2026-05-22
HKGBC's Response to the Public Consultation on Dedicated Legislation to Accelerate the Development of the Northern Metropolis
In response to the captioned Public Consultation, the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC) submitted the following suggestions in promoting green building technology development towards achieving carbon neutrality in the Northern Metropolis:
To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to support the development of Hong Kong into an international innovative technology center, it is timely to introduce further measures that incentivise the uptake of green technology in the built environment in the Northern Metropolis. Building-related activities in Hong Kong account for over half of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Green-certified buildings therefore play a crucial role in energy savings and climate change. Hong Kong's strengths in promoting green buildings are largely based on its robust international systems, unique legal framework and deep pool of professional talent. Despite the availability of technologies such as smart energy management systems, building-integrated photovoltaics, and AI-driven predictive maintenance, etc., their market adoption remains limited due to split incentives, high upfront capital costs and uncertain payback periods.
To accelerate green technology deployment, we recommend to embed green technology incentives within green building policy in the dedicated legislation. This may include encouraging projects to adopt pre-approved green technologies, particularly those developed together with Chinese Mainland partners and/or validated through pilot programmes, as well as certified green building materials and products, such as those recognised by the CIC Green Product Certification Scheme. We further suggest to designate the Northern Metropolis as “Green Living Labs”, where partnerships among developers, universities and greentech startups are actively supported through measures such as land premium adjustments, gross floor area concessions or expedited approval processes.
The Government may consider to mandate and encourage the adoption of our green building assessment tools and related schemes, such as BEAM Plus, CIC Green Product Certification, HKGBC Zero-Carbon-Ready and Net Zero Energy Building Certification, in the land sale conditions of the Northern Metropolis. Such requirement should apply not only at the design stage but also during operation stage. Land leases or the dedicated legislation could specify that occupied buildings undergo regular re-certification to ensure ongoing green performance.
We also recommend that Government buildings and public housing should take the lead in adopting these requirements, serving as exemplars for the private sector. With the Government setting a strong example, the private sector are likely to follow suit. With these comprehensive measures in place, the Northern Metropolis, can become the showcase of green, healthy and carbon-neutral communities to the Chinese Mainland and international partners.
To align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to support the development of Hong Kong into an international innovative technology center, it is timely to introduce further measures that incentivise the uptake of green technology in the built environment in the Northern Metropolis. Building-related activities in Hong Kong account for over half of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. Green-certified buildings therefore play a crucial role in energy savings and climate change. Hong Kong's strengths in promoting green buildings are largely based on its robust international systems, unique legal framework and deep pool of professional talent. Despite the availability of technologies such as smart energy management systems, building-integrated photovoltaics, and AI-driven predictive maintenance, etc., their market adoption remains limited due to split incentives, high upfront capital costs and uncertain payback periods.
To accelerate green technology deployment, we recommend to embed green technology incentives within green building policy in the dedicated legislation. This may include encouraging projects to adopt pre-approved green technologies, particularly those developed together with Chinese Mainland partners and/or validated through pilot programmes, as well as certified green building materials and products, such as those recognised by the CIC Green Product Certification Scheme. We further suggest to designate the Northern Metropolis as “Green Living Labs”, where partnerships among developers, universities and greentech startups are actively supported through measures such as land premium adjustments, gross floor area concessions or expedited approval processes.
The Government may consider to mandate and encourage the adoption of our green building assessment tools and related schemes, such as BEAM Plus, CIC Green Product Certification, HKGBC Zero-Carbon-Ready and Net Zero Energy Building Certification, in the land sale conditions of the Northern Metropolis. Such requirement should apply not only at the design stage but also during operation stage. Land leases or the dedicated legislation could specify that occupied buildings undergo regular re-certification to ensure ongoing green performance.
We also recommend that Government buildings and public housing should take the lead in adopting these requirements, serving as exemplars for the private sector. With the Government setting a strong example, the private sector are likely to follow suit. With these comprehensive measures in place, the Northern Metropolis, can become the showcase of green, healthy and carbon-neutral communities to the Chinese Mainland and international partners.