TABLE OF CONTENTS - The Professional Green Building Council

Theme B: Creating a livable, healthy and environmentally viable citiesMICROCLIMATE STUDIES FOR HIGH DENSITY ANDHIGH RISE SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC HOUSINGDEVELOPMENTS IN HONG KONGSTEPHEN YIM YU CHAU 1 , LUKE K.Y.HAHN 2 AND LAMBERT W.K.CHOW 3Development & Construction Division, Housing Department, HKSAR GovernmentHong Kong, ChinaABSTRACT: Planning and design play an important role in creating a healthy living environment.Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA) initiated in 2001 the application of Micro-climate Studies inthe planning and design of high density and high rise housing development using latest proventechnologies, including computational fluid dynamics simulations, wind tunnel tests and daylightsimulation tools, etc. These studies enable holistic consideration to optimize the developmentpotential and enhance the built environment of the neighbourhood. They cover core topics of windenvironment, natural ventilation, daylight and solar heat gain, as well as other special topics such asurban heat island effect, pollutant dispersion, etc. In this Paper, the author introduces the followingkey initiatives in micro-climate research studies for planning and design –a) Introduction of air ventilation assessment concept to enhance the wind environmentalperformance in estate planning.b) Application of computer fluid dynamics (CFD) technology in passive design approach toenhance natural ventilation and pollutant dispersion of the domestic dwellings and public areas.c) Application of computer simulation technology in sun-shading and daylight studies to enhancethe master layout and open space planning.d) Introduction of environmental façade design concept to mitigate solar heat gain and enhancehuman comfort for residents.Micro-climate studies facilitate holistic environmental planning and design of sustainable housingdevelopments. Over 25 public housing projects in Hong Kong have adopted the studies, whichprovide greater human comfort for residents by enhancing environmental performance of thehousing estates with cleaner and greener environment for healthy communities.Keywords: Healthy Living, Sustainable Community1. INTRODUCTIONIn the high-rise, high-density environment of Hong Kong, environmentalperformance of buildings has a significant impact on the public. High densityliving has the advantage of efficient land use, public transport and infrastructure, aswell as the benefits of closer proximity to daily amenities. We have more than 7481