Zero Carbon Building, Hong Kong

Covering an area of just 50,000 square feet on two floors, the Zero Carbon Building in Kowloon Bay may be small in scale but its impact on green construction will be long-lasting and far ranging.

Gammon was selected as the Management Contractor for the project by the Construction Industry Council because of our expertise in green construction technologies and practices, especially our capabilities in procuring green materials and managing embodied carbon during construction.

The project, which will be the first zero carbon development in Hong Kong, will showcase state-of-the-art eco building design and technologies to the local and international construction industry.

After its completion in 2012, the building will produce more energy than it consumes – about 225 megawatt hours of electricity in total per year. Thirty per cent of the generated energy will be derived from solar panels and 70 per cent from biodiesel made from used cooking oil. To promote the use of ecologically friendly materials, we used green materials such as FSC Timber and recycled-content steel. We also introduced innovative materials for the site formation and external features, such as a special concrete that we developed using recycled aggregate.

BIM technology was used extensively to minimise waste by determining the precise amount of cut-and-fill required during excavation. By employing the off-site cut-and-bend technique for rebar, we were able to reduce waste on site.

To account for the embodied carbon in the construction materials, we examined the transport of materials, energy consumption by tower cranes, site offices and onsite plants, and embodied carbon in concrete mixes, in order to identify opportunities for mitigation.

Whether it is carbon, waste or water, we will continue to look for ways to manage our business better and reduce the environmental impact of our projects. This is part of our approach to environmental stewardship, which means going beyond compliance to ensure a healthier environment and conservation of resources.