Green roofs should be tracked, Hong Kong surveyors say
Government must be able to keep tabs on roof projects but not hinder their development, top surveyor says following CityU roof collapse
Green roofs should be categorised and reported as “minor works” projects to enhance their regulation in the city’s existing building safety framework, according to a local surveyors’ trade group.
Former Institute of Surveyors president Vincent Ho Kui-yip said on Wednesday there was a need for a regulatory system that allowed the government to track green roofs in Hong Kong without making it so inconvenient that it would hinder their development.
This comes amid lingering questions as to whether plans must be submitted and approved for all green roof projects to be considered legal, after it was revealed that City University did not do so for the greening work on the roof of a sports hall that suddenly caved in last week.
Current regulations rely heavily on the initiative of owners in submitting a plan for approval.
“Right now even the government can’t tell you how many green roofs there are,” Ho said. “Incorporating green roof projects into the minor works control system would make it a more simplified process ... and would serve as a more efficient regulatory mechanism.”
Under such a system, proponents would have to seek prior approval for building plans to carry out minor work that is “smaller in scale and poses a lower level of risk”. Statutory requirements would be “simplified” and aimed at improving efficiency and flexibility.
The institute said it had formed a volunteer team to help non-government-funded schools inspect their green roofs free of charge in the next three months.