While strolling around the city, you may notice that the cityscape has been changing… the promenades and leisure facilities along the Victoria Harbour, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the Hong Kong Children's Hospital, the government offices & public services buildings, the revitalised historic buildings and so on are of “people-oriented” design with elegant designs. The Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) is providing three main types of services for such government-owned or government-funded facilities: facility development, maintenance as well as monitoring and advisory services.

I was honored to attend as the guest of honor at the Award Presentation Ceremony of the Quality Building Award (QBA) 2022 earlier, in which ArchSD received various awards and colleagues’ effort and dedication were fully recognised. The QBA is a biennial event which is jointly organised by nine professional institutes / organisations of the construction industry. It celebrates the excellence and recognises collaborative effort and team spirit required in constructing quality building projects. While congratulating their well-deserved success, I invited them to present their award winning projects as well as the very challenging large-scale rehabilitation project completed recently.

Chief Project Manager of ArchSD, Ms LI Pak-yee, Tuesday, said that when developing and maintaining public facilities, ArchSD has been closely communicated with the industry stakeholders in exploring various innovative construction technologies, and widely adopting inclusive and green building designs, building a sustainable, more resilient and livable city for Hong Kong.

North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre

The North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre (HKICC) was awarded the Grand Award under the ‘Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Government, Institution or Community)’ Category and the Innovative Project Award.

Ms LI recalled that time was of essence during the COVID-19 epidemic. Hospital projects normally take three to four years while the HKICC took only four months to complete.

HKICC occupies an area of about 30 000 square metres consisting of six numbers of two-storey ward blocks, providing a total of 816 negative-pressured bed spaces. Thanks to the adoption of various innovative construction technologies such as the Building Information Modelling (BIM), Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and the Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP), the construction team was able to complete the project in a very short period of time. The modules adopting MiC and MiMEP technologies were prefabricated in factories and then transported to the sites for assembly and connection, thereby effectively shortened the construction time, enhanced site safety and improved site environment.

Disciplined Services Quarters for the Fire Services Department at Pak Shing Kok in Tseung Kwan O

The Disciplined Services Quarters for the Fire Services Department at Pak Shing Kok in Tseung Kwan O received the Grand Award under the ‘Hong Kong Residential (Multiple Buildings)’ Category. Chief Project Manager, Mr LEE Chun-kau, Paul, said that the award means a lot to the team since it is the first concrete MiC multi-storey residential project in Hong Kong. The project consists of 648 residential units and other facilities in five 16 to 17 storeys high residential blocks which were constructed from 3 726 MiC modules.

By adopting MiC and BIM, half of the construction waste, as well as about 60 to 70 percent of electricity and water consumptions, and about 40 to 50 percent of skilled workers required were reduced when compared to a traditional construction project. The construction works commenced in August 2018 and completed in March 2021. The entire project advanced by about four months to complete than those projects adopting the traditional construction methods.

Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Primary School

Cheung Sha Wan Catholic Primary School received Merit Award under the ‘Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Government, Institution or Community)’ category. Architect, Ms KWAN Tze-pui, Rosalie, said that the school was relocated from Sham Shui Po to Cheung Sha Wan under the reprovisioning programme. The old school premise was small and without a school hall. The new school, located in Cheung Sha Wan, occupies a site area of about 6 500 square metres with 30 standard classrooms, teaching rooms and other ancillary facilities.

The ArchSD has put a lot of efforts in this school design. A big tree was preserved in-situ at the central courtyard. Surrounding the central courtyard, a distinctive circular ramp links up all the major areas of the school including the covered playground on ground floor, corridors of the classrooms on the first floor and the school hall, with a view to catering for various activities, encouraging exchanges and interaction between teachers and students. Through the windows, the architecture framed the pleasant outdoor landscape areas on the ground floor and at the rooftop garden and provide smooth transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

Transport Department Vehicle Examination Complex

The Transport Department Vehicle Examination Complex (TDVEC) located in Tsing Yi also received Merit Award under the ‘Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Government, Institution or Community)’ category. The traditional vehicle examination centres were single-storey buildings. The new TDVEC is a pioneering project housing three vehicle examination centres’ businesses in three storeys, providing inspection services for different kinds of vehicles under one roof.

To enlarge the operating space, the driveway design is the first of its kind – adopting double helical scissor ramp to reduce the potential risks of vehicular conflict due to head-on traffic. Sustainable design elements have also been included in the project design including extra-high ceiling to enhance natural ventilation. MiC and MiMEP with standard modules were also adopted for energy saving and carbon emission reduction.

Large-scale renovation works at the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

In addition to the above award-winning projects of the QBA 2022, ArchSD has also committed to providing quality maintenance and rehabilitation services for existing public buildings. Senior Property Services Managers, Mr KO Chi-keung and Mr CHAN Ming-tai, Astley, said that the ArchSD is responsible for restoring and maintaining quite a number of existing buildings with high historical, architectural and cultural values. The Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) is one of the examples. It was reopened to the public last year after rehabilitation.

Converted from the old Lyemun Fort, the HKMCD is the only military themed museum in Hong Kong. The redoubt courtyard on the eighth floor was covered with a distinctive large-scale tensile canopy after its conversion in 2000. However, it was severely damaged by Super Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, and the museum has been closed for restoration and strengthening works since.

A large-scale and multi-use temporary scaffolding was erected once after the commencement of the restoration works, serving not only as a temporary working platform for the canopy, but also a protective barrier of the redoubt, so that the restoration work of the canopy and renovation work of the exhibition hall could proceed in parallel. The project team has also strengthened the stability of the canopy through innovative means and improvement of the design details. Despite the complexity of the works and the severe impact of the epidemic during construction period, the team has successfully overcome challenges and completed the project for enjoyment of public.

Promoting quality architecture    Introducing “blue and green elements”

Looking ahead, we hope to continue to promote quality architecture in collaboration with various works departments by implementing an array of measures in the stages of planning, building design, construction, maintenance and repair and renovation, such as introducing "blue and green elements" into the planning and design of new development areas to encourage livable building design. In addition to adoption of innovative technologies and pursuit of zero-carbon emission, quality architecture also covers protection of workers’ safety. We will continue to encourage digital transformation in the construction industry to enhance safety supervision and to build a lower-carbon, more vibrant and better Hong Kong for the people.