Hong Kong’s pioneering zero carbon building wins innovation award

The Construction Industry Council’s (CIC) Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) in Hong Kong has been awarded Champion of the Innovation Award for the Engineering Industry 2012/2013 by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE). The ZCB, which is the first of its kind in Hong Kong engineered by Arup won the construction category for its integrated innovations, tailored for the city’s sub-tropical climate. It is the first building in Hong Kong to actively feed electricity back to the grid and has BEAM Plus Platinum status – the highest rating for excellent building environmental performance.

The ZCB, which opened in June 2012 is a pioneering project to showcase state-of-the-art zero carbon building technologies and raise community awareness of sustainable living in Hong Kong. The three-storey building comprises an indoor exhibition and education space, a showcase eco-home, eco-offices and a multipurpose hall; and the open space is the first native urban woodland in Hong Kong.

It features over 80 sustainability features; each of them is innovative in its own right and all of them are seamlessly integrated. To achieve carbon neutrality throughout its life cycle, passive design measures are combined with green active systems and on-site generation of renewable energy.  It is the first building in Hong Kong with grid feed-in and features Hong Kong’s first biodiesel tri-generation system that uses waste cooking oil to generate power.

The project will be showcased with other outstanding innovations in an exhibition this month as part of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) Engineering Week 2013.

By Sara Bean