Purpose – This paper is aimed at identifying the common approaches for improving constructability and evaluating their effectiveness of implementation. Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive survey has been carried out on contemporary literature, i.e. from 1990 onwards, to trace the...

Purpose – A specification can be an effective contractual tool to help achieve green construction. In Hong Kong, a multifarious specification arrangement exists in the construction industry, despite progress being made in the public and private organizations towards green practice. The purpose...

Purpose POSPD, as supplementation of public open spaces (POS), has become a common policy to moderate the intensification of urbanization. However, some access restrictions, both physical and information-wise, were deliberately designed by private developers to reserve the POSPD for their own...

Purpose – Unfamiliar with the Chinese culture and ways of doing business, foreign architects/engineers/contractors (AEC) firms will encounter differences with the local parties. With reference to the characteristics of Chinese culture on disputes, this paper studies the problem areas of...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the indoor environmental quality among residential buildings in dense urban living environment, after the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which called for a review on the relationship between health issues and the...

Purpose – Future energy consumption in China's building sector will have a considerable influence on both China and the world's energy markets. Although the Chinese government has set out a series of policies to promote building energy efficiency (BEE), the BEE market share remains small. The...

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to: study reviews of the urban renewal practices in Hong Kong and London; compare the perceptions of the design professions in both cities on the importance of different urban design considerations when defining urban renewal strategies; and verify the...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the major pieces of statutory control regulating unobstructed access. In order to ensure that all residents including those with disabilities can access places that the public is entitled or allowed to enter or to use, adequate provision of...

Purpose – The paper is a follow‐up to previous studies conducted by the authors. It aims to develop a set of valid and reliable performance indicators for evaluating the social wellbeing of the urban renewal projects carried out in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – Before...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify a list of underlying considerations in choosing the appropriate economic valuation method for use in the conservation of historic property and to highlight the importance of non‐use values in making decisions. Design/methodology/approach –...