Sustainability in Building Rehabilitation

Sustainability is a global trend and it will be a lost opportunity not to incorporate sustainability considerations into building rehabilitation projects which can create positive impacts on the Economy, Environment and Society. If one queries whether efforts in individual building rehabilitation can really bring about these positive impacts, the answer is definitely yes and it all depends on the attitude and decision made by building owners on the planning and implementation of a rehabilitation project.

First of all, rehabilitation prolongs the useful life of a building and in turn minimizes the amount of waste generation from complete demolition and also reduces the consumption of natural resources required for building redevelopment. To make it more sustainable, upgrading of building services can be allowed under the rehabilitation project, which will help to reduce the use of energy and water in the long run. Moreover, there may be opportunities to introduce landscape elements to the building which will enhance the well-being of the residents. On the other hand, prudent selection of durable and environmentally friendly materials for building rehabilitation will not only save money and reduce the environmental impacts, but also better safeguard the health of the inhabitants as well as the construction workers. Lastly, rehabilitation will contribute to local economic activity and conscientious administration of the projects is vital to the healthy growth of the industry.

Therefore, while economic, environmental and social impacts may sound macro, they can be simply translated into money saving, better living quality, and a healthier community. The impacts are always cross-boundary and may be demonstrated through various aspects in relation to different building activities. Please click on the following headings to understand more.

Urban Renewal Authority advocates the idea of sustainable development, not just for redevelopment projects, but also the rehabilitation works. For the services under building rehabilitation, we have offered various subsidy schemes to assist owners in the planning and proceeding of repair works. In order to encourage building owners to consider the use of environmentally friendly materials or energy saving equipment, we have included Green Item Subsidy in our Common Areas Subsidy Scheme.