NO CHARGES PLANNED OVER ROOF COLLAPSE
Final government investigation report points to overloading on City University structure, but professionals likely to face only internal hearings
Nobody will be prosecuted over the collapse of a green roof at City University in May last year which injured three people, the government announced yesterday.
In the final investigation report released by the Buildings Department, the government also confirmed that the university’s green roof did not require prior approval from the department under building rules, sparking calls to plug the loophole.
The department said it was seeking further legal advice as to whether disciplinary action should be taken against relevant professionals.
The department concluded that overloading caused the collapse of the roof of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre, which was filled with hundreds of students taking an exam just a few days earlier.
The report said three factors were involved – a levelled layer of material applied to the surface of the roof structure being thicker than the original design, the laying of greenery on the roof and large puddles of water.
The report said the overall dead load – permanent, built-in fixtures such as drainage systems – imposed on the rooftop structure rose to 5.75 kilopascals (kPa), which is about 35 per cent more than the approved dead load of 4.25 kPa.
The loading from the greenery cover, about 1.32 kPa under fully saturated conditions, also doubled the measurement recorded by City University.
But the report said in this case, the green roof did not constitute building works under the Buildings Ordinance, which meant that prior approval was not needed.
The Buildings Department added later that whether adding a green cover on the roof constituted building works could not be generalised and depended on factors like the intended use, its permanence and the extent of the cover.
The university’s spokeswoman said the institution would study the report carefully and seek professional advice to determine necessary follow-up action.
Dr Edward Yiu Chung-yim, the lawmaker representing the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector, was not surprised that there would be no prosecutions.
“The Buildings Ordinance simply does not define a green roof as buildings work ... I think that’s why they are only having the professionals face an internal hearing,” he said.
Yiu said such hearings usually led to a fine or reprimand, which were not as strong a deterrent as criminal prosecution.
“I understand that the government will issue guidelines regarding the installation of green roofs, but it must also consider amending the ordinance to plug the loophole,” he said.
But former Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors president Vincent Ho Kui-yip disagreed.
“Building a green roof is as simple as laying a carpet of vegetation directly on top of a roof, not requiring any permanent, intrusive fixtures to the existing structure,” he said.