Transforming Hong Kong Building Regulatory Framework to Address the Adoption of Cross-Laminated Timber: Insights from the Case of UK

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood, composed of multiple cross-grained layers. Developed in Europe, it is widely adopted by the construction industries of many advanced countries, in Europe, America and Oceania. Low quality raw materials, such as small lumber from low diameter trunks or from fast-growing tree species can be used for its production without significantly affecting the mechanical performances of the material. The CLT market is recording double digit growth in many first-world countries. Despite CLT being adopted in dense urban context as well as in humid subtropical climate, in Hong Kong this highly sustainable material lacks formal regulation and therefore it cannot be adopted by the local construction industry. Legislative restrictions in the adoption of CLT are one of the main hindrances to diffusion of this innovative material in Hong Kong. This paper overviews the Hong Kong building regulatory framework with the aim of pinpointing barriers and lacunae for the adoption of CLT as a building material. Following, this study reviews the regimentation of CLT within the UK – one of the countries where CLT is largely employed – regulatory framework. This study promotes the adoption of CLT in China. The results from this research benefit government and stakeholders involved in design and construction processes, by providing them with important information on legislative hindrances in Hong Kong regulatory framework and a European best practice in the successful adoption of CLT.