It’s the future of our world!

Hong Kong recently hosted The Professional Green Building Council (PGBC) Symposium 2009 at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. Under the theme: “Urban Climate and Urban Greenery”, this informative and insightful presentation was co-organised by the School of Architecture of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and was attended by 300 participants, each eager to gain insights and know how regarding the applying of policy, research, regulation, design and building management to address increasing urban challenges in this era of climate change.
The PGBC is a professional body that promotes greener buildings and city developments in Hong Kong. PGBC was formed in 2002 and comprises the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects, Hong Kong Institute of Planners and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors as member institutes.

The symposium’s primary focus related to the implementations and actions for enhancing urban climate and greenery through design and operations with a view to fostering a quality and sustainable built environment.
Guests of honour at the Symposium were Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet Ngor, Secretary, Development Bureau of HKSAR and Ms Anissa Wong Sean Yee, Permanent Secretary, Environment Bureau of HKSAR.
Overseas speakers included Mr Patrick Blanc, leading international designer of “vertical greenery” from France, Professor Gerald Mills, President Elect of International Association of Urban Climate, and Dr Tan Puay Yok, Deputy Director (Research), the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology, National Parks Board from Singapore. Five speakers representing Hong Kong were Mr K S Wong, Hong Kong Institute of Architects and Chairman Professional Green Building Council, Mr Clifford Cheung Chiu Yeung, Housing Department HKSAR Government, Dr. Lee Tsz Cheung, Hong Kong Observatory HKSAR Government, Dr L K Chan, Hysan Development Company Ltd., and Professor Edward Ng, School of Architecture, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
PGBC holds the view that the significance of urban climate and greenery in particular highlights a necessity for prompt and timely actions in relation to two key considerations, namely, the integration of urban climatic considerations into both town planning and building design, including urban climatic mapping, air ventilation assessment, building separation and permeability guidelines and the wider application of a green coverage ratio for both public and private projects, including the promotion of green roofs and walls as green features in both new and existing buildings.
The incorporation of urban climate and urban greenery principles into town planning and building designs and its support by appropriate management and maintenance measures is acknowledged as being urgently needed.
In relation to Hong Kong, the city could become a low carbon, yet highly liveable city in the future with appropriate and immediate action.

“In high density cities like Hong Kong, the issue of urban climate will be the top most environmental challenge facing us,” stated Mr K S Wong, Chairman of PGBC. “It is high time for us to have more climate-adaptive town planning, building and landscape designs.”
Professor Ng addressed the topic of Urban Climatic Maps for Hong Kong, addressing the fact that more than 50% of the world’s population now lives in cities and the urban climate of a city has been a topical concern among meteorologists and urban climatologists who have to understand it; planners, designers and governments who have to make it work, and the general public who has to live in it.
Urban heat island and canyon effects are now headlines and the urban climatic map has been used in countries like Germany for over 40 years to provide a spatial and strategic understanding of the urban climate of a city.
With the information available, the government, the stakeholders and the general public has an information basis for discussion as to how they wish their city to become. Policies and strategies can then be developed.
In Asia, since 2000, a number of countries and cities, including Japan, Singapore, Macau and Taiwan have now embarked on urban climatic studies. In Hong Kong, since 2006, climatic, topographic and planning information have been collated onto a GIS platform and a draft urban climatic analysis map has already been created. Based on the analysis, planning recommendations can be developed. For example, the importance of greening our city (urban greening) and the way urban morphologies can be better designed for the wind available can both be strategically understood and better planned.

Professor Gerald Mills addressed to the issue of climate and sustainable cities and the needs of urban planners & designers. Based upon a paper submitted to the World Climate Congress (WCC) in September 2009 it complemented a separate paper that outlined the capabilities of urban climate science. Together they make a strong claim for the greater consideration of urban issues by the World Meteorological Organization.
This includes the active encouragement of research in the area of rapidly urbanising this hot and humid world, the education of meteorologists on the needs of planners and designers, the collection of urban data and the incorporation of urban issues into global climate change research.
Keynote speaker Mr. Patrick Blanc addressed the topic of the vertical garden, from nature to cities.
Plants really need soil? No, they don’t. Only water and the many minerals dissolved in it are essential to plants, together with light and carbon dioxide to conduct photosynthesis. In the wild they are growing on vertical surfaces. Wherever water is available all year long, as in tropical forests or in temperate mountain forests, plants can grow on rocks, tree trunks and soil-less slopes. In Malaysia, for instance, out of the 8,000 known plant species, about 2,500 are growing without any soil.
As seen from nature, it is possible for plants to grow on nearly soil-less vertical surfaces as long as there is no permanent water shortage.
Whenever roots are allowed to grow deep inside a wall, they can easily damage and cause its destruction. That is precisely what happened to the Angkor temples.
The issue of climate change and the impact of high density living in cities like Hong Kong is crucial to the future of each individual and the world that will be inherited by future generations.
Further PGBC abstracts and presentations can be viewed at:
www.hkpgbc.org