Greenovation : developing a case for "green" retrofitting Hong Kong's existing commercial buildings as a means of achieving economic, environmental and social sustainability

Abstract

It is a widely known fact that the only way to achieve sustainable development in the building sector is through green building design. The path to sustainability, however is riddled with the presence of existing buildings that are far from being efficient or environmentally practical. The way to overcome this problem is to deal with existing buildings in each city, and retrofit them to the level of being environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. This paper assesses the complete scope of retrofitting existing buildings in Hong Kong, the economic, social and environmental benefits of it, and the policy reforms to further expand its scope.