Newsletter No. 329

No. 329, 19.12.2008 環保學校設計獲國際嘉許 Ecological School Wins International Awards 建 築學系吳恩融教授率領團隊設計的「毛寺生態實 驗小學」，於12月在香港舉行的設計營商周中獲 「亞洲最具影響力設計大獎」三項獎譽，包括「亞洲最具 影響力最高榮譽設計大獎」、「亞洲可持續發展優異設計 大獎」，以及「亞洲最具影響力設計金獎」，成為本屆設 計營商周中奪標最多的兩個設計之一。該實驗小學設計亦 於早前巴塞羅那世界建築節中獲評選為學校類別的嘉許 作品。 毛寺生態實驗小學位於甘肅省黃土高原偏遠的毛寺村，當 地生態環境及氣候惡劣，資源貧乏，經濟、教育和技術水 平亦相對落後，約二百名學生只能在窯洞或簡陋的單層土 房子內上課。吳教授獲香港善長的捐助，於2002年領隊前 往毛寺村興建小學，為孩子創造舒適愉悅的學習環境，並 示範顧及了生態、社會及經濟等因素，符合可持續發展原 則的建校模式。 吳教授的設計理念可以「高科學、低技術」扼要道之。團 隊在設計時盡量利用天然光和自然通風，由於發現生土和 其他自然物料的蓄熱和隔熱性能良好，遂就地取材，以土 坯、毛石、茅草、蘆葦等為主要建材，所有邊角廢料均循環 再用，是最有效的環保建築方式。施工方面採用本土的傳 統建造技術，全部由村民以簡單工具進行，故成本遠低於 當地其他以常規方式建造的建築，但在熱工性能、減低能 源消耗與保護環境方面，卻更為優勝，更有益於生態。 透過毛寺小學的成功建築經驗，吳教授期望社會人士支持 發揚這種環保建築模式，並引進至更多國內的農村，促進 國家的可持續發展。 設計營商周被公認為國際設計業界最舉足輕重的活動之 一，「亞洲最具影響力設計大獎」旨在提升企業和社會大 眾對設計的重視，鼓勵商界發掘優良設計及創意的商業價 值和潛力。世界建築節是最大型的國際建築獎項之一，分 學校、市政、住宅、辦公室等十七個類別。 T he ‘Maosi Ecological Demonstration Primary School’ designed by a team led by Prof. Edward Ng of the Department of Architecture received three awards from the Design for Asia Award (DFA Award) presented at the Adopting the motto of ‘high science and low technology’, the eco-school is designed to maximize daylight and natural ventilation. It is found that the most basic technique of thermal mass and insulation based on earth and other natural materials is the most effective approach to ecological architecture. Most of the building materials such as mud bricks, rubble, straw and reed, are natural products and were sourced locally with minimum embodied energy. Construction was carried out by the villagers with simple tools, hence the costs of the materials, manpower and equipment were much cheaper than those of other local buildings constructed using conventional methods. Yet the school performs far better in terms of thermal comfort, energy consumption and environmental impact. With the successful completion of the Maosi School, Prof. Ng hopes to drum up public support to help introduce ecological buildings in more villages on the mainland, with an aim to enhancing sustainable development in China. BODW is one of the most significant annual events on the international design calendar. The esteemed DFA Award seeks to raise awareness among businesses and the public about the value of good design as an essential component of business success, and to encourage businesses to unleash the power of design. One of the largest architectural awards programme in the world, WAF features 17 categories including learning, civic, housing and office. Business of Design Week (BODW) held in Hong Kong in December. They are the DFA Grand Award, the DFA Special Award for Sustainability, and the DFA Gold Award, making the project one of two designs reaping the highest number of awards at this year’s ceremony. The school project had also won commendation in the learning category of the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Barcelona earlier. The project is located in the remote village of Maosi in the Loess Plateau region, Gansu Province, which is characterized by fragile ecological and extreme climatic conditions, a lack of resources, and low levels of economy, education and technology. With about 200 students, the existing schools in the village are either in caves or in simple single-storey brick huts. With funding from Hong Kong donors, Prof. Ng led a team to carry out the eco-school project in Maosi village in 2002, with the aim of creating a comfortable, desirable campus for children, and demonstrating a feasible way to build a school that can address the environmental, social and economical dimensions of sustainability. 包攬創業計劃競賽金銀銅獎 CUHK Clinches Top Three Awards in e-Challenge Cup 獎的為近年中大校長杯創業比賽的優勝作品，由創業 研究中心主任譚安厚教授（ 圖左 ）擔任商業指導老師。 「VMiner─勝金融分析師一籌」由系統工程與工程管理 學系博士生吳敵（ 圖右 ）、碩士生侯文婷（ 圖中 ）等設計，利 用人工智能技術為散戶投資者提供即時股票投資諮詢，分 析股票市場趨勢，向投資者推薦股票。 「挑戰杯」中國大學生創業計劃競賽每兩年舉辦一次，今 屆共有來自三十一個省市三百五十六所高校的六百多項作 品參賽，最終一百六十八項進入決賽，十六項來自香港八 所大專院校。參賽項目廣涉農林畜牧、生物醫藥、化工技 術與環境科學、電子訊息、材料、機械能源及服務諮詢等 七個領域。 T he Chinese University won the gold, silver and bronze awards for the Hong Kong and Macau region in the bi- annual Sixth e-Challenge Cup held at Sichuan University, Chengdu on 17 and 18 November. The gold award for the Hong Kong and Macau region went to a team of graduate students of the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management. The winning plan, entitled ‘VMiner–Better than a Chartered Financial Analyst’, introduces an artificial intelligence technology which can provide real-time stock market analysis to individual investors. ‘Paradise of Internet Robots’ took second place and ‘Golden Rice Mountain’ received bronze. Prof. Hugh Thomas (left), director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, was the consultant of the business plans. The e-Challenge Cup competition received over 600 entries from 356 higher education institutions in 31 provinces, and 168 made the finals. They cover various areas of interest ranging from agriculture, biomedical technology, electronic information, chemical technology to mechanical and engineering. There were 16 entries in total from eight Hong Kong higher education institutions. 第 六屆「挑戰杯」中國大學生創業計劃競賽於11月 17及18日在成都四川大學舉行，中大的三個參賽 項目榮獲港澳地區金、銀及銅獎。 取得金獎的作品是「VMiner─勝金融分析師一籌」，銀獎 為「互聯網機器人樂園」，「金穗山」則獲銅獎。獲金銀