Public facilities are closely related to our daily lives. We have to use a wide range of facilities throughout our lives, from the hospitals in which we were born to the crematoria in which we bid farewell to our loved ones. You may not know that most of these facilities are designed, constructed and maintained by the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD). Our ArchSD colleagues work hard behind the scenes and plan ahead in the design and construction of community facilities so as to deliver people-orientated, sustainable and cost-effective public facilities to the community, and to promote best practices in the construction industry as well as improve our living environment. The enormous efforts they make are best demonstrated by the numerous professional awards won by our public facilities projects in recent years. Here are a few examples. 

Hospitals are among the most important categories of public facilities as their use is connected to our health and well-being. Our ArchSD colleagues, therefore, always remind themselves to keep pace with the times in the design and construction of hospital facilities. The North Lantau Hospital opened last year has made reference to the latest trends of hospital design with its improved planning of infection control facilities, refined design details and enhanced accessibility to cater for patients’ needs. One of the innovative features of this project is the Rehabilitation Garden located at the podium of the hospital building, which provides a tranquil and rehabilitative setting for patients and staff with extensive greening and beautiful landscapes.

Sustainable development begins with the environment
Apart from fulfilling the functional value of buildings, ArchSD also takes into account the element of sustainability in the design and construction of public facilities. Our colleagues strive to protect our environment through various measures such as revitalisation and adaptive re-use, as well as adopting green design in construction. The Headquarters of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department in Kowloon Bay is a pioneering example of green building, which demonstrates how an abandoned air cargo terminal building can be transformed into an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly office building. In addition, PMQ on Hollywood Road, which you may have heard of through the media recently, is in fact the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road, a historic building that has been revitalised by ArchSD into a creative hub where emerging designers can create, exhibit and sell their works. The revitalisation project has enabled the building to achieve the goals of preserving heritage, promoting the creative industry and providing open space for the community, all at the same time.

ArchSD has also promoted the development of sustainable building in the design of educational and learning environments. STFA Lee Kam Primary School in Area 55, Tuen Mun, and Sing Yin Secondary School in Kwun Tong, for example, have both showcased ArchSD's sustainable construction principles. Their designs aim at maximising the use of natural lighting and ventilation. Together with other green features such as solar-powered light-emitting diode lights as well as energy-efficient air-conditioning and ventilation systems, they can reduce energy consumption and generate renewable energy. STFA Lee Kam Primary School has won the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Merit Award of Hong Kong – Community Building, while the latter has been named as one of the 2013 Greenest Schools on Earth by the Center for Green Schools of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Hong Kong Wetland Park is another example of protecting the environment while sustaining development. The renowned architectural and landscape designs of the park, as shown by its conservation areas, building structures, fauna and flora habitats, visitors centre and the choice of materials, have received international acclaim.

Showing regard for the sentiments of the community
We have also set high standards for government offices in terms of sustainable development. The temporary office building of the Energizing Kowloon East Office, though located under a flyover, has adopted the concept of sustainable development and is the first temporary building that has received the Platinum Rating under the BEAM Plus of the Hong Kong Green Building Council. Our ArchSD colleagues took a modular construction approach using recycled containers and other steel structures, which not only enabled them to construct the temporary office building in a short time, but will also allow for the building to be disassembled easily or even reused in other locations in future.

Public facilities play another important role of reflecting the sentiments of the community. Let’s take the promenade projects in Stanley, Tsim Sha Tsui and Sai Kung as examples. The design concepts of openness and user-friendliness adopted for these projects are both important design elements of our public space. The Stanley promenade was voted as the winner in the Waterfront Area category of the Outstanding Public Space Awards 2013, while the Sai Kung promenade received an honorary mention. In addition, the Stanley Municipal Services Building re-interprets a street market scene with its simplistic design, and expands comfortable open space with distinctive local characteristics in the urban environment. For the Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Leisure and Cultural Building, the design was inspired by the traditional Chinese cabinet, while the indoor and outdoor environments are blended together through terraces. All these features aim at re-interpreting the traditional architectural style in a contemporary way. As for the crematoria and columbaria in Diamond Hill and Wo Hop Shek completed recently, our colleagues hoped to soothe the sorrow of families of the deceased and change the public perception of these facilities through the use of landscape design. All of the above new facilities have been well-received by the community, and some have been named among the latest tourist attractions in the territory by travel magazines.

The above stories have exemplified the success of our colleagues’ efforts. We hope that you all will take the time to visit these public facilities, which are there for you to use whether you are working, studying or enjoying your leisure time, and take pride in them. Our ArchSD colleagues are most willing to listen to your opinions and work with the community to build an even better environment that we can all be proud of.