By John Lam Asset Enhancement • Building Law • • • 0 Comments

Senior Citizen Housing display away the stranded podium retail asset

Senior Citizenship house is now calling for de-densitified 

Why the World’s Highest Virus Death Rate Is in Europe’s Capital

Senior Citizen becomes the upset topic of today C -19 prevalence. Many asset managers are looking the way to improve the stranded property for post c-19. GBE noticed the demand for de-densitified the habitation has triggered the call for more Senior Citizenship habitation houses.

In the metropolitan like Hong Kong, the aged population also faces the strong need for sleeping accommodation. The podium floors which are worst hit by declining retails business, is now hot for turning into elderly center. GBE shares with you that the technical constraint in premises for elderly houssuch window provision, headroom, DMC restriction, town planning ,street level entrance for emergency , catering and sanitary provision, supporting facilities, and operation needs. The licensing authority is Social Welfare Department while the law is Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance.

By samsontam@me.com Asset Enhancement 0 Comments

Electrical Riser Replacement for Chiller System – Commercial Building

Electrical riser replacement is one of the critical repairing items for buildings. Lack of planning and design may lead to serious issues such as power supply failure, equipment failure, and so on.  The Chiller system is one of the important facilities which can affect the owners and tenants during the summer period especially the summer temperature become higher and higher compare to ten years before.  The maintenance schedule may also be affected due to such weather change and shorten the period of time for repairing and maintenance. Therefore, the replacement and repairing works can only be scheduled during December to March. Planning for temporary electricity supply is one of the most critical issues which will affect tenant and daily operation. Weekend and night time will be the best options for such replacement in order to minimize the affection to tenants and owners.  Phase by phase schedule has to be well planned for continuous air conditioning supply is also important to prevent sudden power or equipment failure. Preserve enough time for a test run is also important for preventing any kind of accident in the daytime. Planning and design carefully is always the most important part of project management.

 

 

By John Lam Asset Enhancement • Building Technology • Uncategorized 0 Comments

Maintenance problem from wrong “water to cement ratio” of concrete cover mix

Concrete cover is the outer concrete layer serves to protect the rebar in RC structure. Its thickness and density dictates both the protection performance and fire – resisting ability.  The extract from the research paper by Albert K.H. Kwan in Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong , the concrete cover will become much permeability to water once the “water to cement ratio” exceeds 0.4. Adversely does the high water to cement ratio happen in many concreting process in Hong Kong. To account the reason behind , it is the slump of the concrete or the workability of the concrete affects the entire concreting process. The drawback from high permeability is very obvious . The concrete cover becomes lesser defensive against the water nor air penetration . The alkaline environment around the rebar is diminished along with the carbonation due from the air pollution

 

 

By Cindy Kwok Asset Enhancement • Market Insight • • • 0 Comments

Insight from Bloomberg -Share-office markets appears to be crashed by pandemic

GBE keeps abreast with market. Share-office markets appears to be crashed by pandemic. The capex injection for asset enhancement in return for future uplifting the accrual income in book apparently does not work. Office conversion to shared space involving right layout design, positioning the openable window, IT infrastructure, air treatment and circulation, Fireman staircase interchange, Beverage corner, right billboard, right elevator access and washroom facilities. These are all inter-acting factors for successful operation from Professional Building Surveyor

Mingtiandi reported Softbank pulled out from WE-WORK india
Bloomberg reported 23 April

By Cindy Kwok Asset Enhancement • • • 0 Comments

Habitation Model in Hong Kong

GBE finds there are many variation of habitation Nowdays. From Financial Times, the studio apartment sized averagely at 37sq.m in UK. The smallest in Tyoko is 8sq.m. GBE finds one new recent development in Tuen Mun (HK) at 16sq.m.

Interestingly, some other habitation asset class like extended stay, co living, micro living offer alternative trend. The additional density in these assets uplifting the rents income per square foot but keeps the affordability to tenants.

GBE experienced the technical hurdles to unlock this rental premium potential are windows provision; HVAC, hygiene control, IT system;compliance, floor efficiency.