The
Construction Industry Institute (Hong Kong) (CII-HK) and a CityU research team led by
Dr C M Tam, Associate Head,
Department of Building and Construction (BC), are collaborating in a study to set up a unified set of standards for the construction industry in Hong Kong.
“One of the challenges facing Hong Kong's construction industry is the multiplicity of standards,” said
Mr Michael Arnold, Task Force Chairman of the CII-HK, who officiated at the signing ceremony on 1 April.
Professor Roderick Wong, Dean of the
Faculty of Science and Engineering, another officiating
guest, concurred, "Multinational standards with different acceptance criteria for materials and practices lead to inconsistency and inefficiency in the industry." Both agreed that there is an urgent need for the industry to achieve greater consistency, efficiency and lower cost.
Dr Tam and his team received funding of HK$536,370 from the CII-HK for their project on investigating the feasibility of establishing construction standards and setting strategic directions for the industry. Before 1997, the building construction industry in Hong Kong followed UK standards. But since 1997, different sectors of the industry use different construction materials and standards from around the world, including the US and Japan. "This is confusing and makes it difficult to identify exactly what the right standard is," Dr Tam said. “Setting up consistent standards is the right direction for local construction industry.”
Construction standards should take into account the context of a place such as weather, safety and hygiene, which directly affect people's living environment, according to Dr Tam. He recalled that during the SARS outbreak the standards of drainage pipes in buildings were criticized. Present standards may have failed to suit the living environment in
Hong Kong.
Dr Tam describes his project as a “fact-finding exercise” which involves review of literature, collection of information from overseas, and feedback from local industry. Along with representatives from the industry, Dr Tam and his team conduct a critical analysis of the possible options and strategies. He hopes that BC students involved in the project will also benefit. “The project will help boost BC’s reputation in the local construction industry and make it more competitive in research projects,” Dr Tam added.
The team started the project in January 2004 and will provide a report to CII-HK in December. CII-HK is a non-profit organization established by the industry and academia to improve Hong Kong's construction industry.
