Green goals Kai Tak Sports Park second nature

Image: ASM Global

The Kai Tak Sports Park, the future home venue for Hong Kong, is set to redefine the sports landscape with its world-class facilities. As the City’s (Kowloon) largest integrated sports and entertainment landmark in Hong Kong upon its opening in the first half of 2025, it is poised to champion the sports development policies and objectives outlined by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government by fostering community sports, supporting elite athletes and establishing Hong Kong as a hub for major international events.

‘KAI TAK SPORTS PARK’ stated that as part of their unwavering commitment to promoting sustainable development in Hong Kong, the Kai Tak Sports Park is dedicated to incorporating Green building and ecological designs, implementing energy-efficient and renewable energy systems, embracing Smart City concepts within the precinct, and enhancing accessibility and connectivity with the surrounding community to encourage the use of public transportation by the citizens.

The Kai Tak Sports Park is a fully integrated sports, leisure and entertainment destination. The 28-hectare Sports Park will be part of the redevelopment on the site of the old Hong Kong International Airport in Kai Tak. The Sports Park features a 50,000-seat Main Stadium with a retractable roof, an Indoor Sports Centre with the flexibility to host community sports and events of up to 10,000 seats, and a Public Sports Ground with a capacity of 5,000 seats. These venues will be complemented with extensive public open spaces for events and leisure together with retail and harbor front dining spaces.

James Irvine, Director, Commercial, Kai Tak Sports Park, Hong Kong, is a Member of Coliseum Global Sports Venue Alliance.

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or the HKSAR Government, is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a special administrative region (SAR) that exists as part of the People’s Republic of China under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ doctrine, negotiated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, negotiated and signed in 1984, but taking effect in 1997.

‘KAI TAK SPORTS PARK’ further stated that through the above initiatives, the Kai Tak Sports Park is proud to create an environmentally-friendly and low-carbon venue for sports events, paving the way for a new era of Green sports development in Hong Kong.

The spokesperson of Kai Tak Sports Park said, “As one of Hong Kong’s key providers of sports facilities, the Kai Tak Sports Park believes in the crucial role of Green sports in driving sustainable development of the community. We have seamlessly integrated multiple sustainable elements and have implemented a range of measures during the design and construction phases. Our commitment lies in assisting Hong Kong in achieving its ambitious energy and climate policy target of halving carbon emissions by 2035. Through our efforts, we aspire to establish the Kai Tak Sports Park as an environmentally-friendly venue with low carbon footprint, while also inspiring and influencing the other sports venues and organizations to embark on their own sustainable development journeys.”
 

Pioneering Green Building and Ecological Design

The precinct has been designed with a genuine focus on sustainability. It meets various international standards and has received a number of Green building certificates, including the Platinum rating under the BEAM Plus Neighbourhood of the Hong Kong Green Building Council and the China 3-Star Design Label from the China Green Building (Hong Kong) Council.

Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong)-based the Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited (HKGBC) is a non-profit, member-led organization established in 2009 and has become a public body under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance since 2016. The HKGBC aims to raise the Green building awareness by engaging the public, the industry and the Government, and to develop practical solutions for Hong Kong’s unique, subtropical built environment of high-rise, high-density urban area, leading Hong Kong to become a world’s exemplar of Green building development.

The Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) Plus is a comprehensive Green building assessment scheme in Hong Kong. It was developed by the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC).

Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong)-based the BEAM Society Limited (BSL) is an independent, non-profit membership organization established in 2010.

Kowloon (Hong Kong)-based the China Green Building (Hong Kong) Council, abbreviated as the CGBC (HK), which is the Hong Kong local branch of the China Green Building and Energy Conservation Professional Committee. It was established on May 15th, 2010.

The three major facilities (i.e., the Main Stadium, the Indoor Sports Centre and the Public Sports Ground) of the project have also achieved Provisional Platinum rating under the BEAM Plus New Buildings and Gold Pre-certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED – the most widely used Green building rating system in the world) for Building Design and Construction.

The Green and sustainable features include:

• Over 30 percent Green ratio with over 1,000 trees to reduce the urban heat island effect and improve the visual comfort;
• Provision of 14-hectare of vast open space and soft landscape with Green roof and vertical greening to enhance the urban ecology and air purification;
• Adopt various native species for soft landscape design to achieve sustainable greenery and environmental features, while promoting biodiversity. The plants are also adaptive to different growing environment, thus promoting the local ecological diversity;
• All buildings are designed with advanced ventilation and Green features to improve the air quality and reduce carbon emission; and
• Charging facilities for the electric vehicles are provided at all the private car parking spaces.

 

Embracing Renewable Energy Systems for a Sustainable Future

The buildings and facilities within the sports park are designed to reduce carbon emission and the latest energy-efficient systems have been incorporated to improve energy efficiency, such as:

• Utilized chilled water supplied by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department’s (EMSD);
• District Cooling System for air conditioning purposes at the Kai Tak Sports Park that offers higher energy efficiency compared to the traditional air-cooled air conditioning systems and water-cooled air conditioning systems with separate cooling towers. This not only maximizes the energy efficiency but also effectively saves energy;
• Over 10 percent of the roof areas are covered with solar panels that can generate renewable energy for hot water and electricity. This initiative is expected to reduce the building’s energy consumption by at least one percent annually, resulting in a significant decrease of approximately 1,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year. This reduction is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions avoided by planting 43,400 mature trees;
• Adopt intelligent building management systems to minimize energy consumption;
• Reduce use of the artificial lights by allowing daylight penetration and provide natural daylight for indoor and semi-open spaces; and
• Widely adopting light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems for indoor and outdoor sporting pitches that meet the international standards.

 

Implementing an Effective Waste Management System for a Greener Future

The sports park implements comprehensive waste management practices, including recycling and reducing single-use items:

• Yard waste composter is in place to turn the yard waste into compost to reduce landfill;
• Onsite waste management and recycling bins will be provided to promote the 3R concepts (Recycle, Reuse and Reduce); and
• Rainwater harvesting system is installed at all the sports venues, allowing 25 percent of the total irrigation demand to be met through recycled water.

 

Enhancing Connectivity and Accessibility for a more Inclusive Experience

Recognizing the significant impact of transportation on carbon emissions, the Sports Park has implemented innovative solutions to enhance connectivity within the park and with the surrounding community, encouraging the residents and the visitors to utilize public transportation. These measures include:

• Pedestrians-oriented transport planning measures are adopted to ensure easy access to various public transport options such as the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), buses and ferries and the nearby pedestrian network; and
• A diverse range of connections through the landscape including cycling track, jogging path, meandering paths, and the main thoroughfares. These routes provide convenient and covered pedestrian access to the venues and outdoor spaces, as well as the GreenWay network through harbor front promenade and open spaces in the Kai Tak Development Area for shared use by the pedestrians and the cyclists.

 
During the construction stage, the project adopts new technologies and measures including the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) with the 3S construction concept, i.e. Standardization, Simplification and Single integrated element and an onsite Automatic Power System which reduces the use of diesel generator. The project also widely adopts prefabricated elements, such as steel trusses, precast concrete seatings, façades and roof panels, etc., to enhance the construction productivity and reduce the construction waste.

Additionally, the Kai Tak Sports Park has incorporated the Smart City concepts, including Wi-Fi hotspots, indoor positioning systems, smart parking management systems, and mobile applications. These initiatives provide the visitors with convenient services such as information access, facilities booking, wayfinding, and enhancing their overall experience.

As the largest sports infrastructure project in Hong Kong, the major facilities within the precinct are expected to be completed in phases by the end of 2024 for opening in the first half of 2025.

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