More than 30 public rental housing projects coming on stream will be built with the help of of micro-climate studies, enabling designers to plan the estates for greater energy efficiency and comfort, the Housing Department says.

Upper Ngau Tau Kok Estate Phases 2 and 3, scheduled for completion next year, will be the first public housing project to be built with the use of micro-climate studies in the planning and design stage. Other public housing projects in the pipeline are in Ma On Shan, Tseung Kwan O, Kwun Tong and Sham Shui Po.

Deputy Director of Housing Ada Fung said high-density urban development affects the surrounding environment.

Greater comfort

"It is high time for us to ponder what nature can offer in terms of wind and sunlight and make the best out of it. By planning and designing our public housing estates according to the environmental characteristics of the site, we can provide greater comfort for our tenants by enhancing public housing blocks' environmental performance," Ms Fung said.

Before the department lays the first bricks on site, computational fluid dynamic techniques are used to obtain scientific data about wind speed, natural ventilation, solar heat gain, daylight and noise.

"With full knowledge of the environmental performance factors of the site, the site will be carefully planned, the blocks shaped and positioned to make the best use of natural resources such as prevailing wind directions and sunlight. The domestic flats, lobbies, corridors, housing blocks, open spaces as well as landscaped areas will fully capitalise on the benefits of our natural resources," Ms Fung said.

Extensive planting

"Improved natural ventilation and daylight provision to the domestic flats, common areas and lift lobbies as well as the open space will reduce energy consumption and heat emission of air-conditioning and artificial lighting. Ventilated re-entrants improve public hygiene as pollutants can be dispersed and diluted effectively. Thermal comfort at open space will be enhanced by shading from the blazing sun using building blocks and extensive tree planting," she added.

Micro-climate studies have become an integral part of the department's design checking before the finalisation of estate layout and building design since 2004.

Although there are other constraints that will shape the final form of building development, such as site configuration, orientation, adjoining roads and building economics, Ms Fung said working with micro-climate studies can help optimise the design within these constraints.

"We shall continue to feed our design through this verification process and optimise our design solution in terms of environmental performance for public housing estates," she said.

The department will also take stock of the experience gained in these studies and decide the way forward for other environmentally friendly initiatives in future endeavours.