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The HKIE Honorary Fellow 2024 - Ir Prof Lau Ching Kwong - A life in bridges

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Upon being conferred the title of HKIE Honorary Fellow, Ir Prof Lau Ching Kwong said, in his characteristically unassuming manner, that this generous act of encouragement has decidedly strengthened his resolve to continue to sustain the engineering industry. To this extraordinary display of humility, the most natural reaction is probably to remind Ir Prof Lau of one indisputable fact: that he has already done, during one single career, more than many others can ever do in their combined lifetimes.

 

How the king of bridges became who he is

 

That distinguished career found its beginning in 1966, with the Hong Kong Civil Service. With opportunities galore to distinguish himself in the design and construction of one world-class bridge in Hong Kong after another, he gradually acquired his current reputation as “Hong Kong’s King of Bridges (香港橋王)”. He rose to the position of Deputy Director of Highways Department in 1997 and, in late 2000, was appointed Director of Civil Engineering Department (currently Civil and Engineering Development Department). Bridges aside, he worked as adeptly on other iconic projects such as Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

 

Self Photos / Files - 1 (2)A surprise visit from Disney’s characters in 2000 while working on the Disneyland project

 

Ir Prof Lau has called Hong Kong “a museum of modern bridges”. Of all the infrastructures he has helped to build, he harbours the distinct sentiment that his most notable achievement in Hong Kong is the three world-class cable supported bridges, namely Tsing Ma Bridge, Kap Shui Mun Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. “I also collaborated,” he said with justified pride, “in developing and installing an extensive bridge health monitoring system for the three bridges, which was highly acclaimed by bridge specialists around the globe.”

 

Self Photos / Files - 2 Busy at work on the Tsing Ma Bridge Project

 

It was the bridges crossing Tsing Yi that gave him the fondest memories. Tsing Yi, to him, is special for its close connections with so many state-of-the-art bridges: Tsing Yi Bridge and Tsing Tsuen Bridge to the east, Tsing Ma Bridge to the west, Ting Kau Bridge to the north, and Stonecutters Bridge to the southeast. “I served,” he explained, “as the chief engineer during the massive Tsing Ma Bridge’s construction in the 1990s. Before Tsing Ma Bridge, building such a long dual-purpose bridge in a typhoon-prone area had never been done in the world. The biggest challenge in building a cross-harbour bridge in Hong Kong is how to resist the wind.”

 

For his outstanding contribution to the engineering industries in Hong Kong and Mainland China, he received “Mao Yisheng Bridge Construction Grand Award (茅以升橋樑大獎)”, the prestigious award for bridge engineers in China, and also “Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize (中國土木工程詹天佑獎)” in 1999.

 

Self Photos / Files - 3

Being awarded the Mao Yisheng Bridge Construction Grand Award

 

After retiring from civil service in 2002, Ir Prof Lau joined AECOM as Executive Director of Transportation and introduced Hong Kong’s engineering expertise to Mainland China. He was involved in many infrastructure projects in Mainland China including Shenzhen Metro, Shanghai cross Yangtze River Bridge/Tunnel, Shanghai Bund Tunnel, Sutong Bridge, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge-Immersed Tunnel Section and aesthetic improvements on bridges across the Pearl River, Guangzhou. He also participated in projects in Southeast Asia and the Middle East such as the feasibility design of the Sea Crossing between Malacca, Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2014, he was honoured for 30 years of outstanding contribution to the China Steel Construction Industry.

 

Self Photos / Files - 4 During an interview about the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Immersed Tunnel Section

 

Reflecting on his nearly 50-year career as a civil and structural engineer, Ir Prof Lau mused on how “long and harsh [the path was], like climbing mountain after mountain, conquering one challenge after another. However, when I look back on successful projects which I participated in and jointly worked on with professional engineering teams, I feel much job satisfaction and a strong sense of achievement. This affirms that hard work always pays off.”

 

Ruminating on the future of engineering

 

Ir Prof Lau’s vision for engineering’s future is one in which everything is dynamic. He believes progress in society and rapid technological advances are challenges that must be accepted by all engineers. “Engineers,” he elaborated, “ought to make demands on themselves, challenge themselves incessantly, actively seek out excellence and innovation, and keep being passionate about what they do. Engineers are unique in their role in societal advancement and the differences they make should reflect this fact.”

 

He further reflected that recent rapid developments in fields such as AI and Augmented Reality present greater challenges to future engineering professionals compared to challenges faced by his own generation. “Engineers’ skillset,” he maintained, “must also progress in line with societal advancements. Of course, the fundamental qualities of an engineer, such as passion for their work, integrity, a sense of responsibility, effective communication skills, and leadership abilities must be there. But engineers must also possess a forward-thinking mindset and an innovative spirit, capable of thinking outside the box.”

 

As illustrations, Ir Prof Lau gave several examples. The first one involves his team’s work on the design of a large-scale project, a suspension bridge to be constructed parallel to the Tsing Ma Bridge. “This new bridge,” he explained, “is approximately 300 m south, with a main span of 1,400 m, surpassing Tsing Ma Bridge’s main span of 1,377 m. When we were given this project, our first thought was to incorporate innovative elements into the new bridge. We considered what new materials and techniques would be available in the coming years and how we could incorporate these elements.”

 

He went on to lay out another example of two bridge towers, each reaching 200 m high, with main cables exceeding 2,500 m and 800 suspender cables. He said that “at present, inspection and monitoring of these components are carried out using traditional gondolas, similar to the ones used for cleaning high-rise building facades. This method is labour-intensive and carries significant risks. In the future, we plan to utilise unmanned drones and AI technology for cost-effective, efficient and safer inspections and monitoring of the bridge's structural health.”

 

He is firmly convinced that these examples demonstrate the need for engineers of the future to possess a broader perspective, embrace innovation, and leverage technological advancements to overcome challenges and drive progress in the field of engineering.

 

A firm guiding hand for the young

 

Ir Prof Lau has always had a passion for education, having received his Master in Bridge Engineering from University of Surrey and Doctorate in Engineering from Tsinghua University. For the past 20 years, he has been sharing his professional knowledge and talent as a part-time professor at Tsinghua University. At his alma mater Hong Kong Chu Hai College, he is a member of the engineering programme teaching team under the Department of Civil Engineering.

 

Self Photos / Files - 5With his family at Tsinghua University’s graduation ceremony for his Engineering Doctorate

 

Having built a remarkable career spanning half a century, Ir Prof Lau is an ideal role model to impart invaluable advice to young people. “Our mother country and Hong Kong are moving ahead with the whole world. The engineering profession encompasses almost every aspect of our daily lives and will surely continue to be the main driving force of society’s development. Choosing engineering as a lifelong career continues to promise a bright and successful future. My advice for young people: remember your future is in your hands. I sincerely encourage you to accept the challenge to work hard, accept different challenges and opportunities, enjoy building a rewarding career and make time to contribute to society.”

 

Self Photos / Files - 6

A moment of leisure with his spouse (R) at a golf course in Shanghai

 

Self Photos / Files - 7

Witnessing the gap closing with the last deck segment for the Kap Shui Mun Bridge

 

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