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Green Building BEAMPLUS Existing Buildings (EB) Consultant
John Herbert
Director
The biggest environmental challenge is not the buildings under
construction today, no it's the 50,000 existing buildings already
built and operating in Hong Kong.
Almost all of Hong Kong's electrical power generation, around 90%,
serves our buildings, is it really that surprising? Given that Hong
Kong is a major service economy with little manufacturing.
And the use of energy in our buildings account for over 60% of the
territories Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.
For existing buildings, metrics such as Sustainable Sites
are hardly relevant, these building already exists, we cant
move they closer to the MTR. So the focus needs to be based
on operating existing buildings efficiently, minimising
waste, and optimising energy efficiency.
Finding the right question is important than just seeking
answers. Like it or not sustainability and energy are two
sides of same coin.
An existing building does not mean there are no options, it means
the framework should focus on continuous improvements over the building
lifespan, pivoting towards improving and lower the TCO (Total Cost of
Ownership) which means lower energy consumption, and by implication
lower GHG carbon emissions.
Existing Building Framework
BEAMplus EB offers two type of framework, called Selective and
Comprehensive. The EB selective scheme is simpler, comprising
individual targets and certificates. Whereas the new EB
Comprehensive is similar to the structure of BEAM PLUS EB v1.2.
BEAM PLUS Existing Building Comprehensive Scheme
The framework will be familar to BEAM users, it comprises
requirements organised in different categories, where
accumulating credits/points for the whole project could
provide Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze awards.
The EB categories include the following:
- Management (MAN)
- Site Aspects (SA)
- Materials Waste Aspects (MWA)
- Energy Use (EU)
- Water Use (WU)
- Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
- Innovation
Management (MAN)
This category includes credits for:
- Green Procurement
- Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS)
- Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
- Staff training
- Operation and maintenance
- IAQ management for renovation
- Cleaning and pest control
- Building users involvement
Site Aspects (SA)
This category includes credits for:
- Site location;
- Emissions from the site
- Greenery
- Site amenities
Materials and Waste Aspects (MWA)
This category includes credits for:
- Selection of materials
- Waste management and reduction
Energy Use (EU)
This category includes credits for:
- Energy performance
- Energy management and analysis
- Commissioning
- Energy efficient improvement
- Enhancement
Water Use (WU)
This category includes credits for:
- Water conservation
- Water management
- Effluent
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
This category includes credits for:
- Occupants satisfaction;
- Ventilation
- Thermal comfort
- Hygiene
- Indoor air quality
- Lighting quality
- Acoustics and noise
Innovations and Additions (IA)
This category includes credits for:
- New or Innovative Techniques
Operating Existing Euildings effectively is critical
Greening Existing Buildings
There are more than 50,000 buildings in Hong Kong,
therefore existing buildings are a critical part of our
infrastructure and huge quantities of embodied carbon
tied up in those structures.
Advice
We spend endless hours in buildings, more so than ever before, as a
result occupants demand healthier better buildings, therefore
get the best advice you can afford.
John Herbert is an interationally experienced and qualified BEAM Professional
since 2010,
he has taught BEAM and green building topics to architects, engineers, industry
professionals, and university students for more than a decade. He is also an EMSD
registered energy assessor (REA), therefore understands buildings, how the
building systems operate, energy efficiency, and the methods to cut energy
and cut operating costs.
For existing buildings call the experts today!
