HSBC rooftop garden offers breath of fresh air

It may be stuffy and dusty on the street in Mong Kok, but 16 floors up on the roof of one of HSBC's buildings it is a different world, where people can have breathing space.

The striking difference is brought about by a sky garden that has just been completed on top of the bank's office tower situated at Mong Kok's busiest junction, Nathan Road and Argyle Street.

The garden, measuring more than 4,000 sq ft, is the first of its kind among HSBC's properties in Hong Kong and may also be a pioneer in the heart of Mong Kok, with its solid wall of buildings.

At a cost of HK$2 million, the originally shabby, concrete rooftop was converted into an oasis, with green turf and a garden partly laid with recycled plastic materials.

The turf, along with the landscaped vegetation, could lower temperatures on the roof by an estimated 2 degrees Celsius and reduce the air conditioning load for the 15th floor underneath it.

A solar-powered film as thin as a bank card generates 2kWh of electricity, which can help cut up to about 1 tonne of carbon dioxide annually.

Apart from renewable energy, the garden also promotes the reuse of wastewater generated from the building's air conditioning system. About 1 cubic metre of water is collected on a daily basis for irrigation.

Leung Wai-on, the garden's contractor, described it as almost "heaven" in a heavily polluted area.

"This is the busiest part of Mong Kok, but we now have an oasis in a concrete jungle."

He said many property owners were sceptical about sky gardens because of perceived high costs, but each garden could be tailor-made to a budget.

Maverick Leung, sports and recreation manager of the bank, said the money spent on the garden was worth it because it had become very popular since its official opening three weeks ago.

"Our colleagues can come up to the roof anytime to get some fresh air. They can have lunch here, too," he said, adding that a Christmas barbecue in the garden was almost fully booked.

External affairs manager Ophelia Quach said the bank would continue to look for opportunities to save energy and go green.

The group's new data centre in Tseung Kwan O would incorporate a sky garden, while something similar was being considered for its Tsim Sha Tsui office tower.