Evaluating unauthorized appendages in private apartment buildings

Hong Kong is a densely populated city where high-rise buildings are common. In such an environment, building failures can pose a serious threat. Unauthorized building works, which are constructed without prior approval and consent from the government, are responsible for certain building-related accidents. In particular, those unauthorized building works attached to the external envelopes of buildings endanger the lives not only of their occupants, but also of passers-by and they cause damage to properties themselves. An overview of the proliferation of unauthorized building works in Hong Kong is provided followed by the first known empirical study on this topic. After inspecting 323 apartment buildings in two districts, the factors affecting the proliferation of unauthorized building works were analysed. It was found that buildings with amenities incorporated into their designs generally had fewer unauthorized building works on their external envelopes. However, owners associations or property management companies did not have any influence on unauthorized building work numbers for their buildings. These findings have far-reaching implications on the formulation of government policies for building safety. The formation of statutory owners associations or the engagement of property management companies is not effective in containing the unauthorized building work problems in Hong Kong. Community education and stricter law enforcement would be more effective.