2017-05-17
[Press Release] World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 Hong Kong - Hong Kong’s Biggest Ever World Sustainable City Event Looks to the Next 20 Years
World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s Biggest Ever World Sustainable City Event Looks to the Next 20 Years
- Runs from 5 to 7 June with around 1,800, sector experts, policy-makers, academics and industry leaders to attend
- Aims to draw up actionable plans to tackle global climate change challenges in over 100 sessions
The World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 Hong Kong (WSBE17 Hong Kong), running from 5 to 7 June and co-organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), forms part of the HKSAR’s 20th Anniversary celebrations. Entitled “Transforming Our Built Environment through Innovation and Integration: Putting Ideas into Action,” the event will see presentations of ground-breaking research, business cases, as well as top findings from the regional conferences that took place in 20 cities worldwide during 2016.
While celebrating 20 years since the Handover, this event looks forward to the next 20 years, not just in Hong Kong but across Asia and with a global context. In Asia, the rapid urbanisation underscores the importance of sustainable built environments on various scales, particularly the rising trend of green and liveable neighbourhoods. For these, diverse considerations in terms of smart urban planning, building design, eco-friendly construction materials, connectivity, quality of life, and other sustainable infrastructure features are entailed.
Since 1997, the urban population in Mainland China has grown by around 400 million and now accounts for almost 60% of its population, up from about a third. The Pearl River Delta which includes Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zuhai and Macau already has a combined population of almost 70 million. And it’s not just China. High-density urban environments are also seen elsewhere in Asia, such as in Tokyo, Jakarta and New Delhi. Being the strategic gateway to China and the commercial epicenter of the world, Hong Kong is a perfect platform for experts from all regions to share their insights on this drastic urbanisation.
Paris Climate Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals high on agenda
Against this backdrop, the business implications of the Paris Climate Agreement and universal Sustainable Development Goals advocated by the United Nations are high up on the conference agenda. International climate change authority Christiana FIGUERES, Vice-Chair, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy, and representatives of the UN Environment will facilitate dialogue with policy-makers to collaborate on business actions for a decarbonised economy. As well, there will be more than 450 world-class speakers delivering over 100 sessions discussing different industry practices and business case studies for actions towards a sustainable built environment.
Ir Conrad WONG, Chairman of the WSBE17 Hong Kong Organising Committee, said: “As a hub of global business, Hong Kong is an ideal location to invigorate business dialogue to address the urban environmental challenges around the world. The Conference is made up of hundreds of submissions from industry experts, academia, as well as commercial institutions as visionary business leaders see the opportunity to capitalise on sustainable building concepts. We expected that WSBE17 Hong Kong will create impactful action with the support of both the public and commercial sector. Pressing environmental issues also entail to vast business opportunities for the green building industry.”
Cities committed to carbon reduction targets, drawing up technical plans
Cities around the world are committed to achieving their own carbon reduction targets set for 2030 or 2050, and are drawing up detailed technical plans for sustainable city development. Government and institutional representatives from Mainland China, Singapore, Germany, Sweden as well as Hong Kong will share visions of their future cities.
“We are honoured that Hong Kong is the host city of this year’s conference to lead global action against climate change. The conference theme “Transforming Our Built Environment through Innovation and Integration: Putting Ideas into Action” suggests that the development of sustainable buildings has evolved from innovative designs of individual buildings to holistic urban planning that integrates different types of architectures, in order to put sustainable development concept into real actions,” said Mr Eric MA, Secretary for Development, Government of the HKSAR.
“The Government is promoting “Smart City” concept at full strength with Kowloon East as a pilot area for developing a smart, low-carbon, sustainable and liveable community by the adoption of technologies in green city planning. We look forward to sharing views with the local and overseas experts during the conference for ushering in a new era of global sustainable built environment,” Mr Ma continued.
The Hong Kong government’s “Hong Kong’s 2030+” urban development study is now in progress. It represents the government’s vision, policy and strategy for the development of the city beyond 2030 that promotes low-carbon smart economy and living. Meanwhile, China pledged to peak its carbon dioxide emissions between 2025 and 2030 as a part of its commitment to the Paris agreement, and is already on track to beat this goal.
Conference to focus on innovative and practical solutions
With a focus on delivering practical solutions, the event will put a spotlight on innovation in climate responsive architecture. World-renowned climate engineering companies and research institutes will discuss topics such as how they adopt sophisticated analytic tools and smart technologies to modify a building or urban environment in response to changes in the surrounding environment.
“Over the years, we have incubated different zero-carbon building concepts around the Hong Kong cityscape. And we know that, in a compact and highly urbanised city like Hong Kong, indoor activities account for 90% of electricity consumption. This brings both challenges and opportunities for sustainable city development. Innovative building and design concepts have great potential resolve urban challenges by enhancing resource management and energy use efficiency,” said Mr CHAN Ka-kui, Chairman of Construction Industry Council. WSBE17 Hong Kong is funded by the CIC.
“BEAM Plus certified green buildings in Hong Kong saved over 300,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to 14 million trees planted. Buildings are designed to provide better living and environment for the people. A series of community activities will take place during the conference aiming to promote low-carbon lifestyle and behavioural change. We believe smarter building designs and greener building management together with the concerted efforts of the community will keep us on track in reducing carbon emission per capita by a maximum of 36% to 3.8 tonnes by 2030 from the level in 2005,” said Sr Bay WONG, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council.
The reduction target was set by the Hong Kong Climate Action Plan 2030+ and published in January 2017. BEAM Plus is a locally developed green building assessment scheme established in 2010, tailor-made for the high-rise, high density built environment of sub-tropical climate in Hong Kong.
Note: Please click here to see the full agenda of the conference and register for a media pass.
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Event Photos
Photo 1: Mr Eric MA, Secretary for Development, Government of the HKSAR (2nd from left); Ir Conrad WONG, Chairman of the WSBE17 Hong Kong Organising Committee (2nd from right); Mr CHAN Ka-kui, Chairman of Construction Industry Council (1st from left); and Sr Bay WONG, Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council (1st from right) gave their speeches at today’s press conference.
Photo 2: Four Hong Kong teams entering the final round of the “International Youth Competition” shared their innovative ideas developed based on different parts of the Hong Kong city landscape. A group photo of the final teams with officiating guests at the press conference.
Photo 3: A group photo of Sponsors of the WSBE17 Hong Kong with officiating guests of the press conference. AECOM (1st row; 2nd from left) and Swire Properties (1st row; 2nd from right) are the Platinum Sponsors. Other Sponsors attending today’s event include Allied Environmental Consultants Limited (1st row; 1st from left), Arup (1st row; 1st from right), (2nd row; from left to right respectively) Jardine Engineering Corporation, Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Limited, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas), Yau Lee Holdings Limited, Somfy Asia-Pacific Co. Limited, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Leigh and Orange Limited and Hysan Development Company Limited.
About World Sustainable Built Environment Conference 2017 & the Conference Series
The Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) series began in 2000 and is now the pre-eminent international conference series on sustainable building and construction. The series operates on a three-year cycle with planning in year one, regional conferences in year two and a global conference in year three. Albeit strong competition, Hong Kong won the hosting right of the 2015-2017 cycle global conference, which will conclude the conference cycle by embracing all the top findings from the 20 regional conferences held in 2016.
With the theme of “Transforming Our Built Environment through Innovation and Integration: Putting Ideas into Action”, WSBE17 Hong Kong will bring together 1,800 green building advocates, policy-makers, academics, and industry practitioners from 55 countries. The three-day event includes Keynotes, Plenary Session on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Roundtable and over 100 parallel sessions, with an exhibition alongside.
About the Organisers
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) was formed in 2007 under the Construction Industry Council Ordinance (Cap. 587). The CIC consists of a chairman and 24 members representing various sectors of the industry including employers, professionals, academics, contractors, workers, independent persons and Government officials.
The main functions of the CIC are to forge consensus on long-term strategic issues, convey the industry's needs and aspirations to the Government, provide professional training and registration services, and serve as a communication channel between the Government and the construction industry.
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a nonprofit, member led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to help save the planet and improve the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong by transforming the city into a greener built environment. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), the Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead market transformation by advocating green policies to the Government; introducing green building practices to all stakeholders; setting design, construction and management standards for the building profession; and promoting green living to the people of Hong Kong.
Media Enquires
| Patrick Yu/ Cindy Cheuk FleishmanHillard Hong Kong Tel: 2586 7877/ 2586 7872 Email: patrick.yu@fleishman.com/ cindy.cheuk@fleishman.com/ |
Heidi Hui/ Sophie Fung Hong Kong Green Building Council Secretariat Tel: 3994 8833/ 3994 8837 Email: heidi.hui@hkgbc.org.hk/ sophie.fung@hkgbc.org.hk |
Notes to Editor
All sessions are open to the media. A number of speakers will also be available to conduct a separate media session on the same day. Welcome to send us any interview requests.
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME Day 1 - 5 June 2017 (Mon)
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Registration | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Opening Ceremony | |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Keynote 1: Mr Matthew CHEUNG Kin-chung, Chief Secretary for Administration, Government of the HKSAR | |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Keynote 2: Mr SU Yunshan, Director-General, Department of Science & Technology and Energy Saving on Buildings, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, PRC | |
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Coffee Break | |
| 11:20 – 11:50 | Keynote 3: Ms Christiana FIGUERES, Vice-chair, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy | |
| 11:50 – 12:00 | Platinum Sponsor's Sharing: Mr Sean CHIAO, President, Asia Pacific, AECOM | |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Networking Luncheon | |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Parallel Session 1 | |
| 1.1 Mainland China Session - The Comprehensive Scheme on Green Retrofitting and Performance Enhancement of the Existing Buildings in China (Session Organiser: China Academy of Building Research) |
1.2 Regional Session - Czech Republic, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland | |
| 1.3 Advanced Building Elements | 1.4 Practices Review of High-Performance Green Buildings | |
| 1.5 SBE Assessments - Green Neighbourhoods (1) | 1.6 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Microclimate | |
| 1.7 Vision-led Sustainable Neighbourhoods: Myths and Musts (Session Organiser: AECOM) | 1.8 Innovations for Occupant Wellbeing (1) | |
| 1.9 Practices & Methodologies for Green Building Management (1) | 1.10 Green Infrastructure in SBE - Hong Kong Cases | |
| 1.11 Processes, Design, Tools and Methodologies in SBE(1) | 1.12 Regenerating Urban Space in Neighbourhoods | |
| 1.13 Healthy and Sustainable Building for Resilient Future | 1.14 To be announced | |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:20 – 16:20 | Roundtable 1: Emerging Perspectives for Transforming the Build Environment Session Chair: Prof. Thomas LÜTZKENDORF, Director, Centre for Real Estate; Head of Chair, Sustainable Management of Housing and Real Estate, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Speakers:
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| 16:30 – 18:00 | Parallel Session 2 | |
| 2.1 Mainland China Session - Design and Construction Challenges of Eco-Skyscrapers in China (Session Organiser: Shanghai Research Institute of Building Sciences) | 2.2 Regional Session: Turkey, Greece, Malta and Egypt | |
| 2.3 Advanced Building Systems | 2.4 Policies for High-Performance Green Buildings (1) |
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| 2.5 SBE Assessments - Green Neighbourhoods (2) | 2.6 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Carbon Assessment | |
| 2.7 Successful Business Case Sharing on Deep Energy Saving and Other Innovative Green Measures for Commercial Buildings in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Overseas(Session Organiser: Swire Properties Ltd.) | 2.8 Innovations for Occupant Wellbeing (2) | |
| 2.9 Practices & Methodologies for Green Building Management (2) | 2.10 Transforming SBE Practices - Energy Management (1) | |
| 2.11 Processes, Design, Tools and Methodologies in SBE (2) | 2.12 Processes of Urban Regeneration | |
| 2.13 Power Up Smart City (Session Organiser: CLP) | 2.14 Sustainability Assessment of Buildings as Part of Green-Public Procurement Based on the German BNB-System (Session Organiser: Division Sustainable Building, Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), Germany) | |
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME Day 2 - 6 June 2017 (Tue)
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Registration | ||
| 09:00 – 11:50 | Plenary Session on Climate Change and Sustainable Development Session Chair: Mr Curt GARRIGAN, Cities and Buildings Programme Manager, UN Environment – Economy Division Speakers:
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| 11:50 – 12:00 | Platinum Sponsor's Sharing: Dr Raymond YAU, General Manager, Technical Services & Sustainable Development, Swire Properties Ltd. |
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| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch Break | ||
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Parallel Session 3 | ||
| 3.1 Mainland China Session - Turning Green to Gold – State of Green Finance to Drive Sustainable Low-Carbon Urban Development in China (Session Organiser: Shenzhen Green Building Association and Shenzhen Institute of Building Research) | 3.2 International Youth Competition (1) | ||
| 3.3 Advanced Building Systems - Energy Generation (1) | 3.4 Policies for High-Performance Green Buildings (2) | ||
| 3.5 Performance Review of Green Buildings (1) | 3.6 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Practices Review | ||
| 3.7 High Performance Transportation Hubs: Their Critical Role and Requirements? (Session Organiser: AECOM) | 3.8 Innovative Practices for Occupant Wellbeing - Bioclimatic Design | ||
| 3.9 Practices & Methodologies for Green Building Management (3) | 3.10 Transforming SBE Practices - Energy Management (2) | ||
| 3.11 BIM for Sustainability (1) | 3.12 Emerging Practices in Sustainable Built Environment(Session Organiser: Allied Environmental Consultants Ltd.) | ||
| 3.13 Community Empowerment (1) | 3.14 Environmentally Responsive Buildings and Human Interactions(Session Organiser: Somfy Asia-Pacific Co. Ltd.) | ||
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Coffee Break | ||
| 15:20 – 16:20 | Roundtable 2: Leadership Driving for the Sustainable Built Environment Session Chair: Ms Christine LOH, Under Secretary for the Environment, Government of the HKSAR Speakers:
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| 16:30 – 18:00 | Parallel Session 4 | ||
| 4.1 Mainland China Session - The Development Framework and Professional Best Practices of Healthy Green Buildings in China (Session Organiser: Chinese Society for Urban Studies - Green Building Research Center) | 4.2 International Youth Competition (2) | ||
| 4.3 Advanced Building Systems - Energy Generation (2) | 4.4 Processes of High-Performance Green Buildings | ||
| 4.5 Performance Review of Green Buildings (2) | 4.6 Green Construction Technologies (1) | ||
| 4.7 The Secret Ingredients of Sustainable Real Estate Development | 4.8 Innovative Biophilic Design for Wellbeing | ||
| 4.9 A Collaborative Approach in Delivering Low Carbon Living (Session Organiser: Arup) | 4.10 Transforming SBE Practices - Energy Management (3) | ||
| 4.11 BIM for Sustainability (2) | 4.12 Healthy Building, Human Comfort & Wellbeing | ||
| 4.13 Community Empowerment (2) | 4.14 PolyU Green Deck: A Catalyst for a Green and Vibrant Community (Session Organiser: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) | ||
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME Day 3 - 7 June 2017 (Wed)
| 08:00 – 09:00 | Registration | |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Keynote 4: Prof. Peter GUTHRIE, Director, Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Cambridge | |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Keynote 5: Prof. Thomas AUER, Managing Director, Transsolar; Professor, Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design, Technical University of Munich | |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Coffee Break | |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Parallel Session 5 | |
| 5.1 Regional Session - Canada, Brazil-Portugal, The Netherlands, Germany and Tallinn-Helsinki | 5.2 High Performance Buildings and Sustainable Neighbourhoods in Sweden (Session Organiser: Sweden Green Building Council) | |
| 5.3 Smart Initiatives in SBE (1) | 5.4 Deep Renovations - Policies & Standards | |
| 5.5 SBE Assessments - Green Building Policies | 5.6 Green Construction Technologies (2) | |
| 5.7 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Assessment, Analysis and Modelling (1) | 5.8 Sustainable Neighbourhoods - Case Study Review (1) | |
| 5.9 Transforming Green Market - Green Economics (1) | 5.10 Zero Energy | |
| 5.11 Processes, Design, Tools and Methodologies in SBE (3) | 5.12 Occupants’ Evaluation of Green Buildings | |
| 5.13 Stakeholder Collaboration | 5.14 Smart and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Living (Session Organiser: Sino Group) | |
| 12:00 – 13:30 | Lunch Break | |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Parallel Session 6 | |
| 6.1 Regional Session - Australia, Mainland China, Singapore, South Korea and Philippines | 6.2 SBE Urban Challenge: Assessment Protocol and Case Studies | |
| 6.3 Smart Initiatives in SBE (2) | 6.4 Deep Renovations - Practices & Performance Review | |
| 6.5 SBE Assessments - Design Processes | 6.6 Green Construction Materials (1) | |
| 6.7 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Assessment, Analysis and Modelling (2) | 6.8 Sustainable Neighbourhoods - Case Study Review (2) | |
| 6.9 Transforming Green Market - Green Economics (2) | 6.10 Innovative Practices to Transform SBE (1) | |
| 6.11 Processes, Design, Tools and Methodologies in SBE (4) | 6.12 Green Buildings - Occupants' Perspectives | |
| 6.13 Place-making - Integrative Design Processes | 6.14 BEAM Plus Neighbourhood: From Theory to Praxis (Session Organiser: Hong Kong Green Building Council Ltd.) | |
| 15:00 – 15:10 | Coffee Break | |
| 15:10 – 16:40 | Parallel Session 7 | |
| 7.1 Education and Training for Transforming SBE | 7.2 SBE Buildings Challenge: Assessment Protocol and Case Studies | |
| 7.3 Smart Initiatives in SBE (3) | 7.4 Deep Renovations - Processes & Methodologies | |
| 7.5 SBE Assessments - Practices Review | 7.6 Green Construction Materials (2) | |
| 7.7 Innovations Driving for Greener Policies and Standards - Smart Initiatives | 7.8 Sustainable Neighbourhoods - Processes and Application | |
| 7.9 Transforming Green Market - Supply Chain | 7.10 Innovative Practices to Transform SBE (2) | |
| 7.11 Processes, Design, Tools and Methodologies in SBE (5) | 7.12 Multi-facet Considerations of Urban Regeneration Policies | |
| 7.13 Place-making - Practices Review | 7.14 To be announced | |
| 16:50 – 17:20 | Keynote 6: Dr Raymond COLE, Professor, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, University of British Columbia | |
| 17:20 – 18:00 | Closing Ceremony | |
Remark: The Organisers reserve the right to update or change the programme content, session and paper allocation without prior notice.