Hong Kong Regulations

BUILDING (PLANNING) REGULATIONS - REGULATION 30

Lighting and ventilation of rooms used or intended to be used for habitation or as an office or kitchen

(1) Every room used for habitation or for the purposes of an office or as a
kitchen shall be provided with natural lighting and ventilation. (G.N.A. 97 of
1962)

(2) Such natural lighting and ventilation shall be provided by means of one or
more windows which shall be-

   (a)  so constructed that-

        (i)    the aggregate superficial area of glass in the window or
               windows is not less than one-tenth of the area of the floor of
               the room; and

        (ii)   the windows can, to an extent at least equal in the aggregate
               to one-sixteenth of the area of the floor of the room, be
               opened in such manner that the top of the opening of each
               window is at least 2 m above the level of the floor or, in the
               case of detached and semi-detached  buildings, at least 1.9 m
               above the level of the floor; and (L.N. 294 of 1976)

   (b)  such that not less than the area required by sub-paragraph

   (a)  (i) (hereinafter referred to as the prescribed window) faces directly
        into the external air. (G.N.A 83 of 1959)