Organiser: HKIA E&SDC
Co-Organisers: BEAM Society Limited and Professional Green Building Council
Date: 25 May 2024 (Sat)
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:15 PM
Language: Cantonese or English
Delivery: Hybrid
CPD Hours: 2
Admission Fee: Free

Physical Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RdlpSFMCzbTmVdfJD184hyDco40kwR_PwpayNMPcU14/edit (50 persons, First-come-first-served)
Zoom Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PRFh5MfCTPKbiY-PHm_reA (1000 persons)

Synopsis

The U.N. chief issued a stark warning on climate change this week: “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”

Hong Kong has made a commitment to achieve Carbon Neutrality by 2050, and the Government has appointed Commissioner for Climate Change (CCC) to lead the efforts in combating climate change. We are delighted to have the CCC joining us to share the roadmap for achieving Carbon Neutrality in Hong Kong.

In addition to the CCC's presentation, we are honored to have three distinguished speakers who will share their insights with us. a dynamic panel discussion will take place, allowing the speakers to engage in a collaborative conversation and further explore the topics at hand. As the co-organisers, BSL and PGBC’s representatives Ir C.S. HO and Ar. Dr. Tony IP, MH will join the panel discussion with the speakers. The forum will conclude with a Q&A section, providing an opportunity for attendees to further explore the topics discussed.

Hong Kong's Climate Action by Mr. WONG Chuen Fai, JP
As the Commissioner for Climate Change, Mr. WONG will talk about Hong Kong's climate strategies and action to tackle the global challenges, from working towards deep decarbonization, carbon neutrality to developing a climate resilient city. Mr. WONG will also highlight the role of professionals in this city-wide agenda.

What are the must-dos on urban development in time of climate emergency? by Dr. Bruce CHONG
Urban development is complex, heavily networked and interconnected, composed of ‘systems within systems’. A strategic approach is required to ensure that our future development is climate change ready with reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with its use. While many countries and cities government have committed to net-zero emissions, majority of the infrastructural assets in use by 2050 have already been built; engineers, therefore, will have to make them work more climate-proven and efficiently to cope with climate emergency and help achieve the net zero target. Meanwhile, it is crucial to continuously reflect on what the society and various segments of stakeholders truly want from infrastructure provision, and what role smart technology and services can play to support both carbon efficient and climate ready design for urban development. The presentation, therefore, will reflect on what are the essential elements that must be incorporated in terms of 1) carbon neutrality for urban planning; 2) climate adaption and multiple effects under various hazard scenarios; and 3) appropriate smart city tools and services that can support both carbon neutral and climate adaptive planning and design.

Can TOMORROW be A Better Day? by Ar. Prof. Edward NG
Human activities in buildings consume a lot of energy.  How we should design better buildings for tomorrow is paramount to architects and stakeholders. The climate is changing, society is aging and our cities are densifying.  In a changing world, what we have been doing so well in the past may not lead us to a better future.  The lecture will explore some of the issues that reflections are much needed: from dealing with extreme weather and health risks to the design of fully glazed wall buildings, nano-flats, poorly ventilated living spaces, deep urban canyons, and so on. The message has always been never solving today's problem by creating problems for tomorrow.  

BACK TO THE FUTURE – What would you do differently? by Prof. Khee Poh LAM
Highlight the built environment journey that has brought us here, having to confront the existential threat of climate change. The question is – when given a chance, are we willing to do things differently? What the challenges and benefits that we could all gain by taking an alternate path in our collective journey?

Speakers

Mr. WONG Chuen Fai, JP
Mr CF Wong is currently the Commissioner for Climate Change in the Environment and Ecology Bureau of HKSARG. He was an Assistant Director of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) before joining the Bureau. Throughout his service with EPD, Mr Wong had taken up a wide range of responsibilities, including international collaboration, development of environmental infrastructures, environmental impact assessment, waste reduction and law enforcement.

Ir. Dr. Bruce CHONG
Dr Bruce is the Director and Fellow of Arup leading City Advisory, Climate and Urban Sustainability services in East Asia. He has established a center of excellence for climate modelling, making resilience quantifiable and actionable for organizations to plan for a net-zero future. With more than 20 years in the industry, he has led many high-profile and strategic projects such as advising top-tiered listed companies and city government on carbon neutrality and climate adaptation– both in Hong Kong and around the world. His work also includes a super typhoon study for the South China region; advising on the Task Force of Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD); 3D city map production and a smart city district plan for Kowloon East – the first pilot area to explore the feasibility of developing a Smart City in Hong Kong. He has also supported international organizations such as the World Bank, IFC, ADB, AIIB, APEC, Resilient Cities Network (RCN) and Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) on climate adaptation, sustainable infrastructure, carbon neutrality and circular economy.
Bruce is a fellow of HKIE, ICE, IET and CIBSE in the engineering sector, as well as being committee members of various organizations such as the Chairman of Real Estate Working Group in the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), Director of Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC), , Committee Member of ESG Group of the Financial Service Development Council (FSDC), Working Group Member on Engineering & Climate Change of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO)  etc., using his expert knowledge to drive cross-sector collaboration, create values and generate momentum of change for the industry, example being the Smart Green Resilient framework which has now been adopted by all the strategic planning projects of the HK government.  Bruce is also a Cambridge Overseas Scholar and Research Fellow at Sydney University. Recently, he launched A4CR (the Asia Corporate Coalition for Climate Change Resilience), an Asia-based platform for companies, to drive a more climate resilience business community.

Ar. Prof. Edward NG
Professor Edward Ng is an architect and Yao Ling Sun Professor of Architecture at the School of Architecture of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He specializes in Green Building, Environmental and Sustainable Design, and Urban Climatology for City Planning. As an environmental consultant to the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Professor Ng developed the performance-based daylight design practice note, the Air Ventilation Assessment Technical Guidelines, and the Urban Climatic Maps for City Planning.  Professor Ng has published over 500 papers and 3 books. He has twice received the International Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).  As a designer, his project won the World Building of the Year Award at the 2017 World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Berlin.  He received the 2010 Red Cross Humanitarian Award and was named one of the “Asian of the Year” by Reader's Digest in 2011.

Prof. Khee Poh LAM
Professor Lam is a licensed architect (UK), educator and researcher who specializes in computational design support systems for total building performance analysis and building diagnostics. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and Fellow of the International Building Performance Simulation Association.
He has completed many major funded research projects in Singapore and the USA, and findings are widely published. He is an Editorial Board Member of Building Simulation: An International Journal (Springer and Tsinghua University Press), and Honorary Editorial Board Member, Journal of Building Performance Simulation, Taylor and Francis, UK.
He is a member of the Advisory Panel member of the Centre for Liveable Cities Ltd., Singapore, Advisory Board member of Delos, USA, Co-Chair of the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) WELL City Advisory, and a World Health Organization Southeast Asia Region Expert Panel Member on Urban Health and Healthy City Network.
He is a building performance consultant for several major award-winning projects and certified green buildings in Singapore, China and USA. He was awarded the 2013 Alexander Schwarzkopf Prize from the US National Science Foundation “for exemplary research contribution to technology innovation and positive impact on technology, industry and the society as a whole”. He also received the IBM Faculty Award in 2010. He was conferred the inaugural iBuildSG LEAD Distinguished Fellow by the Building and Construction Authority, Singapore in 2020.

Panelists

Ir. C.S. HO
General Manager, BEAM Society Limited

Ar. Dr. Tony IP, MH
Vice Chairman, Professional Green Building Council
Founder, Tony Ip Green Architects Limited

Moderator

Ar. Yvonne IEONG
Chair of Environment & Sustainable Development Committee