HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) and BEAM Society Limited (BSL) are pleased to announce the official release of BEAM Plus Existing Buildings V2.0 (EB V2.0) at the Official Launch Ceremony of Implementation of BEAM Plus EB V2.0, held today at Zero Carbon Building (ZCB). The ceremony was officiated by Mr Wong Kam-sing, JP, Secretary for the Environment of the HKSAR Government, Mr Ma Siu-cheung, Eric, JP, Under Secretary for the Development and Mr Yau Shing-mu, JP, Under Secretary for the Transport and Housing, together with Mr Cheung Hau-wai, SBS, the Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council, and Prof. Ng Cheuk-Yee, John, the Chairperson of BEAM Society Limited. Representatives from over 15 organisations were staged in support of the launching of BEAM Plus EB V2.0.
“The HKSAR Government highly appreciates the BEAM Plus EB v2.0 and has high expectation in enhancing the environmental performance of Existing Buildings through this assessment tool. Some Government departments have already shown interest in the assessment tool, and we hope to encourage more organisations from different sectors to participate,” said Mr Wong Kam-sing, JP, Secretary for the Environment, HKSARG.
Prof. Ng Cheuk Yee, John, the Chairperson of BEAM Society Limited, said, “The achievements in energy reduction is apparent among those buildings which completed BEAM Plus assessments. Up until the end of 2014, the estimated annual electricity saving of the assessed buildings is around 240 million kWh (equal to the annual electricity use of around 51,000 households), reducing 166,000 tonnes of carbon emissions (equal to planting of 7.4 million trees). It is a major step to mitigate the climate change.”
Mr Cheung Hau Wai, the Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council said, “The role of existing buildings is paramount in achieving the energy saving targets of Hong Kong, we would like to accomplish the goals through a multitude of tools including the newly revamped EB V2.0, to further promote green practices in operations and management, and to advance the energy efficiency and overall environmental performance of existing buildings. I am confident that the new tool would be a stark success for the industry. To launch the new version of BEAM Plus EB V2.0, expert views were collected from the industry stakeholders to address the various limitations faced by existing buildings, so that the new tool can offer flexible and practical energy saving solutions for buildings of different types and ages in Hong Kong.”
To drive more existing buildings going green and wider participation in the assessment, BEAM Plus EB V2.0 offers 2 approaches in the assessment, namely Comprehensive Scheme and Selective Scheme. The Comprehensive Scheme provides one-step or stepwise assessment for a holistic review of the building. There are 4 assessment ratings under the Comprehensive Scheme, namely ‘Platinum’, ‘Gold’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Bronze’. For Selective Scheme, it offers greater flexibility to applicants who would opt for assessment in selective aspects in view of the practical needs of the buildings. Grading will be awarded separately for each individual aspect, namely ‘Excellent’, ‘Very Good’, ‘Good’ or ‘Satisfactory’. The Selective Scheme has a lower threshold on assessment, the council expects to attract more older buildings to participate in the scheme.
The revamped version was first released in September 2015 for public review. Subsequently BSL have conducted training courses for BEAM Professionals and public talks to enhance their professional skills and to arouse public awareness of the tool, so as to equip the building industry to drive the greening of existing buildings in Hong Kong.
Mr So Kai-ming, Convenor of Steering Committee for BEAM Plus Existing Buildings Major Revision & 1st Vice chairperson, BEAM Society Limited, and Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council commented, “To contribute to the Government latest Energy Saving Plan, participating in BEAM Plus Existing Buildings version 2.0 can be a strong force to drive behavioural change, strengthen the message of energy saving in the community, and through the efficient use of energy, we can reduce the pressure to the stressed environment and to reduce the impacts brought by the climate change.”
Hong Kong Green Building Council is the certification body of BEAM Plus while BEAM Society Limited is the assessment body. BEAM Plus EB v2.0 is open for registration today.
Assessment manual﹕www.beamsociety.org.hk/en_beam_assessment_project_1.php
Project registration﹕https://www.hkgbc.org.hk/eng/bp-reg-EBv2-0.aspx
BEAM Society Limited
BEAM Society Limited (BSL), owner of Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM & BEAM Plus), is a non-profit organisation committed to developing and implementing BEAM Plus assessment tools, assessing green buildings and training BEAM practitioners. Through the BEAM and BEAM Plus assessment tools, over 18.6 million square metres of green building developments, green building space per capita over 2.5 square metres, have been certified. On per capita basis, BEAM Plus is one of the most widely used voluntary green building labelling schemes of its kind in the world.
BEAM Society Limited continuously strives to improve the overall quality of the built environment in Hong Kong. BEAM Plus assessment tools, including BEAM Plus New Buildings, BEAM Plus Existing Buildings and BEAM Plus Interiors, are currently applicable to the stages of Building Design, Construction on Site and Operational Life.
To learn more about BSL, please visit www.beamsociety.org.hk.
Hong Kong Green Building Council
The Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member led organisation established in 2009 with the vision to help save the planet and improve the wellbeing of the people of Hong Kong by transforming the city into a greener built environment. The Founding Members of the HKGBC include the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Business Environment Council (BEC), the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) and the Professional Green Building Council (PGBC). Its mission is to lead the market transformation by advocating green policies to the Government; introducing green building practices to all stakeholders; setting design, construction and management standards for the building profession; and promoting green living to the people of Hong Kong.
To learn more about the HKGBC, please visit www.hkgbc.org.hk.