Fugro to undertake HZMB GI The Highways Department has appointed Fugro Geotechnical Services Ltd to carry out ground investigation for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF) reclamation works. The HKBCF artificial island will have a reclaimed area of about 150 ha, including 19 ha of land required for the southern landfall of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link, for passenger clearance and cargo processing facilities. Detailed design of the reclamation works for the HKBCF began in September 2009. Ground investigation to be carried out under the contract will provide essential information for the design of the reclamation works. The HZMB HKBCF reclamation works are scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2010.

Yau Lee to build Shek Kip Mei housing Yau Lee Construction Co Ltd has been awarded a HK$540 million contract by the Housing Authority for the construction of public rental housing at Shek Kip Mei Estate Phase 2. The contract comprises mainly the construction of two 39-storey domestic blocks with 1,558 residential units on a two-storey podium; one eight-storey welfare retail block, carpark, and all associated drainage and external works. The contract is scheduled for completion by the end of November 2011.

Foundation stone laid for new CAD HQ A foundation stone has been laid for the new Civil Aviation Department headquarters. To be constructed at a cost of HK$2 billion, the new headquarters will provide the space needed for the replacement of the existing air traffic control system, which will enable the airport to gradually increase the runway capacity to 68 movements per hour by 2015. Built by Dragages Hong Kong Ltd under a design-and-build contract awarded by the Architectural Services Department, the headquarters will feature a variety of energy-saving designs, including photovoltaic panels, solar-powered lights, light pipes and a fibre optic solar tracking system. It will also feature roof gardens, open decks and outdoor terraces to create a comfortable working environment. The project is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Artist's impression of the new CAD HQ. Source: ArchSD

Mercury waste treatment upgrade mooted The Government is considering plans to upgrade the capacity of the Chemical Waste Treatment Facility (CWTC) to treat waste mercury. The CWTC treated 123 tonnes of mercury-containing waste in 2008, up from 59 tonnes in 2006. Its annual capacity for treating waste that contains mercury is about 4 kg – or about one million used fluorescent tubes/compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), each of which contains about 4 mg of mercury. The volume to be treated is expected to increase following measures to encourage the switch to CFLs. The Government therefore plans to increase CWTC's capacity to about 3 million used fluorescent tubes/CFLs a year. The upgrading is expected to be completed in 2010. According to the Acting Secretary for the Environment, Dr Kitty Poon, the Government will study the need for further upgrading of the CWTC's mercury waste treatment facility taking into account the recycling of used fluorescent tubes and CFLs in the future.

China to host international disaster risk research office The International Council for Science (ICSU) has announced that China will host the office of a new international programme, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR). The International Programme Office for IRDR will be established in Beijing, at the headquarters of the Centre for Earth Observation & Digital Earth (CEODE) - the first time an international office of this type has been hosted in Asia. The IRDR is a major new ten-year international research programme that aims to provide answers to the growing global problem of disasters and how countries can reduce the root causes of disaster risk. In a break from past approaches, it will combine diverse expertise and perspectives into one coordinated effort, drawing on the natural, socio-economic, health and engineering sciences. ICSU, along with the other IRDR co-sponsors - the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN ISDR) - selected Beijing following an international call for offers. The office will be jointly funded by the China Association for Science & Technology (CAST) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). CEODE's International Programme Office will not only support the management and administrative needs of IRDR, but also play a major role in organising the capacity building and outreach activities that will be important for the success of the programme. "Our first task will be to ensure that the office has a secretariat that ... will ensure that the IRDR programme has the behind-the-scenes support that will be essential if it is to successfully address the challenge of natural and human-induced hazards and disasters," said Prof Gordon McBean, chair of the scientific committee overseeing the programme.

China State bags HK$2.33 billion in deals China State Construction International Holdings Ltd has won HK$2.33 billion worth of construction projects in Hong Kong and Guangdong, including the Phase 15 residential development in Discovery Bay, site formation and main contract works for a new academic building for the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), and the handling of surplus public fill for the Civil Engineering & Development Department in Taishan, Guangdong Province. The HK$487 million Discovery Bay project involves construction of 17 six-storey blocks and related facilities for HKR International Ltd in 15 months. The HKUST project involves foundation and superstructure works for a new academic building and related residential quarters for the Institute for Advanced Study. The HK$767 million project is expected to be completed in 27 months. The handling of surplus public fill project, which has a total contract value of HK$3.84 billion, is being undertaken in joint venture with China Harbour Engineering Co Ltd with the contract value attributable to China State amounting to about HK$960 million. The 38-month project involves taking over and operation of public fill reception facilities and transfer of 18 million cu m of public fill to Taishan.

Whitfield depot reprovisioning works The Highways Department is inviting tenders for the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) Whitfield depot re-provisioning works for the Central-Wan Chai Bypass Project (Contract No HY/2009/17). The works mainly comprise construction of a one-floor basement car park underneath the Island Eastern Corridor; removal/re-provisioning of other affected facilities of the depot; relocation of an existing cul-de-sac at Watson Road; advance piling works for the future Island Eastern Corridor Link reconstruction, and associated utility works. The works are expected to commence in February 2010 for completion in March 2011. The works are designed and supervised by AECOM Asia Co Ltd. The tender deadline is 15 January 2010.

Kwun Tong Line extension gazetted The Government has gazetted the Kwun Tong Line Extension (KTE) in accordance with the Railways Ordinance. The proposed 2.6 km long extension will run from Yau Ma Tei Station on the existing MTR Kwun Tong Line with two new stations in Ho Man Tin and Whampoa. Ho Man Tin Station will be an interchange station for the future Sha Tin-to-Central Link. To be implemented under the rail-plus-property model, it will include use of a site at Ho Man Tin Station for property development to bridge the funding gap. Subject to the authorisation of the scheme, construction is expected to commence in 2011 for completion by 2015.

Reservoirs in a cavern Reservoirs in a cavern

Guests walked through the new Western Service Reservoirs, which were handed over to the Water Supplies Department by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) recently. HKU undertook the re-provisioning of freshwater and saltwater storage facilities as part of its Centennial Campus project. The two saltwater reservoirs were built in a rock cavern excavated using a non-explosive drill-and-break tunnelling method to minimise the disturbance caused to the environment and nearby residents.

PolyU scores on construction research survey The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been ranked top in terms of research performance in the fields of civil engineering, construction and building technology, and geomatics, according to independent surveys conducted by Thomson Reuters, a US company which produces the Science Citation Index (SCI) database. In the field of civil engineering, PolyU now leads all other universities in the world in both the total number of papers published in SCI journals over the five-year period from 2003 to 2007 and the total number of citations received by these papers over the six-year period from 2003-2008 from other SCI journal papers. In the field of construction and building technology, PolyU also leads in both the total number of SCI journal papers published over the five-year period of 2003 to 2007 and the total number of citations received by these papers over the six-year period of 2003-2008 from other SCI journal papers. Another survey by Thomas Reuters showed that the Faculty of Construction & Land Use's Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Infomatics is ranked first among similar departments in the world by research output in terms of both the total number of SCI papers and the total number of citations in the field of geomatics from 2003 to 2008.

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