(Jointly organized with the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects)

Programme Highlights

Global warning has been a hot topic in recent years which affects all of us living in highly urbanized areas like Hong Kong, and parts of the world with a fragile ecosystem.  For many years, greening within the urban areas in Hong Kong was a luxury to the citizen, and a test to designers.  There were no statutory requirements for the provision of greening in our urban development, or major infrastructure projects; and it is entirely left to the mercy of developers and project controllers’ (government officials, managers, planners, engineers, architects, designers, etc.) in providing ad-hoc pieces and puzzles of greening for our urban area.

Greening has always been a luxury and last on the list for most developments, but has suddenly become a powerful tool in resolving our global warming and urban design problems, and the centre of battleground for designers, environmentalists, and developers.  The speakers would like to share their experience in the design and provision of greening in public housing projects, and the latest greening requirement in development submissions.

Speaker

Ir Martin K K CHEUNG, Assistant Director and Evans P L IU, Senior Landscape Architect of Housing Department, HKSAR Government

Registration & Enquiries

Please complete the enrolment form and apply via the website of Environmental Division (http://ev.hkie.org.hk).



Report

Technical Seminar on Design and Provision of Greening in Public Housing Development and the Latest Development

By Ir HUNG Wai-shan, Emily

On 31 March 2011, HKIE Environmental Division jointly organized a technical seminar entitled “Design and Provision of Greening in Public Housing Development and the Latest Development”, with the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects (HKILA). We are honor to invite the speaker, Mr. Evans P L Iu, who is a senior landscape architect in the Housing Department and is currently the President of the HKILA.

Landscaping and greening work is not a ‘brand-new’ concept, which has been adopted in many public housing projects in Hong Kong since 1950. Major public housing projects include the Shek Kip Mei Estate, So Uk Estate, Choi Hung Estate, Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate etc. had successfully put in place landscaping and greening works.  Nowadays, pubic are more concerned to acquire more greening areas surrounding their living environment. However, the greening provision in public housing projects is decreasing over the years. The mount of greening provision actually depends on factors such as plot ratio, urban/ rural sites, slope. Landscape architects fight for more greening areas, but it is definitely a challenge in recent years.

The landscape design and greening works for the public housing projects mainly include the landscape works, tree preservation works and tree management works. Evans mentioned the vertical greening and roof garden at low-rise buildings, e.g. carpark, parade due to the easy access for maintenance.

Landscape and green work in not only limited to new public housing projects, but retrofit projects as well. Evans introduced a retrofit project at Fu Shan Market, which expanded scope of roof greening and vertical greening with the incorporation of many architectural features. Another example is the renovation work at Lam Tin Estate (Phases II and III), which applied many green features including solar panels on the covered walkway, open spaces for elderly, greening on the slope etc.

In the future, Housing Authority will look into other green initiatives including the maximization of greening coverage, expansion of green r