What are the building projects pertaining to design and build contracts both for residential and office buildings which have been or will undertaken by the Hong Kong government at the moment?
The Government Offices at Sha Tin and three departmental quarters at Hong Nin Road in Kwun Tong, Lai Chi Ling in Kwai Chung and in the West Kowloon Reclamation area were completed during the year.
What are the initiatives currently pursued by the Hong Kong government in terms of environmental protection?
The department continued to pursue environmentally sustainable development to promote the enhancement of energy efficiency and quality of public buildings and facilities so as to provide a safe and comfortable built environment for users.
The 'Overall Energy Approach' introduced to the industry and the public in 2000 has been widely adopted in new building projects for the partial recovery of waste energy to contribute to the overall energy required in improving the air quality of the built environment.
The incorporation of energy efficient features in public buildings and facilities continued during the year. More than 24,000 energy-efficient and environmentally lighting fittings with T5 (16-millimetre diameter) fluorescent tubes were installed. Heat recovery chillers, thermal wheels, and heat exchangers were widely introduced in the design of new government offices, indoor recreation centers, schools and community halls. In promoting the use of energy efficient water-cooled air-conditioning systems (WACS), the department completed a total capacity of 15 megawatts of such systems for public buildings during the year, with a further 26 megawatts of WACS under design.
In respect of sustainable development, the initiative of installing photovoltaic panels in public buildings and facilities continued, and a total of 1,700 square metres of various types of photovoltaic paneling was added during the year. Another initiative is the introduction of an air-conditioning plant of about 10.5 kilowatts, utilizing geothermal energy flow principles in the design of the Visitor Centre at the Hong Kong Wetland Park. Through the incorporation of energy-saving features in the department's building designs in 2002, an estimated annual saving of energy of about 300 million megajoules was achieved.
The department continued to promote environmental best practices and good management at construction sites, and implemented the 'Green Contractor Award Scheme' for the second year. The environmental performance of contractors was closely monitored to minimize the impact of the environment as well as to ensure statutory compliance.
What is the function of the Lands Administration Office?
The Lands Administration Office of the Lands Department consists of the headquarters, 14 District Lands Offices and various specialist sections. Its main functions are land acquisition, land disposal, land management and lease enforcement.
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