News & Events

Hong Kong, 25 September 2023 - Co-organised by the Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), Hong Kong Green Building Week (HKGBW) 2023, the acclaimed annual campaign promoting the significance of green building, hosted the official kick-off ceremony on 23 September at the Atrium of Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The event officiated by Miss Diane WONG Shuk-han, JP, Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ir Thomas HO On-sing, JP, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, and Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, who presided over the ceremony in the wake of an eventful week.

This year, Hong Kong Green Building Week has invited Mr Jason CHAN Pak-yu, popular Canto-Pop singer, Mr LEUNG Wing-mo, former Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Ms  Natalie CHUNG Sum-yue, a member of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development, and young eco-ambassador Bean Bean (Alexandra YEUNG). Each of the four guests takes on the role of Captain Green, representing the “Four Green Building Powers”, namely “Health and Well-being”, “Resource Efficiency”, “Environmental Friendliness” and “Innovative Elements”. Altogether, they symbolise the collaboration of different sectors and age groups in creating a greener future for Hong Kong, manifesting the power of green building, and advancing towards the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. 

Green building is an emerging global trend, advocating the integration of environmental protection concepts in architecture into the daily lives of people from all walks of life. As “Hong Kong Green Building Week” enters its 11th edition, the event focuses on the theme of “Unite Green Building Powers, Fight for Carbon Neutrality by 2050”, hosting an array of critically acclaimed public experience activities, for instance, the “Let’s Unite! Green Building KOL Video Competition” which invites public participants to co-star with KOL; the “4-Colour Biz-Green Outfits Social Challenge”, which encourages businesses and organisations to practise workplace carbon reduction through a “Biz Green Dress Day”; the “Green Building Game Tour”, consisting of guided tours and workshops for the public to cultivate better understanding through exploring local green buildings; the “Green Building Power Station” which promotes green building knowledge via a giant gashapon machine; and additionally, an online game challenge called “Green Building Power Social Game”, encouraging citizens to explore local green buildings in person. Through these vibrant activities and games, the event aims to inspire the public to embark on a low-carbon lifestyle in their daily lives, collectively achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Miss Diane WONG Shuk-han, JP, Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stated during her officiating speech, “The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been playing an active role in carbon reduction efforts, striving to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and aiming to lower the amount of carbon emissions to 50% of the 2005 level by 2035. We are pursuing four major strategies, namely ‘net-zero electricity generation’, ‘energy saving and green buildings’, ‘green transport’ and ‘waste reduction’, and rectify the issue of carbon emissions at the source.  To combat climate change, the Government has placed much emphasis on the management of electricity demand, and in promoting energy conservation through various policy measures.  About 90% of Hong Kong’s total electricity is consumed by buildings.  Our goal is to reduce commercial building electricity consumption by 30% to 40% compared with 2015, and residential building electricity consumption by 20% to 30% by 2050 or earlier.  We hope to achieve half of these targets by 2035 or earlier. I would like to express my gratitude for the significant contributions made by the Construction Industry Council and the Hong Kong Green Building Council, in promoting green buildings, as well as the enthusiastic support from participating organisations, key opinion leaders, and members of various industries and professional groups. I wish all of the activities every unparalleled success, further enhancing the public’s knowledge of and appreciation for green buildings.”

Dr CHEUNG Tin-cheung, SBS, Chairman of the Hong Kong Green Building Council, stated, “Thanks to the support and participation of various sectors of society, Hong Kong Green Building Week has officially entered its eleventh year. Unlike previous years, this year's kick-off ceremony is held for the first time in a green building space that is naturally ventilated, utilising the open design of the Atrium of Xiqu Center to create a comfortable environment without air conditioning, fully embodying the zero-carbon ideals of 'Hong Kong Green Building Week.' We are delighted to once again host a series of large-scale physical events this year, and are thrilled to see the number of supporting organisations surpassing 200, which is an all-time high in the history of the event. Participation and the scale of green building activities have also broken previous records. Over 270,000 participants, employees and members are estimated to have supported the '4-Colour Biz-Green Outfits Social Challenge’. The social media challenge is also gaining popularity among companies and organisations with an enthusiastic engagement, seeing an increasing number of participants each year. In order to showcase the significance of green building, meticulous planning, careful execution and insightful promotion have been made in order to craft an accessible experience for children, adults, seniors and everyone from all walks of life to participate, so that everyone can be inspired to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle. As a bridge between the public, industry, and the Government, The Hong Kong Green Building Council is committed to promoting ‘BEAM Plus’, and as of August this year, nearly 2,500 BEAM Plus certified projects have covered over 8,100 buildings, spanning nearly 80 million square meters. BEAM Plus has gained industry-wide recognition through providing constructive guidance and certification for green buildings applying for ‘Green Finance’. In the future, the Council will continue to fully support the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Ir Thomas HO On-sing, JP, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council stated,  “With various means and measures, like introducing CIC Carbon Assessment Tool and CIC Green Product Certification, the Construction Industry Council will take the lead in promoting green building. I am pleased that the Hong Kong Green Building Week has garnered fervent support and enthusiasm from various sectors of the public. Through co-organising this event, the CIC hopes the public understanding of carbon neutrality will be deepened. Judging from the passion and creativity of the participants and the public in the short film competition, the driving forces to engage in sustainable development for our society are evidently present and exuberant.”

Mr Ivan FU, Chairperson of the Committee on Environment and ZCB Management Board, Construction Industry Council, MH, JP, remarked, “This year, the CIC continues to innovate and set to organise the ‘Global Construction Sustainability Forum and Exhibition’ at the end of November, inviting industry experts from around the world to Hong Kong for a global-scale convention of knowledge, ideas and synergy. In addition to the forum, a series of exhibitions and appreciation tours will be held, where the industry will collaborate for local sustainable building development.” 

During the kick-off ceremony, award presentation for the “Let’s Unite! Green Building KOL Video Competition” has also taken place, showcasing the brilliant creative video works executed by the public participants which are themed to promote green building. Furthermore, a one-week-long public experience on-site event and an online game with prizes also began on the same day. Starting today, the “Hong Kong Green Building Week 2023” invites all citizens to participate in the “Green Building Game Tour”, to start a low-carbon lifestyle through learning about green building and work together to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.  
 

For details of the latest events, please visit the HKGBC Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/hkgreenbuildingcouncil and event website.
 

 

About the Construction Industry Council
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) was formed in 2007 according to 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, offer professional training and registration services, and provide a communication platform between the Government and the construction industry.

To learn more about the CIC, please visit www.cic.hk.

About the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC)
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organisation established in 2009 and has become a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance since 2016. The HKGBC strives to promote the standard and development of sustainable buildings in Hong Kong. The HKGBC also aims to raise green building awareness by engaging the government, the industry and the public, and to develop practical solutions for Hong Kong’s unique, subtropical built environment of high-rise, high density urban area, leading Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and to become a world’s exemplar of green building development. 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). 

To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.

About the BEAM Plus
BEAM Plus is Hong Kong’s leading initiative offering independent assessments of building sustainability performance. Recognised and certified by the HKGBC, BEAM Plus offers a comprehensive set of performance criteria for a wide range of sustainability issues relating to the planning, design, construction, commissioning, fitting out, management, operation and maintenance of a building. By providing a fair and objective assessment of a building’s overall performance throughout its life cycle, BEAM Plus enables organisations and companies of all sizes to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development.

To learn more about the BEAM Plus, please visit https://www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/beam-plus/introduction/index.jsp.