Hong Kong homeowners could adopt technology-led preventive maintenance of older buildings to avoid costly large-scale renovation, with the upmarket Residence Bel-Air serving as a viable example that saved residents more than HK$1 billion (US$127.5 million).
Allen Ha Wing-on, convenor of the Residence Bel-Air owners’ committee, said while the Wang Fuk Court tragedy was a wake-up call to transform the city’s decades-old practice of conducting major renovation works for ageing estates, the private housing sector could deploy technology to lengthen properties’ lifespan.
He called the new concept “homegevity”, saying it would have far-reaching implications for not only for Hong Kong, but for most cities facing rapid urban decay.
“It is a miracle that we made it after three years of hard work to overcome vested interests of various parties including owners of 2,800 residential units,” he told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday.
“It is a science-based, technology-driven, property asset management solution.”
Hong Kong had nearly 25,000 private residential buildings aged 30 or more last year, while the expenditure involved in mandatory renovation on buildings and windows totalled HK$31 billion, according to a recent Legislative Council Secretariat’s research.
