All buildings and structures to be constructed on the West Kowloon Cultural District site including the canopy must comply with the Buildings Ordinance and subsidiary regulations, the Housing, Planning & Lands Bureau says.

In response to press enquiries on the project's safety, the bureau said public safety is always the foremost and primary consideration of any Government development project, adding that this one is no exception.

The bureau said the Government has adequate procedures in place to ensure that all buildings and structures meet all the statutory requirements in the design and the construction stage.

Technical viability considered by renowned experts

The bureau noted that the jury panel, which comprised renowned international architectural experts, had considered the technical viability of constructing the proposed canopy before adopting the winning concept design.

Since then, the Government has also looked into the various technical aspects and consulted local professionals and is satisfied that building the canopy is technically feasible.

As clearly set out in the invitation for proposals, proponents are required to ensure that the design of the canopy can comply with the safety standards stipulated in the Buildings Ordinance.

The successful proponent is required to prove and verify the structural viability under extreme weather conditions by wind engineering studies, including wind tunnel tests.

Comparison with French passenger terminal misleading

It is true that the invitation for proposals document makes reference to the proposed canopy as covering at least 55% of the site area. However, the document has also made it clear that the canopy does not have to be fully cladded with glass or solid panels.

The winning concept design that the Government adopts assumes that there will be lots of openings for light and wind to pass through.

Comparison with the design of the passenger terminal of the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris is irrelevant and misleading, the bureau said.