As the first civilian-use zero-carbon structure in China, Zero Carbon Park is a showcase of state-of-the-art green building design and technology. Acting as a model for the construction industry, internationally, regionally and locally, Zero Carbon Park is a vehicle to raise community awareness of what sustainable living can look like in Hong Kong.
The project was initiated to address the imminent need for action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in cities, but was specifically designed for the Hong Kong urban context: high-density, hot, humid, and sub-tropical. Open to the public, Zero Carbon Park is also a visitor education centre, housing a green office for the Construction Industry Council, a demonstration home showcasing low-carbon living technologies, a multi-function room, Hong Kong’s first urban native woodland, and other outdoor landscaped and event spaces. First and foremost, Zero Carbon Park sets a world-class example for low-carbon, highly energy-efficient buildings.
Zero Carbon Park has a myriad of sustainable features. It generates on-site renewable energy from photovoltaic panels and a tri-generation system using biofuel made of waste cooking oil. Not only does Zero Carbon Park aim to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, it was designed to be energy-positive over the course of its life-cycle.
Surplus energy produced is exported back to the electricity gride, offsetting the embodied carbon of its construction processes and major structural materials.
Its passive design features include optimised building orientation, window placement, skylight installation, insulation and building materials – these produce a 20% energy savings compared to similar building. Its energy-efficient active systems reduce energy consumption by a further 25% - these include underfloor air supply, chilled beams and high-volume-low-speed fans that cool the building for occupants and visitors without the use of air conditioners.
Zero Carbon Park also increases the neighbourhood’s ecological value, with more than 200 different varieties of flowers and trees present in the onsite urban woodland – acting as a living, breathing piece of infrastructure and providing a glimpse of what a net-zero carbon future city might look like.
