Over the next decade, the annual construction volume in Hong Kong is expected to increase to $300 billion per year. However, if the industry cannot keep up with the pace of growth in terms of human resources and technological advancements, it may miss out on the opportunities of the "Golden Decade". Speaking at the Hong Kong Construction Conference organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), reminded the industry to prioritise high-quality development. He also encouraged the industry to learn from and liaise with mainland counterparts, in exchanging experiences and cooperating in search of excellence.
In his speech on "Performance and Prospects - Hong Kong’s Construction Industry," Ir HO pointed out that due to various factors, Hong Kong's development has lagged behind over the past 20 years. Despite the fact that the development plan over the next decade is poised to catch up by increasing land and housing supply, he emphasised that the industry should not only place focus on speed but also on quality, “don’t just look at how fast we can do, but how much wellbeing and how much sustainable development we can bring to the community.”
Forging Collaboration within GBA
Construction is not a one-person job, and teamwork is the key to success. Enjoying the locational advantage, the supply chain in the Greater Bay Area will certainly boost the development of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) in Hong Kong. After the traveller clearance resumed normal earlier this year, the CIC has organised several exchange tours to the Greater Bay Area, leading delegations of industry practitioners to visit mainland counterparts and different construction projects. Citing the examples of Far East Facade, China State Construction Hailong Technology Company and the indemnificatory housing project in Zhangkeng, Longhua District , Ir HO praised the rapid development of the mainland construction industry. "The MiC indemnificatory housing project in Longhua had five blocks of 28-story buildings built in just 363 days. They completed everything within a year." Ir HO said. He further praised the project for fully adopting digital management, and one is able to monitor the construction site through real-time panels that can even reflect carbon emissions and carbon footprints, which is an unprecedented progress. Ir Ho urged the local construction industry to collaborate with their mainland counterparts, complement each other's strengths, and "let’s combine 2 giants together, make it 4 giants, this is what we should do.”
Digitalisation and sustainable development are the focus of the construction industry. At the end of this year, the CIC will hold the "International Forum and Exhibition on Sustainable Construction", and the "Charter of Sustainable Construction" will also be signed on this occasion. Ir Ho urged industry leaders to actively participate to achieve the goal of "carbon neutrality by 2050." He also mentioned that 60 companies have signed the "Charter on Construction Digitalisation" last year, and he hoped that more companies will participate this year to demonstrate their determination to apply digitalisation.
Four Ways to Tackle Safety Issues
Safety issues are a top priority in the construction industry. Ir Ho emphasised that if the industry cannot make progress in safety issues, all efforts will be in vain. Over the past 20 years, the number of construction-related deaths has remained in the double digits annually. Ir Ho called for actions from the industry to be more proactive in adopting Design for Safety (DfS), defining stakeholders' roles and responsibilities, formulating temporary engineering management plans, and applying Safety Smart Site Systems (SSSS).
Talent recruitment is another focal point of the industry. Ir Ho stressed that the key to attracting fresh blood is to build a positive image of the construction industry among the public. The CIC has launched the "Design for Future Build for Life" campaign to promote the industry through television programs and other channels. "The young people want to be seen to be important and we have to let their families feel proud,” he said. In addition, Ir Ho believed that the industry should provide a clear career path to practitioners “newcomers, semi-skilled and skilled workers should be offered the ladder of progression. This will help them to have a vision of the promotion path, and some of them can also attend degree courses as well. This is what the CIC and the Development Bureau are doing, but we also need everyone in the industry to work together towards this goal."
