2024-04-08
Great Eagle Attains Sustainability Breakthrough
Three Garden Road, owned by Champion REIT, one of the Great Eagle Group’s principal holdings, recently achieved a significant milestone, becoming Hong Kong's first “triple platinum” Grade A office building in the Existing Buildings certification category. This achievement did not happen overnight – it is a testament to the Group’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and its willingness to adopt emerging and innovative technologies.
Over the past five years, Three Garden Road (“TGR”) has continuously updated its existing systems and technologies, leading to a 17% decrease in energy usage and a remarkable 32% reduction in carbon emissions. These upgrades have allowed the property to gain three crucial certifications, recently receiving the highest scores in Hong Kong for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4.1 Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings Platinum from the U.S. Green Building Council. Prior to this, TGR also obtained BEAM Plus Existing Buildings v2.0 Comprehensive Scheme Final Platinum – getting the highest score in Hong Kong for any building with this rating, with full marks in five assessment categories, including “innovations” and “energy use”. In 2020, TGR also became the first existing building in Hong Kong to achieve WELL Healthy Building Standard Core Platinum, retaining its Platinum certification in v2 Core in February 2024.
Over the past five years, Three Garden Road (“TGR”) has continuously updated its existing systems and technologies, leading to a 17% decrease in energy usage and a remarkable 32% reduction in carbon emissions. These upgrades have allowed the property to gain three crucial certifications, recently receiving the highest scores in Hong Kong for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4.1 Operations and Maintenance: Existing Buildings Platinum from the U.S. Green Building Council. Prior to this, TGR also obtained BEAM Plus Existing Buildings v2.0 Comprehensive Scheme Final Platinum – getting the highest score in Hong Kong for any building with this rating, with full marks in five assessment categories, including “innovations” and “energy use”. In 2020, TGR also became the first existing building in Hong Kong to achieve WELL Healthy Building Standard Core Platinum, retaining its Platinum certification in v2 Core in February 2024.
Three Garden Road's innovative green practices, and BEAM Plus Platinum, LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum ratings reflect the Great Eagle Group’s commitment to net-zero impact by 2045
One particularly successful energy-saving retro-commissioning project at TGR involved optimising chiller plant efficiency. Several teams worked together, using big data analytics and engineering ingenuity to discover that significant energy savings were possible if the towers’ two chiller plants could operate in a combined mode during non-peak hours. Installing new energy meters, valves and pressure sensors and retrofitting chilled water pipes made this idea a reality. The project has reduced energy consumption, improved system stability, provided flexibility for maintenance work, and ensured a reliable 24-hour chilled water supply for tenants.
Other key initiatives have contributed to TGR’s success in energy efficiency, environmental friendliness and occupant wellbeing:
- IoT sensor-based demand-control ventilation in the car park
- Installation of solar PV panels and EV charging stations
- A Building Vacuum-Glass system pilot project that improves solar shading and reduces heat gain
- Enhanced indoor-outdoor connections with green open spaces for relaxation
- Continuing tenant engagement initiatives focusing on wellness, energy reduction and waste management
These achievements and certifications have solidified the Great Eagle Group’s leading role in Hong Kong’s green building landscape, and are helping the Group set sustainability standards for other existing buildings. The Group remains aligned with the ultimate goal of its Climate Leadership Strategy – achieving net-zero impact by 2045.
Three Garden Road’s solar panels
A green building that enhances occupant wellbeing