Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Spaces

Mechanical and Electrical Floor with Limited Headroom

M&E floors with headroom of up to 1.8m are excluded from GFA. The height of the M&E floor is measured from the floor to the underside of the upper floor. As suspended or false ceiling is not a floor per se, such ceiling is not considered an upper floor.

For M&E floors with varying headroom (i.e. the height of the headroom varies from below 1.8m to exceeding 1.8m), the entire floor is included as GFA.

M&E Floor with Limited Headroom

Mechanical and Electrical Rooms within Basement Car Park

M&E rooms (including bin centres, substations, energy storage system and M&E equipment supporting District Cooling System/Centralised Cooling System) within fully sunken common basement carparks are excluded from GFA.

Mechanical and Electrical Floors for Hotel and Commercial Developments

Under the Landscaping for Urban Spaces and High-Rises (LUSH) scheme, activity-generating and sustainability-related uses are encouraged on the rooftop of either new commercial and hotel developments or commercial and hotel developments undergoing major additions and alterations / re-development.

Activity-generating uses include F&B and sustainability-related uses include urban farms¹, communal roof gardens, greenery and solar panels.

Rooftop M&E services may be transferred from the roof to one of the top three floors directly below the roof and only one such floor may be excluded from GFA provided the use of the freed-up roof space adhere to the following requirements:

• The urban farm area, solar panels and communal roof gardens shall take up a meaningful part of the roof. Any M&E services such as lift motor rooms or staircase cores that need to remain on the rooftop shall be clustered and neatly integrated with the roof design. Applicants shall consider the site context in deciding the most appropriate use for the rooftop.

• URA will take into consideration whether the proposed use on the roof top would pose dis-amenity concerns to neighbouring developments (e.g. noise, glare). For example, F&B uses are not allowed on the rooftops of commercial and hotel developments that share common boundaries with residential developments.

Applicants are to take note of the following considerations:

• F&B uses, whether covered or open-to-sky, are to be included as GFA.

• For crop protection, covers over rooftop urban farms may be allowed. Such covered areas are included as GFA.

• Covered spaces under solar panels used for landscaping purpose are excluded from GFA.

Note: Proposals for activity-generating and sustainability-related uses on the roof and the associated GFA exclusion for the M&E services transfer shall be considered based on the merits of the proposal and subject to URA’s evaluation at the development application stage.

Transfer of M&E Floor for Hotel and Commercial Developments

^{1 Rooftop urban farms come in various forms, ranging from smaller scale community-based farming activity and edible gardens, to larger-scale, highly intensive farming activities conducted on a commercial basis.} 

Mechanical and Electrical Spaces Enclosed by Chain Link Fence on Car Park Floors

M&E spaces enclosed by chain-link fencing or low parapet wall on common car park floors (e.g. above basements) are excluded from GFA.

Roof Covers for the screening of Mechanical and Electrical Service Equipment

Non load bearing roof covers meant to screen off rooftop services (e.g. M&E and other service equipment) may be excluded from GFA.

Roof Covers for M&E Services