Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr LAM Sai-hung, joined the Government in the 1980s. He has witnessed the rapid development of Hong Kong’s economy and infrastructure beginning in the 1970s, and taken part in various large-scale infrastructure projects, which he still vividly remembers. This time, I have invited Mr LAM Sai-hung to talk about his feelings and share his experience with us.

Mr LAM Sai-hung joined the Government in 1986 as an Assistant Engineer. He was promoted to Chief Engineer in 2009, and to Principal Government Engineer in 2014. In 2015, he became the Project Manager (Hong Kong Island and Islands) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD). He was the Director of Civil Engineering and Development from 2016 until his appointment as Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) in October 2018. He is retiring this month.

Witnessing Hong Kong’s works development

After 35 years of government service, Sai-hung says he is very pleased to have witnessed Hong Kong’s works development since the 1970s. To him, it was a pleasure taking part in the development of new towns as well as highway and railway networks in the 1970s and 1980s; the Airport Core Programme (ACP) in the 1990s; and the Ten Major Infrastructure Projects in the 2000s. Since assuming the post of Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) in 2018, he has been leading the construction industry to implement “Construction 2.0”, promoting sustainable development of the industry by advocating “innovation”, “professionalisation” and “revitalisation”. He says it is his greatest honour to have joined the Government and served the society.

Two unforgettable and bold works projects

Looking back on his career in civil service, Sai-hung describes his two most unforgettable works projects as bold: one of them is the construction of the Ting Kau Bridge in the 1990s, and the other is the building of quarantine facilities and a temporary hospital in a very short time last year.

Taking part in building Ting Kau Bridge - a massive cable-stayed bridge

Part of the ACP in the 1990s was the construction of two world renowned bridges - the Tsing Ma Bridge and the Kap Shui Mun Bridge. The works began in 1992, with external consultants responsible for design and construction. Before then, no such long-span cable-stayed bridges had ever been designed and constructed in Hong Kong. When the Ting Kau Bridge project was launched in 1993, the then Government decided to hand it to the Highways Department, and Sai-hung played a part in it. He says that the project team was pleased to take on the challenge, going all out on every aspect of work, be it design, construction or maintenance. Despite the arduousness of work, they forged a strong bond with each other in the process. Even now, the team still gather from time to time, reminiscing about the old days.

Building quarantine camps and a temporary hospital with MiC

The second unforgettable project took us back to the beginning of the epidemic early last year. He tells us that, in order to enhance our capability in combating the epidemic, the Architectural Services Department and the CEDD boldly committed to the building of quarantine facilities using the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) method within a very tight deadline. Back then, Hong Kong had not yet completed a project using the MiC method. On top of that, Mainland production lines and local construction sites might cease operation anytime due to the epidemic. Therefore, during the Lunar New Year of 2020, he kept on having discussion with his colleagues with a view to implementing the project as soon as possible. During construction, colleagues maintained close contact through video conferencing to monitor the works progress.

Staying united and working together whole-heartedly, the project team was able to rise to the challenge and accomplished its mission, completing about 4 000 quarantine units in a number of locations within several months. The experience they gained from this project has led to the successful completion of a temporary hospital (now named North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre) with more than 800 beds in a matter of four months. Knowing that the mission could not be accomplished in time without the dedicated efforts of colleagues of various departments, contractors, frontline workers and consultants, he is full of gratitude to them .

Advice for the new generation of engineers – persevere through adversity

Sai-hung says that, as the Government will continue to invest in infrastructure projects and expand the room necessary for Hong Kong’s further development, there will be more opportunities for the new generation of engineers to develop their career. With the time to say goodbye fast approaching, he has a piece of advice for our young engineers - persevere through adversity. Because, while books can teach us theories, engineering experience can only be accumulated bit by bit through practice. Also, he encourages young people to be open-minded and embrace innovative ideas, as this is the only way to bring continuous impetus to Hong Kong’s construction and engineering sectors.

I have worked very closely with Sai-hung in the past few years. Looking back, I would say I have had a wonderful time despite all the challenges. What he says makes me feel very strongly about the hard work and efforts of colleagues from the works departments, who have been toiling silently for Hong Kong. Members of government departments, contractors, consultants, or frontline workers, no matter who you are, you should be proud of your contribution when seeing the infrastructure you have taken part in building. Here, I wish Sai-hung a happy and healthy retirement.