Redevelop. Rethink.
Hysan aims to go green in its revised Hennessy Centre and live up to its billboards
| Text : Elizabeth Kerr | Photo : Hysan Development Company Ltd. |
Causeway Bay property giant Hysan Development has reported it expects to see moderate rental income growth for the second half of 2010. If nothing else, news like that will ensure Causeway Bay remains the retail capital of Hong Kong, given Russell Street’s status among the world’s priciest rental space.
It’s no secret Hysan is holding steady with its commitment to Causeway Bay, leading the renewal charge in the area with the ongoing Hennessy Centre redevelopment. Its Leighton Centre is also getting a facelift.
Hysan boasts a whopping 99 percent occupancy rate in its retail space and so given Hysan’s sway in the neighbourhood — and the standard traffic gridlock and complementing smog — how does Hysan figure it’s going to be able to make its promises of a “green” haven in Causeway Bay a reality?
Hysan’s construction partner, Gammon, has just been presented with the Autodesk Building Information Modelling (BIM) Award for 2010. In a press statement, Hysan explained that the citation recognises, “exceptional use of BIM in the planning stage of [a] project. The implementation of BIM is a vital process in ensuring safety and efficiency during the construction of the redevelopment project,” on the site of the old Mitsukoshi department store. The final structure will be a mixed-use, 40-storey, LEED-certified, sustainable building. But that’s just for planning. What happens in reality after the project is finished?
Redevelopment and renewal are indeed tricky. Old buildings are often difficult to retrofit in a green way, and green new-builds can come with added expense. That Hysan already has LEED approval, and is aiming for HK-BEAM-certification too, says a little bit about the new centre’s future. “We want the building to be both commercially successful and environmentally responsible. We believe our initiative will enhance asset value by creating a better working and shopping environment for tenants and visitors alike,” said former Hysan chair Peter TC Lee in 2009. Before his death in October last year, Lee was fully aware of the reality of Causeway Bay’s physical environment: on any give day CWB is one of the most densely populated districts in Hong Kong, with pedestrian traffic often as heavy as the four-wheeled kind. The new Hennessy Centre will use less energy, more natural light and ideally provide a healthier environment all around.
“From the very beginning when we looked at how to redevelop this site, we considered in great depth and length all the challenges we face, including those on the environmental front,” said Lee. As if echoing Dr William Yu, head of WWF Hong Kong’s climate Hysan aims to go green in its revised Hennessy Centre and live up to its billboards programme, Hysan’s director of design Dr Chan Lai Kiu points out Hysan’s response to the issue of building “fat.” Hennessy Centre version 2.0 will feature green spaces designed to mitigate the blazing heat that has become so common in intensely built-up urban spaces. “There will be, for example, several large openings at lower levels in the building. They [will] act as ‘urban windows’ to enhance natural air ventilation and improve the microclimate in the neighbourhood. They will also lessen the wall effect and help retain good visual permeability,” Chan explained.
Will that translate into a steady supply of environmentally progressive tenants and increased shoppers weary of a day at the mall that results in an “indoors cold”? On the less cynical side, will it set an example for other developers’ future projects? If shops and heavy-hitting corporations continue to flock to Causeway Bay it just might. Check this space near the end of 2011 when the new, green Hennessy Centre re-opens.
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