smaller of the two Swire sites has height restrictions and a limited plot ratio, which the company sought to lift. The board and its appeal system blocked this, citing the adverse traffic and visual impact that would result. Counsel for the board argued in the judicial review that planners must have had traffic and other "infrastructural concerns" in mind when they drafted the zoning and rezoning plans.

However, Mr Justice Cheung ruled these concerns were not reflected in the plans themselves. He also referred to the 1972 moratorium that sought to tackle traffic problems in Mid-Levels by capping population growth, saying it did not apply in this case.

Despite this victory, developers are still afraid that height restrictions might be imposed in the area. However, as the roads there have already reached capacity, it is not clear how they can handle more skyscrapers and a large influx of new residents.

Yesterday's court decision will, unless reversed, allow the development to proceed. We are likely to see more such appeals by developers emboldened to challenge the board's decisions.

Developers are entitled to exercise their rights. They should know, however, that it is not in their interests to make an area so crowded that people no longer find it attractive to live in.

Residents up in arms over ruling at Mid-Levels
Hong Kong Standard
Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Residents and concerned groups yesterday urged the Town Planning Board to appeal against a court ruling which cleared the way for a developer to erect a 54-story building in western Mid- Levels.
More than 20 residents who live near the site at the junction of Seymour Road, Castle Road and Castle Steps, handed a petition containing 763 signatures urging swift action.

Aside from the building's possible wall-effect and the traffic congestion it would cause, the residents said the ruling would rob the board of its position as the gatekeeper of the city's future development.

Swire Properties last week won a judicial challenge against the Town Planning Board which twice turned down its application to change the site's current plot ratio and height limit from 12 to 50 stories.

Trader Yung Yeung-sing, who lives in Robinson Place next to the site, said the ruling would open a pandora's box and allow developers to build high rise buildings all over Hong Kong.

He said in addition to losing face, the board's power to restrict or reject applications had been severely curtailed.

Resident Elina Li May-nar said she was surprised the board's decision was overturned.

"The board had become a toothless tiger, even though it is a professional body set up to plan how land is used in Hong Kong," she said.

"This case suggests the board has become redundant since it cannot protect the land."

Green Sense project manager Gabrielle Ho Ka-po said the proposed complex, with more than 90 parking spaces, would only aggravate traffic congestion and further delay residents who now spend more than half an hour to get to Central.

Besides concerns of air ventilation, there is also the danger that emergency vehicles may have difficulty reaching buildings in the area, he said.

The residents said they will support the board should it appeal the decision otherwise they will directly approach the chief executive.

Vision City is actually a very nasty skyscraper wall across from Nina Tower. Here is a bit on how this project can still have green characteristics :

Sino finds straight up is way to go
The developer has come up with a way to grow and sustain a wall in its Vision City development in Tsuen Wan
16 November 2007
South China Morning Post

Lateral thinking helps solve many problems, but when the management team at Sino Group was puzzling over ways to create a more environmentally friendly ambience at Vision City in Tsuen Wan, they realised vertical thinking was the answer.

That led them to design, develop and install Hong Kong's first "living wall". It is a massive expanse of natural greenery stretching 90 metres around one side of the main outdoor atrium at second- and third-floor levels. It provides a striking visual feature covering 700 square metres and is a template for a new concept in urban architecture.

"The thought we had at the inception stage was that the courtyard could resemble a big park," said Raymond Chen, assistant general manager for projects at Sino Group. "The idea of the vertical greening system [VGS] came from that."

Subsequent research showed there was scope to create something that was not just aesthetically pleasing. The right design and choice of materials would also make it possible to reduce ambient temperatures by 2 degrees Celsius, provide noise insulation and create a natural air filter by using plants known to absorb pollutants.

Mr Chen said that the VGS had three main components: a rigid framework of galvanised steel attached to the exterior façade of the building; green panels, each measuring 30 by 120cm; and a grid of upward-angled "pots" to contain the growth medium and the plants.

The prefabricated panels were easily fixed to the framework, which made installation relatively straightforward.

They were also attached to the system's third main component - an automatic irrigation system that uses recycled water. This is controlled by a timer device and has humidity and rain sensors, regulating valves and distributors to ensure that the plants in each panel receive the right amount of water, depending on their known requirements and the prevailing weather conditions.

There are 1,090 green panels in use and about 10 per cent of these are "demountable" so it is possible to access and replace them from the floors of the car park, which they disguise. The remainder have to be maintained or changed using an extendable crane.

"We did a site mock-up for three months to test the plants and the panels," Mr Chen said. The results provided valuable information about everything from plant behaviour at varying levels of irrigation to how well water seeped through a soil sample.

He said to provide natural ventilation a system of vertical louvres covered about 30 per cent of the total VGS surface area. These were made from a wood composite material that was reusable and biodegradable.

The contrasting material and colours have been incorporated in the overall design, creating an effect that from a distance resembles the barcode label on products in the adjacent City Walk shopping mall.

Thomas Lau, Sino Group's assistant general manager for landscape architecture, said about HK$5 million had been invested in developing and installing the VGS. He emphasised that the key factors were to have a site with adequate natural light and good cross ventilation. It was also vital to choose plants which required minimum maintenance, so that the system could be self-sustaining.

He suggested that in aesthetic and functional terms the project would be seen as a milestone for "green" architecture in Hong Kong.

"It has been a very exciting project for our team," Mr Lau said. "We are doing something for the public and the environment."

He said the company already had plans to adapt the basic concept for use at other developments, provided the building structures in each case could take the dead load of the installation.

Further tests would be conducted into ways of using less soil or even none.

"We will analyse how much weight we can reduce and how high up we can go [and see] if the building can take the load," he said.

The company has applied for a patent covering the whole system, but not with a view to limiting the options of other contractors or developers. The aim is to document the design process while demonstrating to the construction industry and the public what could be done to advance environmental sustainability.

"We are happy to share the information and make sure they are doing it properly," Mr Lau said.

Mr Chen said that the ultimate objective was to promote the appropriate use of the VGS as an ecological alternative and a suitable design option for the urban environment.

Ever-hotter city prompts call for new air-flow policy
Greens seek ventilation assessments for new high-rises
2 January 2008
South China Morning Post

Green groups are demanding ventilation assessments on all major developments and new open-space requirements between buildings to tackle soaring urban temperatures.

Researchers at Polytechnic University have produced evidence that the density of Hong Kong's high-rise buildings is producing an "urban heat island effect", contributing to rising temperatures in the city.

They commissioned the first high-resolution, nighttime satellite images of Hong Kong last year, showing temperatures in urban areas were up to 7 degrees higher than those in rural areas. Summer nighttime temperatures exceeded 32 degrees Celsius in many areas.

Janet Nichol, joint leader of the project, said last year's annual average temperature of 23.7 degrees - the fifth hottest on record - could reflect the heat island effect as well as global warming because the figures were recorded in the city centre at Tsim Sha Tsui.

"And the evidence suggests that midday temperatures in the core areas such as Mong Kok and Whampoa would have been 2 to 3 degrees higher than those at the Observatory," she said.

Dr Nichol said long spells with the hot weather warning in force, such as the one seen last year, would become more common in coming decades as global temperatures continued to rise and were likely to be accompanied by more heat-related deaths.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen pledged in his October policy address to review the planning system in response to public concern that high-density developments were reducing air circulation and pushing up urban temperatures. The outline zoning plans of various districts are being reviewed and the government plans to revise the restrictions on plot ratio, building height and site coverage to lower development density, where it is deemed justified.

Existing regulations include a requirement that developers planning to build on sites of 2 or more hectares must obtain a study of the building's impact on air flow in the surrounding area known as a "ventilation assessment".

Roy Tam Hoi-pong , president of Green Sense, said: "We believe that the regulations requiring ventilation assessments for new buildings should be made mandatory for all sites of 0.5 hectares or larger. And every single building that is on the waterfront should have a mandatory air ventilation assessment in order to prevent a 'wall effect'."

Edwin Lau Che-feng, director of Friends of the Earth Hong Kong, said: "Ventilation assessments should be mandatory for all new developments whether public or private. This is really vital if we are to alleviate the rising temperatures."

this is what I call "horror show"

Group wants MTR project to be reviewed
11 March 2008
South China Morning Post

A green group has demanded new restrictions be placed on the development of a Sha Tin site in a bid to curb possible "wall effects" created by high-rise buildings that block air flow.

Green Sense said yesterday that it would apply to the Town Planning Board this week for a review of the zoning of the MTR Corporation project atop the Che Kung Temple station. The site covers an area of about 18,000 square metres.

Thirteen developers submitted expressions of interest in the HK$6 billion project by deadline yesterday. The MTR Corp has plans to develop four residential blocks of up to 40 storeys on top of a two-storey podium, offering some 1,240 flats with an average size of 72.4 square metres.

Green Sense project manager Gabrielle Ho Ka-po said: "The present plan will see the future blocks lining up along Shing Mun River like a wall. It will block air flow and also block the views of people in the neighbouring lower-rise residential blocks."

Ms Ho said her group would ask the Town Planning Board to impose height limits of 110 metres, and cap the plot ratio at 4, instead of the existing 5. Plot ratio is the ratio of the gross floor area of buildings to the site area. A higher plot ratio means taller buildings are allowed.

Ms Ho also submitted her group's proposals yesterday to the MTR Corp.

Public concern about "wall effects" caused by high-density buildings has increased in recent years. Green groups claim it affects ventilation and leads to a rise in temperatures.

An MTR Corp spokesman said yesterday the corporation had noted Green Sense's proposals but added that the Che Kung Temple project had been endorsed by the Town Planning Board.

..don' t really like this kinda architecture :ohno:

who saids Hong Kong doesn't have low rise?
This is where i live - Fairview Park, Yuen Long, NT., Hong Kong SAR

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never seen such pics from HK :)

never seen such pics from HK :)

coz this place is designed and developed by the Canadian.

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070702/IMG_6731.jpg

My dad lives in the one on the right. Its called Sky Tower. He lives on the 48th floor of tower 3, the one the farthest to the right facing Kai Tak. You could say that he's supporting the vertical greening system, because his balcony is packed with plants.

Two of my family friends used to have holiday homes in Fairview Park, then they realized they almost never used them and sold them.

Fairview Park is "Gum Sao Fa Yuen" right?

I must say, when I went there as a kid, it was quite exciting to see suburban style housing...

Fairview Park is "Gum Sao Fa Yuen" right?


Yes.

Two of my family friends used to have holiday homes in Fairview Park, then they realized they almost never used them and sold them.

Fairview Park is "Gum Sao Fa Yuen" right?

I must say, when I went there as a kid, it was quite exciting to see suburban style housing...
Isn't that funny how in America its the opposite, we are excited to see big cities, not suburbs.

Isn't that funny how in America its the opposite, we are excited to see big cities, not suburbs.

part of that is due to the vast population located in rural areas or smaller cities

^^ You get the same "wow" effect for kids that grows up in New York City, especially those live in Manhattan. They think Fairfield County, Connecticut is a country side; and in fact that is the most developed urban area in the state.

High-rise freeze call in warm Kowloon
Hong Kong Standard
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A green group wants a freeze on skyscraper development in Tai Kok Tsui in west Kowloon to slow urban warming and to prevent the wind-blocking encirclement of its town center.

"It is a common complaint of local residents that the area's temperatures have been rising steadily over the past decade, while the only major changes have been the series of high-rises forming a ring around Tai Kok Tsui," said Greensense president Roy Tam Hoi- pong.

Tam's group, which is calling for the government to construct roof-top gardens on the district's low-rise apartment buildings, will meet the Buildings Department to call for a hold on tower developments in the area and the disclosure of further building plans in the neighborhood.

Tam said the old town center clustered near the intersection of Tai Kok Tsui Road and Fuk Tsun Street is being choked by a series of high-rises.

He said Park Avenue and Central Park are dominating the south, and One SilverSea, Harbour Green, Metro Harborview and the Urban Renewal Authority's Cherry Street and Bedford Street projects towering above the north and west.

The group is also calling for a halt to the construction of Sino Land's Hoi Ting Road project which will complete the circle and turn the district into "Kowloon's newest walled city," Tam said.

An application by concerned student Bernard Tang Fai-cheong to view Sino Land's construction plan at the Buildings Department was rejected.

A similar request to Sino Land was also turned down.

A May survey of 283 residents found nearly 67.5 percent thought the building's orientation would reduce airflow, and 31 percent thought the blocks were too high.

The survey also found 71.8 percent in support of full public consultation for future projects, and 71.4 percent thought the skyscrapers were responsible for reducing airflow.

MTRC escapes need for wall-effect study
Hong Kong Standard
Thursday, June 26, 2008

The government yesterday stonewalled lawmakers calling for height restrictions on two high-rise hotel blocks and 20 residential towers along the Tsuen Wan waterfront.

Lawmakers were told the Mass Transit Railway Corp development, said to be 194 meters tall, will not be subject to a "wall effect" assessment because approval was given 10 years ago.

The Town Planning Board has approved the project at the Tsuen Wan West Station of the West Rail, but work has not yet started.

Lawmakers called for the government to force the MTRC to study the "wall effect" of the project, which they claim will hamper air flow in the area.

But the government refused to push the rail operator to carry out an environmental impact study because the project was passed long before new air quality guidelines were introduced in 2006.

The Democratic Party's Lee Wing-tat, who raised the issue in the Legislative Council, said the project is a repeat of the Hopewell Holdings' controversial Wan Chai mega tower development, which faced fierce opposition over its effect on air quality.

"There is a public consensus the buildings have a high wall effect. The MTRC is majority owned by the government, and while it wants to reduce the density along the harbor, then why is this not being done?" Lee asked.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the project could not be undone as there would be "consequential losses."

Democratic Party lawmaker Albert Ho Chun-yan said the aspirations and demands of the community for better air quality and the environment have changed in the past decade and the government needs to respond to them.

He called for town planning laws to be reviewed, so that projects approved before 2006 would need to face a second round of approval.

Greens renew attack on Tsuen Wan 'wall'
14 July 2008
South China Morning Post

An environmental group has criticised the government for not heeding its calls to reduce building densities at Tsuen Wan West's developments.

Green Sense said the quality of life for about 70,000 Tsuen Wan residents could be at stake if 22 residential buildings and hotels were built along the waterfront, creating a wall 1km long blocking airflow.

Group chairman Roy Tam Hoi-pong said the Town Planning Board had agreed to the master layout plan of the project near Tsuen Wan West station, which included 20 residential buildings and two hotels.

The group wants the authorities to scale down the development projects by nine tower blocks, a move that Mr Tam said would create an 80-metre corridor for ventilation.

While he could not estimate the decrease in value of the plots that would result from the reduction, he said the move would bring long-term benefits for people's well-being.

"I think the health of the citizens is more important. When the government has such a surplus, it is important to consider carefully projects that could bring permanent damage to the community," he said.

The group also plans to apply for the rezoning of a hotel project at Lot 393 Yeung Uk Road to open space. He said a high-rise hotel would add to the so-called wall effect created by the row of buildings being planned along the coast.

The group has opposed the construction of high-rises packed in rows, a style often used so that buildings share the best view, saying the long-time approach to the city's development would harm the city in the long run by pushing up temperatures and decreasing ventilation.

Mr Tam said the government had ignored the group's call for scaling down the Tsuen Wan West project while having agreed to reduce density in other railway property projects in Yuen Long and Nam Cheong.

He said it was necessary for the authorities to review the development plan, even though it had been approved by the Town Planning Board, because the plan was approved when the consequences of wall effects was not well known.

Group wants project's plot ratio reduced
29 July 2008
South China Morning Post

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An environmental group is to file an application with the Planning Department demanding a reduction in the plot ratio of a development in Tsuen Wan West, in an effort to lower temperatures in the town centre.

A spokesman for Green Sense said Tsuen Wan suffered from the heat island effect, which meant temperatures in the town centre were higher than those near the sea. Cement in the town centre absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, leading to higher temperatures than elsewhere in the district.

In a study done on Sunday, Green Sense found the temperature in the town centre was 38 degrees Celsius, three to four degrees higher than areas near the sea. The group will apply to the department for the plot ratio of a proposed seven-building development in Tsuen Wan West to be reduced to three from five.

Plot ratio defines the total floor area of buildings allowed to be erected on a site. It is calculated by dividing net floor area by the net site area.

The Green Sense spokesman said the number of buildings would have to be cut to four if the plot ratio was lowered. "Tsuen Wan district residents' health and air quality are more important than developing these buildings, which would create a wall effect."

On Friday, the MTR Corporation sought expressions of interest for the proposed development of seven residential buildings, comprising 1,776 flats.

It is one of three sites the rail company plans to develop in the area. One of the other two sites is on top of Tsuen Wan West station, where 11 residential buildings are planned.

The MTR Corp inherited these sites from the merger with Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation.

Opinion : Lawmakers should help citizens in fight against 'wall-effect' buildings
14 September 2008
South China Morning Post

Many Hong Kong people are now standing up and opposing developments which block airflow and raise the temperatures in the areas where they live.

This makes me happy because they are finally taking responsibility for the protection of their own living area. Many who were indifferent about society have now abandoned that attitude.

What saddens me is that our government and politicians seem to be doing nothing about this problem.

You read reports about a new building project [known as a wall development] which will cut off breezes to the flats behind it.

However the powers-that-be seem happy to turn a blind eye to this problem.

The Hong Kong government seems happy to sell land on the waterfront to developers so they can construct these [wall-effect] buildings.

Rather than thinking about what effect these buildings will have on the residents who are already there, it is more concerned with the fortune it will make from the land sale.

I hope those lawmakers in the new Legislative Council will stick to any promises they made to voters regarding the environment during their election campaign.

They must make good on their promises in the Legco chamber. What Hong Kong people want is better living standards. We want our basic human rights given back to us.

Those lawmakers who have professional skills should put them to good use. If they have expertise in fields such as surveying and town planning, then they should be willing to give advice to these activists who are trying to curb the growth of the wall-effect buildings. Ordinary people who are just trying to ensure better neighbourhoods could do with a helping hand, to, for example, understand technical terms in town planning documents.

Those residents who are taking action against such environmentally-unfriendly projects are not asking for much. They just want to be able to get a breeze and some sunlight in their homes and to have more public open space in the areas where they live.

Karina Ng, Ap Lei Chau

Air flow study to be discussed
23 October 2008
South China Morning Post

The Town Planning Board will discuss tomorrow whether the MTR Corporation will have to conduct an air-ventilation study on a massive Tsuen Wan West development, which the Observatory suggests might block the prevailing winds blowing into the district from the sea.

The development calls for 20 residential towers and two hotels to be built along Tsuen Wan West Station. The environmental group Green Sense objects to the size of the project, arguing it will generate the "wall effect", blocking off air flow.

The proposed development is situated upwind, and Observatory data to be presented tomorrow shows the prevailing wind direction is mainly from the south to southeast, especially in summer. In the paper, the Observatory says it has no objection to Green Sense's application.

In July, Green Sense urged the board to review the plans. It asked the MTR Corp to lower the development density from 20 towers to 11 towers. In tomorrow's application Green Sense is proposing the number of towers behind Riviera Gardens be reduced from seven to four, a non-building area of about 1,700 square metres be designated northwest of the site, and a 20m wide non-building area be designated in the middle of the site.

Green Sense is also concerned about the urban "heat-island effect", which meant temperatures in the centre were higher than those near the sea. Cement absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night, leading to higher temperatures.

The paper reveals the Planning Department does not support the application. The department says Green Sense failed to prove its suggestions would improve air ventilation and reduce the visual "footprint" in the area.

A spokesman for MTR Corp said it was not required to conduct an air ventilation study because its master layout plan was approved in September 2005, which was 10 months before the government brought in new rules on the issue.

The corporation, however, would consider adding sky gardens and more greenery to the development to increase air flow to the inner city, the spokesman said.

The Planning Department said it had conveyed the concerns of the public to the MTR Corp but stressed the board had no provision to revoke the planning permission.

Town Planning Board vice-chairman Greg Wong Chak-yan said the MTR Corp and the developer should take its own initiative to conduct the air ventilation study as a social responsibility.

"It would be unfair to significantly change the project's scale after the tendering exercise," he said. "But a responsible developer would ensure its design will not downgrade the environment of residents living behind the development."

荃灣西站 環團申降密度料不批
23 October 2008
香港經濟日報

長實（00001）投得的荃灣西站第七區用地，遭環保觸覺向城規會申請降低密度，港鐵（00066）隨即提出反對，並指會預留20米通風廊，而規劃署亦指該地應按原計劃發展，不支持該申請，恐本周五難於城規會過關。

港鐵反駁 城規指應按原計劃

規劃署表示，由於荃灣西站第七區用地規劃為「綜合發展區」，早年在評估該地的發展內容時，已設定限制，加上該地位處鐵路上蓋的交通黃金地段，應盡量利用土地以配合交通發展，同時又指環保觸覺沒有提供足夠理據，顯示該地若降低地積比率及減少幢數，可以對空氣流通帶來改善，故不支持該申請。

環保觸覺就荃灣西站第七區用地，向城規會申請更改用地之註釋，包括︰○地積比若由5倍減至3倍，使由原計劃的7座減至4座；擔在地皮的西北方設面積約1,700平方米的非建築帶，以確保眾安街的通風廊不會被遮擋；以及○在地皮約中間的位置設下20米闊的非建築帶，避免座與座之間距離太近。

有關申請於公眾諮詢期間，共接獲11份意見，其中港鐵以項目代理人身份，向城規會提出反對意見，並羅列理據逐點反駁，並透露項目內7幢大廈分成3組設計，將預留最多20米的通風及景觀廊，力證有關發展不會對同區屋苑造成通風或景觀的問題。

另華置（00127）就位於東半山肇輝台12號新輝大廈，早向城規會申請略為放寬高限，擬建12層高住宅（包括4層平台及地庫），提供24伙，惟規劃署指有關發展之高度較比鄰大廈高了一截，恐對景觀造成影響，故不支持該申請。

Residents out to topple tower
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, October 06, 2008

Fortress Hill residents-turned-activists have enlisted the support of the city's pro- democratic forces in a bid to stop the building of a 123-meter tower near the harborfront.

Candise Chan Yee-wah of the Coalition Against the Proposed Development on King Wah Road will set up a booth close to the site on Sunday to boost awareness and collect signatures against the development. Political muscle has also been enlisted in the shape of the Civic Party's Tanya Chan Shuk-chong and the Democratic Party's Kam Nai-wai who are expected to make an appearance.

Candise Chan said they had collected 600 signatures so far.

"Ordinary people have the right to be informed of developments around their neighborhoods, and I don't think we are getting that from the authorities whose responsibility it is to inform us," Chan said. "The harbor belongs to us."

The Henderson Land Development project, in a car parking lot at 14-30 King Wah Road, consists of a 30-story commercial complex, "with eating places, shops and services," according to the Town Planning Board's website.

Cheung Kong Holding's 165-meter Harbour Grand hotel is already a building-in- progress directly adjacent to the empty lot.

"We are worried about the `wall effect' that another skyscraper will contribute to the area," Chan said.

"Ordinary people have the right to be informed of developments around their neighborhoods, and I don't think we are getting that from the authorities whose responsibility it is to inform us," Chan said. "The harbor belongs to us."

"We are worried about the `wall effect' that another skyscraper will contribute to the area," Chan said.

This is totally ridiculous. First of all, the harbour belongs to all of HK, not just these people in Fortress Hill. I agree they have a right to be INFORMED, but not that they can do anything about it. The piece of land belongs to the government, not them, and they have no right to protest what the government does to that piece of land, as long as it is reasonable.

If that building has the potential to benefit more than harm, there's no basis for these residents' argument at all, and there's no argument whatsoever when it comes to the harbor argument.

And the hype about the wall effect is just becoming disgustingly out of proportions.

城規會接295人投訴 憂塞車空氣污染
太古地產建屏風樓被拒
01/11/2008
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【本報訊】政府提出修訂西半山分區計劃大綱圖，建議收緊多個地段的發展高度限制，包括太古地產仍與城巿規劃委員會進行法律訴訟的西摩道地皮；而太古地產提出反建議，高度上限不減反加，由政府建議的主水平基準二百一十五米，大幅增至二百七十三米，激發近三百居民及關注人士群起反對，炮轟太古地產的不合理建議會令附近一帶的屏風效應及交通擠塞問題加劇，損害公眾利益。城規會未有接納太古地產的反建議。

反建議放寬樓層限制
據現行規定，所有已獲批的發展圖則不受新修訂影響，但太古地產與城規會就西摩道地皮發展爭拗的官司仍未解決，一旦最終要改動在地皮建摩天屏風樓的圖則，將受新修訂規限，樓宇高度由五十多層減至三十層，太古地產因而提出反對，反要求城規會按其屏風樓的發展規模，放寬現有限制。

城規會公布太古地產的反建議後，接獲二百九十五份意見，反對太古地產的不合理要求，認為會引致附近交通擠塞、空氣污染、熱島效應等問題日趨嚴重。西半山關注組發言人李美娜指，一旦太古地產可成功建成屏風樓，會遮擋附近大廈，阻礙日光照射及空氣流通，居民難見藍天，令生活環境轉差。反屏風樓大聯盟六名成員亦在場外請願，要求城規會嚴守西半山樓宇高度及地積比率限制的重要關卡。

規劃署規劃專員區潔英表示，不支持太古地產的反建議，而城規會最終未有接納有關的反建議。

Opinion : Reluctance for air study in line with MTR's Orwellian vision
3 November 2008
South China Morning Post

It is distressing that the MTR is not showing the corporate social responsibility one would expect from an arm of our government which claims it is dedicated to sustainable development and whose chief executive placed resolving air pollution to the fore in his policy address.

I refer to the reluctance of the MTR to conduct an air ventilation study on its massive Tsuen Wan development. Of course we know why the MTR does not want this study. It will conclude that the wall of concrete to be erected on the Tsuen Wan waterfront will have a significantly negative impact on airflow and ventilation and an adverse impact on the health and well-being of residents with homes behind it.

Once again the usual excuses that we are weary of hearing are trotted out - comprehensive development area, master layout plans, approvals and planning permission granted in the dark ages and ventilation studies were not compulsory at the time. Well, in the year 2000 we still had blue skies; now we look out of our windows every day on to the grey pea soup that passes for air.

On October 23, ATV's Focus Asia: Business Leaders featured Chow Chung-kong, chief executive of the MTR Corporation. I hope that I was not the only viewer who was disturbed by his Orwellian vision for Hong Kong. He boasted that living in gated high-rise communities above train stations allows people to go back and forth to their work place, dine and shop in internal malls and never leave the "mother ship" of the MTR.

This concept completely ignores the benefits to a community of interaction among different classes, leaving one's comfort zone, exploring, feeling the sun on one's face, getting a little dirty and the myriad experiences that go towards the formation of a society that is both experienced and integrated. The MTR vision on the other hand promotes exclusion, division of the community on income levels, lack of initiative and an unhealthy lifestyle.

It is time the MTR revaluated its focus in line with the aspirations of its stakeholders, the Hong Kong public. Government officials must stop hiding behind lame excuses and put public interest first. The air ventilation assessment must go ahead.

Martin Brinkley, Ma Wan

A group of socially conscious architects are pooling their ideas at Dutch firm MVRDV to tackle the problem of urban density.
They even have some plans for Hong Kong
7 November 2008
South China Morning Post

ID-AFTERNOON IN Rotterdam, and I'm inside a former print works that has been converted into a laboratory of ideas. Soft autumn sunlight pours through large windows, casting long shadows over desks littered with blue Styrofoam models. One is a house that extends over the edge of a hill for 80 metres. Another is a 40-storey tower block designed as a vertical farm for 4,000 pigs. Each floor has a carpet of sod and all the power is generated from pig waste.

This is the Dutch headquarters of architectural firm MVRDV, where its staff of young visionaries are trying to save Holland, and the world.

"Many people hate cities but most human beings live in one," says Jacob van Rijs, one of MVRDV's three partners. "As architects we have a special responsibility to make living in cities and under dense circumstances not just habitable but preferable."

This statement has to ring bells with anyone in Hong Kong. We live with some of the highest population densities in the world. Yet most of the tower blocks that crowd Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Sheung Wan are brutal to look at and unpleasant to live in.

MVRDV believes Hong Kong can do better and its track record suggests it has the ideas to get the job done. When a Rotterdam couple wanted to extend their top-floor flat, MVRDV built them a rooftop village with three houses in the same shade of bright blue they use for their architectural models. The structure is a perfect example of MVRDV's belief that existing spaces must work harder if cities are to survive current rates of population growth. Density is a fact of life, the issue is how we deal with it and survive.

This is MVRDV's obsession and has been ever since the company was created by Winy Maas, van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries in 1991 (the trio's initials were used to create the company's name). When I met Maas and van Rijs in September they had just begun to develop a strategy for MVRDV's appearance at Hong Kong's Business of Design week, which takes place early next month. The working title for its presentation is Fantasies for Hong Kong and includes a plan to build what the maverick company calls a "flat skyscraper" with three tubular cities stretched from a single point in West Kowloon to three "landing points" between Sheung Wan and Central. The buildings would include mixed-income flats, parks and markets.

"It would be very different from the other high-rise buildings," says Maas. "It would give Hong Kong something special and would lead to an enormously symbolic connection between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon."

A look at MVRDV's past shows it's capable of getting its madcap ideas turned into steel and concrete. In Madrid, in 2004, it was asked to design a large apartment building for a housing estate already littered with inhuman, humourless slabs. The company designed a conventional rectangular building with a courtyard in the middle and then upended it on its side, so that the open space became a skypark with views of the Guadarrama Mountains. The building, called the Mirador, is a triumph and has become a tourist destination as well as a highly desirable place to live.

A new venture for MVRDV is the Logrono Montecorvo Eco City in the Spanish province of Rioja which includes 3,000 homes. This is a social project, to provide houses for Logrono's less wealthy citizens. The firm's design confines the houses to just 10 per cent of the site, its linear form allows the development to meander through the landscape provided by two hills on the site, giving every flat views towards the city. The energy required for the site is generated entirely by a combination of solar and wind power, giving the Eco City a neutral carbon footprint. By restricting the housing to just one-tenth of the site, MVRDV has been able to build an eco-park that provides recreation, beauty and unlimited energy.

"There is a tapestry of solar cells built into the mountain," says de Vries. "This covers the hills in a golden reflection of sunlight. On top of the two hills are windmills that generate energy and act as landmarks for the development, giving residents a sense of identity."

One fears that if Logrono were in Hong Kong a developer would seize the 90 per cent of land not used for housing and slap in tower blocks with small flats and tiny windows - he wouldn't be rushing to build an eco-park. The Harbour Place development in Hung Hom is a perfect example. Seven 36-storey towers with small windows, no balconies and featureless flats rise like concrete totem poles above a six-lane highway. Despite adding features such as a swimming pool and Duravit bathroom fixtures and Siemens kitchens the complex looks like a warehouse where people will be stacked like boxes. The complex maximises density at the expense of human scale. According to MVRDV such a strategy is doomed.

"Building something on a human scale is easy," says Maas. "An inhuman environment is not created by numbers but by political and economic choices. If there is the political and economic will to build on a human scale it can be done. It seems Hong Kong does not have the will to do that."

Politics and the human will are at the heart of MVRDV projects. In this sense they are not architects concerned with form, function and aesthetics, but more like anti-architects or no-brand architects, viewing the design of a building as a way to solve social problems.

The most extreme version of this guerilla approach to architecture is MVRDV's exercises in science fiction, designed to confront us with our own terrifying future. These research projects began as brainstorming sessions involving the three partners and their young team (which now numbers 57 architects). They evolved into mind-boggling documents like KM3:Excursions on Capacities, which warns that the Earth has only 25 per cent of the resources required to support the current rate of consumption and population growth. MVRDV's answer is to maximise the amount of land left available for agriculture while building ever upward, creating "a city in which ground-zero no longer exists, where the street is replaced by simultaneous distribution and division of routes and is expanded by elevators, ramps and escalators".

If this sounds like the Mid-Levels, then it's no accident, for MVRDV has often studied the way Hong Kong deals with the extremes of its urban environment. It was in their minds when they produced MetaCity/Datatown. In this exercise MVRDV theorists imagined a self-sufficient city of 250 million people (the population of the US) set down in just 60,000 square miles (the size of Finland) and then asked what difference it would make if every resident wanted to live in a detached house, an urban tower block or a flat with a terrace. In one scenario the city's waste is recycled to build 560 ski resorts while green space is created by building one million Victoria Parks stacked up over almost 4,000 storeys.

For MVRDV, which has turned its urban fantasizing into a highly lucrative business with construction projects in nine countries including China, these exercises are not just mind games. They flow from the company's observation that megacities which sprawl in all directions - think Shenzhen - are eating up space needed to grow food, generate energy, dispose of waste (including human bodies) and take recreation.

"We need to design buildings that have a higher population density but also are easier to live in," says Maas. "That means finding ways to introduce light, productive social interaction and privacy."

In practice that means MVRDV believes space can be manufactured and nature can be created out of nothing by conjuring up landscapes on the floors of buildings and reproducing them endlessly towards the sky. And the company seeks to do this in ways that help repair the environment.

Take Liuzhou, on the mainland, on the edge of a karst-like mountain range that has become a Unesco World Heritage site, there is a limestone mine. During mining operations to extract limestone five of the mountains were cut in half. MVRDV's solution is to clad the slopes with houses.

"Our plan restores the beauty of the mountains and creates a continuous wave with the surrounding landscape," says de Vries. "The floors of the houses follow the topography of the slopes, protecting the mountains from further erosion and ensuring good views and ventilation."

The planned development is also whimsical, it has a sense of humour. This is essential to MVRDV's approach. They want humanity to use less space for housing, to accept high-density living as the only solution that leaves enough of the planet left for agriculture, manufacturing and recreation. To sell this idea, MVRDV feels it must create buildings that are fun and sustain themselves, managing their own waste disposal and generating their own energy.

"We try to avoid any kind of aesthetic element in our designs," says van Rijs. "Unlike Gehry, Zaha Hadid and others whose work is easy to recognise we do not have a strong personal style. Our approach is based on logic. We see design as a dialogue of elements."

Which makes MVRDV a radical force for change and one that's increasingly popular despite its revolutionary perspectives. It would not be wise to bet against them building a city with 50 40-storey pig farms.

And don't be surprised if one day Hong Kong has a trio of tubular cities spanning Victoria Harbour.

政府續收緊各區發展 多個項目受影響 筲箕灣區增設高度限制
8 November 2008
星島日報

城規會昨日公布修訂筲箕灣分區大綱圖圖則，全區加入高度限制，主要介乎八十米至一百九十米之間，當中舊樓密集的發展、重建區，最高建築物高度限制為一百米或一百一十五米，區內多家發展商旗下項目，包括新地筲箕灣道項目、協成行東大街項目及恒生西灣河大廈項目未來發展將受影響。

城規會昨日公布修訂筲箕灣分區大綱圖圖則，內容就筲箕灣多處地帶加入高度限制，主要介乎八十米至一百九十米之間。當中住宅帶的高限經修訂後為（主水平基準上，下同）一百米至一百九十米；其中，位於筲箕灣道和西灣河街一帶舊樓密集的發展、重建區，最高建築物高度限制為一百米或一百一十五米。另註釋亦訂明住宅甲類用地地積比由六倍至十倍不等。

佔地400米獲准增高20米

城規會指，為配合把面積較細的土地合併發展，佔地四百方米或以上的土地的最高建築物高度將獲准增加二十米。區內多家發展商，包括新地、協成行、英皇、褔利置業、信和及恒生等均持有發展項目，料新地筲箕灣道項目、協成行東大街項目及恒生西灣河大廈項目未來發展將受影響。

事實上，不少發展商在該區內舊樓一帶，持有項目，包括褔利置業持有的筲箕灣道一百七十五至一百七十九號褔仁大廈，其中新地持有的筲箕灣道二百九十五至三百零五號，高限為一百一十五米，由於地盤在四百方米或以上，故此該物業高限可增加一百三十五米。而協成行旗下的筲箕灣東大街二十一至二十七號的發展項目，高度限制在一百米，該地盤面積約六千五百方呎，故高限可再增二十米。

影響新發展項目市值

此外，由恒生銀行持有位於筲箕灣道一百七十一號的恒生西灣河大廈，修訂為「住宅甲類（二）」，高限為一百米，據了解，由於地盤在四百方米或以上，故此該物業高限可增加一百二十米；該物業早前曾以公開招標形式出售，惟投標者出售未達標，故物業最終被收回。預料三項目筲箕灣圖則修訂後將對物業市值購成影響。

不過，亦有不少發展商項目，由於早前已獲批圖則及規劃申請等，若未來發展方案不作出大幅改動，則不受是次加入高限影響，包括國森集團及相關人士持有的筲箕灣道一百四十七號至一百五十九號項目，於上月份獲圖則，一幢三十層高的住宅，另加住客會所。涉及住宅樓面約四萬二千七百二十八方呎，而非住宅樓面約一萬五千二百零八方呎。現被城規會高限設在一百米之內，由於地盤較大，故高限可增加至一百二十米。

早前獲批圖則物業不受限制

至於英皇持有西灣河成安街十八至二十八號，高限設在一百一十五之內，該地盤面積約四千三百方呎，高限可提升至一百三十五米，早前獲批可建一幢樓高二十六至二十七層高的商廈，總樓面約四萬五千方呎，預估於最快於一一至一二年建成。

近年有不少港島區私有地皮被發展商申請改建成酒店，當中包括信和筲箕灣興民街海天廣場項目，亦於本年上半年度獲批可建一座二十三層高的酒店。該項目現修訂為高限為一百米。該地皮面積約七千八百一十八方呎，並以十四點五地積比發展，樓面面積逾十一萬方呎，落成後將提供二百九十二個房間。

另由房協及市建局合作的南安街重建項目亦不能倖免，加入高限發展。至於住宅甲類項目獲修訂外，城規會亦把明華大廈的一幅偌大地皮，改劃為綜合發展區，該地高限為一百米至一百二十米之間；同時劃出一列土地改作非建築帶之用。

黃 泥 涌 放 寬 高 限 六 新 意 見 初 步 否 決


(星島日報報道)城規會早前計畫在黃泥涌分區大綱圖加入高限，現規劃署再就個別人士提出的六份進一步申述意見進行初步審議，惟全數不獲支持。最終結果將於本周五公布。

在六份申述意見中，意見普遍反對在黃泥涌區加入高限，並要求放寬中華基督教會香港閩南堂高限至一百米（主水平基準，下同）。規劃署解釋，在黃泥涌分區大綱圖加入高限已考慮多方面因素，並且已權衡大眾追求更好生活環境以及私人發展的權益，因此高限並不會為該區帶來視野、交通以及空氣流通的影響。規劃署續指，對於在中華基督教會香港閩南堂以及馬會會所加入高限，未會對周邊環境帶來影響。

對於有意見表示支持放寬修訂項目F至H的最高高限，並同時要
求放寬一部分養和醫院的高限至一百一十五米或一百三十米高。規劃署指出，若欠缺充足的理由放寬高限，將會立下不良先例，最終會導致過高的政府、機構及社區建築物出現，使黃泥涌的休憩空間以及環境視野逐漸失去。規劃署指出，若放寬至申請高度，將與周邊的建築物不相符，故六份申述初步不獲規劃署支持，最終審議結果將於本周五公布。

2008-11-12

Development rethink to let fresh air into city
17 November 2008
South China Morning Post

Improving quality of life is one of the keys to Hong Kong's continued success. The government well knows that changing property developers' ways is central to achieving this aim. The so-called wall effect and canyons created by cheek-by-jowl buildings are synonymous with our city, but also make our environment uncomfortable. It is therefore good that authorities are considering significant changes to the present system.

Land being a premium has naturally meant that developers have done their utmost to maximise its potential. Scarcity means high values which translate into economic considerations being foremost when sites are planned. As a result, buildings with little or no space between them line the waterfront and hillsides. The views are spectacular, but for those at street level, the lack of air circulation and sunlight can be stifling, especially in the humid months of summer and when pollution is high.

As we report today, a public consultation could start as early as next month to look at a vastly different development approach. Among proposals are that only 70 per cent of the length of a site can be used, ensuring better air flow between buildings, and that 30 per cent of the total area be set aside for greenery. Such a model seems on its face to be a much-needed breath of fresh air for our city, but it needs to be carefully considered. A balance has to be found to ensure that developers are not overly jeopardised; height restrictions of buildings may have to be relaxed to compensate for area densities being lessened.

There is significant reason for a rethink. Developers who presently voluntarily add green features like podium gardens to buildings are given incentives such as extra floor area. This has not always been conducive to improving the environment. There are cases of the system having been abused, to the detriment of the community.

The government is to be commended for taking environmental concerns firmly on board and pushing ahead with finding a better system. If Hong Kong is to flourish and thrive, we have to improve living standards. But developers have to be listened to and rules made flexible. With care and forethought, the mistakes of the past can be avoided.

RTHK News:
Wall effect reduced along West Rail (http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/20081118/news_20081118_56_538808.htm)

MTR not worried by 'wall effect' move
20 November 2008
Hong Kong Standard

MTR Corp (0066) said a government move intended to avoid "wall effects'' by property developments above West Rail stations at Nam Cheong and Yuen Long will not affect its revenue.

"The property development projects are owned by West Rail,'' MTRC property director Thomas Ho Hang- kwong said yesterday. "We only act as an agent for the projects. The revenue is not directly linked to us.''

He also said the projects have not yet been approved by the Legislative Council and the Town Planning Board, though it was anticipated they would be up for tender next year or in 2010. And he would not speculate on how the government's move to limit the two developments and so improve air flow might affect responses in the tendering process.

At Nam Cheong station, the Development Bureau proposes cutting one residential and one office tower from the scheme, reducing the gross floor area of the project by 18 percent to 303,107 square meters. High-rise residential blocks will be lowered by as much as 14.8 meters, reducing a 52-story building to 46.

In Yuen Long, plans are to cut two residential blocks. The gross floor area will be reduced by 15 percent to 136,362 sqm and height by three to 10.9 meters, meaning a proposed 47-story building will be no more than 44.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet- ngor was also talking about the revisions yesterday, saying planners have not estimated the reduction of income because of the changes. But the government had to strike a balance between public concern and housing supply.

Lawmakers point to scale back lessons
26 November 2008
Hong Kong Standard

Lawmakers grilled government officials yesterday to ensure more residents do not get the wind knocked out of their living situation.

In a forward-looking panel on development meeting, legislators tried to glean lessons from the scaling back of building developments above Nam Cheong and Yuen Long West Rail stations.

Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet- ngor sought to strike a balance between housing and government revenue needs and environmental considerations. She said many other projects of similar nature, privately owned and developed, could not be scaled back due to legal requirements.

Laying out buildings differently or staggering height, Lam said, is impossible with Nam Cheong and Yuen Long due to space restrictions and the fact that construction had already begun.

Addressing panel deputy chairman Patrick Lau Sau- shing's concern that new height restrictions would lead to uniform blocks, Lam said the height could be changed and the Development Bureau would always entertain innovative designs. The Frontier's legislator, Emily Lau Wai-hing, said the 20 percent ventilation the new breezeways would create is still 80 percent inadequate.

GreenSense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong said the number of blocks in the Nam Cheong development should be halved and the development reduced to less than 40 stories to reconcile the skyline with the nearby 30-story Nam Cheong Estate. Conservancy Association campaign manager Peter Li Siu-man said more studies were needed to see if the reductions are enough.

減建屏風樓 保東方之珠美譽
何永謙　前衛生福利局副局長、中文大學香港亞太研究所榮譽研究員
28 November 2008
香港經濟日報

最近，香港地產發展出現了一些變化，令一向關心香港城市發展的人感到鼓舞。

在灣仔，合和集團主動降低發展項目的地積比率，結束多年來與地方團體的爭論，令項目可以上馬。南昌機鐵站上蓋地產項目，亦打算降低地積比率及建築高度，減低所謂「屏風樓效應」。市建局士丹頓街項目，地積比率亦由8倍降至4.5倍，以照顧該區的特色。

保護山脊線 城規有進步

香港向來有東方之珠的美譽，晚上萬家燈火，璀璨悅目。在沒有污染的日子裡，在日間，藍天白雲，在維多利亞港兩旁，雖然廣廈千萬，但以前因受與啟德機場相連的高度限制，所以秩序井然，翠綠的太平山及獅子山的山脊線從不受干擾。

美麗的維多利亞港，便與三藩市、里約熱內盧、悉尼、温哥華等海邊城市相比，成為遊人欣賞的美麗城市。

當機場搬到赤鱲角，與啟德機場相連的高度限制不再生效後。維港兩岸陸續出現一些高聳入雲，與四周環境不○合的新摩天大廈，如司徒拔道上像一雙筷子的兩幢綠色大廈、高度超越同區所有樓宇的嘉亨灣、九龍站上蓋出現比商業樓宇更高的住宅大廈等等。

過高過密的大廈，在舊區內對原設施，如道路系統，可能帶來不可承受的壓力。這是眾所周知的。

除此之外，此等建築招惹了兩大批評。第一，過高過密的樓宇被指造成屏風效應，阻礙空氣流通，使空氣污染物容易積聚。在夏天，更加劇「城市熱島」（urban heat island）效應，近年，此等現象已不是在書本上才見到，香港市民大多有親身感受。第二，破壞山脊線。對懂得城市設計的人來說，山脊線是不少美麗城市的標記，香港的太平山，就如夏威夷的鑽石山（Diamond Head），是眾人認識的地標。所以，是先進城市所熱衷保衛的。

回應市民的訴求，城規會及規劃署最近都十分重視山脊線的保護，及減少所謂屏風樓效應。在相關問題上做了不少工作，包括聘請顧問對城市內空氣流通問題進行研究。在考慮審批黃竹坑重建項目時，亦對重建高度及山脊線問題諮詢公眾。更在近年發表了城市設計指引，有助為香港建設美好的都市環境。

口增速減 紓緩建高樓壓力

上述發展，反映香港城市規劃工作正在進步。我們已經從功能（functional）規劃，進步到兼顧城市美感及居民生活質素。參考外國經驗，良好的城市設計講究整體城市的風貌，以及每個小區的特色，最終以居民生活質素為依歸。

港人向來接受香港地少人多，所以對高密度發展從不抗拒。不過，參考外國經驗，高密度發展若能服從以人為本、與大自然配合、以及保留地區特色的城市設計原則，仍然可以建築一個居民及訪客皆稱善的優美都市。

近年，香港人口增長速度減慢，香港城市建設的壓力及速度已稍見紓緩。但是，機場高度限制撤銷後，發展局、城規會及規劃署便要做好把關的工作。

在審批新發展項目及重建計劃時，必須考慮下列因素：整體城市的風貌是否與美麗的維多利亞港配合，各區重建時能否保留及加強各區的特色，並照顧到居民的需要。

在未來的城市發展及重建工作上，我們應該加強尊重城市設計原則及指引，使各發展項目能在發展利潤、城市整體面貌、及區內居民利益三者間取得平衡。如此，政府在城市發展及重建工作中，便不須經常與市民對抗。

城市規劃患上「畏高症」嗎？
13 December 2008
星島日報

近年城規會先後在全港各區設置發展高度限制。至今，港島的北角、跑馬地，筲箕灣和西半山；九龍區的九龍塘、尖沙嘴、何文田、紅磡、馬頭角、慈雲山和油塘工業區；新界的將軍澳和屯門等的分區計畫大綱圖，都已加入高限修訂，以限制發展用地的樓宇高度。

政府此舉正是回應了行政長官的競選承諾，檢視每一區的規劃圖以解決屏風效應的問題。

發展商要在有高度上限的地盤重建，新樓宇便不能超過指定的高度。於是，每次有大綱圖的修訂，都有發展商起來反對。這不足為奇，皆因高樓有價，誰會願意物業不能建高而貶值？

社區用地規管更嚴苛

不過，對比私人發展，政府對於社區用地的規管則更加嚴苛，學校、教會、非政府組織的社區中心，高限便每每低至原有建築物的高度。舉例說，一幢五層高的教堂的高度限制就是五層。

換句話說，要重建便只准興建原來的層數，除非獲城規會批准。但要經城規會審批，既浪費時間又要增撥資源聘用規劃師作申請，令這些正準備重建或擴建發展的非牟利團體頭痛不已：「重建只因舊樓不夠用，又不是賣樓賺錢，怎麼這樣麻煩？」

傳統上，社區用地多是建築密度較低的樓宇，這些用地也可令城市景觀更加開揚。筆者認為，城規會大可以建築密度作限制，而不必過分規管至無法發展的地步。

連番修訂終於惹來業界的反響，香港建築師學會最近便去信規劃署，表達對高度限制的關注，並指出「在缺乏整體性的城市設計，尤其是建築密度檢討，而單單規限建樓宇高度，不但無法解決問題，相反只會令屏風效應加劇。」亦批評訂定該等高度上限不科學。

如果市民以為政府不斷規限高度是解決屏風效應問題的方法，這簡直是最大的誤會。

倘若密度不變，限制高度只會令建築物向橫發展，或是一幢高樓變成兩幢矮樓。地面空間相對較少，通風效果自然會更差強人意了。

建築密度是問題重點

西鐵南昌站和元朗站、合和二期以及市建局的士丹頓街項目，不是既減高度也減密度嗎？故此，建築密度才是問題的重點，減低地積比率才是對症下藥的舉措。

另一方面，鮮為人知的是，在「城市畏高症」的陰霾下，建築師在向屋宇署入則申請審批時亦遇上極大困擾。縱使在一些沒有法定高限的地區發展，倘若規劃署有意見認為樓宇太高，屋宇署便不敢批。既然合法，又怎會不批？要爭拗又既怕得罪政府，又怕費時失事。有建築師埋怨說：「你跟屋宇署的官員理論，他叫你去找規劃署。去找規劃署，官員又跟你討價還價。」過去由屋宇署依法審批且行之有效的做法幾乎蕩然無存。這些混亂的政策，實在令建築師束手無策。審批過程愈來愈複雜，亦間接阻延了工程的進度。

建築物不能向上發展，只好增加樓面的覆蓋率。於是，本來可以有更多地面的公共空間和行人通道都只好放棄。對行人環境有利的優秀城市設計，便無法成事了。

誠然，樓宇高度對城市景觀的確有重要的影響，保留山脊綫不受並排的高樓遮檔也是不爭的目標，但有效的城市設計便不止於高度限制。

總的來說，近年政府對回應市民對屏風樓的關注，確實做了不少功夫，態度值得嘉許。但以高限管屏風，畢竟是頭痛醫腳，開錯藥方呀！看來政府對城市設計的認識與實踐，仍有很大的進步空間。

吳永順

註冊建築師 城市設計聯盟成員

口增速減 紓緩建高樓壓力

I would say the above statement is flawed.

The high population density in our city persists despite the recent declining trend of population growth.

The restriction hinders the development of highrise projects with a low plot ratio be built all over the city. Such projects guarantee the privacy and spaciousness of residents and better ventilation.

Ventilation in urban environment is essential, and should never be neglected.

The redevelopment model does not encourage low density developments to start. Expropriation costs are too high, and in the end, builders have to go skywards to build enough units to recover the costs.

The redevelopment model does not encourage low density developments to start. Expropriation costs are too high, and in the end, builders have to go skywards to build enough units to recover the costs.

Skywards is always better than sidewards.

We are all well aware of the problems associated with suburban sprawls in North America. Certainly going sidewards creates more negative impacts than skywards. The Government, nor do the bulk of Hong Kongers have incentives to allow the sustainable redevelopment model comes into practice. The public would appreciate measures that have slight positive impacts in their living conditions, but not going anywhere further.

I would say the above statement is flawed.

The high population density in our city persists despite the recent declining trend of population growth.



I think they failed to recognise that people are on average getting wealthier and hence demanding for more privacy and space.

Yes, even with these big clubhouses and fancy decorations, the layouts have vastly deteriorated over the years.

Protesters demand review of 'wall effect' projects
15 December 2008
South China Morning Post

In a protest against the "wall effect" of a dozen current or planned construction projects, 50 people marched to government headquarters yesterday, demanding that the government review plans.

After the protest, legislator Tanya Chan said government officials had held a "secretive" meeting on Friday at the Town Planning Board to review "minor amendments" to the Hopewell Centre II project, but the definition and the impact of these "amendments" were not known.

"We have become Asia's walled city, not Asia's world city," she said.

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong, organiser of the demonstration, said Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor had not been open enough about town planning and that she should not give property developers government land as compensation in property deals.

The protesters, dressed in black and holding banners, marched from Chater Garden to the Central Government Offices, chanting slogans along the way. They also burst about 30 black balloons which had been enclosed in a cage, symbolising a halt to "bad development projects" and an end to the government's "black-box operation" (secretive behaviour).

Protesters also expressed concern about development plans for Nam Cheong and Yuen Long stations on the West Rail line. The government announced last month that the development density at Nam Cheong and Yuen Long stations would be reduced by 18 and 15 per cent respectively. But plans to build seven to eight 40-storey residential blocks around the 28-storey Sun Yuen Long Centre would still be harmful to its residents, said lawmaker Leung Yiu-chung after the protest.

"Not only will a wall of buildings block views, it may also become a safety hazard as fire could spread more easily in a concrete valley."

A government spokeswoman said it needed to "balance the suggestions of residents and developers" and that it had recently responded to residents' demands by reducing development density at various projects.

Lawmakers concerned a limit on green features will stifle creativity
20 December 2008
South China Morning Post

Lawmakers have expressed concern that capping the amount of green features developers can add to their projects in return for floor-space concessions could limit creativity.

At a Legco development panel meeting yesterday, lawmakers discussed the government's plans for controls aimed at preventing abuse of the system that has allowed some developers to double the originally authorised floor area of their projects.

The government was also urged to widen the policy review to cover all building regulations, strengthen co-operation among departments and encourage flexible building design.

The Development Bureau will hold a three-month public consultation early next year to gauge public views on striking a balance between adding green designs while avoiding wall-effect buildings that block air flow and views.

Proposals include capping the exempted areas granted to green features and requiring developers with exempted floor areas to comply with environmental rules such as greening 30 per cent of the development site area.

Legislator Patrick Lau Sau-shing, representing planners, architects and surveyors, said the new proposal had not gained full support from his sector. He said the government had specified the maximum gross floor area allowed on a site before it was sold for development and he feared the caps proposed for green features would reduce design flexibilities.

Lawmaker Abraham Razack, representing developers, said too many restrictions could discourage green designs. "If the government is to limit the floor height, the building will become less permeable," he said, urging review of the roles of the Planning Department, Buildings Department and Lands Department, citing their conflicting policies.

"The existing policy allows residential blocks to have grand and hotel-like lobby and club houses that are illuminated all day long. I don't think they are environment-friendly at all," said Secretary for Development Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.

A very tall order
Hong Kong needs a comprehensive review of its outdated building codes, which stifle the kind of creative architecture seen elsewhere, including on the mainland
12 January 2009
South China Morning Post

The heated debate about huge developments undermining the city's air quality seems to have cooled down with the government's recent efforts to reduce the density of a few controversial developments. The Development Bureau's proposal to limit building heights and promote more-sustainable designs last month further raised public expectations for a better living environment.

While things seem on the right track, the city's veteran architects still have worries and reservations, given the constraints they face in designing innovative and sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. They have called for an overhaul of building regulations and a master plan for the city.

Architects have dubbed Hong Kong's residential buildings "birthday cakes" because of their look - a cluster of high-rises sitting atop a huge podium structure, resembling a birthday cake with candles on top. They say that Hong Kong, which claims to be a "world city", has surprisingly few innovative designs.

"A pyramid-shaped building or buildings of any irregular shape could never appear in Hong Kong if the building regulations remain unchanged," said architect Rocco Yim Sen-kee, whose "Door" design was picked for the new government headquarters at Tamar.

He was referring to a pyramid-shaped building proposed for an office and hotel development in Paris. The building, named Le Project Triangle and to be completed in 2014, caught the eyes of the world not only for its stunning structure but also its green features.

It was designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the firm that designed the National "Birds Nest" Stadium for the Beijing Olympics. They said the landmark will cast no shadows on adjacent buildings, while wind and solar power will be used to enhance energy efficiency.

Here in Hong Kong, rigid building laws limit creativity. "Architects have to play by the rules," Mr Yim said. One constraint, he said, is the rule on site coverage - how much area a building can cover on the development site.

For example, the base of all buildings has to be larger than the structure's upper part - to a specific proportion. Yet, buildings on the mainland, and in other countries, can be designed with a smaller base, thus allowing for overhangs.

Mr Yim said the rule could stop developers "stealing" the ground space underneath the overhangs for commercial use. "This is perhaps a reason. I am not really sure about the rationale behind such an inflexible rule," he said.

"In some cases, the law allows 100 per cent site coverage for the bottom part of a building. Under such circumstances, we [architects] might commit the ultimate sin of not maximising the floor area if we do not build a large podium."

When not tied down by inflexible building laws, Hong Kong architects can create innovative designs - and have done so elsewhere, including on the mainland. One example is the 17 Miles East Coast complex, in east Shenzhen. The apartments form a cascading structure to make the development more compatible with the hilly landscape.

Another rule in Hong Kong that leads to many dull, similar buildings is the exemption for green designs - such as balconies that can provide shade - from floor-area calculations. The rule was supposed to be an incentive for developers to incorporate more environmental features. Since it took effect in 2001, residential blocks with standard balconies have become common. The balconies are almost all the same size and style because, first, they cannot be enclosed, and second, their maximum permissible floor area is 4 per cent of the flat's size, or 5 square metres, whichever is less.

"Bay windows are also confined to a height not exceeding 1.5 metres. This is to ensure the space will not become part of the living area," said Ronald Lu Yuen-cheung, the immediate past president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects.

Exemptions are also granted to car parks of residential developments within a train station's catchment area, to encourage drivers to park and take trains. The problem is that no one can really tell whether a building with these features is really environmentally friendly.

And without a limit on the maximum gross floor area of each development site, the impact of adding green features and car parks can lead to even larger developments, which block views and air flows. In some cases, according to the Development Bureau, total floor areas have risen by between 50 per cent and 110 per cent as a result of the car park exemption.

The Development Bureau - in an apparent catching up with changing social aspirations - announced late last year significant reductions in the scale of several controversial projects, including the "Mega Tower" in Wan Chai, the Staunton Street redevelopment project in Sheung Wan and two residential developments to be built at Nam Cheong and Yuen Long MTR stations.

The bureau has also imposed height restrictions on new developments in each district and promised to review the green-features exemption policy, with proposals to cap the exemption at 20 per cent to 35 per cent of the total gross floor area, excluding "bonus areas" and car parks.

Developers might also have to comply with environmental requirements to ensure the development as a whole contributes to improving the neighbourhood, for example, by setting back the development to widen pedestrian areas, allowing adequate gaps between buildings to prevent the "wall effect" and providing green areas covering 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the development. The public will be consulted in the next few months.

"We seem to be heading in the right direction. But we are just focusing on bits and pieces. We need a framework, a master plan, to lead the way," Mr Yim said.

The average living space per person in Hong Kong is just 12 square metres, he said, compared with a Shenzhen resident's 19.7 square metres. "We owe it to the community to improve their living standards and give the average person a slightly larger apartment, meaning the building bulk will need to grow," he said, "So, building tall is actually a solution to our problems. It enables our city to remain compact and dense, and to function."

Tall buildings actually allow more open ground space. But recent action by the Planning Department to strictly limit building height will not help. "Tall buildings, without intruding into ridge lines, should be tolerable because they moderate the skyline," said Mr Yim. Under government proposals, new developments in commercial areas of East Tsim Sha Tsui should not exceed 60 metres in height, while residential buildings and cultural facilities in the West Kowloon arts hub are limited to 50 metres and 70 metres, respectively, much lower than the International Commerce Centre and luxurious residential high-rises behind the hub.

Hong Kong will need an updated master plan - with a comprehensive review of building regulations - to achieve a proper balance in population density and quality living.

Anna Kwong Sum-yee, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, said a master plan would give direction in urban design and solve conflicting views commonly seen among the buildings, planning and lands departments. "Sometimes, an architect has to submit three different plans for a project just because these three departments have different interpretations on building-height measurements," she said. "There are constant reviews of the regulations but they are not fundamental changes."

The building regulations were adopted from Britain in 1956, and were mainly used to improve public health and safety in tenement districts. Lawmaker and former professor of architecture Patrick Lau Sau-shing said about 300 amendments have been made to the Buildings Ordinance over the past 50 years. "The regulations used to serve residential developments of seven storeys high. What we have now are more than 40 storeys. How can an archaic ordinance allow quality designs?" Dr Lau said. "It definitely needs a thorough review."

The review should consider relaxing the site-coverage restriction to allow more innovative designs, Mr Yim said, adding that only features that improve the environment should be exempt from floor-area calculation. On the mainland, only underground car parks are exempt. Governments in Guangzhou and Australia exempt half a balcony's size to allow more flexible and diverse designs, instead of limiting the size of an exempted balcony. "Balconies lower a flat's temperature by shading it from sunlight. Perhaps we should consider exempting those facing west only?" Mr Yim said.

Raymond Chan Yuk-ming, chairman of the public and social affairs committee of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, suggested varying the exempted balcony's size with the flat's size.

"The law is unclear on whether a flat can have a larger balcony or two balconies. Few developers are willing to test it out," he said.

Unlike overseas, where land premiums account for about 20 per cent of the total construction cost, the situation in Hong Kong is different. "Here, gross floor area is public money," Mr Lu said.

Recently, British philosopher Alain de Botton and author of The Architecture of Happiness predicted a rethink of the definition of wealth, because of the economic crisis. In a commentary for the news magazine Monocle, he said people would now question whether buildings should ever have been about making money. "Wise minds will stress that the quality of our houses, streets and cities is ultimately part of the mental health industry - and should not be seen as commodities without public responsibility," he said.

港鐵港島西線激化舊區重建西環未設高限屏風樓勢湧現
2 February 2009
信報

港鐵香港島西線將於二○一三年通車，加劇西環舊樓重建壓力。目前中西區十層以下的樓宇有多達二千幢，鑑於西環大部分土地獲准作高密度住宅發展，該區區議會主席陳特楚擔心，沿海一帶的唐樓將首當其衝被重建為「屏風樓」。規劃署承認，目前尚未有為西環引入高度限制的時間表，有城規會委員建議，政府應檢討是否優先為西環加設高限。

自二○○七年施政報告宣布減低市區發展密度，政府已逐步檢討各區的《分區計劃大綱圖》，發展局先後修訂了十一幅分區計劃大綱圖，而觀塘、九龍塘、黃泥涌、西半山及北角村等地皮亦已完成加設高度限制。

分區大綱圖未引入樓高限制　　不過，去年制定的堅尼地城及摩星嶺分區計劃大綱圖則未有引入高度限制，規劃署接受查詢時指出，西環未設有高度限制，暫亦未有加設高限的時間表。陳特楚接受查詢時表示，隨著地鐵港島西線動工，該區收地情況非常頻繁，發展商必定「起到盡」，沿海一帶地皮尤令人擔心，勢將陸續出現屏風樓。

中西區區議會對西環的城規研究顯示，該區大部分土地被劃為住宅（甲類）用地，容許高密度住宅發展，有參與研究的港島區立法會議員何秀蘭指出，截至二 ○○六年底，整個中西區有九百五十幢七層以下樓宇，十層以下的多達二千幢，雖然部分包括西半山的豪宅，但顯示舊區正面對沉重的重建壓力。

近年堅尼地城至石塘咀一帶已陸續出現「摩天住宅」，例如位於堅尼地城新海旁只有四年樓齡的泓都，便是由唐樓重建而成，屬新世界發展和市區重建局合作發展房地產項目，樓高達四十五層。記者在現場所見，鄰近泓都的爹核士街十二至十八號地段，亦早被遠東集團收購作四星級酒店發展，預計樓高三十四層，該地原址僅為四幢三至四層高的舊式住宅，樓齡達五十四年，每層只有一伙，令收購地盤更加容易；而向東行位於卑路乍街四十四號、前身為錦茂工業大廈的地盤，亦已被新世界發展集團旗下新創建集團清拆作住宅項目。

根據中原地圖資料，西環沿海仍有許多樓齡達四十年以上的舊式住宅，由於這類住宅大部分處於高密度的住宅（甲類）用地，相信會陸續成為發展商「囊中物」。

樓市轉淡方便發展商收樓

陳特楚指出，最近樓市轉淡，更有利發展商以較平價錢收樓，區內幾幢八層高唐樓的收購情況都相當理想，卑路乍街五十八號的必發大廈和鄰近的建裕大廈已被收購，待樓市好轉就會清拆重建，稍後更陸續有來。他擔心，政府若不加快修定該區的規劃標準，將來整個中西區，尤其西邊會面對嚴重的「屏風樓」問題，區議會下一步將就有關城規研究作出跟進。

城規會委員、港大地理系副教授吳祖南指出，規劃署在為不同區域引入高度限制時，會視乎該區的發展潛力和發展商的行動決定先後次序，例如最近特別在屯門東一個小區域設限，就是基於發展商的「動作」。他稱，鑑於港鐵西線通車將增加西環的發展潛力，政府應考慮是否優先為該區設限。

雖然現有建築物條例有限制地盤的地積比率，但地盤邊界愈多面向寬四點五米以上的街道，可獲發展的地積比率就愈高。吳祖南指出，單幢式重建項目受地盤所限，通常收購後亦不會建得太高，但如果發展商連帶馬路旁的地段一併收購來發展，則很容易推高可發展的地積比率，造成「屏風樓」問題■該地盤原為三至四層高的舊式住宅，目前已被遠東集團收購作酒店發展，預計建成後將高達三十四層。

前身為錦茂工業大廈的地段已被新創建集團成員協興建業收購，並清拆作住宅項目，據稱毗鄰的唐樓收購情況亦相當理想。

位處堅尼地城新海旁路的三幢臨海舊式住宅已有四十七年歷史，每層只有一伙，預計亦是發展商覬覦的收購對象。

Pollution study points to dangers of 'canyon effect'
2 February 2009
South China Morning Post

The "canyon effect" is to blame for the much higher level of ultrafine air pollutants at bus stops on "walled streets" in Central compared with those in more ventilated areas, a study has shown.

In one comparison, the number of pollutants nearly doubled. The canyon effect refers to the impact - such as poor ventilation and trapped heat - from the creation of canyon-like streets between walls of closely spaced tall buildings.

The study measured the number of ultrafine particles in every cubic centimetre of air, rather than the government's pollution-monitoring method that tracks the weight of larger particles in every cubic metre of air.

Ultrafine particles can be as tiny as 20 nanometres in diameter - 2,500 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.

Although there are no international standards on acceptable levels of the number of ultrafine particles in the air, overseas studies have found they can penetrate directly into blood vessels and lung tissue, causing harm. Many scientists believe they may be the most harmful form of air pollution.

The Hong Kong study was conducted last year by students at the University of Science and Technology. They found the air at bus stops at sites between walls of buildings on streets with heavy traffic had more ultrafine pollutants than that at bus stops in open spaces, seaward streets and indoors.

The number of particles at the two eastbound bus stops outside Wing Lung Bank and the old Hang Seng building at Des Voeux Road Central were on average 90 per cent and 75 per cent higher than at the bus stop outside Statue Square in Central.

Measurements were taken during evening peak hours on six days between September and December.

Between 48,000 and 137,000 particles were recorded at the Wing Lung Bank bus stop, between 63,000 and 100,000 at the old Hang Seng Bank building bus stop, and a range of 22,000 to 82,000 at the Statue Square bus stop. For comparison, a benchmark reading of 20,000 was recorded at the researchers' Sai Kung campus on a clear and fine summer day.

Des Voeux Road Central is surrounded by buildings on both sides while the Statue Square stop has more open space in its vicinity, although more buses pass by the square.

"The findings strongly suggest the presence of the canyon effect in Central," said Lau Ngai-ting, the project's supervisor. "The number of particles one inhales in the streets would be astronomical."

He said that while the readings might have varied with changing weather conditions and ambient pollution levels, he believed poor ventilation contributed to higher pollution levels on the streets. Heavy traffic, such as buses running on large diesel engines, was the key source of ultrafine particles, he said.

Researchers also measured particle levels along three different walking routes between Des Voeux Road Central and Statue Square.

On all three routes, the reading showed high levels of pollutants - hitting a high of 180,000 at one point on the road - but fell below 10,000 in elevated walkways, mall corridors and underground rail stations, where ventilation was better.

Adrien Chen Kam-cheuk, a chemical and environmental engineering student who initiated the study, said: "Going above ground or underground seems to be a more desirable way for commuters to avoid street-level pollution."

Mr Lau said regulating traffic through such means as electronic road pricing or low-emission zones might help reduce the pollution level.

保留特色 改善居住環境
26 February 2009

【明報專訊】香港中文大學新聞及傳播學院教授馬傑偉指出，香港回歸後，近10年的社會訴求，除普選外，還要求保育歷史地標、活化舊社區群體、批判屏風樓、抗議公共空間私有化等等，這些多元化訴求總體來說有個共通點，「港人追求的生活質素，除了經濟方面，還強調對歷史文化的歸屬、社區關係的嚮往，以及居住環境的情趣」。

希望改善居住環境亦算是活化意義之一。於藍屋一帶推行社會服務的聖雅各福群會社區發展服務主管林國偉指出，藍屋建築群無衛生設備，部分亦日久失修，希望當局盡快透過活化計劃，改善居民的生活環境。

立法會建築、測量及都市規劃界議員劉秀成則認為，活化的意義是「如何好好善用建築物，不要浪費空間」。他表示，活化舊建築可以保留香港的特色，令舊建築重拾生命力，政府應該支持。另外，活化舊建築亦可以為有心保育建築物的機構提供辦公的地方，但他坦言並非所有機構都是抱着保育的心態去申請。

Ability to transfer rights vital to aid preservation, architect says
11 April 2009
South China Morning Post

Architects say it is time to introduce a much-discussed incentive system for owners of listed buildings - which for many represent their only assets.

Transfer of development rights would be the most effective tool to help out many individual owners, the chairman of the Institute of Architects heritage and conservation committee, Eric Lee Chung-ming, said. "Mere grading of heritage without giving owners a way out is useless. Either it will speed up acquisition and demolition, or owners who don't know how to deal with their properties will just leave them to deteriorate."

A grade three townhouse in Sai Ying Pun was a case in point, he said. There was no way to save it from demolition as there was no statutory protection for graded buildings. In such a case, as with other shophouses in Central and Sham Shui Po, where the sites were small, owners should be entitled to sell the development rights to developers.

Those developers would be able to acquire these rights and transfer them to other land they held, with the historic building being kept or partially preserved depending on its heritage value. If developers owned the heritage sites themselves, they should be permitted to transfer the residual building density to other sites they owned.

The mechanism was widely used in the United States, Canada and Taiwan, in contrast to the United Kingdom and Singapore, where public or private heritage trusts were relied on to acquire buildings.

"The transfer mechanism is more suitable for our society, where private property rights are expected to be highly respected and where land has great redevelopment pressure," Mr Lee said. "Acquiring heritage blocks with public money should be a last resort."

The fact that all the city's 86 declared monuments were owned by the government reflected to some extent the absence of incentives for private conservation, he said.

The Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was placed under review when the Home Affairs Bureau was in charge of heritage policy, which triggered a discussion on the transfer system. But the government had reservations about it because of technical problems. The Development Bureau indicated it would not review the legislation when it took over the policy. "Without legislative changes there will be no long-term heritage policy," Mr Lee said.

b[]恒基北角地限高110米 [/b]
18 April 2009
星島日報

城規會昨天審議恒基旗下北角亞洲凍倉用地的發展方案，委員指，建議發展商以密度較低的方案發展，即住宅地積比八倍、商業十二倍，高限一百一十米（主水平基準以上，下同）。此外，地政總署昨天正式推出上水石湖墟新豐路商住地皮的賣地章程，安排下月拍賣成為本財年首次政府土地公開拍賣。

規劃署建議採方案一

城規會昨天審議多個規劃申請，當中恒基旗下北角亞洲凍倉用地的發展方案，委員認為已考慮恒基旗下北角京華道項目的申請背景，認為項目較適宜以八倍地積比發展，故建議發展商以方案一，即一百一十米的高度限制，以及最大的二十三萬九千八百二十一方呎住宅樓面發展。

城規會續指，考慮及規劃署的建議以及項目毗鄰的物業高度，認為將把規劃署的建議納入基礎諮詢，從而再作研究。城規會表示，規劃署提出的兩個發展方案已屬地皮的發展參數上限，發展商需就項目提交相關的技術評估報告，以確保不會對附近交通、景觀以及空氣流通構成影響。

而裕泰興前浴德池用地申建一幢十九層高商廈，以及環保觸覺提出減低南昌站上蓋項目的地積比以及高限，兩項申請均不獲城規會批出。此外，城規會早前以附帶條例形式批准華置旗下的肇輝臺項目申請，要求發展商需與毗鄰的滿輝大廈預留五米距離。華置現就上述附帶條件申請覆核，認為該附帶條件不合情理及不具效益，將會立下壞先例。

另外，大鴻輝及有關人士持有的灣仔太原街四十三至六十三號及皇后大道東二百四十二至二百四十六號項目，繼年初獲批興建二十七層高酒店後，現新近向城規會提出申請改劃成商業地帶。地積比較早前所獲批的增約一成六，至十四點二五倍，而層數亦增建四層至擬建的三十一層高。

石湖墟地皮下月拍賣

至於，上水石湖墟新豐路商住地皮，昨天推出正式的賣地章程，面積約三千二百九十二方呎，地皮設高限，最高可建二十米，但地積比率則設有彈性。若地皮以住宅用途發展，最高可以三點九倍地積比興建，可建樓面面積約為一萬二千八百方呎。若以非住宅用途發展，則可以最高地積比率六點七倍興建，即可建樓面面積約二萬二千方呎。業界普遍認為，地皮以地積比四點六倍發展，可建樓面一萬五千方呎，測量界估計地皮估值介乎三千五百萬元至四千三百三十五萬元，呎價介乎二千三百元至二千八百九十元，將安排於五月五日推出。

摩天大樓 城市進步？
6 April 2009
星島日報

新聞摘錄

國際競建摩廈與天比高

資料顯示，香港擁有多達三十幢高七百呎(二百一十三米)以上的摩天大廈，數量為全球第二，僅次於紐約，但排名正受杜拜、上海等城市挑戰；曾以八十八層成為香港最高建築物的國金二期，過去五年在全球高度排名已由第六跌至第十位。

摩廈建築大師Katz認為，摩廈帶給現代城市人最大的好處，是讓他們可以爭取時間，以最少時間進行最多的活動：他舉例指：「香港向來只用了兩成半的土地來建樓，由於交通有充足配套，樓房較適合向高上發展。」對於港府近年紛紛在各區實施高度規劃限制，他認為值得留意的是，受高度限制而需要改為橫向發展，反而可能導致「屏風效應」。

（摘自2009年3月30日《星島日報》）

相關資料

報章
•全球第三高廈 明年港落成（港聞 30-3-2009）
•市區更新亞洲城市的經驗（每日雜誌 24-1-2009）
•從《城市化危機》到建築師的抉擇（每日雜誌 6-12-2008）
•高632米投資148億 上海擬再建「中國第一高樓」（中國 28-11-2008）
•環保觸覺促降尖區摩廈高度（港聞 16-9-2008）

資料來源：《星島日報》

網頁
•香港摩天大廈
http://www.hk-place.com/view.php?id=209

•城市規劃存漏洞 摩天大廈礙維港景觀
http://www.com.cuhk.edu.hk/ubeat/050569/story10.htm

•認識摩天
http://skyscrapers.cn/data/know.htm

•統計指香港擁有30座摩天大廈 數量位居全球第二
http://big5.ce.cn/xwzx/gnsz/gdxw/200902/02/t20090202_18088917.shtml

•減屏風樓利民 修訂規劃要快
http://www.hkheadline.com/news/headline_news_detail.asp?id=64832&section_name=wtt

書籍

•《摩天大樓》
作者：Joseph, Leonard M.
出版社：台北：美工科技，2004

•《城市住區規劃設計概論》
作者：惠劼、張倩、王芳
出版社：北京：化學工業：教材出版中心，2006

多角度思考

1.你對摩天大樓有何印象？這是社會進步的象徵，還是會破壞城市景觀？

2.你對香港的城市規劃有何意見？有甚麼地方需要作出改善？

3.世界各地政府不斷在樓宇高度方面作出競爭，你認為這是個好的現象嗎？試從正反兩方提出意見。

Architects say standards too easy
12 May 2009
South China Morning Post

Architects and surveyors say the Urban Renewal Authority should not feel complacent about satisfying the present green building rating system, which is outdated and even approves of wall-like towers.

They say the present standards are easy to achieve and the authority should adopt new standards when they are updated at the end of the year.

The Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method (HK-Beam) scheme, now being reviewed, was drawn up in 1996 to enhance properties' value by giving them a green label. It gives credit to a new building if it fulfils criteria including savings in energy and water and use of recycled building materials.

But the scheme has rated some high-density bulky designs as "excellent". The microclimate factor, which considers how a new building blocks air circulation in the surroundings, accounts for just two of the 110 points.

Kenneth Chan Jor-kin, of the Institute of Surveyors, said it was not difficult to achieve platinum grade, the highest rating under the scheme. "Builders should now also pay attention to the impact on the neighbourhood, whether it will reduce air ventilation and overshadow the area," he said.

Institute of Architects vice-president Wong Kam-sing agreed, and added quasi-government organisations such as the authority should set a higher standard on energy savings as a role model. "The authority is in a good position to do so as redevelopment in the crowded city centre provides a chance to improve quality of life."

The authority's district development director, Stephen Lam Wai-nang, said it would require developers to make sure buildings in future projects achieved the highest standard under the HK-Beam scheme.

He said two past projects, Mount Davis 33 in Kennedy Town and Vision City in Tsuen Wan, had achieved platinum grade under the scheme.

The government said last week that all newly built government buildings with a floor area of more than 10,000 square metres would be certified under the green building rating system.

Building projects put wind up greens
22 June 2009
The Standard

Four new buildings in North Point's Oil Street will slash 30 percent of ventilation in the area, Green Sense warned yesterday as it asked the government to reduce the scale of development by half.

The group cited a University of Science and Technology study that claimed redeveloping the former Government Supplies Department site will reduce wind velocity on Electric Road and King's Road by 26-27 percent, with the concentration of pollutants rising from 35 to 36 percent.

Wind velocity will be reduced by 6 percent for the entire North Point district, the group said.

The administration has proposed four buildings 100 meters to 110m tall, with a plot ratio of 8.6, and three air corridors.

But Green Sense suggested two 80-90m buildings, a plot ratio of four and two wide air corridors.

``Wind velocity will be reduced by 15 percent only in our proposal,'' Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong said.

The group also criticized a proposed mega building _ 147m tall with a plot ratio of 15 _ next to the new Harbour Grand Hotel.

The government is proposing a 110m-building with a plot ratio of 12 for commercial use or a ratio of eight for residential use next to the hotel, with one air corridor.

The group wants the height of the building to be not more than 80m, with a plot ratio of four and two air corridors.

Tam said he will submit the proposal to the Town Planning Board today.

``The government did not listen to our views in the past because we lacked a scientific air- ventilation assessment,'' Tam said. ``But we have it this time.''

King's Road is one of Hong Kong's heavily congested streets, Tam said, adding that the temperature in North Point is an average 3-4 degrees Celsius higher than other districts.

Democratic Party lawmaker Kam Nai-wai proposed a flexible plot ratio if developers were asked to slash the scale of development in busy districts, adding that they could be compensated with higher ratios in less dense areas.

Lo Wing-lok, a former medical sector lawmaker, said the rise in pollutants will increase the chance of cardiac disease.

環保設計＝城市失衡？
10 July 2009
星島日報

發水樓、屏風建築、超高大厦等香港城市的失衡現象，源自本地經濟結構對房地產發展的過分依賴，導致政策傾斜。發展局正視問題愈趨嚴重，最近提出公開諮詢，以期在「環保設計」的基礎上，取得均衡的城市發展。

（一）揭開發水樓之謎

過去二十多年，發展商慣常在售樓的面積上取巧，致每戶要多付金錢購買「發水面積」。今天，發展商藉着更多「環保優惠政策」，巨細無遺計算入「建築面積」範圍內，令發水樓的情況變本加厲。礙於各方不同利益，我們仍無法依據屋宇署審批的圖則作為售樓「實用面積」的標準。

（二）政府不宜優惠住客會所

多年來，政府以優化康樂設施為理由向發展商提供額外三個百分點的地積比率優惠。由於該等住宅會所亦計算入建築面積內，發展商必然增設大而無當的豪華會所作賣點。筆者建議以下兩個修訂方案：（一）取消額外三個百分點的優惠，交由發展商自行決定發展策略。（二）如要保留優惠，建議住宅會所的室內總面積應設上限，避免空間浪費，以節省能源、提倡環保與健康生活。

（三）環保設計的謬誤

所謂「環保設計」，包括露台、空中花園、外牆預製組件等，本是特區政府為推廣綠色生活而提供的豁免面積優惠。吊詭是，專家及政府竟未能預見所衍生的後遺症，至超高大廈的出現才醒覺該等政策被嚴重濫用，變成加大樓宇面積與城市失衡發展等禍害。筆者贊成全面檢討及還原政策的本意。

（四）放寬管制形成超高大廈及屏風樓

隨着機場遷移後未立新例，發展商趕快把新建的大廈盡一切辦法推高，並以戶戶靚景為由催生香港特有的「一字排列，墊高平台，再托高樓層」的屏風式建築，製造嚴重熱島效應。筆者同意大廈平台及總體樓宇設高限，以回復昔日恰當的立體街道比例。

從速勾劃未來發展藍圖

在勾劃香港未來的發展藍圖，筆者贊成由有關的專責單位，以香港的整體城市布局及發展模式，作深化的研究、設計、規劃，並發表「香港城市的立體設計模型及規劃大綱」提出：（一）香港與深圳兩地城市跨地域共同發展的整體概念（二）訂定宏觀調控各區的建築高度，有系統地制定近海發展策略、公共綠化帶、山脊綫保護及應否採用櫛比鱗次的發展模式以維護海旁景觀等指引（三）全面研究特色舊區、文化產業區與旅遊景點的角色及相互產生的經濟效益，看如何與「可持續發展」概念產生協同效應？

有了劃一的規範，揚棄「鬥高鬥大」的發展目標，發展商再不必依賴五花八門的手法促銷，反給予建築師重拾「自由發揮」的空間——讓天空歸還城市，讓空間歸還民居，讓環保歸還現實，香港才可稱為「可持續發展的城市」。

尖咀設高限 建摩廈機會降
23 June 2009
香港經濟日報

市民環保意識日益高漲，在反對屏風樓聲音下，政府續於各區設下建築物高度限制，相信未來尖沙咀一帶，能出現如河內道項目高度的摩天住宅的機會，大大降低。

於尖沙咀、紅磡一帶，雖然已有數個項目準備發展，但在高度限制下，日後批建摩天住宅的機會較渺茫。就以位於紅磡灣填海區的D1地盤為例，其高度限制已設於主水平基準以上100米。

然而，資料顯示，未來區內仍有個別商廈及酒店項目，其高度有望與河內道看齊。當中，早前獲屋宇署批准重建成63層商廈的新世界中心，其高度就與河內道看齊。另外，海港城港威3期重建項目，獲批建一幢96層高商廈及酒店，更有望成為繼九龍站環球貿易廣場(ICC)、國金2期(IFC)後，全港第3 高的建築物。

Besides Hong Kong, are there any other cities in the world with skyscraper walls? I know Caracas has two of them near the Parque Central twin towers.

Besides Hong Kong, are there any other cities in the world with skyscraper walls? I know Caracas has two of them near the Parque Central twin towers.

New York does - but they have setback requirements to allow sunlight to reach the street level.

Besides Hong Kong, are there any other cities in the world with skyscraper walls? I know Caracas has two of them near the Parque Central twin towers.

Israel has some too.
I'm from Haifa and we have 3 or 4.

New York does - but they have setback requirements to allow sunlight to reach the street level.

Hong Kong used to have the same requirement, too. That's why Charter Bank has a stepped top; and some of the old buildings have the angled as well.
But don't know what has happened to that requirement, and seem nobody has to deal with it anymore.

Then New York, or Manhattan, has that street grid layout allowing air/wind to flow along the avenues/streets from one side to the other without obstruction from shore to shore. No matter what, redevelopments in Manhattan still occur within the existing square block maintaining the open grid system. However, the new giant lots in HK have destroyed that nice grid system we used to have. Podiums and high towers above have become the termini of many small streets, surrounding the old neighbourhood in the dark.

Hong Kong used to have the same requirement, too. That's why Charter Bank has a stepped top; and some of the old buildings have the angled as well.
But don't know what has happened to that requirement, and seem nobody has to deal with it anymore.

Then New York, or Manhattan, has that street grid layout allowing air/wind to flow along the avenues/streets from one side to the other without obstruction from shore to shore. No matter what, redevelopments in Manhattan still occur within the existing square block maintaining the open grid system. However, the new giant lots in HK have destroyed that nice grid system we used to have. Podiums and high towers above have become the termini of many small streets, surrounding the old neighbourhood in the dark.

Wow .. wonder how HK's requirements disappeared. But even for New York, would the avenues and streets be wide enough to ventilate the city?

Wow .. wonder how HK's requirements disappeared. But even for New York, would the avenues and streets be wide enough to ventilate the city?

Probably, money talks again.

The avenue and some of the major streets definitely do in Manhattan.
I was walking on 43rd St and 9th Ave (three blocks from the shore) last weekend, the wind was blowing like crazy.

I think this is another good example in To Kwa Wan district :

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070804/IMG_9942.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070804/IMG_9970.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070926/IMG_1890.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070926/IMG_1898.jpg

http://www.globalphotos.org/hongkong/20070926/IMG_1897.jpg

Does anyone have any information about projects that need funding? It can either be troubled projects or proposed projects.

Copelon
225.202.5220

:banned:

TST towers skewer new height limits
23 August 2009
SCMP

The Tsim Sha Tsui skyline, which has been thrusting higher since the closure of Kai Tak airport more than 10 years ago ended height restrictions in its former flight path, could be studded with more big skyscrapers despite new curbs imposed last year.

Conservationists blame a failure of town planning that saw several projects approved before zoning rules came in that cap waterfront building heights at 80 metres. These towers could be more than three times that tall; one developer has permission to go as high as 386 metres.

The Kowloon peninsula will continue to be dominated by the 484-metre International Commerce Centre, built on reclaimed land in West Kowloon, and surrounding buildings. But in the bustling, congested commercial district next door, several tall towers are being built. One, the 250-metre The Masterpiece, opened its 59th floor show flat to VIPs yesterday. Flats in the block in Hanoi Road sell for HK$22,000 per square foot.

Mary Melville, who has lived in Tsim Sha Tsui for 20 years, is not impressed. "This building is just too tall. A public street, Cornwall Avenue, disappeared as a result of the project and people moved out. The public space we get in return is a covered passageway between shops with a few potted plants and half a dozen seats," the 62-year-old said.

Prospective buyer Lau Kwok-sing is attracted to The Masterpiece because it is taller than most buildings in the district. The 52-year-old, who works in the jewellery trade, plans to buy an 800 sq ft flat as an investment.

Property agents expect the tower to be popular with buyers from over the border. "This kind of luxury building is not targeting people on the street but loaded buyers, mostly from the mainland," said Irene Chan, account manager at Midland Realty.

The Masterpiece was jointly developed by the Urban Renewal Authority and New World Development, which also has permission to redevelop the New World Centre on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. The new building could be even taller than The Masterpiece, at 265 metres. Meanwhile, Chinese Estates is building The One, a 160-metre tower on the site of the Tung Ying Building in Nathan Road.

But Wharf Holdings could trump both if it redevelops part of Harbour City. Plans approved 10 years ago allow a hotel/office tower of up to 386.7 metres, or 96 storeys.

All these towers were approved after the closure of the airport in 1998 but before town planners agreed on zoning amendments last year.

"Who has benefited from these gap years?" asked Albert Lai Kwong-tak, chairman of lobby group The Professional Commons. "The government must have known Kai Tak airport was going to move before 1997. How come it took so long to impose height restrictions?"

The zoning plan, with its limits on building height, was changed in response to a public outcry against the construction of massive, wall-like developments that disrupt air flow and block sunlight for surrounding buildings. The changes limit building heights in the West Kowloon Cultural District and Tsim Sha Tsui to between 50 metres and 95 metres. But the changes came years too late to prevent the construction of towers such as The Masterpiece.

"I am sure this building, which has created a wall effect with its tall and flat shape, would not get approval from the Town Planning Board nowadays," said Roy Tam Hoi-pong, president of environmental group Green Sense. "It is just like two football fields standing on end. It blocks the Kowloon ridge line when viewed from Hong Kong Island."

Three years ago, the Town Planning Board expressed concern at the trend for taller and wider buildings, saying they blocked neighbours' views, sunlight and air flow.

The Urban Renewal Authority said the public had been consulted about The Masterpiece.

District councillor Lam Ho-yeung is worried about the impact of such buildings on Tsim Sha Tsui. "I have no idea how the traffic is going to cope with these skyscrapers," he said.

The New World Centre redevelopment will see the office tower and shopping mall turned into a hotel around 70 storeys high. New World Development settled the land premium for the project with the government in 1998, but it was put off because of property market downturns and held up by negotiations on the terms of the land lease. The developer has now cleared all formalities.

A spokeswoman for Wharf Holdings said it had not decided when to begin redeveloping the Ocean Centre at Harbour City. A New World spokesman has previously said the company plans to begin redeveloping the New World Centre this year.

Builders in rush to beat new rules
Developers seeking quick project approvals before stricter density and height limits
23 September 2009
South China Morning Post

Developers are in a race to win approval for ambitious building projects before the government resumes a campaign to lock in tighter planning restrictions over building heights and densities.

Opinions on tighter development controls differ widely and an accelerated campaign by the government last year that saw stricter controls introduced in 13 districts won wide applause from green groups and the general public who are opposed to raising building density in Hong Kong, already one of the world's most densely populated cities.

But the campaign, aimed chiefly at setting limits to building heights and plot densities to ensure adequate air flow and sunlight for surrounding buildings, also unleashed a flood of objections from developers and homeowners.

Wong Nai Chung was among the most controversial cases, triggering 441 objections and putting the brakes on the policy. As a result, only Chek Lap Kok, Mid-Levels East and Ma On Shan have had building height restrictions imposed so far this year.

The slowdown provided a window of opportunity for developers to push through individual approvals before the government tightened district-wide controls, said a surveyor.

Dennis Law Sau-yiu, the managing director of small development company Yu Tai Hing, said: "The private sector can't do much about the policy. We can only try to get approvals for the building plans of our projects as soon as possible before the government imposes development controls."

Where district-wide restrictions have not yet been spelled out in an outline zoning plan, individual approvals may be secured from the Buildings Department. Swire Properties is among those that found this way to avoid height restrictions.

It won approval from the Buildings Department in 2007 for a redevelopment project at 25-35 Seymour Road in Mid-Levels to build a 52-storey residential building. A year later, under an outline zoning plan, the Planning Department issued a directive that would have restricted Swire to constructing a 30-storey building on the site. But armed with its approval from the Buildings Department, it escaped this provision.

But this route was not available on all sites, Law said. "We cannot be sure in the beginning about how many old buildings we may acquire and how big the site may be. So how can I produce a building plan? And if I wait until I have acquired sufficient development sites before I apply for a building plan, the government may have imposed development controls by the time I am ready," he said.

Edwin Leong, the managing director of another developer, Tai Hung Fai Enterprise, agreed that trying to rush building plans through the approval process with the Buildings Department was the only way to beat the tide of tighter controls. But this would not be easy, he added.

"It is difficult to acquire development sites in an urban area. Acquiring old buildings is one of the ways for developers to replenish their land banks. But securing a sufficient number of units in old buildings is a painful process and then we may still have to face tighter development controls when we finish," Leong said.

Meanwhile, both developers and the government must deal with the mounting opposition to high-density housing projects from the public and green groups.

MTR Corp faced the wrath of action group Green Sense when it invited development tenders for its residential project at Che Kung Temple Station in Sha Tin last year. Green Sense said the project design would block air flow and views for existing residents in the area.

It also lobbied the Town Planning Board to reduce the development plot ratio of MTR's Tsuen Wan project from five to three and the number of towers from seven to four last year.

Neither of the objections was upheld, but they provided the MTR with a foretaste of the mounting opposition to high-density living in Hong Kong and this year it hastened to secure approvals from the Buildings Department for three other development projects already on the drawing board and not yet subject to outline zoning plans.

The rising density of Hong Kong's residential towers prompted Katty Law Kar-ling, who has lived in Mid-Levels for 30 years, to set up the Central and Western Concern Group with several neighbours in 2005 after the government put the former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters on the land application list.

"A lot of tall buildings have been built in the district over the last 10 years. The redevelopment projects blocked views and worsened traffic jams. We believe the government should keep the former quarters for community use rather than residential use. The district lacks open space," she said.

Other residents, however, are more concerned about higher values for their old apartments.

Alex Lo, a resident of an old building at Seymour Road, received an offer from a developer to buy his flat for HK$11,000 per square foot last year. While he and other residents were considering the deal, the government imposed a height limit on the site. "We haven't heard another word from the developer and the market price of my flat is HK$6,300 per square foot only," Lo said.

Mapping team acts to turn down the city heat
6 October 2009
SCMP

Developers are being urged to undo the damage they have done to residents' quality of life by acting to curb the "heat island" effect that has made parts of Hong Kong up to five degrees hotter than people can comfortably tolerate.

A government team has drawn up the city's first climatic map - derived from a four-year study commissioned by the Planning Department in 2006 - that highlights a dozen densely populated urban areas as hot spots.

They are Sheung Wan, Central, Causeway Bay, Wan Chai, North Point, Tsim Sha Tsui, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, Lai Chi Kok and Tseung Kwan O.

"These areas are five degrees Celsius higher compared with an environment offering people thermal comfort," Professor Edward Ng Yan-yung from Chinese University, who led the study team, said.

As well as looking at the air temperature of each district, the map takes into account the development density, topography, wind velocity, humidity, radiation and human activities of each area to calculate the "physiological equivalent temperatures", which measure thermal comfort - conditions in which humans neither feel too hot nor too cold.

While environmentalists have warned for years about the heat effects of high, wall-like buildings and destruction of urban greenery, Ng points to two new developments that are likely to make Tsim Sha Tsui even hotter.

"The building of The Masterpiece [a residential high-rise] alone will add one to two degrees Celsius to the district," Ng said. "It's not about its height but its large podium blocking the airflow."

He said the removal of a grassy, tree-shaded hill inside the former marine police headquarters - a once-green oasis at the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui now redeveloped as Heritage 1881 - was also expected to raise the temperature in the district.

He urged the government to protect other sites along the city's breezeways - open areas that channel wind flow - from massive developments on new rail lines that threaten to turn them into hot spots, too. They include Kowloon City, Ma Tau Kok, West Kowloon, Shek Kip Mei, Kwun Tong industrial centre, Kennedy Town, Wong Chuk Hang and waterfront areas of Tseung Kwan O.

Apart from protecting the breezeways, developers should also reduce their projects' impact on the wind flow, the study team that produced the draft map said.

The team said this could be done by including a minimum of 30 per cent green areas in new developments, using building materials that absorb less heat and are therefore cooler, and requiring shaded areas and building-free zones in hot spots.

"What happened to Tsuen Wan and Nam Cheong are mistakes," Ng said, referring to wall-like buildings proposed above Tsuen Wan and Nam Cheong stations. "The proposed developments there are unsustainable in the long run and building air-conditioned malls is not a solution to the heat island effect," he said.

A Planning Department spokeswoman said the map drawn up by the consultants would be refined with more experts' views and the department would consult the public when the study's recommendations were released next year.

New building and planning rules to restrict development designs have been proposed by the Council for Sustainable Development, which is holding a public consultation due to end this month.

Under the proposal, developers could be asked to leave wider pedestrian streets and be banned from building podium structures. But whether to implement it by law or with incentives is still subject to heated debate among interested parties, and no timetable has been set.

In Germany, federal building law states that developments must not worsen the environment. The country drew up a climatic map in the 1980s and a team of experts was hired to advise planners on development scales and designs.

Tokyo started a similar initiative in 2002. The government is planning to demolish overpacked building blocks along Kanni Road to bring sea breezes back to the city centre.

The chairman of the Professional Green Building Council, Wong Kam-sing, said the study offered useful data for refining the city's planning rules. He said the labelling scheme for green buildings would be revamped in November.

The government and developers wanting to certify their developments as environmentally-friendly will have to conduct air ventilation studies to demonstrate they have no or little impact on wind environment.

"The result of the air ventilation study will become an influential factor in the new scheme of assessment," he said. Developments' impact on wind environment only accounts for two of 110 points under the current scheme.

The administration pledged in May that all newly built government buildings with a floor area of more than 10,000 square metres would be certified.

Wong said it was not necessarily costly to design a cool environment. "You can just do it simply by using light-coloured paint and tiles," he said, adding that the city showed its insensitivity by constructing buildings in dark colours and using asphalt to pave roads.

"You can see the wit of Greece, where many houses are built in white," he said.

Resuming the question about other cities having skyscraper walls, the only real skyscraper walls outside Hong Kong are those 400-feet residential towers around the Parque Central Towers.

LCQ14: Handling of planning applications for developments which may create wall effect
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Government Press Release

Following is a question by the Hon Kam Nai-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Mrs Carrie Lam, in the Legislative Council today (November 4):

Question:

Members of the public have expressed grave concern about the wall effect created by development projects in recent years. Recently, the development project at King Wah Road, North Point, has aroused objection from quite a number of residents and organisations in North Point district due to its possible wall effect. Moreover, urban development density, the opinions provided by the Planning Department (PlanD) to the Town Planning Board (TPB) and the various assessment reports submitted by the developers concerned in respect of their planning applications have also caused considerable repercussions among members of the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) given that I have proposed that the Government should study the option of transfer of plot ratio, whereby developers are allowed to transfer their approved gross floor areas to be developed in urban areas to other relatively remote areas, so as to balance development densities, whether the Government has studied such an option; if so, of the study result; if not, whether it will consider conducting the study;

(b) whether PlanD had, in the past five years, provided opinions concerning planning applications for development projects to TPB in accordance with the guideline in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guideline (HKPSG) that "taller buildings should be located inland, with lower developments on the waterfront, to avoid dominating the harbour and increase permeability to the waterbody", and whether it had requested TPB to follow that guideline; if not, whether it had assessed if HKPSG would be degraded to a "window-dressing policy"; and

(c) whether the Government will consider providing financial support to the organisations concerned for conducting traffic impact assessments and air flow assessments in respect of development projects, with a view to obtaining clearer and more impartial assessment results?

Reply:

President,

(a) Given Hong Kong's precious land resources and the huge difference in land value between various regions, it is very difficult to implement the concept of "transfer of plot ratio", which could also cause grave public concern. In view of this, "transfer of plot ratio" is only applicable under the heritage conservation policy endorsed by the Executive Council in 2007 in a limited way on a case-by-case basis. We have no plan to extend the practice of "transfer of plot ratio" to other policy areas.

(b) In accordance with the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines (HKPSG), the planning standards and guidelines should be applied with a certain degree of flexibility, having regard to factors such as land use demand, local conditions, development constraints, etc. They should not be applied in isolation and cross-reference between standards and guidelines should be made whenever necessary.

The Urban Design Guidelines in the HKPSG include the design guidelines for waterfront sites. With respect to building height along the waterfront, the relevant guidelines mainly cover three aspects, namely, that "taller buildings should be located inland, with lower developments on the waterfront", "diversity in building mass should be encouraged to avoid a monotonous harbour image", and "a varying building height profile should be created".

Since the formulation of the above guidelines in 2003, the Planning Department (PlanD), when processing relevant planning applications, will refer overall to these principles and advise the Town Planning Board (TPB) on such principles and other relevant urban design considerations, so that TPB can consider them along with other relevant planning considerations. As stated in the Urban Design Guidelines, it is essential that any urban design concept has to be specifically tailored to meet development needs. The urban design guidelines should hence not be over-restrictive and prescriptive, but encourage innovative design. TPB is well aware of these principles.

(c) Under the existing practice, planning applications and all relevant professional impact assessments submitted by applicants are forwarded to the professional government departments concerned. In making their professional and objective comments, the departments concerned will consider these impact assessments, and examine whether the proposed development will cause any obvious adverse impact, such as in terms of traffic or air ventilation, on the environment of the application site on the basis of their own statistics and professional analyses. The professional comments and recommendations made by these departments will be included in the set of planning application documents for TPB's consideration. Where necessary, representatives from the departments concerned will be invited to attend TPB meetings to give their views and answer members' inquiries about the impact assessments submitted by applicants.

The above mechanism ensures that TPB is able to obtain clear and impartial professional comments. We do not consider it necessary for the Government to offer financial support to organisations concerned to conduct impact assessments.

Opinion : We must aim for buildings that are more environment-friendly
30 September 2009
SCMP

The globe is getting hotter and we are like the proverbial frog sitting in the boiling pot until it is too late.

When is the Hong Kong government going to get serious about this threat? Our electricity companies are churning out more pollution just to keep up with air-conditioning demands. Yet we see large store fronts wide open, allowing the cool air to flow outside. What are these store managers doing trying to cool the streets?

The Legislative Council should long ago have passed a law forbidding building owners from operating air-conditioners when the doors of the building are open.

Electricity consumption is directly linked to pollution and carbon dioxide emissions so we must now set a cap on its production.

It is high time that a yearly target for reductions of 2 or 3 per cent is mandated so that people will begin using less and paying more. The revenues from a higher tariff should then be invested in environmentally beneficial projects.

One immediate requirement is to subsidise the installation of solar hot-water heaters on suitable buildings. Why is Hong Kong so far behind other cities in hot climates in this regard? Anyone who visits Israel is impressed by the abundant use of such energy-saving devices.

Many cars are provided with sun roofs. These should not be sold in Hong Kong because they require excessive air-conditioning on sunny days.

Architectural firms and departments of our universities should be advised that all future buildings must be certified to be environmentally sound before they can be approved for construction. No more glass houses, no more "wall effect" or "power gluttons".

It should be clear to all of us by now that the environmental crisis is also a political crisis, because it exposes how citizens and governments have lost power over events. The power has been assumed by corporations which control the globe's resources and set our priorities.

If even a centralised administration like communist China cannot preserve its environment, what hope does our corporate-dominated world have? Kyoto protocols, a Copenhagen environment summit? Forget it. Fellow Hong Kong frogs, the pot is going to get hotter, so enjoy the heat.

J. Garner, Sham Shui Po

New body to revamp green ratings for buildings
16 November 2009
South China Morning Post

A government-backed Green Building Council will open on Friday in a bid to steer the local market in a more environmentally friendly direction and create more green business opportunities.

On the day it is established, the council is expected to announce details of a new green-building rating scheme designed for the whole region, and a set of more stringent energy codes to reduce the carbon footprint of new and existing buildings.

The council is an independent body but is expected to be influential, as its board includes not only professionals but the statutory Construction Industry Council, which will provide its major funding.

Other board members include representatives from the Business Environment Council and the Beam Society, which formulated the city's first green-building rating scheme, the building environmental assessment method.

The council is expected to cater to increasing demand from multinational companies seeking certified green offices. The demand for green materials and qualified professionals to certify and improve buildings' environmental performance is also expected to rise if the local market is successfully transformed.

"We look forward to the public sector taking the lead in implementing higher standards, thereby helping to spur the private sector on," said the newly elected council chairman, Dr Andrew Chan Ka-ching, who also represents the Construction Industry Council.

The development and environment bureaus issued a circular in April requiring all new government buildings with a floor area of more than 10,000 square metres to be certified, and they must meet at least the second-highest certification standard of the local or US rating scheme.

But a council board member and honorary architecture professor at Chinese University, Chan Ping-cheung, said the market transformation would be more effective if the government moved into certified offices.

Chan said the council was revamping the local green-building rating scheme - the world's second rating scheme, set up in 1996 after Britain. It was criticised for not taking into account the buildings' impact on the city's air flow.

About 406 buildings have been certified under the scheme, which assesses their performance in terms of energy, water, waste and transportation.

But some buildings that received an "excellent" rating contribute to the wall effect, which blocks air flow.

Chan pledged that the revamped rating scheme, to be called Beam Plus, would have world-class standards and require developers to conduct air flow assessments.

Local and overseas experience shows a green building will cost an extra 2 to 3 per cent of the total construction cost but can reduce the building's energy consumption by 20 per cent or more. A survey by global real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle last summer found the local market was slow to develop and only 40 per cent of the 80 responding tenants said they would pay higher rents for a greener office.

But Swire Properties said it saw a potential market for green offices in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

A Swire spokeswoman said its international office tenants were seeking environmentally responsible buildings.

MTR alters Tai Wai project to cut wall effect
19 December 2009
South China Morning Post

The MTR Corporation has taken note of public opposition to wall-like developments and revised the design of residential high-rises it will build on top of Tai Wai station on the East Rail Line in Sha Tin.

The Town Planning Board granted approval yesterday but questioned a 27 per cent increase in car parking to 411 spaces. This will increase the size of the podium, blocking sunlight and air flow. The board said the development was already convenient for residents as it was on top of a mass transit system.

The development, comprising eight residential blocks of about 50 storeys, was criticised by the public for being too visually intrusive. Residents in the area fear the massive development will dwarf the group of tenement buildings behind the station and block air flow.

Another residential development by the MTR Corp, comprising 12 high-rises of about 50 storeys, has already been built above the Tai Wai depot next to Tai Wai station. This has been named Festival City and flats will be sold for more than HK$10,000 per sq ft.

Under the latest plan submitted to the Town Planning Board, the MTR Corp will introduce gaps between the blocks - the largest being 50 metres wide between tower three and tower four.

The podium edge near the Shing Mun River channel will be set back by about 15 metres to allow a wider landscape promenade. A pedestrian piazza with some greening is also proposed for public enjoyment.

However, the addition of 88 car spaces adds a storey to the podium.

An area in the podium reserved for a post-secondary college will be increased from 10,530 square metres to 15,000 square metres. The MTR Corp said this was in response to a request from the Education Bureau.

The development is expected to provide 2,900 flats and a commercial area of about 62,000 square metres.

"Festival City is already a disaster to residents living in the neighbourhood," Sha Tin district councillor and Civil Force convenor Ho Hau-cheung said. "Another massive development will affect the quality of life of those living in the tenement buildings behind it."

Ho said the community needed a library and air-conditioned market instead of a post-secondary college. He criticised the government for not consulting the public.

A Town Planning Board spokeswoman said the board had concerns about the increase in parking spaces and the Transport Department had the right to review the number of spaces when assessing the transport impact of the development. The project has not yet been tendered to developers and there is no timetable.

Plug loopholes before policy change, greens urge
1 March 2010
South China Morning Post

A green group has warned that approval of a proposal to make it easier for developers to acquire old buildings will open a Pandora's box.

Green Sense called for the plan to be delayed until town planning measures had been reviewed to plug loopholes that could be abused to develop tall and bulky buildings in old districts. The group estimates there could be as many as 735 high-rise and bulky blocks in old areas in 10 years, creating a wall effect, if the proposed changes get the go-ahead.

The proposed amendment to land resumption laws would allow a developer to force homeowners to surrender their flats if it acquires 80 per cent of the properties, compared to the present 90 per cent threshold.

The change will apply to three types of buildings - those with all properties but one acquired, buildings older than 50 years, and industrial buildings more than 30 years old not in an industrial zone.

Such groups as the Institute of Surveyors, Construction Association and Real Estate Developers Association support the idea.

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong warned: "It would give unrestricted power to developers to build tall and bulky buildings, unless we have comprehensive town planning measures in place." The government is reviewing the practice of granting developers extra floor space for so-called green features such as balconies and utility platforms. Critics say they abuse this to build taller and bulkier buildings.

A separate review is being conducted of planning guidelines to reduce the number of parking spaces at private residential estates, often built directly under the residential blocks and also blamed for tall and bulky buildings.

Tam estimated there would be about 7,350 blocks older than 50 years by 2019.

Concerns over big MTR Corp housing estate
25 May 2010
South China Morning Post

The government and the MTR Corporation are proposing to build 4,700 private residential flats on the site of the former public Wong Chuk Hang Estate, but the project's proposed building height has been opposed by district councillors there.

At the Southern District Council meeting yesterday, the MTR Corp's senior town planning manager, Rebecca Wong Chun-wun, told councillors that the corporation planned to construct 14 residential buildings on the 7.2-hectare site.

The flats will be an average of about 820 sq ft, the majority of them small to medium-sized units and 20 per cent sized about 540 sq ft.

The suggested building height was between 120 metres and 156 metres above sea level.

"Eight of the buildings will be taller than 140 metres, which will be higher than all of the buildings in Wong Chuk Hang {hellip} and exceed the height restriction of 120 metres to 140 metres," district councillor Tsui Yuen-wa said, voicing his concern about the project creating a wall effect in the district.

He was joined by other councillors who also questioned if the development plan would cause travel congestion in the area.

The proposed project will also include a railway station on the South Island Line, which is expected to be completed in 2015, a public transport interchange, a railway depot and a shopping centre with a gross floor area of 505,908 sq ft.

With a total gross floor area of 3,848,130 sq ft for residential use, the plot ratio will be 4.98, lower than the average of five to 10 times in the district, which is in the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

The plot ratio for non-residential areas is set at 1.7.

Maisie Cheng Mei-sze, deputy secretary for transport and housing, said four of the towers located near Brick Hill (also known as Nam Long Shan) would be higher and those nearer the sea would be shorter as it would look better if the buildings were not of the same height.

Cheng added that the apartments would house about 15,000 people.

Noting that the first batch of residential flats would only be available in 2018, Steve Yiu Chin, MTR Corp's head of town planning, said that a certain number of residents would be needed to support the railway line.

The councillors also hoped the project would also include public facilities, such as a large theatre and a swimming pool, for all residents of Southern District.

Most former residents were rehoused at Shek Pai Wan Estate.

This happens in a city in Brazil...
I just can't remember what city...

Developers face less room to move in new proposals
28 June 2010
The Standard

The halcyon days for developers may be fast coming to an end, with a top advisory body proposing 51 rules to restrict their room to exploit floor-area concessions for ``green'' features.

The Council for Sustainable Development's proposals _ the product of a year-long consultation that attracted 1,100 submissions, including 347 from individuals _ come fast on the heels of the government's tightening of pre-sales regulations earlier this year.

But chairman Bernard Chan Charnwut was forced to deny that the council's refusal to propose a specific cap was due to fear of developers. ``It's the government's job is to work out the percentage,'' he said.

``Our role is to collect public views.''

The council also wants concessions on gross floor areas, implemented in 2001, to be cut for a whole slew of other features, from podium gardens, balconies, mailbox areas, clubhouses, guardrooms, etc, that are now regarded as indispensable for housing estates.

Another sticking point for critics and a swath of the public is that developers pay no premium or next to nothing for these enhancements and include them in the floor area for which home buyers pay market price.

Opponents of the measures say the environmental effect of the concessions have been nullified by the growing density of housing estates, leading to the so-called ``wall effect,'' as developers go all out to cash in on them.

Pressure group Green Sense said the proposals fail to address public demands, and the absence of a specific cap was disappointing.

Wall-fear protesters want tower scrapped
The Standard
Monday, August 02, 2010

More than 100 Mei Foo Sun Chuen residents are demanding a halt to the construction of a 30-story tower block which they claim will block sunlight, impede airflow and create a wall effect.

They also claim the project by Cheung Tat Development stands a mere 70 centimeters from the nearest block.

The residents and a green group yesterday held a demonstration at the construction site which is surrounded on three sides by 500 flats of Mei Foo Sun Chuen Phase Eight.

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi-pong said the high-rise will create a wall effect and seriously affect air movement and block sunlight.

"It is shameful that a local developer has decided to build a block only 70 centimeters from another apartment's balcony. They did it legally, but absolutely without social responsibility," Tam said.

In 2002, Cheung Tat won a court battle against the Building Department, allowing it to develop the site.

Mei Foo Sun Chuen, with 99 tower blocks, is one of the largest private housing developments in Hong Kong.

Chan Chun-pong, who two years ago moved into a flat on the second floor with his wife and two children, said: "We expect it will not only be visually intrusive, it will block the sunlight from our flat. We'll not be able to hang our clothes or put plants on the balcony in the future."

The new block will be 10 stories higher than the surrounding flats.

The site was originally used for petroleum storage by Mobil and New World Development. This facility was relocated in 1997.

A year later the 14,500-square-foot site was sold to Cheung Tat.

The developer also bought the land surrounding the site - three pedestrian lanes and one road.

The construction is due to be completed in 2013 and piling will begin next Monday, according to information provided by Cheung Tat to residents.

"If the developer insists on commencing construction work, we will lie on the main road to block pile-drivers from entering the site," said Yip Siu-chau, the convener of a concern group.

The group has been protesting against the project for more than a year but Cheung Tat has so far not responded.

Sceptics size up loopholes in new flat rules
21 October 2010
SCMP

A drive to make it harder for developers to add green features and facilities to artificially inflate flat sizes does not go far enough, say architectural professionals.

A number of loopholes will, for instance, mean the city is likely to see apartments with thick glass exterior walls that can be included as part of the saleable area.

Intrusive podiums with car parking space above MTR stations will also still exist unless the Transport and Housing Bureau issues new guidelines to remove them.

Professionals anticipate that the new policy will have little effect in reducing the city's wall effect generated from massive developments.

Exterior walls made of glass and steel, known as curtain walls, were initially designed for commercial buildings but residential designs have increasingly used them in recent years, including the much criticised Queen's Cube project in Wan Chai. But curtain walls - which are 30cm thick and can account for 20 square feet of a flat's saleable area - have not been covered by the new policy announced in last week's policy address.

The new policy states that most green features and amenity facilities should not exceed 10 per cent of a development's total gross floor area to minimise wall effect.

While developers will still be given bonus floor areas for building a curtain wall, they can sell the wall areas to buyers to make lucrative profits - valued at HK$290,000 in the worst case scenario of Queen's Cube given it is sold at HK$14,888 per sq ft.

"Flats with curtain walls may consume more energy as they allow more sunlight in and windows can seldom be opened fully," Hong Kong Green Building Council director Wong Kam-sing said. "It deserves a study to see whether it should be encouraged in residential projects."

Glass-wall designs have become popular in redevelopment projects and new luxury flats, among them: Queen's Cube in Wan Chai, The Oakhill in Happy Valley, Gramercy on Caine Road, Lime Stardom in Tai Kok Tsui, Forfar in Kowloon Tong, The Cullinan in West Kowloon and Hill Paramount in Sha Tin.

Existing policies do not require developers to use glass that effectively filters sunlight. A curtain wall can also exist in any orientation of a building, even if it faces west - a direction that receives most sunlight. It is also stated in land sales conditions that a curtain wall can be exempted from gross floor area calculation. In the case of Queen's Cube, the curtain wall areas account for six to 20 square feet of flats that are sized from 275 sq ft to 307 sq ft in terms of saleable area - which also covers wall, balconies and utility platforms. The redevelopment project, by the Urban Renewal Authority and Nan Fung Group, has been criticised for producing small but expensive flats. The efficiency ratio of the flats - dividing saleable area by gross floor area - is also low.

Because of the large amount of common areas apportioned to a flat, which accounts for 46 per cent of a flat's saleable area, the efficiency ratio only reaches 68 per cent. It will be further reduced to 59 per cent if balconies and utility platforms are excluded from saleable area. The developer did not give an exhaustive list of the common areas apportioned to a flat, but some examples include pump rooms, lift machine rooms, lift and entrance lobbies.

But the trend might change under the new policy to take effect in April, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design Vincent Ng Wing-shun said. "Architects will be asked to put more facilities inside flats rather than outside, especially inside duplex flats on top floors."

But those necessary but non value-added facilities like pipe ducts, covered walkways and wind catchers that enhance ventilation will be given less space, which might give rise to maintenance problems and a less-friendly pedestrian environment.

Another question mark over the new policy is the government's determination to remove car parks above MTR stations, which hinges on a review by the Transport Department.

A spokeswoman for Development Bureau said the Buildings Department has commissioned a study, covering curtain walls, to look at energy efficiency of building designs. She said the bureau will consider adjusting the policy to cover curtain walls based on the study's findings. The bureau said a comprehensive review of the density on outline zoning plans will be done at a later stage.

Greenery cools concrete jungle
1 November 2010
South China Morning Post

The ultimate green office is likely to be a virtual one - and the prospect of more companies striving to reduce their carbon footprint will be a welcome prospect for serviced office providers.

Some business centre owners in the United States have resorted to calculating reductions in carbon emissions made by companies that use their offices. One report, circulated by The McLeland Group, trumpeted a 94 per cent drop when a virtual office was used rather than a shared physical space. The results usually contribute to an alluring marketing campaign, as working in an office takes a toll on the environment with greater vehicle use. This places a strain on scarce resources, such as water and energy, and encourages development that can swallow open spaces.

While the virtual office is being increasingly used by companies and sole traders, who rely on a prestige address and exclusive phone line based in the central business district as they travel or work from home, physical locations are becoming more environmentally friendly.

Hong Kong is not the only city said to have suffered from heightened heat induced by the "wall effect" of rows of tall buildings that prevent air circulation. Greenery has been laid atop office towers in Chicago to create about four million sqft of gardens aimed at cooling the concrete jungle during summer. Similar methods have been adopted in Europe and, while the scientific benefits may be debatable, the aesthetic qualities are more pleasing.

While limited space, utility equipment and machine rooms on top of many office buildings in Hong Kong prevent landscape gardening on an impressive scale, big developers are at least seeing the benefits of factoring greenery into buildings.

One example is Sino's Exchange Tower in Kowloon Bay that lays claim to be the first office building in Hong Kong with a green balcony on each floor. The building also includes "podium garden" restaurants on its second floor and a sky garden on the 15th floor that is used for staff meetings, lunches and social gatherings.

Yet, despite such efforts and the heralding of greener credentials, eco-friendly fixtures and fittings are still hard to find, particularly when offices are being refurbished on a tight budget. According to a report by property industry magazine RFP, organisations flush with cash - such as government projects, big law firms and banks - are driving the demand for green building products.

More institutions are also eager to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, which is the world standard for green buildings and may raise their standing among environmentally conscious investors.

Industry watchers say the good news for the green lobby is that mainland developers are also aiming for greener buildings when it comes to office development. But it all comes down to planning to ensure budgets and project deadlines can ensure offices can be made nearly as green as the green, green grass of home.

Marchers aim to turn up heat on property giants
The Standard
Wednesday, May 11, 2011

About 1,000 environmental activists, students and frustrated homeowners will hold a protest march against property developers they blame for sky-rocketing flat prices and "wall buildings".

Specially targeted in the protest on Sunday will be the MTR Corp and the developer of the controversial high-rise project in Mei Foo Sun Chuen.

The protest co-organized by Green Sense and the Civic Party, will start from Chater Garden at 3pm, heading for the central government liaison office.

Green Sense president Roy Tam Hoi- pong said: "Some property developers are behind wall buildings that have a negative impact on the surrounding environment. Besides, small businesses cannot afford to rent stores in those malls owned by the MTR."

Tam said the public is suffering from high property prices and criticized the government for not doing enough to cool the market.

Yuen Long district councillor Lee Yuet-man, who will join the protest, said the MTRC planned to build four 40-story residential blocks above the Light Rail Tin Wing Stop in Tin Shui Wai, the so- called "City of Tears" for its high levels of unemployment and despair.

Lee said if the blocks are built, they will create a wall effect that will significantly change the air flow and wind speed in the area.

"There are four schools near the proposed site. I am worried the blocks will affect the students' learning environment," he said.

His view is shared by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union.

Union executive committee member Billy Leung Tak-yin teaches in one of the schools.

Leung said his students have told him they are worried temperatures within Tin Shui Wai will rise because of the proposed blocks.

"The MTR has not consulted the residents and students about the plan," he said.

Tam added that Mei Foo Sun Chuen residents will also be at the march.

They are against a plan by developer Cheung Tat to build a 20-story block in Phase 8 on a site purchased from New World Development.

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