HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) expresses deep concern about the collapse of green roof structure at the City University of Hong Kong yesterday (20 May 2016) and extends our sincere sympathy to the injured. To prevent future mishaps relating to rooftop greening and similar works, RICS suggests:
| 1) | Buildings Department (BD) investigate the incident concerned, identify causes and publish report as soon as possible; | ||
| 2) | BD clarify whether submission is required for green roofs or similar works, and issue guidelines for the public and professionals. Any relevant regulation should also be reviewed and amended, if necessary; | ||
| 3) | all similar green roofs including green walls be inspected immediately to identify any potential risk. Good facility management is critical in order to ensure no accumulation of water due to blockage of drainage, and no overloading to the original design due to additional materials. | ||
In addition, organisations and property owners are highly recommended to:
| 1) | employ building professionals to carry out feasibility study, design, application and monitoring of any building works; | ||
| 2) | carry out proper building maintenance and repair to ensure building safety including but not limited to fire, means of escape and structure; | ||
| 3) | employ building professionals to conduct regular inspection and carry out necessary repairs on time. | ||
Nathan Lee MRICS, Chairman of Building Surveying, Project Management and Environment Professional Group of RICS Hong Kong Board, said, "Alteration and addition works require approval from Buildings Department. Building plans should be submitted for approval by authorised persons and be accompanied with an assessment on the structural viability of the proposal. RICS recommends organisations and property owners to carry out regular inspections on building structures to ensure safety of their properties."
About RICS
Confidence through Professional Standards
RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards – bringing confidence to the markets we serve.
We accredit 118,000 professionals and any individual or firm registered with RICS is subject to our quality assurance. Their expertise covers property, asset valuation, real estate management; the development of infrastructure; and the management of natural resources, such as mining, farms and woodland. From environmental assessments and building controls to negotiating land rights in an emerging economy; if our members are involved the same professional standards and ethics apply.
We believe that standards underpin effective markets. With up to seventy per cent of the world’s wealth bound up in land and real estate, our sector is vital to economic development, helping to support stable, sustainable investment and growth around the globe.
With offices covering the major political and financial centres of the world, our market presence means we are ideally placed to influence policy and embed professional standards. We work at a cross-governmental level, delivering international standards that will support a safe and vibrant marketplace in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, for the benefit of all.
We are proud of our reputation and work hard to protect it, so clients who work with an RICS professional can have confidence in the quality and ethics of the services they receive.
About RICS Asia
RICS Asia supports a network of over 20,000 individual professionals across the Asia region with an objective to help develop the land, property and construction markets in these countries, by introducing professional standards, best practice education and training. We promote RICS and our members as the natural advisors on all property matters. We also ensure that services and career development opportunities are provided to members.
RICS Asia region serves local member associations located in Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan and South Korea. It also has members working across the region such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Laos PDR, Macao SAR, Mongolia, Nepal, North Korea, The Maldives, The Philippines, Timor East and Vietnam. For more information, please visit: www.rics.org.