Consideration of Impact on Neighbourhood
Overview for Office Building
Design, construction and management of the office buildings
and premises should aim at providing a positive impact on the
neighbourhood.
Some examples of positive impact on the neighbourhood:
• Provide covered walkways and canopies to help enhance weather
protection for pedestrians
• Provide connection to public transportation such as the mass transit
railway integrated with the office building’s circulation to enhance
connectivity to public transportation for office workers, visitors and
the neighbourhood
• Ensure exhausts are not facing sensitive areas in the neighbourhood
to avoid causing a nuisance to the neighbours
• Provide greenery and landscape areas to enhance the environment as an amenity for the office workers and the
neighbours and to help reduce the heat island effect at the same time
• Consider the provision of an air ventilation path to help air ventilation of the neighbourhood
• Avoid using highly reflective glass walls which may cause glare to neighbours due to the reflection of sunlight
• Avoid using extensive external façade lighting which can cause a nuisance to the neighbours
• Minimise the impact of buildings to ecologically important sites in the neighbourhood during the planning stage
• Adopt a bird-friendly façade design to avoid casualties from accidental collisions. (Read more at: Bird-friendly Urban
Design Guidelines by The City of Calgary; Land Use Planning and Policy available at
)
• Have stakeholder engagement and consultation to ensure the design is fit for purpose
Benefits of Green Office Building
• Greenery can help to reduce
heat gain and decrease energy
consumption.
• Avoid the use of excessive façade
lighting can reduce the demand for
electricity and cut down the initial
investment cost.
• Enhance weather protection for
pedestrians
• Enhance connectivity to public
transportation for office workers,
visitors and the neighborhood
• Enhance air ventilation and
improve visual permeability in the
neighbourhood
• Reduce heat island effect
• Subject building also benefits
from a good neighbourhood, e.g.
community amenities
Green Strategies for Office Building
z
Building massing and height
z
Podium design to enhance
ventilation, and avoid large
coverage (particularly on
extensive and wall-like build-
ings) to promote permeability
z
Provide urban windows to en-
hance air ventilation and visual
permeability in the neighbour-
hood
z
Building disposition and config-
uration to align with
z
Use of wind guide to enhance
ventilation in the neighbour-
hood
z
Covered Walkway
z
Set back of buildings to provide
air path to facilitate ventilation
z
Greenery as amenitywhichhelps
to reduce heat island effect
z
Connectivity to public transpor-
tation
z
Avoid extensive use of external
façade lighting
z
Avoid use of highly reflective
glass wall
z
Minimise noise from construc-
tion, renovation and demolition
DESIGN STAGE
3.1.2 Consideration of Impact on Neighbourhood
Office
BUILDING
Figure 3.1.4 Ground Connection at HSBC Headquarter
Office
BUILDING
Case study of 18
King Wah Road:
Building Massing and Building
Height Studies
Building massing and building
height studies were carried out
at the design stage to achieve an
optimal design that is in harmony
with the local environment.
DESIGN STAGE
3.1.2 Consideration of Impact to Neighbourhood
Figure 3.1.6 Schematic Development
(Source: Henderson Land Development Company Limited)
Figure 3.1.5 18 King Wah Road
(Source: Henderson Land Development Company Limited)
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