HK to promote 'green buildings'

Home>>Business

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 25, 2003

HK to promote 'green buildings'

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The Buildings Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has taken another major step forward in the promotion of "green buildings" in Hong Kong by providing guidelines for professionals and practitioners on the use of precast concrete construction.

The 73-page Code of Practice for Precast Concrete Construction contains recommendations and graphic illustrations on the design, construction and quality control of this environmentally friendly construction method, the Assistant Director of Buildings Cheung Kwok-ming said Thursday.

"Major areas covered by the Code of Practice include the construction of precast elements ranging from factory production, transportation and handling through to site erection," he said.

"It also covers design and durability, including water tightness of joints and quality control for both production and erection," Cheung added.

"Surveys show that precast concrete construction can significantly reduce the amount of waste generated on constructionsites, reduce adverse environmental impact on sites and their neighborhoods, and enhance quality control of concreting work," Cheung said.

"Although precast concrete construction has been widely used inpublic housing, the uptake of this technique in the private sectorfor building developments has not been enthusiastic," he said.

"In view of the environmental benefits of precast concrete construction, this method of construction should be promoted in the private sector," Cheung added.

The Code of Practice was established following an extensive review of international standards and other published literature by a steering committee which included representatives from professional institutes, general contractors and the Housing Department.

"Professionals and practitioners can refer to the Code of Practice for good practices for both structural and non-structuralprecast building elements ranging from floor slabs, beams, columnsand walls to facades, bay windows and balconies," Cheung said.

Although the Code of Practice is not a statutory document, compliance with the requirements of this code is deemed to satisfythe relevant provisions of the Buildings Ordinance and related requirements.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Building to Start on Road Link between Shenzhen, HK

HK Traces SARS Outbreak in Housing Complex to Sewage System

Trade war? A buying spree for cheap Chinese goods ( 55 Messages)

Humanization reform gets started in prison in China ( 2 Messages)

China develops IPv6 technology to tackle IP address exhaustion ( 3 Messages)

Returned overseas students to work in government ( 2 Messages)

EU considers lifting 14-year-old ban on arms sales to China ( 8 Messages)