Link Asset Management
Protecting Temple Mall North from repeat flood disruption
Climate-related retail risk: Extreme rainfall, flash flooding, damage to plant and control systems, tenant disruption and prolonged retail closure
Solution pathway: Flood barriers, raised control equipment, additional pumping capacity, drainage improvements, operating procedures and resilience-linked insurance
Business type: Large retail real estate investment manager and property operator
Sector: Shopping centres and retail property
Geography: Hong Kong
In practice
Link subsequently invested more than HK$5 million in flood-resilience measures. Interventions included detachable flood barriers at lower-ground entrances and plant rooms, relocation of vulnerable control panels to higher positions, increased sump-pump capacity and improvements to drainage.
The physical changes were accompanied by revised flood-response procedures, operational drills and clearer responsibilities for installing barriers and managing buildings during extreme rainfall. This is important because flood defences are only effective if staff know when and how to deploy them.
Link also worked with AXA and Marsh to quantify how these investments changed the property’s risk profile. A proof-of-concept assessment found that the measures could reduce potential flood losses by an estimated 10–20%. The company then incorporated the evidence into its insurance discussions, linking physical adaptation with improved risk transfer.
Why this example was selected
This case study was curated because the project has received substantial third-party validation. AXA published the results of its flood-risk proof of concept, while the Urban Land Institute and the Pacific Real Estate Association have profiled the project as an example of converting resilience investment into measurable financial value.
It is especially valuable because the case includes physical adaptation, operational preparedness and insurance recognition. It shows why retail-property resilience matters commercially: investment in adaptation can reduce damage and downtime while improving the asset’s insurability.
