School opens $2m green roof

THE first bio-engineered green roof that people can walk on has opened at a school in Wong Tai Sin.

The roof at Lok Sin Tong Wong Chung Ming Secondary School (樂善堂王仲銘中學) used to be a forbidden area for placing water towers for traditional air-conditioning.

Principal Ho Sai-mun (何世敏) came up with the idea of redeveloping it into a place for students to use. It took five years to build and cost about HK$2 million.

The roof, named The Green (欣茵平台), promotes organic community farming and will instill environmental protection concepts in students. It will also be used for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics learning.

The 180-square-metre roof uses advanced bio-engineering, achieving zero carbon emission and utilising energy saving methods.

It was designed by engineer Brian Cheng Leung-yan who volunteered to do the job. Cheng said The Green is sustainable and low maintenance.

Rainwater is the main water source, artificial irrigation is minimal and its rainwater collection system eliminates the need for an electrical pump, he said.

Secretary for the Environment Wong Kamsing (環境局局長黃錦星), a guest at the opening ceremony, said it was time to take action after understanding the concept of sustainability, and to reduce waste to combat climate change.

(This article is published on Junior Standard on 29 February 2016)

The green
http://www.lstwcm.edu.hk/the_green.htm

Schools go green
http://school.ecc.org.hk/english/index.html