Incorporating Green and Innovative Building Designs at New Central Harbourfront Site 3 and The Henderson

New Central Harbourfront Site 3

The New Central Harbourfront Site 3 is a visionary and iconic landmark created by Henderson Land. The project is a blending of architectural forms and spaces articulated with landscape elements into a symbolic bridge that connects inner Central with Victoria Harbour. This ambitious project features over 28,000 m2 of landscaped spaces, creating a vibrant living oasis in the heart of Hong Kong. With 24-hour public access, Site 3 is set to offer a sanctuary for relaxation and recreation amidst the dynamic urban environment.

New Central Harbourfront Site 3 will be a series of distinct, yet meaningfully connected civic, public open spaces that dramatise the innate connection between the majesty of Victoria Harbour and the thriving hub of Hong Kong Island. The development comprises a rich interconnected network of soft green and flexible paved landscapes that are rich, and interrelated, yet distinctive when viewed from all sides.

The project boasts key features that seamlessly integrate sustainability, culture, and community. A “Grand Boulevard” serves as a richly paved, tree-lined pedestrian axis unifying the site’s plazas, gardens, and pop-up kiosks offering diverse events, food, art, and crafts.

As a tribute to Hong Kong’s heritage, the project will reconstruct the iconic Star Ferry Clock Tower to its original height and location, providing a tangible connection to the city’s collective memory. The Clock Tower Piazza, features a multi-purpose reflection pond, using light and technology, alongside a dynamic water feature that creates a vibrant public meeting space. Leading to the podium landscaped deck, the Harbour Amphitheatre provides a green and welcoming connection to the Waterfront Promenade, serving as a venue for community events and relaxation.

Site 3’s building form, architectural layout and landscape provision will further mitigate the existing urban microclimate conditions to provide thermal comfort. The design will feature 5 large openings at street and podium levels to serve as “Urban Windows” achieving district-wide ventilation and visual connections. These “urban windows” together with strategically placed tree planting will enhance permeability and capture the natural breeze within the site. Together, the wind movement, trees and shrubs and water features, will mitigate the urban heat island effect and improve outdoor thermal comfort at multiple landscaped levels. Providing users with a city environment that is well connected, uniquely green, vibrant with a dynamic social identity.

Blending green and innovative building designs with cultural and historical elements, the development has received many accolades and accreditations, including the CIC Construction Digitalisation Award 2024 Gold Award in the Project - Private category, Provisional Platinum certification under BEAM Plus for New Buildings, Platinum certification under BEAM Plus for Neighbourhood, as well as Platinum precertification under LEED Building Design and Construction and WELL, reinforcing its commitment to the top sustainability and wellness standards.

One of the contributors to these recognitions is the adoption of Multi-trade Integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (“MiMEP”) in building services. MiMEP promotes integrated building services installation for a more efficient construction process. Through off-site prefabrication of MiMEP modules, material wastage can be minimised to reduce environmental impact for better construction waste management. MiMEP technology can also significantly simplify on-site assembly and fixing works, which helps to improve construction efficiency, shorten construction period and reduce safety risk. The higher installation accuracy and quality, in collaboration with the informative BIM, will deliver precise and reliable as-built conditions for the development’s excellence in future operation, repair, maintenance and facility management.

The Henderson

As a newly built iconic landmark, the Henderson showcases its unparalleled potential to transform the central metropolis into a vision that is both unique and enchanting.

Positioned amid verdant surroundings, The Henderson offers a serene oasis within the bustling cityscape. At street level, a landscaped art park greets visitors, with a prominent centrepiece sculpture in the middle that blends interactive beauty with urban sophistication. On the 22nd floor, the multifunctional Sky Garden features aquaponics system that serve as a biological air-purifying filter and three-dimensional greenery. This space offers a tranquil retreat for tenants and visitors to recharge and reconnect with nature. Ascending further to the 39th floor, the iconic Cloud 39 presents breathtaking 270-degree views of the city skyline through its soaring eight-metre glass canopy, which graciously accommodates up to 400 guests at a 6,800 square feet of pillarless space.

Pre-certified with a host of prestigious green and healthy building standards, including LEED and WELL Platinum, The Henderson is set to become one of the most successful benchmark buildings in Hong Kong to earn a 3-Star rating under the latest version of both the China Green Building Design Label and China Healthy Building Design Label, alongside BEAM Plus Platinum Provisional Certification. Building on these accolades, in addition to building industry’s top tier awards - QBA Grand Award and Innovative Project Award, HKIA Annual Award – Sustainability Architecture, the development recently also garnered the Dual Carbon Pioneer Award, awarded by the China Green Building and Carbon Neutral (Hong Kong) Council to recognise the effort in decarbonisation, relieving the peak carbon emission and achieving the carbon neutrality target.

Behind the awards lie The Henderson’s cutting-edge technology and sustainable innovations, evident from design to implementation. Patented technologies developed for The Henderson encompassing the enhancement in indoor air quality and thermal comfort, Internet of Things (“IoT”) sensors across our properties drive real-time weather monitoring and optimise indoor temperature and air quality, enabling interior systems to adjust dynamically to external environmental conditions.

The first batch of tenants have been moving in since the third quarter of 2024. The building has been operated in accordance with the sustainable design criteria as follows:

Energy Efficiency: 26% reduction in energy consumption through high-efficient mechanical and lighting systems and renewable energy intake from the roof photovoltaic (“PV”) system to support building operations

Water Conservation: 50% reduction in water consumption with water-saving fixtures such as dual flush toilets, as well as the design of waterefficient landscaping with an efficient irrigation system

Material & Resources: Zero use of ozone depletion refrigerants in daily building operations and management

Sustainable Site: Incorporates landscaping into 20% of the site area, and further extended the greenery to the sky garden at the upper floor and the Art Garden immediately connecting with the site. The Henderson site is serving as the sustainable transport node to connect with the 2 nearby MTR stations, extensive footbridge networks reaching to Central, Sheung Wan, Admiralty and Mid-levels

EV Charging: Electric vehicle charging facilities have been provided to the 5 storeys of basement carpark. Fast speed and high-capacity EV charger is provided in the B1/F loading / unloading areas for the connection with coach and truck. Various types of EV chargers are also extensively deployed in the B2/F to B5/F carparks to serve the public parking and private parking lots

Air Quality: Features advanced air purification systems that monitor and mitigate microbes and mould, ensuring a healthy indoor environment

Circadian Lighting: Offers circadian lighting system for all office floors to create an indoor visual environment that promotes the well-being and productivity of its occupants. It works in harmony with human internal clocks. The optimised façade design, high headroom and zero-UV penetration façade technology maximise the daylight access to the office interior, and in turn providing a healthier work environment

In 2024, we actively shared our expertise in sustainability and smart green initiatives at various prominent conferences for The Henderson. These included the World Sustainable Built Environment Conference (“WSBE24”) in June, the 20th China International Green Building and Energy Efficiency Conference in May and the CABE Hong Kong Technical Seminar on Safety and Sustainability in April. Additionally, we were also invited to share our experience about The Henderson in the Joint Technical Seminar on Digital Twin and Smart System Integration in January 2024, in collaboration with HKIE, CIBSE, and ASHRAE Hong Kong Chapters.

The Henderson exemplifies Henderson Land’s vision of combining environmental innovation, wellness, and aesthetics in the urban landscape. With its state-ofthe- art green technologies, tranquil garden spaces, and emphasis on tenant support, the project serves as a benchmark for future sustainable developments in Hong Kong. It not only contributes to environmental goals but also enhances the experience and well-being of its occupants, making it a model for sustainability in commercial architecture.