Completion of the Trade and Industry Tower

29 May 2015

Construction and handover of the Trade and Industry Tower (TI Tower) were completed in April and May 2015 respectively.
 
Innovation and sustainability are the core principles behind its design, in line with the “Green City” concept of the Kai Tak Development Area. The TI Tower is the first Hong Kong Government office building designed to achieve BEAM Plus Platinum and LEED Platinum. In late 2014, the Tower received the “Grand Award” in the “Buildings Under Construction – New Buildings” category of the Hong Kong Green Building Awards (HKGBA), and a Platinum rating in the BEAM Plus Provisional Assessment. As commended by the GBA jury, the design places a strong emphasis on energy conservation and greening. This successful attainment of the highest standards in sustainability is yet further testament to Dragages Hong Kong’s track record as the market-leader in sustainable construction practices.

 

Overall greening accounts for more than 40% of the total site area, and a wide array of renewable energy features can be found throughout the building. For instance, there is no chiller plant inside the building, with all chilled water being provided by the District Cooling System, resulting in an energy saving of some 20% when compared to the adoption of a conventional chiller plant. Leveraging the building’s exposure to the path of the sun, approximately 500 sqm of thin-film photovoltaic panels (42.8kW maximum power output) have been installed on the UG/F, 1/F covered walkway and G/F canopy to enhance energy efficiency. Inside the building, workspace is also designed to maximise the utilisation of natural sunlight, with 75% of all work areas able to receive sunlight.

 

To maximise the flexibility of the workspace, the building features a “column-free” design. Through the adoption of a post-tensioning slab, a thin flat slab was created without the need for beams. This enabled the creation of column-free spaces more than 13.5m wide, while also using minimum construction resources.

 

The 22-storey Tower is built to accommodate a number of Government departments, as well as a community hall.

 

Facts and figures

Client: Architectural Services Department of HKSAR
Location: Northern part of the ex-airport apron in the Kai Tak Development Area
Site Area: 0.83 hectares (8,276 m2)
Construction Floor Area: 65,730 m2
Number of Storeys: 22

 

“Green” figures

  • 13.5m-wide, column-free office space
  • 42% green ratio over the 8,276 sqm site
  • 55% of the roof area covered by high emissivity material – 25.62% achieved by greenery
  • 20% less energy consumed as a result of the connection to the District Cooling System
  • 486 sqm of thin-film photovoltaic panels with 42.8kW maximum power output
  • 75% of all work areas receive sunlight