Gammon - Hip Hing Joint Venture

1.1.1 With the improvement in economy and public finance situation, the Government of HKSAR announced in October 2005 the relaunch of the Tamar development project. Four prequalified tenderers were invited in September 2006 to submit tenders for the design-and-build contract. The scope of the contract covers the Central Government Complex (CGC), Legislative Council (LegCo) Complex, landscaped open space and other ancillary facilities. Following the completion of marking by the Special Selection Board for the Tamar development Project, the Government issued a non-binding Letter of Intent to Gammon - Hip Hing Joint Venture (JV) in July 2007. With the non-binding Letter of Intent, Gammon – Hip Hing JV will apply for the necessary planning permission under section 16 of the Town Planning Ordinance (Cap.131).

1.1.2 The proposed development is currently covered under the Approved Central District (Extension) Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H24/6 (see Figure 1.1.1). While it is mainly located within “G/IC(4)” zone where Government Uses are always permitted, part of the proposed CGC and LegCo Complex extend onto the adjacent “Open Space” (“O”) zone where Government Uses may be permitted with or without conditions on application to the Town Planning Board (TPB). According to the tender requirements, among other requirements if necessary, the JV would have to obtain planning permission before they could be awarded the contract. This document supports the application for planning permission under Section 16 of the Town Planning Ordinance for the proposed Tamar development.

1.2. Organization of this Statement

1.2.1. This planning submission comprises the Executive Summary, the Planning Statement and the Technical Appendices. The separately attached Technical Appendices contain landscape proposal, visual appraisal, air ventilation assessment and Public Works Subcommittee Paper PWSC (2006-07) 15. This Planning Statement is divided into 7 sections as follows:

2. Site and planning context

2.1. Site Context

2.1.1. The Subject Site is situated between Wan Chai Commercial Area to its east, Central Commercial Area to its west and Admiralty to its south. As a prime location, the Tamar site represents a strategic location for Hong Kong’s civic centre to be located.

2.1.2. The whole Subject Site, spanning an area of about 4.2 hectares, is bounded by Tim Mei Avenue (Road D9) to the east, Harcourt Road to the south, Tim Wa Avenue (Road D8) to the west and the future Road P2 to the North upon the completion of Central Reclamation Phrase III (CRIII) Project (see Figure 1.1.1).

2.1.3. Regarding the surrounding neighbourhood of the Subject Site, the People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Headquarters is located to the west of the Subject Site while the Citic tower, a high-rise commercial building, is located to its southeast. To the east of the Subject Site is a site zoned “G/IC (2)” to be reclaimed under the CRIII Project. The Subject Site is planned to be connected to the waterfront promenade to its north in the future after completion of the Tamar development (also see Section 4.4).

2.2. Statutory Planning Context

2.2.1. The Subject Site, as indicated in Figure 1.1.1, is currently covered by the Approved Central District (Extension) Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) No. S/H24/6 gazetted on 17 December 2002. The Subject Site is zoned as “G/IC (4)” for its southern portion and as “O” for its northern portion on the OZP, covering an area of about 22,000m² and 20,000m² respectively.

2.2.2. According to the Notes of the OZP, Government Uses are always permitted within “G/IC (4)” zone (within Column 1 uses), with the building height restriction set at 180mPD. The Government has undertaken to further reduce the building height to 130 to 160mPD as required in the tender documents. On the “Open Space” zone, Government Uses may be permitted with or without conditions on application to the Town Planning Board (within Column 2 uses).

2.2.3. To the immediate east of the Subject Site are a number of “G/IC” zones. To the west of the Subject Site is the “Other Specified Uses” designated for “Military Use”, which is used as People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Headquarters. To the north an open space deck (zoned “O”) is planned to join a long waterfront promenade (zoned “O”). To the south of the Subject Site is the existing commercial centre at Admiralty. It is largely covered by “Commercial” zone under the approved Central District Outline Zoning Plan No. S/H4/12.

2.3. Planning and Urban Design Framework for Central Waterfront

2.3.1. As mentioned in the Explanatory Statement of the OZP, the urban design framework seeks to direct the development of a coherent and legible structure of land uses, urban form and open space that is appropriate for the unique development context of Central Waterfront. It also aims at optimizing the opportunities to create a world class waterfront district with unique development opportunities as well as creating a truly memorable place at the heart of the city symbolizing the spirit of Hong Kong (see Figures 2.3.1 and 2.3.2).

2.4.1. Recognising that the Victoria Harbour is a special public asset and part of the natural heritage of Hong Kong, the TPB shares the community's desire to protect and preserve the Harbour. Based on this public aspiration, the Board has formulated its "Vision and Goals for Victoria Harbour". The details are listed as follows:

2.4.2. To make Victoria Harbour attractive, vibrant, accessible and symbolic of Hong Kong - a harbour for the people and a harbour of life.

l To enhance the scenic views of the Harbour and maintain visual access to the harbour-front.

l To create a quality harbour-front through encouraging innovative building design and a variety of tourist, retail, leisure and recreational activities, and providing an integrated network of open space and pedestrian links.

l To maintain a safe and efficient Harbour for the transport of people and goods and for the operation of an international hub port.

2.5. Habour Planning Principles

2.5.1. The Harbour Planning Principles were developed and are monitored by the Harbour-front Enhancement Committee as a set of guidelines for all individuals and organisations to facilitate the sustainable planning, preservation, development and management of Victoria Harbour and the harbour-front areas. There exist 8 principles and they are listed as below:

l Preserving Victoria Harbour: Victoria Harbour must be protected and preserved for Hong Kong people and visitors as a special public asset, a natural and cultural heritage asset, and a driver for the creation of economic and social values.

l Stakeholder Engagement: All sectors of the community must be engaged at an early stage and on an on-going basis in the planning, development and management of Victoria Harbour and its harbour-front areas through transparent and inclusive consensus building processes.

l Sustainable Development: The planning, development and management of Victoria Harbour and its harbour-front areas should embrace the principles of sustainable development to balance and cater for the economic, social and environmental needs of all sectors of the present generation, without compromising the needs of future generations.

l Integrated Planning: Integrated and long-term planning, development and management of infrastructure, land and marine uses, and water quality is essential to ensure that Victoria Harbour and its harbour-front areas support and enhance the economic, environmental and social aspirations of Hong Kong.

l Proactive Harbour Enhancement: The planning, development and management of Victoria Harbour must proactively enhance the harbour and its harbour-front areas as Hong Kong’s symbol of urban design excellence and Hong Kong’s brand identity to the international community.

l Vibrant Harbour: It is essential to balance the use of the harbour to provide both a maritime and logistics hub for the safe and efficient passage of people and goods, and as a cultural and leisure facility. Both marine and land-side activities must cater to and balance with the aspirations of all sectors of the community.

l Accessible Harbour: Victoria Harbour must integrate with the hinterland in a comprehensive manner, including ample unrestricted and convenient visual and physical access for pedestrians, preferably at grade, to and along the Harbour as well as the harbour-front areas.

l Public Enjoyment: The planning, development and management of Victoria Harbour and its harbour-front areas should maximize opportunities for public enjoyment. Land required for and the impact from infrastructure developments, utility installations and land uses incompatible with the harbour planning principles should be minimized.

2.6. Urban Design Guidelines for Waterfront Site

2.6.1. The study on “Urban Design Guidelines for Hong Kong” was commissioned by Planning Department and was completed in 2003. Its findings and recommendations have been incorporated into the Hong Kong Planning standards and Guidelines (HKPSG).

2.6.2. The following design guidelines relating to waterfront developments are recommended:

l Functional diversity : Sites along the waterfront should be reserved for cultural, tourism-related, recreational and retail activities. An active waterfront with diversity in activities and functions should be created to introduce a sense of enjoyment

l Design: Waterfront development should aim to enhance the waterfront in terms of its form and should respond to the waterfront setting. Landmarks at suitable location, for example at the harbour entrance or to mark a district, should be introduced where appropriate.

l Building Height and Building Form: Building heights and spaces should bear a certain relationship to human proportions and to facilitate easy usage, interaction and perception by the users.

l Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation : Vehicular circulation and car parking access should be confined to the landward side of waterfront developments. A pedestrian friendly environment should be provided so as to ensure that pedestrians can fully enjoy the waterfront experience. Accessibility to the waterfront for pedestrians (including persons with disabilities) should be maximised by providing physical linkages from the urban core areas.

l Landscaping and Open Space Provision : There should be open space at the landward side to create a sense of entry. There also should be open space links to the waterfront at periodic intervals to create a good level of visual and physical permeability. Open space should be arranged in a diverse pattern of shapes. Where appropriate, a few larger open spaces could be considered for public gatherings or hosting cultural and social events.

l Coastline: Any need for new seawall formation should respect the natural heritage of the coastline and create an interesting coastline.

3. Design Objectives and principles

3.1. Taking due account of the existing planning and urban design objectives and principles for the harbourfront, the Gammon-Hip Hing JV has formulated and adopted a set of design principles for the Tamar development as follows (see Figure 3.1.1). Please also refer to section 5.8 on how the design objectives and principles reflect the existing Vision and Goals for the Victoria Harbour, Harbour Planning Principles and Urban Design Guidelines for Waterfront Site.

Objective 1: Tamar as Hong Kong’s Central Gateway

3.2. The Tamar site is centrally located, sitting between Central and Wanchai Districts. The site contributes to the urban spatial qualities and image of Central, viewed from both across the harbour and from the shoreline of the Island. Taking advantage of its distinctive locational advantage, the Tamar development should create a strong and reassuring landmark. This landmark should act as a counterpoint to the verticality of the city skyline to balance the horizontal and unifying sweep of the Central Waterfront Promenade. It should also be a symbol of openness, transparency and embracing virtues of a government that gives back to the people. In short, it should contribute to the Vision for Victoria Harbour to make the Harbour attractive and symbolic of Hong Kong.

Objective 2: Respecting the Natural Backdrop

3.3. Set in the stunning and unique topography of the Hong Kong Harbour, the Tamar development must be responsive not only to the famous urban context, but also to the more historic and fundamental natural context of towering green hills overlooking the life-giving Harbour. The Tamar development should therefore be designed to act as a reference and window to the mountainous backdrop that has quietly watched over the bustling development of Hong Kong . Its building heights should be carefully planned to respect the ridgeline, and lush greenery should also ensure that the development echoes with its green backdrop. In short, it should contribute to the Harbour Planning Principles of sustainable development and integrated planning.

Objective 3: Re-establishing Visual and Physical Connectivity to the Waterfront

3.4. The Tamar development is designed to be an open and inviting civic centre with easy access to the beautiful Victoria Harbour both physically and visually. Its structural embrace is a “gateway” that is always open and inviting. A lawn designed as a symbolic “Green Carpet” reaches from within the depths of the City to the waterfront via the pedestrian deck. It is designed to provide safe and convenient links from Admiralty to the Tamar Civic site, and gently slopes down to the Harbourfront conforming to the Harbour Planning Principle of integrating the Harbour with the hinterland.

Objective 4: Civic Space as the Landmark on the Waterfront and to be Enjoyed by the People

3.5. The Development forms an open door linking the city and the Harbour. The design creates instant space from the Central “Green Carpet” as a ceremonial foreground to the signature skyline view of Hong Kong. The created space captures water, open sky and the surrounding Hong Kong icons. All spaces within the Tamar site - Central “Green Carpet”, the Tamar Corner, the Lily Pond, the Sculpture Court, the LegCo Garden, the Amphitheatre — will all become activity spaces, defined and enjoyed by the people. Moreover the spatial character of Tamar will further flow out to the waterfront, thus maximizing opportunities for the public to enjoy the Harbourfront and creating an active waterfront as envisaged in the Urban Design Guidelines for Hong Kong.

4. development proposal

4.1. Design Concept and Sustainable Design

Design Concept

4.1.1. The design concept of the proposed development originates from 4 main themes of ideas, namely Openess, Enjoyment, Sustainability and Togetherness which form the basis for the orientation of the building and open space for Subject Site.

4.1.2. The “Door Always Open” concept represents Hong Kong’s image as a city always open and receptive to new ideas and diverse cultures. The idea is explicitly manifested in the building form of the government complex, where the building resembles an open gateway for inviting the views from different people (see Figure 4.1.1a).

4.1.3. The “Land always Green” concept is an important ideology with a wish to insert more greenery into the urban areas of Hong Kong. The “Green Carpet” with heavy landscaping measures stretching from the north towards the south would create a greenery corridor linking the open space of waterfront promenade and the greenery backdrop of the natural terrain (see Figure 4.1.1b).

4.1.4. The “Sky will be blue” concept demonstrates the proposed development’s commitment for promoting a less polluted future. The design therefore place a lot of emphasis on sustainable issues including provision of green roofs and shading device that aims at energy reduction in an attempt to bring back the blue sky to Hong Kong people (see Figure 4.1.1c).

4.1.5. The “People will be connected” concept is the essence of the Tamar development. The design of the proposed development focus on the provision of open space for public enjoyment and the strengthening of the pedestrian linkage between the inner urban area to the promenade area so as to enable convenient enjoyment of waterfront area by the people of Hong Kong (see Figure 4.1.1d).

4.1.6. The design of the Subject Site takes into consideration the urban fabric as a totality from the outset and adopts the idea of producing a seamless connection of green nodes from the inland towards the waterfront area. In order to strengthen the connection, the LegCo Complex and the CGC Low Block buildings are thus located on eastern and western parts of the site respectively, providing a spacious north-south direction open space for the public’s enjoyment (see Figure 4.1.2a).

4.1.7. By adopting the Open Door Concept, the proposed development presents an image of an open Government that cares for the environment as well as portrays a responsive attitude towards its citizens.

Sustainable Design (see Figure 4.1.2b)

4.1.8. Having the disposition of all the facilities and structures required to strictly comply with the zoning of the OZP would imply the occupation of the whole of the “G/IC(4)” zone at the southern part of the site. This would inevitably result in the building bulk blocking the breezeway channeling to the inner city in a macro level, and would also obstruct most of the wind to the immediate surroundings, causing stagnant zones in local areas and hence affecting the air quality.

4.1.9. The idea of re-distributing the building blocks provides an opportunity to better integrate the open space with the buildings in the development. The present scheme delivers a quality and comfortable urban environment, not just for the Subject Site but also for the benefits of the whole local area at large.

4.1.10. The CGC Office Block forms an open gateway to introduce a very high level of urban permeability. The gateway faces North-South and is open towards the harbour, which allows a major connecting breezeway from the harbour/waterfront promenade to the urban fabric/district open space behind, completing the network of breezeway and air paths in the district.

4.1.11 The East Wing is further slanted to enlarge the effective width of opening under the arch in order to welcome the sea breeze from the harbour and improve the air channelling of the easterly prevailing wind in the summer through the open gateway.

4.1.12 The low-rise LegCo Low Block & CGC Low Block near the harbour allow the prevailing winds and sea breeze to reach the tall CGC Office Block behind. The stepped heights of the development capture the ventilation potential of the urban wind and bring forward beneficial urban wind downwash to the pedestrian levels for outdoor comfort and pollution dispersion.

4.1.13 The low-rise CGC Low Block will also allow winds to reach the tall People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison Headquarters to the west. This will allow these winds downwash to the street level and improve the urban air environment along Tim Wa Avenue to the immediate west of CGC West Wing.

4.1.14 The building forms are carefully designed and refined to provide pedestrian wind comfort. Air breeze is to be enhanced while gust occurrences at key locations due to excessive wind acceleration to be minimized for comfort and safety.

4.1.15 The project design has taken on board a number of Expert Recommendations suggested by our AVA consultant at early design stage to improve the air ventilation potential of the scheme.

4.1.16 Openings to buildings were strategically introduced at the level of the “Green Carpet” to minimize the channeling effect and to increase the pedestrian comfort.

Deposition and Form to enhance Daylight and Shade while minimizing impact to Adjacent Buildings

4.1.17 The CGC Office Block as an “Open Door” with principal north-south orientation optimizes the harnessing of daylight and inter-block shading against sunlight for both indoor and semi-outdoor spaces.

4.1.18 For semi-outdoor space, the East and West Wing design of the CGC Office Block in the “Open Door” configuration is able to provide solar benefits year round to the extension of the “Green Carpet” at the “passage” of the Door. There will be enough solar radiation, direct and indirect, through reflection/dispersion to brighten and warm the space for outdoor activity uses.

4.1.19 The “Green Carpet” will receive daylight throughout the year with significant diffuse radiation received by the covered area under the “Open Door”. Though this area is sheltered from direct sunlight, the expansive free space located to the north and south of this area allows penetration of ample diffuse radiation creating a comfortable outdoor space year round by providing shade in summer and receiving warmth in winter.

Urban Greening

4.1.20 The “Green Carpet” is the threshold of the “Open Door” to the City. It is proposed to be a civic place, a public park. It is a space for formality and leisure, a platform for responsibility and freedom. It is prime harbourfront land given back to the people of Hong Kong. The “Green Carpet” civic place is an open expanse of urban greenery that connects the harbour to the city and the people that live within it.

4.1.21 The “Green Carpet” is a large oasis of soft landscaping in a dense urban area. It is an integrated living system of adapted plant species selected to thrive in Hong Kong’s climate and natural environment. Water necessary to sustain the plant life is sourced from the greywater generated on site. Rainfall on the site is filtered through the green roof systems and “Green Carpet” lawn, or directly infiltrated into the soil through planting beds and permeable surfaces. The greening of the site, completing a network of urban green spaces, is an environmental contribution to the city that can be enjoyed by the people.

4.1.22 Building skins act as the interface between the outdoor ambience environment and the indoor environment. The present scheme adopts “selective” environmental design strategies for the building skins, such that elements of the ambience environment with positive attributes are selected and filter-in while the negative attributes are blocked for the benefit of the indoor environment.

4.1.23 The facades of the East and West wings of the CGC Office Block facing one another are protected from glare by shading offered by the opposite towers, and hence maximizing the daylight harnessing opportunities as well.

Life Cycle Costing

4.1.24 The JV has explored appropriate design strategies in a systematic way at the beginning of the design stage to formulate a lifecycle plan with an objective to maximize the amount of savings and benefits over the lifecycle. By going through this development process, the lifecycle plan that the JV formulated embraces all the major strategies that are cost effective, applicable for the project and, most important of all, can provide lifecycle savings and benefits. In this plan, paramount attention has been given to those strategies that are capable of lowering operating energy consumption, lowering water consumption, increasing maintenance and replacement savings, and providing intangible benefits for owner-occupiers.

4.2. Master Layout Plan and Development Schedule

4.2.1. The Tamar development embodies the CGC, LegCo Complex and Open Space. The CGC comprises the CGC Low Block for accommodating the Chief Executive’s Office, the Executive Council (ExCo) and its secretariat, and the CGC Office Block for accommodating the offices of Principal Officials, their bureaux and key staff. The new LegCo Complex will include a LegCo Low Block for accommodating the LegCo Chamber, conference rooms, press rooms and other ancillary facilities, together with the LegCo High Block for accommodating the LegCo Secretariat, council members, printing room and other ancillary facilities.

4.2.2. The development parameters of the proposed scheme are presented in Table 4.2.1 below. The Master Layout Plan, floor plans, section, elevations, photomontages and model photos for the proposed development are shown in Figures 4.2.1 – 4.2.23.

		Total
	Site Area - Total - within “O” Zone - within “G/IC (4)” Zone	About 42,000 m² About 20,000 m² (about 2 ha) About 22,000 m²
	Total GFA(on whole site) - GFA (on "G/IC(4)" Zone) - GFA (on "O" Zone)	About 129,160 m² About 102,860 m² About 26,300 m²
	Plot Ratio ^Note	About 3.08 [on entire site (42,000 m² ) with GFA of about 129,160 m²]
	Site Coverage	About 39.12%
	Number of Blocks	3

1. introduction

1.1. Background and Purpose