****************************************************
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, this afternoon (August 13) visited Diamond Hill Columbarium and Diamond Hill Crematorium to learn more about the environmentally friendly facilities and architectural features of the new-generation columbaria and crematoria.
Mrs Lam first visited Diamond Hill Columbarium in the company of the Deputy Director of Architectural Services, Mr Stephen Tang, and staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). The columbarium adopts an open plan design with natural air flow to help improve indoor air quality. Installations in the columbarium also considerably reduce smoke from joss paper burners, thus reducing air pollution caused by worship and avoiding nuisance to nearby residents.
Mrs Lam then visited the adjacent crematorium. The six cremators in the crematorium employ new cremation technology and conform to environmental standards. They are fitted with high-temperature secondary combustion chambers to ensure complete combustion during the cremation process, as well as a flue gas filtering system to filter out particles and waste gases in the emissions from the cremators so that the gases emitted are relatively clean. In addition, the green roofs on the service halls also effectively lower the roof surface temperature and the air-conditioning load of the halls.
The two facilities both adopt a modern architecture style characterised by simplicity, with a sense of nature embodied by the construction materials used. The buildings have large green areas to make them blend well with the surrounding nature.
Mrs Lam said that Diamond Hill Columbarium and Diamond Hill Crematorium have not only changed people's impressions of similar facilities, but also provide leisure space for citizens. She commended staff of the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) for using unique designs to integrate environmental initiatives and concepts into the facilities.
Mrs Lam was also briefed by staff of the ArchSD and the FEHD on the latest developments of columbaria and crematoria for meeting strong public demand for such facilities.
Diamond Hill Columbarium and Diamond Hill Crematorium have received a number of architecture awards. The former won a Merit Award in the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA) Annual Awards 2010 and a Space Design Merit award in the Design for Well-being Award 2014. The Reprovisioning of Diamond Hill Crematorium project won a Merit Award in the HKIA Annual Awards 2009, the Silver Medal Landscape Design in the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects Landscape Design Awards 2010 and a Merit Award in the Quality Building Award 2010. It was also one of the finalists of the Best Architecture Award of the China Architecture Media Awards 2010. Upon invitation, the Diamond Hill Columbarium and Crematorium were exhibited at the 14th Venice Architecture Biennale.
Ends/Thursday, August 13, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:59
NNNN
