Green Building Design
You may be aware that the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) recently published a new version of the BEAM Plus 1.2 document to promote passive building designs, which promote natural ventilation to facilitate more energy efficient designs for buildings. Apart from greener designs for newer buildings, we must not forget making greener designs for existing buildings and their rising need for BEAM Plus certification. Building surveyors should also consider incorporating green building designs and certification services into their conventional building maintenance and renovation works to provide a more comprehensive service for existing buildings.
Energy Efficiency Design for Residential Buildings
The Buildings Department (BD) commissioned a study on the energy efficiency designs of residential buildings with a view to enhancing design standards for better energy efficiency. Consultation meetings were held on 25 and 26 June to engage industry stakeholders to provide their inputs into the proposed measures under consideration by the BD. I attended the meeting and learned that an RTTV assessment of the thermal transmission performance of the external fabric of a residential building will be proposed to control the thermal transfer from the exterior of building to the interior. The BD study also encouraged passive designs to adopt enhanced natural ventilation. Members may wish to take note of the final proposal adopted by the BD on this subject.
CPD updates
Submission of a Fire Engineering Report and Fire Services Management Plan
“Submission of Fire Engineering Report and Fire Services Management Plan” was held on 28 May 2012. The event was over-subscribed to once registration started. The Fire Engineering Reports (FER) and Fire Services Management Plans (FSMP) are required for projects that adopt fire safety performance-based designs. The guest speaker, Ir Tam, is currently working as the officer-in-charge of the New Projects Division in the Fire Safety Command, which is mainly responsible for formulating fire safety requirements and recommendations in respect of all new buildings, alteration works to existing buildings, and revitalised old industrial/heritage buildings. Ir Tam shared his experiences in enforcing the requirements of such submissions from a governing authority’s perspective. Since the Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings (2011) came into effect in April 2012, we will have more chances to encounter this topic in the building sector in the future.
Essences of Retail Architectural Interior
“Essences of Retail Architectural Interior” was held on 5 June 2012. The guest speaker, Mr Joe Lui, shared his experiences with both Hong Kong and China Retail Architectural Interior Design methodologies.
“Beyond Barrier Free Access & Access Consultancy” and “Understanding Design for People with Disabilities”
As building surveyors, we have to possess a much-needed understanding of the realistic needs of people with disabilities (PwDs) and their rights, as affirmed by the Disability Discrimination Ordinance for new building and A&A works designs. CPDs, namely “Beyond Barrier Free Access & Access Consultancy” and “Understanding Design for People with Disabilities,” were held on 6 and 20 June 2012, respectively. The former aimed to reinforce the concept of barrier-free access by introducing a proper perspective of “Access to Premises” in the Hong Kong context together with an outline of the specialist role of Building Surveyors and other building professionals in local and international access consultancies. The latter explained the functional principles behind some commonly design guidelines for barrier-free access, particularly for wheelchair users and people with poor vision. Both CPDs encouraged building surveyors to understand how PwDs/end users interact with the built environment in hopes of raising the public’s awareness of and empathy towards accessible designs.
Workshop on a Structured Learning Course for Expert Witness on Water Seepage Disputes
The court procedure workshop, the last of a series of structured learning courses, was successfully held on 16 June 2012 at the Surveyor Learning Centre. It was our pleasure to see a number of legal practitioners, including barristers-at-law and solicitors, join us as helpers to conduct the workshop. During this role-playing seminar, our members were put in the witness box to be grilled by our learned helpers. This was an experience I will never forget and which other participants should find invaluable. Apart from the technical aspects brought up during the workshop, participants also received constructive comments on court etiquette and demeanor when giving their testimony. I hope this workshop will assist our members in exploring expert witnesses as one of their scopes of work in career.
May I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to our guest helpers - the assessors as well as participants - for assisting in and joining this structured learning course. The success of the course has boosted our aim to conduct it on a regular basis, which would be a prerequisite for applying to the underway List of Experts (Water Leakage).
The BSD organized a number of CPDs on hot issues this month. Some of them received vigorous feedback on subscriptions.
Experience Sharing Session on Registered Inspectors Assessment under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme
Members are reminded that the new MBIS/MWIS has been formally implemented on 30 June 2012. We understand that the BD is in the process of targeting buildings for the first round of action. It is anticipated that around 2,000 buildings will be selected for the scheme during the first year. The BD will issue pre-notification letters to the owners of the selected buildings to allow them sufficient time to prepare for the works. A statutory notice will be issued a few months later to specify the details of the works that owners have to complete within a specified time frame. Members interested in providing their related professional services should prepare for requests from the affected building owners.
Our Council Vice-Chairman, Sr Andrew Kung; Hon Treasurer, Sr Kenny Tse; and Council member, Sr Daniel Pong, joined hands to conduct an “Experience Sharing Session on Registered Inspectors Assessment under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme” on 27 June 2012. We were encouraged to see that many members enthusiastically attended this sharing session. Under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS), a Registered Inspector (RI) is a key person who is responsible for carrying out the prescribed inspection of the common parts, external walls, and projections or signboards of a building, as well as supervising the prescribed repair works by the Registered Contractor (RC). A building surveyor, as an expert in the field of building construction, repair, and maintenance, should ready him/herself to register as an RI. Andrew, Kenny, and Daniel have shared, discussed, and explored the contents of the assessment interview of RI with members. In the meantime, I wish to invite members to apply for the RI qualification so as to assist the public in handling the MBIS/MWIS.
