Engineering Prince of Wales Hospital Redevelopment

New levels of efficiency for Hong Kong’s New Territories

For more than 30 years, the Prince of Wales Hospital has been providing comprehensive health care services to Hong Kong’s New Territories, as well as serving as a teaching hospital for the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2010, this vital facility received a major boost when it opened a brand new, hyper efficient clinical block.

Location

Shatin, Hong Kong, China

Client

Hsin Chong – Yau Lee Joint Venture

Project Status

Completed

Architect

Wong & Ouyang (HK) Ltd.

Prince of Wales Hospital Redevelopment - Exterior

Special Isolation Wards

The 13-storey, 870-bed building is the new heart of the hospital complex, housing its 24-hour accident and emergency department, as well as 14 operating theatres and a range of patient facilities, including special isolation wards. Other services include a rapid response laboratory, cardiovascular intervention center and diagnostic radiology unit.

WSP provided mechanical and electrical engineering services, with responsibility for the design of specialist hospital systems, isolation and infection control systems, and critical backup building services systems.

Lighting Efficiency to Help Cut Energy

Efficiency is designed into every aspect of the new building. A façade of modular tinted glazed windows, aluminium sunshades and aluminium cladding panels and louvers work as an insulation layer to reduce solar heat gain and help cut energy used for air conditioning, while extensive glazing in the major public areas maximizes daylight while enhancing the ambience for visitors.

Green Design Features to LEED Gold Standard

Waste Heat Management

Cutting-edge building services include chillers that recover waste heat for water heating, plus a flexible air-handling system, which allows the Intensive Care Unit to switch to lower-energy mode when the rooms are being used for patients with non-airborne infectious diseases. Automatic sensor taps and low-volume cisterns also keep water consumption down.

The project was completed in a fast track three-year design and build program with flexibility to allow for future adjustment and expansion.