Synopsis
Hong Kong is one of the major stopover points along the East-Asian Australasian Flyway for migrating birds, but our urban environment is full of hazards that affect both these migrating birds as well as our own resident birds. Bright lights can disorient the birds, exhausting them and forcing them down into unsuitable environments where they are exposed to unfamiliar and unnatural threats. An even larger problem is collisions with our many glass enclosed buildings.
Bird strikes occur when a bird fails to perceive that glass is an invisible barrier and crashes into it. This can result in injury or even mortality. Studies from North America estimate that as many as 1 billion birds die each year as a result of collisions with buildings, primarily caused by a combination of light pollution and reflective glass. The problem is so bad that the American Bird Conservancy has issued good practice guidelines on how building owners and developers can alleviate the impact of light pollution and reflectivity of glass on birds in our cities.
In Hong Kong and China there is little data on the mortality of migratory birds due to collisions with our many tall structures, nor has this problem aroused the attention of design professionals and the public.
Environmental groups such as the National Anti-Bird Collision Action Alliance and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) have only recently started to research the scale of urban bird strikes and what mitigation measures should be put in place. In this seminar, representatives from HKBWS will discuss the current status of bird collisions in Hong Kong and their vision on how to build a bird-friendly city.
Rundown:
6:30 – 7:00pm Registration & Refreshment
7:00 – 7:05pm Introduction & Welcome
7:05 – 8:15pm 10-15 mins presentation by each speaker
8:15 – 8:45pm Panel Discussion and Q&A
8:45pm onwards Mingling & Refreshment
About the Speakers
Ms. Ming-chuan Woo
Deputy Director, The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS)
Ms. WOO is a dedicated nature conservationist with over 10 years of experience in environmental monitoring, policy advocacy, and engagement with various stakeholders to provide ecological advice on various works and projects. She has been following-up the bird-collision cases reported to HKBWS Over years. In 2022, She and her team initiated a more systematic monitoring of bird-window collision cases in Hong Kong, in hope of raising public awareness, as well as seeking for creative solutions to the problem.
Mr. Ed Gaskin, AIA, NCARB
Associate Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
Ed leads a team in Hong Kong who oversees the realization of a 3.2 million sq. ft. mixed-use development atop the West Kowloon High Speed Rail Terminus. For more than a decade he has worked with leading property developers and design teams to deliver innovative solutions in unique and challenging urban settings, including Hong Kong, New York and Beijing. The projects have a shared interest in applying concepts of vertical urbanism to transform the high-rise typology, enhance existing community networks and promote the highest possible standards of sustainability.
Mr. Marius Mariano
Associate, Inhabit
Marius has more than 24 years of cumulative experience in the façade industry having worked with reputable local and international curtain wall companies and later joining a renowned global façade consultancy. He has developed and managed offices in the Hong Kong region and has acquired a broad range of skills and knowledge in various aspects of façade construction, both local and international, technical specifications and contract review.
Mr. Simon Sun Nung Chan.
Technical Director, Far East Facade (Hong Kong) Limited
Mr. Chan is the president of Hong Kong Façade Associate. With over 30 years of experience in curtain wall design, he has extensive and profound knowledge in the façade industry in Hong Kong and the United States. Mr. Chan had involved in some major projects in Hong Kong and around the world. He was responsible and in charge for all design works for Burj Khalifa in Dubai, once the world tallest building at 828 meter height.
Mr. Malvinder Singh Rooprai
M.E (Structures), BU Head (AIS Division), Kuraray India Pvt. Ltd.
Malvinder is the Business Unit Head of Kuraray India’s Advanced Interlayer Solution (AIS) business. He started his career in 2004 as a structural engineer in façade industry. He has specialized in FEM analysis of laminated glass, modeling the viscoelastic behavior of polymeric interlayers. Malvinder is actively working with Bureau of Indian Standards for drafting new Standards related to use of glass in buildings. He is a member of the working group committees for Indian Standards on Cyclone Resilient Glazings.
Moderator: Ms. Elizabeth Leven, Fellow Member, HKILA
