AIRSIDE

Situated next to the Kai Tak MTR Station, this mixed-use commercial development comprises a 32-storey Grade A office tower; a multi-storey retail podium; a landscaped elevated walkway; and a public transport interchange.

AIRSIDE is the first commercial development in Hong Kong to adopt the Kai Tak District Cooling System (DCS), and has installed the largest photovoltaic (PV) farm among Hong Kong’s commercial buildings.

” Read: Kai Tak District Cooling System

Natural lighting is maximised by skylights above the atrium

SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE ENERGY & CARBON EMISSIONS
To fulfil the tight construction programme, a hybrid ‘semi top-down’ construction method with high-strength steel stanchions and post-tensioned concrete was implemented to enable simultaneous construction of the superstructure and basement box structure. The project team also reduced the structural elements’ section size and the use of steel reinforcement. Eventually, the semi top-down construction was shortened by seven months compared to the traditional bottom-up construction, with a significant decrease in the use of materials and supports, reducing carbon dioxide emission by 6,800 tons.

Other sustainable features include the rainwater recycling system that saves the amount of irrigation water needed by more than 70 per cent, and the use of eco-friendly materials. The retail podium features an interior ‘fabric’ that is upcycled from over 100,900 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
The project aims to cultivate green practices in waste reduction and recycling. It is the first in town to adopt an automatic refuse collection system with smart waste management functions to collect and sort four common waste streams (general refuse, recyclable paper, plastic and metal) from office and retail operations. It has an automatic smart weighting function and tenant identification for occupants to relay actual waste generation, tying in with the soon-to-be-launched Municipal Solid Waste Charging by the Hong Kong Government.

Artificial intelligence has been used extensively to monitor and optimise operations. The digital twin system continuously visualises and measures building performance to identify energy inefficiencies and provide recommendations to improve energy conservation.

Overlooking the Lion Rock, the development invites the outside in

PROJECT DATA
Project Name
AIRSIDE
Location
2 Concorde Road, Hong Kong
Completion Date
August 2022
Site Area
27,000 square metres
Gross Floor Area
177,670 square metres
Building Height
213 metres
Owner
Nan Fung Development Limited
Architecture Firms
Snøhetta Overseas Architecture; Ronald Lu & Partners
Interior Design Firms
Snøhetta Overseas Architecture; Ronald Lu & Partners
Civil & Structural Engineer
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited
Mechanical & Electrical Engineers
Podium: Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited; tower: J. Roger Preston Limited
Quantity Surveyor
Arcadis Hong Kong Ltd
Lighting Consultant
Lighting Planners Associates (Hong Kong) Ltd
Landscape Architect
Snøhetta Overseas Architecture
Green Building Consultant
Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Limited
Main Contractor
Hip Hing Construction Co Ltd
Interior Fit-Out Sub-Contractors
Plan In Interior & Contracting Co Ltd; tower: Sundart Timber Products Co Ltd
Images
Nan Fung Development Limited

This is an excerpt. The original article is published in
Construction+ Q4 2023 Issue: The Power of Construction Engineering.
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