David Yau, Deputy General Manager of Project Management (1) Department at Henderson Land updates RFP on this Hong Kong developer’s current pursuits.
How do you think the Hong Kong property market will perform over the next two years?
In the past, Hong Kong has always been resilient in terms of property. Even now we’re seeing signs of recovery, perhaps because of the government’s commitment to spending on large infrastructure projects. I don’t believe the negative effects will last any longer than two years. Our chairman is targeting to sell HKD$10 bil in 2009, and we’re on track to achieve that.
For Henderson Land it just means tightening our belts. It’s an opportunity to trim down and to rethink how the company operates. Our executives spend too much in terms of travelling. In addition to the 3-4 hours of flight time to China, there’s also the time spent going to the airport and then flying back again. This means that one person is out from the office for a full day just to conduct a meeting. We are now investigating the ‘smart meeting’ on the internet.
In terms of managing properties, is Henderson Land adopting and maintaining green and sustainable strategies?
Well Born Real Estate Management Limited [a wholly owned subsidiary charged with property management of Henderson Land’s assets] has gained quite a large number of awards for environmental performance and applies the ISO14001 Environmental Management System, as well as the normal ISO9000 one. Well Born has initiated Millennium Environmental Protection, a green committee for all kinds of green activities.
In terms of materials, we use fly-ash in concrete, recycled wood products for outdoor areas, and recycled wood plus plastics instead of timber. It’s good because these products don’t rot. They cost 50 percent more than timber but overall the value you gain makes it worth it since you don’t have to paint or replace it after a few years. We also use metal form work.
Do you have a company-wide code that you apply to all your buildings?
Yes, our contractors abide by the ISO 14001 code. All of these environmental initiatives came about in the last five years, since we moved into IFC. When I first joined the company in 1999, I was involved with research and development. I looked at different methods of construction to see how we could improve our construction techniques. We looked at how things are done in different countries, from Australia to Japan to Singapore to Europe. We went to Germany and France to gain knowledge of how materials can be used in a way that saves time, reduces costs and improves quality.
Are there any government regulations that Henderson complies with during the construction of new buildings, in terms of sustainability?
We need to conform to building regulations under the Buildings Ordinance, as well as a lot of the planning regulations set by the Lands Department. The Environmental Department also has its own rules and regulations for building construction, but these pertain to the environment, not to sustainability. A lot of the impetus for better green buildings has come from the government by giving incentives for balconies, etc. For some of its buildings, Henderson has applied for the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) certification. We did this for Grand Promenade and Two IFC. Once we achieved an ‘excellent’ rating on the Grand Promenade, we adopted the same construction method and design as a model for other projects like the Grand Waterfront. We try to continuously improve the way we manage our projects as well. Our latest project in Beijing, the World Financial Center, was awarded the Platinum BEAM rating. We are also looking into whether it can achieve Gold or Platinum LEED standings.
Do any of your existing projects utilise energy efficient building automation systems?
Motion detectors have been installed, but whether it’s used by a building’s occupants is another story. The government requires public areas to be secure so they have to leave the lights on all the time. One of the ways to save energy is to change the type of lighting to more energy efficient lighting systems.
For our new projects we have not yet integrated building automation systems, because we don’t think they’re always useful. There are other means of achieving energy efficiency, such as having larger windows for more natural light. Because when you’re talking about an automation system, you still have a machine somewhere using a motor.
