By Ir Timothy CHU and Ir K F YEE

A technical seminar on Environmental Conservation and Facilities Management: Case Studies and Practical Applications in Buildings was jointly organised by BSOMES, CIHAPB, CityU with the support of HKIE-BSD, HKGBC and HKIH on 23 August 2010. An exceptionally high registration rate of over 500 had enrolled the talk but given the venue´s capacity, the Organizers had accepted 200 participants on a first-come-first-served basis.

Ir K F Yee, the President of BSOMES & Honorary Treasurer of HKIE-BSD firstly introduced the energy saving initiatives being implemented in the properties he manages. Throughout the seminar, Ir Yee presented some precious and practical operational approaches, system modification and improvement works in attaining efficient operation of building facilities, for reducing energy consumption and hence reduction of carbon emission. Ir Yee also demonstrated the reduction trend of electricity consumptions resultant from the successful implementation of energy conservation measures.

Ir Dr. Joseph Lai, the Vice President of BSOMES, presented a research study on "An Analytical Method to Evaluate Facilities Management Services for Buildings". The study was conducted based on some residential buildings, covering five main aspects of Facilities Management. The method, as presented, could distinguish the consistent and inconsistent responses given by residential building end-users, and a facility management performance (FMP) score, which was developed from the study, is useful for representing the overall performance of FM services. In his conclusion, Ir Dr. Lai emphasized the need for quality FM services, which are essential for achieving sustainable buildings.

Lastly, Ir Jonathan Lee presented the cases sharing on the Elements of Green Buildings & its Latest Development. Ir Lee delivered the green management approaches from the viewpoint of facility manager in the existing building, such as the reduction of waste by restoration of scratched glass panels, retrofitting of energy saving lightings which would be practical & beneficial to the building operation and cost savings.

The seminar ended with a question-and-answer session in which the participants actively exchanged their views over the topics. On behalf of the Organizers, Mr Sanford Poon, the Chairman of CIHAPB presented souvenirs and expressed sincere thanks to all Speakers for their valuable time and effort in conducting such an informative seminar.