Sk Wong

A survey of the health and safety conditions of apartment buildings in Hong Kong

Abstract A high-density built environment poses challenges to the idea of sustainable development in respect of health (e.g. SARS outbreak) and safety (e.g. fire and structural problems). To examine the seriousness of the high-density problem, this study aims to survey the health and safety performance of apartment buildings in a densely populated city, Hong Kong, using a simplified assessment scheme. An assessment scheme based on a hierarchy of building performance indicators concerning the quality of: (a) architectural design, (b) building services design, (c) the surrounding environment, (d) operations and maintenance, and (e) management approaches was developed. One hundred forty (140) apartment buildings were surveyed and assessed through site inspections, desk searches, and interviews. A performance analysis was conducted to examine and compare the overall health and safety performance of the buildings. We found that there were considerable variations in health and safety conditions across buildings, even though they are located within a single district. Most of the variations in building health and safety conditions were attributed to differences in building management systems rather than building design. Enhancing strategic management approaches (e.g. a better delineation of owners’ rights and duties) appears to be the most critical factor that underperformers should consider in order to improve their buildings.

Sick building syndrome and perceived indoor environmental quality: A survey of apartment buildings in Hong Kong

Abstract The outbreak of a highly communicable disease, SARS, in Asia in 2003 has revealed the health risk of living in a high-density environment. To show the important connection between human health and environmental quality, this study surveys the prevalence of sick building syndrome (SBS) among apartment residents and their evaluation of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Based on a sample of 748 households living in Hong Kong, two interesting findings are revealed: (1) nasal discomfort was the commonest home-related SBS symptom despite the absence of any central ventilation system in apartment buildings; (2) noise, rather than ventilation, was the major IEQ problem perceived by residents. Our statistical analysis further showed that residents with SBS symptoms were less satisfied with their IEQ than those without. That is, despite a positive evaluation of specific IEQ criteria with respect to the building residents lived in, if they reported feeling SBS related symptoms, the overall IEQ evaluation of their building could still be negative. This perception bias gives rise to a sample selection problem in measuring perceived IEQ, which has implications on housing management practices and the formulation of a healthy housing policy.

Determining Optimal Building Height

The paper examines how building height is determined in the absence of building height regulatory restrictions. A model is developed for determining optimal height using simple neo-classical economic analysis; this is then tested using empirical data from Hong Kong. The results show that the observed building heights are consistent with the optimal height predicted by the model. In addition, it was also found that the point of optimality varied positively with the quality of the external environment. An important practical implication is that town planners and policy-makers can make use of the model as a benchmarking tool to assess and quantify the effect of imposing or relaxing height restrictions.

Are our residential buildings healthy and safe? A survey in Hong Kong

Purpose – The most fundamental requirement of a habitable building is that its occupants can live in it healthily and safely. However, given the proliferation of building‐related accidents recently in Hong Kong, the extent to which our buildings have fulfilled this basic requirement is doubtful. For the benefit of the entire society, more public information on building quality is needed. Aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approach – This paper extends the Ho et al. assessment model to evaluate the combined health and safety performance of residential buildings in Hong Kong. The model consists of a set of performance‐based objectives and can be translated into a hierarchy of parameters concerning the quality of building design, building management, and the surrounding environment. A total of 99 residential buildings in two urban areas, namely Mongkok and Tsimshatsui, were assessed with the help of a simple and user‐friendly performance indicator called the Building Quality Index (BQI).Findings –...

Governance in a co-ownership environment: The management of multiple-ownership property in Hong Kong

Purpose – To examine how the allocation of property rights in multiple‐ownership buildings in Hong Kong creates an environment in which the optimization of asset value may be difficult to achieve and in this situation how owners chose to overcome the associated problems of collective action decision making to resolve issues of building management.Design/methodology/approach – An institutional approach, drawn from the literature on common property and collective action, is used to examine the management of multiple‐ownership property. The paper uses a hedonic pricing model to empirically test whether, in such circumstances, management is reflected in property price and which mode of governance owners prefer as a mechanism for resolving problems of collective action.Findings – The institutional arrangements for co‐ownership and use of multiple‐ownership property assets in Hong Kong have resulted in an “anticommons” environment, in which individual owners are in a position to veto action in relation to the p...

Effects of building management regimes of private apartment buildings in Hong Kong

Purpose – There has been a growing public concern over the importance of building management in apartment buildings. However, peoples views toward the effects of building management on building performance have long been divergent due to a lack of empirical study. This study aims to empirically test the relationship between building management regimes and the conditions of private apartment buildings in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approach – An assessment scheme was developed to assess the health and safety conditions of 134 apartment buildings. Multiple regression models were then applied to analyze the effect of building management regimes on building conditions. The optimal functional form of the regression models was selected using Box‐Cox transformation.Findings – The empirical results suggested that the presence of incorporated owners and property management agents (PMA) are significant factors in enhancing building conditions.Research limitations/implications – The sample was confined to single b...

Property management as property rights governance: Exclusion and internal conflict resolution

Purpose – To re‐examine the role of property management from an institutional economics perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The role of property management is explored by asking why property management has emerged from the first principle. Then, an analytical framework for property management is put forward. Different dimensions of institutional arrangements, ranging from open access to communal private property or solely owned private property, are discussed in the real estate property context.Findings – The paper shows that a unique feature of property management is its role in excluding outsiders and resolving internal conflicts among the stakeholders of communal private property.Research implications/limitations – This approach opens up a new research agenda for property management. The adoption of different institutional arrangements in property management can be explained by further studies.Practical implications – The efficiency of different institutional arrangements for the governance of co...

Reconsidering Daylighting Design Parameters for Tall Buildings in a Densely Built City

Abstract Hong Kong presents a unique case of high-density living, featuring a compact urban form utilizing an extremely small percentage (21%) of total land area. Physically, the city is a mixing pot of commercial, office and residential buildings built along narrow streets, governed by a laissez-faire property market mechanism that reflects a mixed and intensive land-use pattern. The resultant urban form creates an unprecedented challenge for environmental amenities and in particular for daylight for skyscrapers. The paper discusses problems and underlying causes of daylight performance for kitchens under high-rise building scenarios. The kitchen is the subject of concern because it is claimed to be the worst lit space in prevailing high-rise building design. Besides focusing on socio-cultural expectations, the physical design of kitchens was examined critically, including the positioning, size and area of windows, reflectance and internal obstructions such as shelves and utility items, room area and room configuration. The concluding remarks make specific reference to socio-cultural factors concerning the usage of kitchens. It is the intention of this paper to use the kitchen as a proxy to illustrate the inherent problems and difficulties in directing daylight for different habitable spaces (bedrooms, living and dining rooms, as well as kitchens) in densely built, high-rise urban environments.

Statutory zoning and the environment: A Hong Kong empirical analysis of the direct effect of zoning on the environment and the potential contribution of planning conditions to sustainable development

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a hypothesis for evaluating the potential contribution of planning conditions to protect the environment by reducing environmental complaints (ECs) in an institutional context of growing communicative planning and interpret the results of an empirical study using two received hypotheses in terms of sustainable development in the light of the actual participation of the public in influencing the formulation of planning conditions.Design/methodology/approach – The hypothesis is tested using Environmental Protection Department EC and Planning Department zoning data. In addition, field observation of the conduct the Town Planning Board in their open sessions is made over a period of 27 months.Findings – The hypothesis about the frequency of planning permissions and the incidence of ECs using the “received” model of Lai is refuted. The results for testing Lais model on the relationship between Comprehensive Development Area zoning and ECs are indecisive. Thoug...

Compromising building regulations and user expectations in the design of high‐rise domestic kitchens

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the significance and relevance of social and habitual behaviours of home occupants to the building design process. It argues that introducing quantitative measures such as daylight level alone may not result in a “healthy and functional” kitchen without appreciating or factoring‐in the impacts of the social roles and user expectations of kitchens in high‐rise and compact urban situations.Design/methodology/approach – The study investigated three common types of apartment buildings in Hong Kong. Case studies suggested that it is crucial to include in a design process proper considerations of human behaviours by way of preferred approaches and modes of living, space usage, and weightings of end‐user responses that would influence architectural design in a direct and crucial way.Findings – The study noted that daylight quality of a kitchen is perceived by most families to be not as important as building control officials and designers thought it would. Instea...