S for Housing proceeds to Beijing to continue visit (with photos)

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, departed Hangzhou and arrived in Beijing yesterday (May 30) to continue her visit, including to the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) and the China State Construction International Holdings Limited (CSCI) to deepen her understanding of the application of construction technologies by the companies, of which their group companies are respectively participating in the construction of a total of about 17 000 units of Light Public Housing (LPH). The group companies of the CSCI are also participating in the construction of five public housing projects with about 8 000 units under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA).
 
     Ms Ho yesterday led a delegation of representatives from the Housing Bureau (HB) and the Housing Department, and toured a steel module manufacturing plant of the CRCC to see for herself the latest developments of innovative construction technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and application of construction robotics. They also met with CRCC representatives and shared experiences on the research and development as well as application of these technologies.
 
     Ms Ho and the delegation visited an in-situ redevelopment project of an old building in Beijing this morning (May 31). The project was undertaken by the CSCI and is the first building in the city constructed using concrete MiC. Ms Ho said the HKHA is exploring the adoption of MiC as a concrete construction approach in various projects to build a more pleasant living environment for its residents. She was pleased to see different cities actively developing and adopting this technology to tackle their challenges. The delegation visited the CSCI and its exhibition gallery afterwards, followed by an exchange session with company representatives. Ms Ho thanked the CSCI for its group companies taking up a very challenging LPH project and also a large number of public housing projects. She also thanked the project team for the completion of Cheung Ching Estate in Tsing Yi by phases, allowing an early intake of residents from early May onwards. She encouraged them to keep expediting the construction process whenever possible for the LPH and various public housing projects and exploring early handing over by phases.
 
      The HB and the Architectural Services Department awarded two public works project contracts for the first batch of LPH projects in November last year to Chevalier – China Railway Joint Venture and China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited respectively for the design and construction of the LPH projects at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun Area 3A and Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok; and the one at Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak. Relevant works have commenced at full speed. The first batch of LPH projects comprises four projects, providing a total of around 17 000 units. Among them, the Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, project will provide about 2 100 units, and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025 at the earliest. The other three are expected to be completed in phases from the second quarter of 2025 to the third quarter of 2026.
 
     Ms Ho continued that by manufacturing prefabricated modules in a highly automated and smart factory, the number of workers on-site can be greatly reduced. Together with the implementation of smart site, this not only can safeguard workers' safety and provide a better working environment, the construction time, construction waste, usage of water and electricity at the site can also be significantly reduced by carrying out work processes in parallel. The construction process will be more environmentally friendly with much less noise and dust. More sustainable development can be achieved through the application of green-building technologies, conserving resources and reducing carbon emissions. Also, to enhance the speed, efficiency, quantity and quality of increasing the public housing supply, the HKHA has been committed to promoting the adoption of various innovative construction technologies in its projects. With technologies like MiC becoming increasingly mature and continuously advancing, she is confident that there will be further application opportunities in public housing projects, which will greatly enhance the construction efficiency, quality and site safety.
 
     Ms Ho called on the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council in the afternoon. She said that President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of developing "new quality productive forces" last year to promote high-quality development. This will foster more proactive research and development as well as advancement of various innovative technologies, including building technologies, on the Mainland and in Hong Kong. This in turn helps to facilitate the upgrading and transformation of the construction industry. In the face of a tremendous increase in housing construction, it is both a challenge and a golden opportunity which provides practical application scenarios for implementing sustainable building construction. The HB and the HD team will spare no effort in seizing this opportunity.
 
     Ms Ho and her delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening after the visit.