“Recent studies have shown that costs of poor indoor environment for the employer, building owner and society as a whole are often considerably higher than the cost of the energy used in the same building”-- BSI Standard EN15251:2007
Since making Hong Kong my home more than 25 years ago, I have cherished the fact that our city has vibrancy and beauty like no other – an exciting urban landscape co-existing with a unique harbour, green hills and gorgeous tropical scenery. I enjoy running and Hong Kong’s outdoors and because of mounting concerns about the deteriorating environment I have become involved in the environment sector.
For example, air pollution is a long-standing, “hot” topic in Hong Kong – while there remains a protracted debate about how we can and should address this, the situation has progressively worsened for many years. Although outdoor air quality is affected by pollution from neighbours and industries in the Pearl River Delta region, this is not an excuse for Hong Kong to ignore opportunities to reduce air pollution and combat climate change, particularly when it is within our means to improve the quality of our own build environment. EMSD estimates that buildings in Hong Kong account for 88 percent of total electricity consumption and approximately half of our greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, improving the built environment can significantly reduce Hong Kong’s air pollution.
Green and healthy buildings
A fact which is often overlooked is that outdoor air pollution and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) are closely intertwined. Despite grave concerns about airborne illnesses, Office Flu Contagion (generally blamed on poor air ventilation and circulation!) and the substantial amount of time that we spend indoors, it’s disappointing that Hong Kong has paid so little attention to ensuring good IAQ. Recent efforts to “green” our built environment seems to be ignoring the close relationship between energy efficiency and IAQ.
Lungs of the city
Recent studies in North America have illustrated that well designed and maintained buildings can actually improve a city’s air quality by effectively becoming the “lungs of the city”. Using regular ventilation systems, buildings are effectively filtering (and purifying) outdoor air. If this positive spillover effect is considered as we develop new building standards, there could be enormous health benefits by taking advantage of buildings’ abilities to filter outdoor air.
My company has teamed up with Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to develop and implement a unique Green Globes IAQ Module which assesses the current IAQ performance of the buildings and guides improvement through IAQ management best practices. A pilot project of JLL buildings in Hong Kong is underway, with preliminary results showing that well-run buildings can achieve indoor particulate matter levels less than a third of outdoor levels.
These results got us thinking about how much particulate matter the building was removing on an annual basis from the ambient outdoor air. We conducted further research and determined that a well-managed building would actually remove more than 100 kg of particulates from the ambient air per year. If all buildings in Hong Kong and China were designed and managed this effectively, there would be a profound effect on health and associated costs.
Take a deep breath and take action
The Hong Kong government’s public consultation on the Air Quality Objectives review ended last November with a number of criticisms. Why are World Health Organisation air quality guidelines being adopted via a “staged approach” and as a “long-term goal”– shouldn’t urgent air pollution problems be addressed immediately? Aren’t standards for human and public health in Hong Kong the same as in other parts of the world?
According to The Economist, air pollution is forecast to be a key cause for concern in Hong Kong’s future development. So it’s high time for action and seizing new business opportunities – buildings that ensure good IAQ not only enhance human comfort and health and improve productivity, they can also retain clients better, increase property and rental values and contribute to a greener, healthier and richer Hong Kong.
Bruce Hicks is a Director of Green Building Services Ltd. and Founder and Managing Director of TPIZ Resources Ltd. He recently co-Chaired the International Climate Change Conference 2009 in Hong Kong.
(Footnote: BSI Standard EN15251:2007 – Indoor environmental input parameters for design and assessment of energy performance of buildings addressing indoor air quality, thermal environment, lighting and acoustics)
