CUHK E-Newsletter

A CUHK research project entitled 'Feasibility Study for Establishment of Air Ventilation Assessment (AVA) Method in Hong Kong' led by Prof. Edward Ng, professor in the Department of Architecture, was honoured at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Research Awards 2007 for contributing to better urban planning.

The CUHK AVA project led by Prof. Edward Ng emerged as the first runner-up in the Outstanding University Led Project category, among projects by over 100 architecture departments in universities around the world. This was also the project's fifth award.

The project was commissioned by the Planning Department of the HKSAR Government to address heightened public demand for better city ventilation after the outbreak of SARS in 2003. Completed in 2005, the recommendations of the project were adopted by the Government, resulting in a new section on air ventilation in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines, and a joint technical circular on air ventilation assessment system issued by the then Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau and the then Environment, Transport and Works Bureau requiring all government projects to adhere to the assessment methodology. Government projects assessed by the AVA system include the planning of the former Kai Tak airport site and the design of new Government headquarters buildings at the Tamar site.

The study had received four other awards earlier: the Hong Kong Institute of Architects Research Award 2005, the inaugural Professional Green Building Council Grand Award 2006 — Research and Planning Studies category, the Best Paper Award of the 23rd International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, and the Certificate of Merit of the Hong Kong Institute of Planners 2006 — Research and Planning Studies category.