Hanging Gardens of Hong Kong would be a great project

[DocMartin Williams]

Email I sent Environmental Secretary KS Wong in February:

Quote:

Dear KS Wong:

Though we have many talented engineers in Hong Kong, we also perhaps have less need for more grand concrete projects that are similar to those already built.

Could engineers do other projects, something more futuristic, more sustainable?

– instead of it appearing the case that if they don't build concrete, they are out of jobs, and so should stand at loggerheads with environmentalists.

Well, I wonder if Hong Kong could do much more in the way of green buildings – not just with a few long lasting lightbulbs etc, but moving well beyond the Zero Carbon Building, with multi-storey structures coupled with vegetation.

You've probably got ideas along these lines, based on your expertise in green architecture.

I hope you can help guide Hong Kong towards extensive green buildings: even "Hanging Gardens of Hong Kong" to make this city really stand out, and becoming way better example for sustainability.

Green roofs seem a great idea: here, I'm cc'ing a friend in Seattle who has sent me much info on this topic, and has his own green roof project.

And today, I see an article about ambitious plans for high-rise buildings featuring greenery, even as vertical farms. You may know all these projects, but new to me. Seem appealing to me as lay person.

http://inspirationgreen.org/vertical-farms.html

Include a project in Singapore.

Singapore!!! Well, that might in itself be reason to spur us to action – we don't want that city state leapfrogging HK.

Anyway, I hope some action will be possible: could have many benefits for Hong Kong, making this a more liveable city.

Best regards,

Martin

Extract from the webpage:

Coming Soon: The Vertical Farm

The current 3.3 billion global urban population is expected to grow to 5 billion by 2025… Today our agricultural footprint is the size of South America…what will it be tomorrow…

EDITT Tower (“Ecological Design In The Tropics”) is being built in Singapore with the financial support of the National University. The 26 story tower will have over half its surface area covered by organic local vegetation. Solar panels will generate up to 40% of the building’s energy demands, and human waste will also be converted into an energy source via an on-site bio-gas facility. The Architecture firm TR Hamzah & Yeangis constructing the building using recycled and recyclable materials when possible!

Posting today as South China Morning Post has news report on proposal for vertical "farms" in Hong Kong.

Led to info on a webpage, including:

Quote:

JAPA Architects shared with us their proposal, Dyv-net, Dynamic Vertical Networks, which deals with the development of modern, efficient and environmentally acceptable farming structures. Located in the Tai Po District, the second largest administrative district in Hong Kong, the architects foresee a paradigm shift to vertical agriculture structures which can be integrated into a territorial network along the country.

…

Inspired by the traditional China’s rice farming agriculture amazing shifting terraces and by the earlier agricultural hardware which shows a tensile use of materials to produce structures which are resistant and at the same time can be light, our proposal emphasizes the use of shifting floor plates and light structural systems which incorporates recycled metallic material.The 187.50 meters structures will attract locals & international visitors and become new places for education and agricultural research.

Dyv-net, Dynamic Vertical Networks Proposal / JAPA Architects

see also JAPA page on the idea, including crops for all year/different seasons:

Dyv-net

 

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