The Research and Insights of Greater Bay Area Initiatives

Hong Kong’s professionalism and technological advancements in the industry still had an edge in areas like urban planning, electrical facilities design, environmental protection certifications, prefabrication certifications, contract and project management, cost management, international legal services and other consultancy services. Design from Hong Kong is considered more human-oriented and desirable by higher-end design and construction firms in Mainland China.
A list of recommendations were provided with a view to improving the competitiveness of the Hong Kong construction industry in the Greater Bay Area:
(a) prepare a ‘Hong Kong Construction Industry 2025 Vision’ to address issues on technology development and paradigm shift in the global construction industry, as well as the industrial reorganisation of the Pearl River Delta region and its impact on Hong Kong;
(b) The HKSAR Government has set up a construction industry innovation and technology fund in October 2018 for encouraging construction industry to adopt and develop new technology and implement innovation policy. Particularly, focus on integration with existing technology and practices to render an innovating process for the revamping of the industrial ecosystem.
(c) set up a research institute on construction technology and innovation in cooperation with local and overseas higher education institutions to enable long term development of technology and innovation. Enjoying the proximity of hardware centres in the Greater Bay Area, the focus could be made on assembly-type construction and the use of steel structures;
(d) formulate a development strategy with action plans, technology roadmap and specific targets for the construction value chains, to give the industry a practical blueprint for future development in the Pearl River Delta;
(e) provide training to staff and workers in the industry and supporting services by advancing their knowledge and skills in the use of new technologies and solutions. Hong Kong Institute of Construction acts as an important role to nurture an accomplished construction workforce with sound professional skills so as to alleviate the shortage of construction manpower for the construction industry of Hong Kong;
(f) collaborate with Hong Kong professional bodies to promote consultancy services to firms and professionals in the Pearl River Delta Region. E.g. consideration could be given to join the Mainland market and engage in different forms of corporate and economic cooperation;
(g) join the BIM alliance of Guangdong with other provinces would enhance the chance of Hong Kong to speed up the systematic development and adoption of BIM locally for the advantage of setting up regional standards to Hong Kong;
(h) participate and contribute to the industry standard setting process of the Chinese Mainland governments in the region, the Guangdong Province and at the national level. This could help to coordinate and align the standard with the industry of Mainland China whereas Hong Kong could contribute relevant international elements into the Chinese standard setting process;
(i) request for a reciprocal relationship on the accreditations of Hong Kong firms in the Pearl River Delta market and vice versa. With the reformation in the Mainland, Hong Kong enterprises and partnerships will become eligible for bidding projects in the Mainland construction market in the future; and
(j) set up an industrial park at a convenient location in the Pearl River Delta region for the development of assembly-type construction projects of Hong Kong firms and new start-up.