GLOSSARY
Item Term
Definition
17 ISO standard
The International Organisation for Standardisation, known as ISO, is an international
standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards
organisations.
18 Light shelf
A light shelf is a horizontal surface that reflects daylight deep into a building. Light
shelves are placed above eye-level and have high-reflectance upper surfaces, which
reflect daylight onto the ceiling and deeper into the space.
19 Low emissivity (low-e)
glass product
Low emissivity (low e or low thermal emissivity) glass products are characterised by a
glass surface condition that emits low levels of radiant thermal (heat) energy.
20 Municipal solid waste Solid waste produced by domestic, commercial and industrial sources.
21 Prevailing wind
Prevailing wind is wind that blows predominantly from a single general direction over a
particular point on the building.
22 PVC content
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is the third-most widely produced plastic,
after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is used in construction because it is more
effective than traditional materials such as copper, iron or wood in piping and profile
applications. It can be made softer and more flexible by the addition of plasticisers, the
most widely used being phthalates. It emits gases and is potentially harmful to humans,
and can cause irritating respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
23 Quality assurance
Quality assurance (QA) refers to the engineering activities implemented in a quality
system so that requirements for a building or a space will be fulfilled.
24 Quality control
Quality control, or QC for short, is a process by which entities review the quality of all
factors involved in construction and operation of a building.
25 Reverberation time
(1) Pressure level in the enclosure to decrease by 60 dB after the source has stopped.
(2) The time in seconds given by T60 = 60 dB/R, where R is the rate of decay of sound
in the room expressed in decibels per sound.
26 T5 fluorescent tube T5 fluorescent tube is 16mm (5/8”) in diameter and has a higher lumens-per-watt
efficiency than T8 or T12 fluorescent tubes of about the same power.
27 Vinyl
Vinyl is a plastic made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It emits gases and is potentially
harmful to humans, and can cause irritating respiratory illnesses such as asthma.
28 Volatile Organic
Compound (VOC)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are a diverse group of organic compounds that
evaporate at room temperature. In a typical indoor environment, there are more than
100 compounds that can be classified as VOCs being emitted from sources such as
building materials, cleaning agents, cosmetics, waxes, carpets, furnishings, laser printers,
photocopiers, adhesives, paints and lacquers. Certain VOCs at high levels are toxic and
have adverse effects on the central nervous system, liver, kidney and blood of human
bodies. Hypersensitive individuals can have severe reactions to a variety of VOCs at
very low concentrations. Exposure to compounds such as benzene for long periods
may also increase the risk of cancer. It is desirable to reduce exposure to VOCs, as the
toxicological and sensory effects of VOCs are not completely known.
29 VOC products
Products containing VOCs can release these chemicals when they are being used and
when they are stored. An odour may be noticed when using these products. Product
labels often list VOC ingredients and recommend that they should be used in well
ventilated areas. Ventilation means bringing in fresh, outdoor air to mix with indoor air.
30 Waste management
plan
A plan that lists the work processes or activities that will generate waste construction
and demolition materials during the course of the work and describes the measures to
reduce/ minimise that waste.
31 Water-cooled chiller
Water-cooled chiller is equipment that includes an evaporator, compressor, condenser
and regulator control, and which serves to supply chilled water. The heat absorbed by
the refrigerant in the chiller is expelled into the outdoor environment by evaporation
through cooling towers, or by seawater discharge to the sea.
Item Term
Definition
1 Air-handling unit (AHU) Air-handling unit consists of a fan or fans and coils for cooling, dehumidification, heating
and filtration used for space air-conditioning.
2 BEAM Professional
(BEAM Pro)
Also known as “BEAM Pro”, a green building professional accredited by the Hong Kong
Green Building Council in the various aspects of the green building life cycle. One key
role of a BEAM Pro is to integrate the latest green building standards and practices into
everyday building planning, design, construction and operation.
3 BIM
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process involving the generation and
management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of
places.
4 BIPV panel
Building-integrated photovoltaic panel is a photovoltaic panel that has been integrated
into the design of the building or structure.
5 Carbon footprint
A form of carbon calculation that measures the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent
that a country, a business, industry or an individual is responsible for.
6 Direct digital control
Direct digital control or DDC is the automated control of a condition or process by a
digital device.
7 Double glazing window Insulated glazing (IG), more commonly known as double glazing (or double-pane, and
increasingly triple glazing/pane) are double or triple glass window panes separated by
an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building
envelope.
8 Energy audit
Energy audit is an effective energy management tool for examination of an energy
system to ensure that energy is being used efficiently. By identifying and implementing
improvements identified in an energy audit, it is not only possible to achieve savings
on energy bills, but also extend the life of the equipment under efficient operation. An
energy audit has to be conducted by a competent person having adequate technical
knowledge of building services installations. The energy auditor examines the energy
account of an energy system, checks the way energy is used by its various components,
checks for areas of inefficiency or where less energy can be used, and identifies the
means for improvement.
9 Fan coil unit
Fan coil unit consists of a small fan or fans and a coil for cooling, dehumidification,
heating and filtration used for space air-conditioning.
10 Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a type of indoor pollutant and is an organic compound with the
formula CH
2
O or HCHO. It is a type of volatile organic compound which is often present
in building materials, adhesives, fabrics, carpets, etc. Formaldehyde is a suspected
human carcinogen.
11 FSC certified wood
FSC-certified wood is wood that is certified under the standards set by FSC or the Forest
Stewardship Council. FSC-certification is given to companies and landowners to verify
that they practice forestry that is consistent with FSC standards. The FSC label on wood
or paper products guarantees that consumers can trust the sources.
12 Grey water
Grey water is water with a quality between fresh water and sewage water. In a building,
grey water is the water leftover from baths, showers, hand basins, kitchen sinks, floor
drains, etc.
13 Life cycle cost
Economic cost of a product or building over its expected life, including initial cost,
operating cost and, when appropriate, cost of disposal or demolition.
14 Illuminance (lux) level
The amount of luminous flux falling on the surface of a unit area, measured in units of
lux or lumen/m
2
.
15 Independent
commissioning
authority
The individual designated to organise, lead and review the completion of commissioning
process activities, and who facilitates communication between the owner, designer and
contractor to ensure that complex systems are installed and function properly.
16 Integrated heat pump A heat pump that simultaneously can provide heating, hot water, and air-conditioning
within only one system.
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