Following our earlier announcement on Arup Advisory HK Limited (“Arup”)'s appointment and scope of work, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) releases the Executive Summary of a study conducted by Arup, an independent Management Consultant engaged by HKU. The study examines the strategic positioning of the Global Innovation Centre (GIC), identifies key success factors for its development, and benchmarks prominent research facilities and standards worldwide. The consultant also evaluated several potential alternative sites proposed by the community during previous consultations.
The Executive Summary highlights Arup’s key findings and recommendations, including:
• Strategic alignment with Hong Kong and national policy
• HKU’s strengths and suitability to lead the GIC
• References to global best practices
• Key success factors and community benefits
• Recommended development scale and mix
• Comparative assessment of the four proposed sites
Click here to view or download the Executive Summary “The Global Innovation Centre for Hong Kong: A strategic vision and site assessment”.
The Executive Summary highlights Arup’s key findings and recommendations, including:
• Strategic alignment with Hong Kong and national policy
• HKU’s strengths and suitability to lead the GIC
• References to global best practices
• Key success factors and community benefits
• Recommended development scale and mix
• Comparative assessment of the four proposed sites
Click here to view or download the Executive Summary “The Global Innovation Centre for Hong Kong: A strategic vision and site assessment”.
Latest Revised Scheme: Enhanced Planning Gains
Over the past few months, HKU has continued to engage with community stakeholders, listen to feedback and conduct technical feasibility studies. These efforts have led to further refinements to the GIC development scheme that aim to strike a balance between development needs and addressing the community views.
The latest revised scheme seeks to deliver more enhanced planning gains to the community, including:
1. Further adjustments in building height:
• The overall height range of the GIC complex has been adjusted from “+150mPD to +158mPD” to “+130mPD to +158mPD”.
• Tower building originally planned in front of the Ebenezer School is removed, with the remaining podium level at +130 mPD, meaning a reduction of building height of 20 metres, compared with the design scheme presented to the Town Planning Board on July 11, 2025.
• The building height of the buildings near Upper Baguio Villa has been reduced by 4 metres (from 158mPD to 154mPD).
2. Increase in communal open space from 25% to 30% of the site area (i.e. not less than 12,000m²) and refinements to the landscape layout
• As part of the GIC development, the currently inaccessible slope and unmanaged vegetated area will be transformed into publicly accessible and well-maintained landscape area.
3. Revised vehicular access route – Connecting Pokfulam Road and Sassoon Road
• In response to community feedback on potential traffic flow via Victoria Road, the latest proposal includes a publicly accessible vehicular through-site link connecting Pok Fu Lam Road with Sassoon Road via the Extension Site east of No. 3 Sassoon Road (currently under planning).
• Pedestrian connections to surrounding public transport development will also be considered to enhance accessibility via the GIC.
A series of technical assessments has been undertaken for the revised scheme, with suitable mitigation measures being considered, including:
- Visual Impact Assessment (VIA)
- Air Ventilation Assessment-Expert Evaluation (AVA-EE)
- Water Supply Impact Assessment (WSIA)
- Drainage Impact Assessment (DIA)
- Preliminary Environmental Review (PER)
- Ecological Impact Assessment (EcoIA)
- Heritage Appraisal (HA)
- Geotechnical Planning Review Report (GPRR)
- Tree Preservation Proposal (TPP) and Landscape Proposal (LP)
- Sewerage Impact Assessment (SIA)
- Traffic Impact Assessment (incl. construction) (TIA & CTIA)
HKU appreciates the constructive comments received from community members and will continue to conduct a series of community engagement activities while proceeding with the statutory planning process. HKU will also continue to share updated information on the GIC with community stakeholders to keep them informed of the latest developments.
Over the past few months, HKU has continued to engage with community stakeholders, listen to feedback and conduct technical feasibility studies. These efforts have led to further refinements to the GIC development scheme that aim to strike a balance between development needs and addressing the community views.
The latest revised scheme seeks to deliver more enhanced planning gains to the community, including:
1. Further adjustments in building height:
• The overall height range of the GIC complex has been adjusted from “+150mPD to +158mPD” to “+130mPD to +158mPD”.
• Tower building originally planned in front of the Ebenezer School is removed, with the remaining podium level at +130 mPD, meaning a reduction of building height of 20 metres, compared with the design scheme presented to the Town Planning Board on July 11, 2025.
• The building height of the buildings near Upper Baguio Villa has been reduced by 4 metres (from 158mPD to 154mPD).
2. Increase in communal open space from 25% to 30% of the site area (i.e. not less than 12,000m²) and refinements to the landscape layout
• As part of the GIC development, the currently inaccessible slope and unmanaged vegetated area will be transformed into publicly accessible and well-maintained landscape area.
3. Revised vehicular access route – Connecting Pokfulam Road and Sassoon Road
• In response to community feedback on potential traffic flow via Victoria Road, the latest proposal includes a publicly accessible vehicular through-site link connecting Pok Fu Lam Road with Sassoon Road via the Extension Site east of No. 3 Sassoon Road (currently under planning).
• Pedestrian connections to surrounding public transport development will also be considered to enhance accessibility via the GIC.
A series of technical assessments has been undertaken for the revised scheme, with suitable mitigation measures being considered, including:
- Visual Impact Assessment (VIA)
- Air Ventilation Assessment-Expert Evaluation (AVA-EE)
- Water Supply Impact Assessment (WSIA)
- Drainage Impact Assessment (DIA)
- Preliminary Environmental Review (PER)
- Ecological Impact Assessment (EcoIA)
- Heritage Appraisal (HA)
- Geotechnical Planning Review Report (GPRR)
- Tree Preservation Proposal (TPP) and Landscape Proposal (LP)
- Sewerage Impact Assessment (SIA)
- Traffic Impact Assessment (incl. construction) (TIA & CTIA)
HKU appreciates the constructive comments received from community members and will continue to conduct a series of community engagement activities while proceeding with the statutory planning process. HKU will also continue to share updated information on the GIC with community stakeholders to keep them informed of the latest developments.
