“For individual buildings, opportunities for
improvement and their impact are relatively
less significant and extensive,” he explains.
“That’s why we think on a community level
with the goal of adding more green features
and facilities, setting a benchmark for
the whole industry.” Ir Chan is particularly
focused on innovative improvements
while setting standards and developing
new projects, which is also in keeping with
the “mind renovation” ideals of Confucian
philosophy.
In-depth Analysis: Planning for a
Decade
In 2009, Swire Properties developed a 10-
year energy reduction plan and committed
an investment of HK$300 million to its
success. The goal was to reduce the overall
electricity consumption of its major
investment properties by 20% from 2008
level by 2020. After a review of its long-
term energy management strategy in
2011, the company decided to shorten the
planned timeframe and set an even earlier
target date of 2016. Ir Chan recalls how the
Chief Executive, Mr Martin Cubbon, asked,
“Since we already know how to meet the
target, why not make it happen within five
years?” That simple question indicated the
management’s strong support for improving
Swire Properties’ energy-efficiency.
In order to meet its energy-efficiency
targets within five years, Swire Properties
approved the enhancement of plants and
major equipment across its properties. For
example, the chiller plants in Pacific Place
and Cityplaza were upgraded with more
energy-efficient chillers, a measure which
resulted in a reduction of 11 million kilowatt
hours of energy per year, equivalent to
8,690 tonnes of carbon dioxide. In TaiKoo
Place, the company switched to using T5
fluorescent lights, LEDs and induction lamps,
and installed photo and occupancy sensors
to monitor and control the usage conditions
and lighting levels, which ultimately enabled
an annual energy saving of some 2 million
kilowatt hours.
Since a significant percentage of its
developments’ power consumption is driven
by tenants, Swire Properties has offered free
energy audits to its office tenants, helping
them to better understand their patterns of
energy use and identify new ways of saving
energy. These energy audit services have
been welcomed by tenants. By the end of
2011, Swire Properties had conducted audits
for 2.4 million square feet of office space.
Swire Properties has been implementing
knowledge-based energy management
strategies since 2001, and has invested
in extensive research into the continual
improvement of its energy performance,
including data collection, developing an in-
house database, and conducting energy
analysis. Likewise, in response to climate
change, the Swire Group set a “'Best in Class”
benchmark target in 2006, and thereafter
shifted its focus from the micro issue of
saving energy to the macro issue of carbon
reduction, a move which continues to define
its main objectives in its long-term energy
management strategy.
Ir Chan believes that the key to success in all
these endeavours is detailed data analysis.
“We carefully collect and consolidate all
data from various systems and energy
consumption modes of our properties,”
he explains. “By doing this, we can obtain
solid information and set more realistic and
achievable targets for energy efficiency,
and then proceed to develop methods to
meet such targets.” This meticulous strategy
is also powerful proof of Swire Properties’
dedication to “studying the phenomena of
nature in order to acquire knowledge”.
The data gathered provides a foundation
for the design of future projects. Swire
Properties now has the capability, for
instance, to carry out computerised fluid
dynamics simulations for air ventilation
assessments. “We can now run simulations
early in the conceptual phase, to study
various ways to mitigate a project’s impact
on the environment,” says Ir Chan.
Early in 2006, Swire Properties began
collaborating with Tsinghua University
in researching high energy-efficiency
building designs and operation techniques,
and subsequently shared its research
findings within the industry. In 2011, the
Joint Research Centre for Building Energy
Efficiency and Sustainability was set up, and
in the period of 2011-2013, a budget of US$1
million per year has been allocated to the
promotion of further technological research.
Global Leadership: Recognised
by All
In addition to investing in the right
hardware equipment, Swire Properties also
places strong emphasis on the effective
development of talent. The company
currently has 35 BEAM Professionals (BEAM
Pro) and expects to have another 15 to 20
people in training within the year, while
some are also certified as LEED APs by the
Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design (LEED) of the United States. The
company often invites top experts and staff
from overseas to share their experience, and
regularly hosts a range of activities. Swire
Properties incorporates the Great Learning
ideal in its employee engagement strategy,
by helping staff learn more about the
importance of sustainable development.
Moreover, Swire Properties proactively
p romo t e s i t s e f fo r t s i n s u s t a i nab l e
development to others. Ir Chan explains
that it is noteworthy, for instance, that the
research results from the collaboration
between Swire Properties and Tsinghua
University have now been recognised and
acknowledged by the Chinese Academy of
Engineering, an institute with the credibility
and authority to influence energy-saving
construction strategies throughout China.
In addition, Swire Properties is not only a
member of the working group organised by
the International Energy Agency, taking its
research results to the international stage,
but has also taken the lead in initiating the
“Best in Class” exercise to benchmark and
share best practices with other leading
property development and management
companies in the United States and the
United Kingdom. This role led Swire
Properties to realise that it was a few years
ahead of its overseas counterparts with its
energy management strategy, a fact which
has been reflected in the number of awards
presented by international organisations
to recognise Swire Properties’ sustainable
efforts over the years. The company’s
remarkable achievement also perfectly fulfils
the “well-run country” and “peaceful world”
values of Confucianism.
We understood that
construction had a profound
effect on the environment, and
so we decided to take the lead
within the property industry
to highlight the importance of
environmental protection in
our work.
Patron Member's
Interview
Patron Member's Interview
9
