Smart Technologies Transform Zero-Carbon Practices for Building Carbon-Neutral Cities

To promote sustainability and help Hong Kong reach its net-zero carbon goal by 2050, the Construction Industry Council fosters efforts to drive the development of green buildings by inviting relevant parties to exchange ideas and devise effective strategies. Recently, the Council invited Kevin O’Brien, Chairman of the Business Environment Council and Chief Executive of Gammon, to share insights on how smart tools and innovative building and digital technologies will enable the industry’s green and low-carbon transition, and how this will contribute to Hong Kong’s net-zero goal.

Three ‘Zero’ Strategies for Carbon and Waste Reduction

As this summer’s high temperatures showed, Hong Kong is very much feeling the effects of intensified global warming. “This September was the hottest on record in Hong Kong,“ Kevin noted. He stressed that immediate action was required to prevent temperatures becoming intolerable.

In its Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050, the HKSAR government proposed the goal of net-zero by 2050 in response to global warming. Two strategies under the Action Plan – Energy Saving and Green Buildings, and Waste Reduction – are closely related to the construction industry. Construction work and buildings do make a major environmental impact, accounting for 39% of carbon emissions, 36% of energy consumption and 40% of drinking water pollution globally. New construction consumes 40% of raw materials globally, and annual construction waste is expected to reach 2.2 billion tons globally by 2050.

In response, the Council has proposed a ‘Three Zero’ strategy of zero energy waste, zero landfill waste and zero waste of resources. From these goals, strategic guidelines for waste and carbon emissions reduction can be developed, leading to a sustainable model for construction, fostering a circular economy, and stepping up the pace of the industry’s green transformation.

According to Kevin, smart and innovative technologies will be needed to implement that transformation effectively: “We’ve got modern design and we end up with modern assets, but I think sometimes in the industry, we’re stuck with 19th century processes. What we need to be moving towards is adopting modern processes, much as other industries have done.” Kevin believes that by applying smart engineering to design can make a difference.

Smart Tools Realise Energy Savings and Zero Carbon

Greenhouse gas emissions and embodied carbon are at the forefront of the industry’s efforts to reduce emissions and save energy. As Kevin pointed out, construction processes generate greenhouse gas, while materials such as cement and steel also produce embodied carbon. Conservative design approaches can further exacerbate the problem. Thus, implementing an energy saving, zero-emissions construction model is a key component of the larger transformation.

A primary task is to calculate the carbon emissions of the construction process. “We do have some tools that help us understand the challenges – we’ve got the CIC Carbon Assessment Tool,” Kevin noted. Free of charge, the tool was developed jointly by the CIC and more than 200 experts from the industry. It helps users evaluate the carbon performance of buildings, all the way from raw material extraction to the end of construction. Kevin added that use of the CIC Carbon Assessment Tool together with BIM’s automated carbon assessment tools has helped the industry to adopt a waste reduction and energy-saving construction mindset. Further impetus to development of low carbon construction will be added if developers select low carbon materials.

The next task is to replace on-site diesel power with low-emissions energy. For example, Gammon, will soon introduce its first electric crawler crane. He also suggested reducing energy usage in completed buildings by using smart systems and better usage of data.

Innovative Technology to Achieve Zero Waste to Landfill

Innovative construction technology is also helping to drive the industry’s low-carbon transformation. Kevin highlighted the Council’s promotion of Mi Infinity (i.e. implementing modular construction in different aspects), which helps to achieve the goal of zero landfill waste.

As he explained, MiC transfers much of the construction process offsite, to a more controllable environment. Apart from streamlining the on-site construction process, it also helps to reduce the risk of error and the corresponding incidence of waste. The reduced packaging involved in offsite construction helps to reduce waste even further.

Currently, many construction projects have adopted MiC, including public housing, the privately developed Tonkin Street project, City University’s student accommodation at Whitehead, and the Terminal 2 expansion at Hong Kong International Airport.

Kevin was pleased to note that the government is supporting the idea of turning waste into resources by establishing the Pilot Biochar Production Plant in Eco Park. The plant will convert wood waste from construction projects into biochar for multiple uses. This will not only drive a circular economy, but also helps to achieve the goal of zero landfill waste in the long run.

Digital Technology Facilitates Zero Waste of Resources

Kevin said that digital technology is integral to reducing wastage of resources and has led the industry into the era of lean manufacturing. For instance, software such as Autodesk Building Information Modelling (BIM) would enable design revisions to be executed and reviewed, and inconsistencies identified and corrected, at the design stage rather than on-site, where they would create enormous waste. BIM can also facilitate a more efficient use of construction materials, and allow for buildings’ operational performance to be optimised.

Kevin stated that rather than demolishing and rebuilding, redeveloping and re-using existing buildings – such as in the cases of Tai Kwun and Central Market – can also help to reduce waste and carbon emissions. “Whenever we’re reusing an asset, we’re reducing the end-of-life carbon. And not only that – we’re providing something for society to enjoy about the cultural heritage of the city that we love,” he said.

Although such innovations impose ‘green premiums’, these increasingly come with what Kevin termed ‘green opportunities’. As he pointed out, such factors as Hong Kong Stock Exchange requirements for listed companies to publish Environmental, Social and Governance reports, mainland China’s peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals, and pressure and monitoring from international environmental organisations, have made ‘green’ and ‘low carbon’ a major global business trend. Green mortgages, bonds and related supporting schemes – such as the Council’s own Sustainable Finance Certificate Scheme, which provides favourable conditions for the development of green construction – are now commonplace.

Kevin expects that green and low-carbon construction will gradually become a prerequisite for Hong Kong’s buildings and infrastructure. But for today, he urged the industry: “I am afraid that listening is not good enough, and there is enough talk; it is time for us all to do something today. “