Vision City - Tsuen Wan's Skyscraper Wall

[hkskyline]

Tsuen Wan pleads for air
Hong Kong Standard
Monday, February 26, 2007

A redevelopment project in western Tsuen Wan may impede air flow into the district's heart and stifle its historic dried seafood street, urban environment concern group Greensense warned Sunday.

With the foundation work nearing completion, the two tightly bound tower blocks of Vision City phase two will soar 45 stories into the skyline, atop several stories of podiums.

Well within the development's projected shadow is the narrow Chuen Lung Street, which shares a segment with Tsuen Wan's famous Goldsmith Square.

Popular for inexpensive supplies of ginseng, birds' nests and dried seafoods, the street will be bound by stagnant air and a lack of sunshine, spelling doom for stores that dry their products on the pavement, according to the green group.

The Sino Group development under the Urban Renewal Authority, which will cover 7,230 square meters and roughly one-third of the Tsuen Wan Sports Ground, is expected to yield 17,797 and 26,790 square meters of commercial and residential space respectively.

Profit maximization is the culprit in the grandiose wall-like development, according to Greensense president Roy Tam Hoi-ping.

"The main problem is port ratios, as developers try to maximize their profits by cramming in as many units as possible into their sites," he said.

"This practice is completely contrary to sustainable planning and building. They are providing sea view space for the few by sacrificing the intangible assets - like sunlight and seabreeze - of the many."

Citing the fates of multiple open markets that have since been replaced by high-rises, such as the Wan Chai market, Tam wants a stop to the out- of-scale developments, or at least, a redesign with a communally holistic approach considering both the surrounding environment and the concerns of the community. Social responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of planners, developers and builders, according to Tam who vowed to push for dialogue with those responsible.

Tsuen Wan district councillor Ben Chan Han-pan, who pledged to join and continue the fight against communally unsustainable development, also urged the URA and Sino Group to reconsider plans that would adversely affect 70,000 Tsuen Wan residents.

Tam and his group have been appealing to the Planning Department to rethink its least porous building designs so as to improve urban airflow.

With plans to engage Sino Group, the developer of the west Tsuen Wan site, Greensense has also entered into discussions with the URA.

Making appeals to the URA is a priority for Tam who said the authority's mode of urban renewal is destroying local communities.

Chan and his office are also wary about the motives for out-of-scale and communally unsustainable designs.

Tam said: "I support urban renewal, but we have to be reasonable about building design and port ratios.

"There was quite a bit of open space in Tsuen Wan in the past, but after a series of renewal projects, we are seeing more and more wall effects."

A survey of 1,576 Tsuen Wan residents conducted by Greensense and the office of district councillor Chan found more than 80 percent were gravely concerned about wall effects associated with skyscrapers.

Nearly half of all respondents rated air quality as poor to very poor, and feared it would get worse.

More than half, 57 percent, of households had members suffering from respiratory problems.

A resounding 89 percent agreed the URA should have better considered the effects of its projects.

The authority insists there is nothing improper about the Tsuen Wan project which was approved by the Town Planning Board.

[hkskyline]

八成荃灣居民憂屏風效應
促勾地表剔除「唯一通風道」
2007年2月26日

【明報專訊】荃灣有多個重建項目，環保組織「環保觸覺」的調查指出，逾八成受訪荃灣居民擔憂區內的新樓愈起愈高，造成屏風效應，影響空氣流通。

環保觸覺與荃灣發展促進會於去年8月在荃灣街頭進行問卷調查，訪問近1600名荃灣居民對屏風效應及空氣質素的看法，發現超過八成受訪者擔心區內的新樓愈建愈高，又認為政府在審批興建新樓時要考慮新樓將造成的屏風效應。

其中一個令居民憂慮的項目，為市建局與信和地產合作發展的萬景峰2期，將興建兩座45層高的住宅大廈。環保觸覺主席譚凱邦昨表示，整個荃灣只靠兩條通風廊(川龍街及眾安街)從海邊提供新鮮空氣，但正在興建的萬景峰2期將遮蔽川龍街的入口，阻礙新鮮空氣進入區內。居所面向萬景峰2期的周先生即對此表示擔心，又指近年區內高樓愈來愈多，令風量減少，「現在少了風，衣服亦較難晾乾！」

另外，荃灣區議員陳恆鑌表示，僅餘的一條通風廊入口──393地段，現正於政府的勾地表中，「如果它(393地段)都售出並興建高樓，荃灣便會『死』！」陳恆鑌希望政府能將該地段從勾地表中抽出，暫緩出售，等待萬景峰2期建成後，視乎高樓對區內的影響，再作規劃。

[hkskyline]

Airflow tests will not be compulsory
Government has done much to stop buildings that create wall effect, official says
28 February 2007
South China Morning Post

A senior official yesterday ruled out making air ventilation assessments mandatory for private property projects, saying the government had done a lot to prevent property developments which created a wall effect and blocked airflow.

Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands Annie Tam Kam-lan told a Legislative Council panel meeting that "the Town Planning Board took the initiative to review outline zoning plans and reduced the density of a number of sites".

"We have done a lot, the situation is improving. The wall-effect buildings you're seeing today were approved some years ago. It will take time for the results of what we have done to be seen," she said.

Her remarks disappointed community groups and legislators who demanded that the government act immediately to ensure property developments did not create a wall effect, blocking airflow and sunlight.

Community groups from Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan, Central and Western District, and Sham Shui Po expressed anger over such high-rises in the neighbourhood.

Wong Yui-tak, a Tsuen Wan district councillor, said two 1km rows of 40-storey buildings to be built along the waterfront would block southwest onshore winds and further worsen air quality.

Yuen Long residents protested against the West Rail's development in the area, complaining that if the project was allowed to go ahead, air and sunlight would be blocked by nine 40-storey buildings.

Environmental group Green Sense said the Kowloon-Canton Rail Corporation's property developments alone would create wall effects in Tai Wai, Wu Kai Sha, Yuen Long, Nan Cheong and Tsuen Wan.

Jan Lai Ming-chuen, of Green Sense, said: "The government has to make air ventilation a law, it also has to specify the minimum space between buildings."

The government issued a circular last July on air ventilation assessment, but it is only compulsory for government buildings.

The Real Estate Developers' Association said in a letter to the panel: "Developers are obliged under fiduciary responsibility to develop a site to its maximum allowable potential for which they have assessed and paid a full price.

"The only sensible and practical way to tackle the wall-effect issue is to address it early at the planning stage. Before sites are released to the market, a lower development density and a lighter building bulk can be specified."

Civic Party leader Audrey Eu Yuet-mee said she was very disappointed by the government's answer. "What you [Ms Tam] have said was the same as if you didn't say anything."

Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan said that "the government knows there are loopholes in the planning and lands law, but refuses to take action". He said the KCRC should be ordered to do an air ventilation assessment.

[hkskyline]

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.

[Manila-X]

Nina Tower has a reputation of being the tallest building outside the city centre or CBD.

[Duopolis]

Another skyscraper wall? Jeez...

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by WANCH

Nina Tower has a reputation of being the tallest building outside the city centre or CBD.

Not for long. ICC is not in the city centre and is not part of the CBD. Nina Wang originally intended to build the world's tallest building in Tsuen Wan, but it got into the flight path's way and the plan was axed into two buildings.

[Manila-X]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

Not for long. ICC is not in the city centre and is not part of the CBD. Nina Wang originally intended to build the world's tallest building in Tsuen Wan, but it got into the flight path's way and the plan was axed into two buildings.

I would consider ICC as part of the city centre since its in the western part of Central Kowloon.

On the other hand, the original design of Nina Tower was impressive.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by WANCH

I would consider ICC as part of the city centre since its in the western part of Central Kowloon.

On the other hand, the original design of Nina Tower was impressive.

Location by itself is meaningless considering the historical context of West Kowloon. In the commercial real estate world, the city centre is Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, and Tsim Sha Tsui, not West Kowloon. This makes perfect sense since all there is now at Union Square are residentials and a brand new mall - not exactly city centre in function. Once ICC, hotel, and serviced apartments open, then that may change, but as my other thread on West Kowloon emerging as a potential CBD notes, this will take a long time to realize.

[hkskyline]

[spicytimothy]

well at least these aren't connected :-/

[_00_deathscar]

Reminds me of Leighton Hill...

[vvill]

Originally Posted by _00_deathscar

Reminds me of Leighton Hill...

i think it actually looks better than leighton hill, at least the colour's slightly more cheeful compared to the dull brown-ish colour of leighton.

[_00_deathscar]

Leighthon Hill looks more classy - it's a rich brown.

[bixel]

what is the name of that residential complex??
nevermind I figured it out.