BTRi Hosts Workshop on Review of Design Imposed Loads of Buildings

On 5 May 2026, the Building Technology Research Institute (BTRi) convened a workshop on the Review of Design Imposed Loads of Buildings. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from government departments, academic institutions, professional bodies, and industry practitioners – to gather collective insights and expert feedback on the potential refinement of imposed load provisions for common building uses.

This workshop represents one of the key tasks under Hong Kong’s local standards review, focusing on long-standing design load provisions that have a major impact on construction costs. By introducing more precise parameters which aligned with current practical conditions while maintaining full compliance with safety standards, we seek to optimise imposed load requirements for common building uses, such as offices, retail spaces, restaurants, cinemas, and markets. Preliminary findings suggest that reductions of approximately 20% on imposed loads for restaurants and cinemas, and 10% for markets, may be achievable, representing tangible savings for the industry.

BTRi remains committed to driving evidence-based reviews of design standards and practice – to deliver real impact for the construction industry in Hong Kong.