The Construction Industry Council Zero Carbon Park (CIC-ZCP) is a testbed for sustainable construction and building management techniques. Built as a state of the art exhibition and template for the Hong Kong community to reference for design and technology, including indoor air quality management.

An Aspirational Example

The Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) was designed and built from the ground up to showcase a variety of different technologies and design approaches. As such it should be viewed as an example for other building designers and operators as a template to aspire and refer to in their own venues.

While it may not be possible to completely redesign or heavily retrofit an existing building to include landscaping elements like the ZCB urban woodland or abundant greenery to improve air quality, it is a reminder that the user experience is improved by the presence of plant matter and the purifying effects of certain indoor plants like Spider Plants and Snake Plants.

Building Features

Passive design elements of the building to improve indoor air quality include a cross ventilated layout with a facade that faces southeast to harness natural seasonal winds during summer to keep the building cool and ventilated without consuming power.

“Wind catchers” are also installed on the roof to supplement the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HAVC) system and provide natural airflow to the interior of the building, ensuring comfortable temperatures and air circulation to remove air pollutants.

The Building Management System includes over 2,500 sensors that monitor different aspects of the building including the performance of the HVAC system and other indoor air equipment.

Fans are used in conjunction with energy-efficient air conditioning to increase airflow, improving ventilation, temperature and perceived comfort while ensuring a healthy level of fresh air throughout the building. The fans are built to move large volumes of air while spinning at a low speed, thus keeping noise to a minimum.

Dehumidification is also important in Hong Kong’s hot and humid climate, the ZCP uses multiple approaches to cool and dehumidify air, including an underfloor air supply to cool occupied rooms, chilled water pumped through beams in the building to cool the interior space and desiccant dehumidification to remove water from ambient air.

These systems combine to create an environment with clean, cool, comfortable air at a low cost in electricity, keeping the space both healthy and sustainable.

An Algeo Microalgae Carbon Reduction and Air Purification Device has also been installed into the building to demonstrate a green solution to purify the air and reduce carbon dioxide levels using biological processes. The device can absorb pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, PM2.5 and formaldehyde.

Learning and Purpose of Case Study

Not all solutions used in the ZCB are suitable for every operator due to constraints such as cost or lack of control over major building renovations and construction.However, raising awareness of these challenges and the possible solutions on the market are keys to improving indoor air quality in all spaces.

By equipping users and operators with this knowledge, both institutional and individual actors can explore solutions that fit their own unique needs, large or small.