The complexities and challenges involved in developing the Centennial Campus, in terms of engineering, greening, and heritage protection, are by now widely known.  So it may be surprising to learn that the project so far has been managed only by a team of four at the Estates Office of HKU.  At their new Kennedy Town Centre office, they tell us about their ‘Mission Impossible’.

Profile:

Kenneth Wong (KW) has been the Director of Estates since 2000, overseeing all aspects of facilities management and campus development in the University, and leading a total of about 300 staff.

 

King-leung Tam (KL) has been the Senior Assistant Director of Estates since 2006. KL has been responsible for campus development projects, and is currently in charge of the construction of the Centennial Campus Project.

 

Andy Fung (AF) is the Senior Technical Manager responsible for the Reservoir Re-provisioning Works of the Centennial Campus.

 

David Siu (DS) is the Senior Technical Manager responsible for the Superstructure of the Centennial Campus project.

Kenneth, how long have you been involved in the planning of the Centennial Campus?

KW: I was the Acting Director of Estates in 1998. After 2005 the Centennial Campus (formerly known as the Millennium Masterplan) was also included in my portfolio, so I was glad when KL joined my team and is now in charge of the construction of a number of projects, including the Centennial Campus.

What are the biggest challenges of this project?

KW: First of all, we are the only institution in Hong Kong (perhaps in the world!) to spend HK$500 million in re-provisioning existing service reservoirs in order to form the site of a new campus. We have been given only about 30 months to carry out this complex work, on a site near a Country Park, and surrounded by skyscrapers! And water supplies to the whole of the Western District cannot be disrupted. It was considered a ‘Mission Impossible’ for most engineers, including ourselves.

Fortunately, a creative solution emerged which avoided massive tree-cutting, minimized air and noise impact, and ensured undisrupted water supplies – digging caverns deep into the hill to store water. After 24 months, the work has been progressing very well and we will finish the project on time, this October.

KL:  Another great challenge was the serious landslide last June, when Black Storm Warning was issued.  Although most of the landslide occurred on the slope behind the Chow Yei Ching (CYC) Building, which is outside our site boundary, some of it encroached onto the Evacuation Vehicular Access leading to the new campus and flooded several floors of the CYC Building. We took immediate action in carrying out slope stabilisation work to protect public safety.

KW: The public’s concern about our three heritage buildings was also unexpected. We responded quickly and relocated the tunnel portal in order to protect all the buildings.  This saw strong support from the community.

AF: To me, the greatest challenge is to ensure that the consultant and contractors work strictly to our timeline and deadlines. Any slippage may delay the construction of the superstructure later on, which would seriously affect the implementation of the new 4-year curriculum in September 2012.

DS: In the next few years, we will have other concurrent projects such as the construction of the University Street and associated linkages with the Main Campus, and connections with MTR Stations. Hopefully our staff, students and the community would understand that there will be some inconvenience to them before our new campus was brought to fruition.

KW: I must say that we could never have overcome these challenges without the dedicated team led by KL and supported by Andy and David.  They have been working very hard and I hope we will be able to bring a few more staff onboard in the near future.

Kenneth and KL, you were both in the business sector before joining HKU. What do you think is the biggest difference between a commercial project and a campus project?

KW: Commercial buildings are in a way ‘static’. An office tower will still be an office tower in ten years’ time.  But a campus is built for many generations of students, teachers and researchers. For example, the design of the Learning Commons reflects a future trend for student-centred learning. As a publicly-funded institution, the challenge for us is to build a campus which is flexible and futuristic in a cost-effective manner.

KL: Profit maximization and reputation are the most important goals for a commercial project. But a campus project is measured by the social benefits it can bring. That’s why we have set ourselves a higher standard of environmental protection and sustainability. We are also much more responsive to public concerns than private developers would be.

Finally, what will our campus look like in ten years’ time?

KL: The campus will be more unified, accessible and environmentally friendly.  With the arrival of the MTR, more members of the public will be able to easily visit HKU and it will not only be an international world-class university, but hopefully also a popular tourist destination.