Message from
Secretary for the Environment
Foreword from
Chairman of Hong Kong Green Building Council
When it comes to global climate change, transformation to low carbon approach would
be the main focus of sustainable development. With the Paris Agreement now in force,
governments, enterprises and citizens around the world shall take actions in energy
saving and waste reduction to mitigate climate change. Buildings in Hong Kong take up
about 90% of Hong Kong’s annual electricity consumption, which accounts for about
60% of our total carbon emissions. As an international commercial centre, commercial
buildings in Hong Kong take up the biggest proportion of energy consumption.
Therefore, advocating “green commercial building” and “green office” is of significant
importance.
Generally, a “green building” requires considerations on many aspects, including building
design, choice of building materials, construction plan, environmental impact as well as
building operation and management, in order to achieve energy and water conservation,
waste reduction, and wise use of material resources in a sustainable manner. This not
only helps lower carbon emissions but also provides a healthy and pleasant working
environment, which in turn enhances employees’ productivity.
The Hong Kong Green Office Guide (“the Guide”), introduced by the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC),
provides guidance and green practices to building owners, property facility managers, tenants and occupants
of office premises pertaining to the potential opportunities, benefits and improvements gained from a green
office building. The Guide outlines the steps to a green office building starting from design stage to operation
and management stage. Stakeholders can take all these recommendations into consideration when designing,
operating and managing an office premises, enhancing property quality and recurring cost benefits.
I wish to express my appreciation to the HKGBC for its every effort in promoting the sustainable built environment
in Hong Kong. The Government initiates a number of green measures including the gradual implementation of
“Energy Saving Plan for Hong Kong’s Built Environment 2015~2025+” in tackling climate change, in order to strike
a balance between environmental, social and economic aspects. The Hong Kong Green Office Guide is indeed a
timely publication in driving the society towards sustainable development.
Mr WONG Kam-sing, GBS, JP
Secretary for the Environment
On behalf of the Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited (HKGBC), we take great
pleasure in presenting our Hong Kong Green Office Guide (the Guide), which introduces
measures to enhance environmental performance of office buildings and units.
Founded in 2009, the HKGBC is committed to introducing and promoting green building
practices to a variety of stakeholders, such as construction industry practitioners,
schools, shopping mall operators, retail tenants and the general public. To this end,
the HKGBC published a number of guidebooks over the years. As the first of its kind,
the Green School Guide was published in 2013 to provide comprehensive guidance on
how schools can go green. Thereafter, the HKGBC spread the green message to a wider
community and published the Hong Kong Green Shop Guide and Green Tenancy Driver
for Office Buildings respectively in 2014. To cater for the needs of landlords, property
managers and office occupants, the HKGBC sustains its efforts to compile the Hong Kong
Green Office Guide, which provides recommendations on how green features can be
implemented at both design stage and operational stage.
The Guide features a five-step roadmap, which comprises various key green elements of an office building,
namely Planning and Design, Indoor Environmental Quality, Energy Efficiency and Water Saving, Operation and
Maintenance as well as Landlords and Tenants. To help landlords, property managers and office occupants
implement green measures that suit their needs, the Guide provides easy-to-understand guidance on green
strategies with the aid of case studies of local office units and buildings. In this way, we hope readers will find it
easy to put knowledge into practice and take actions to go green.
Last but not least, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the HKGBC Hong Kong
Green Office Guide Steering Committee for their contribution to the development of the Guide. Our heartfelt
appreciation also goes to those organisations who have contributed their case studies to the Guide and have
shared with us their valuable views when we were compiling the Guide. Moreover, we would like to thank the
Construction Industry Council (CIC) for its funding support to this project.
We hope this Guide is not only informative but also contains practicable guidance for office owners and occupants
to make a contribution to creating a green and sustainable built environment. A sustainable city for our future
generation would be a long way to go but every little effort from individuals helps. Let’s strive for a more
sustainable workplace and make Hong Kong a more liveable city.
Sr WONG Bay
Chairman, Hong Kong Green Building Council
6
7
