Management Approach

As a department responsible for the development and upkeep of government buildings and facilities, ArchSD has observed and followed most current building industry trends and standards whenever applicable. In pursuit of service excellence, it is important to enhance staff competence in relevant aspects. ArchSD has arranged different in-house training courses to raise staff's general awareness and technical knowhow including fire safety, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and so on. The department also encourages knowledge sharing by establishing the Knowledge Management (KM) Portal to centralise all useful information, which enables staff to make reference to relevant materials and learn from previous projects.

ArchSD has spared no effort to enhance our sustainability performance in particular reducing carbon footprint. Internally, we have adopted various energy saving measures in our offices, such as using motion sensors in lighting systems and escalators. We also installed solar photovoltaic systems to harness natural energy and reduce electricity demand. Externally, we have implemented suitable and cost-effective sustainability initiatives in new capital and minor works projects. We also set up electricity and water meters to keep track of resource consumption in government buildings so as to identify opportunities for cutting down the carbon footprint.

With more than 1,800 staff spread over 6 branches, ArchSD should continue to maintain closer communication between different branches to foster more cross-branch collaboration and enable individual staff to develop diversified skill sets. It will also be beneficial to further enhance the organisation and control of existing and newly added information in the KM Portal to facilitate users in data retrieval and picking out useful information.

As the Chief Clerk of Works, my major duties are to supervise, arrange and manage site staff as well as oversee staff training and recruitment issues. ArchSD is dedicated to supporting staff development through provision of a wide range of in-house training covering soft skills like safety, environmental management and occupational safety and health, and technical knowhow. This can assure our staff to fully comply with new industry standards and to be thoroughly aware of the latest regulations and specifications such as new testing methods criteria as set in the Construction Standard (CS2). Staff are also able to gain hands-on experience through working under supervision on various site projects. Such arrangement is crucial to uphold their relevant knowledge and quality of work.

To achieve better sustainability, ArchSD should continue to focus on standardising and simplifying site practices and building designs wherever applicable to facilitate better deployment of skilled labour and resources as well as increase maintainability of buildings. In addition, to address the upcoming high staff turnover due to retirement, ArchSD should create more platforms to facilitate knowledge management and to enable transfer of knowledge and experience from senior professionals to junior executives.

We have worked for ArchSD on the design and construction of the Redevelopment of Tai Lam Centre for Women. ArchSD has treated us as a working partner and provided us with professional guidance throughout the project. Prior to project commencement, ArchSD invited us to attend an integrated workshop together with other project stakeholders to encourage and foster communication between different parties. Regular meetings have also been conducted to reinforce and ensure our understanding of all project-related environmental and safety requirements. ArchSD has also taken the lead to introduce a number of environmental and energy efficient features in this redevelopment project to maximise resources utilisation.

Apart from making sure our compliance, ArchSD has put great efforts to encourage contractors to improve their site performance. These include various incentive schemes, such as "Pay for Safety and Environment Scheme" and "Green Contractor Award" to motivate contractors to adopt different environmental measures. These award schemes not only induce us to apply more green measures on site, but also provide a platform to facilitate information exchange and share best environmental practices among the construction industry. Inspired by ArchSD, we have also put into practice a lot of suitable environmental initiatives to mitigate air and noise pollution, manage waste issues and conserve energy in our construction site. We are honor to receive the Bronze Award in the "Green Contractor Award" this year.

ArchSD has long been playing a key role in promoting the adoption of sustainable building designs and green features in Hong Kong. We would like to see their continuous effort to share the latest and innovative technologies with the industry in the future.

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers - Hong Kong Branch (CIBSE-HKB) is committed to promoting good industry practices in building services engineering in Hong Kong with the aim of promoting sustainability in built environment as well as improving building performance. In recent years, we actively promote the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology which is an innovative process of generating digital visual representation of building services engineering data, including system design, installation, operation and maintenance aspects, to enhance communication between different parties involved in various stages of a building lifecycle. The application of BIM technology and its data packed models can enable building services engineers to make more informed decisions to carry out innovative and sustainable designs as well as quality operation and maintenance services to building services engineering facilities.

It is commended that ArchSD has put great effort to promote sustainability in built environment, wider use of BIM technology and support the exchange of relevant knowledge in the construction industry. Over the past few years, both CIBSE-HKB and ArchSD have worked hard to raise awareness and train up competent BIM personnel in the industry. We look forward to future collaboration with ArchSD on promoting the adoption of the BIM technology to the industry at large.

We have been working closely with ArchSD since August 2012 in taking forward the Community Green Station (CGS) project. It is a pioneer project announced in the 2014 Policy Address through which EPD aims to promote a green culture of “Use Less, Waste Less” with continued environmental education on waste reduction and recycling and enhanced logistics service for recyclable collection at the community level. With the dedicated support and commitment of ArchSD, we are going to develop a CGS in each district progressively and since May 2015. So far, four CGSs have been up and running in Sha Tin, Eastern, Kwun Tong and Yuen Long districts. The fifth one in Sham Shui Po is expected to be launched in the last quarter of 2017. Since its inception, the CGSs have been well received by the public and contributing to a marked increase in recyclables collected in the districts served by the CGSs.

Throughout the design and construction process, we witnessed ArchSD making careful planning and professional decision in adopting sustainability concepts in the design and construction of the CGS. For example, the project has reused modular containers as the basis of the buildings while modified them to suit the need of different functions of the CGS in a cost-effective manner. Through the use of green wall, bamboo trellis and courtyard garden, ArchSD seeks to embody a sense of community and a touch of oasis within the city for the CGSs. The design also surprises many people who used to have the impression that a recycling operation must be dirty and messy. The CGSs have become green landmarks of the respective districts, visited by more than 320,000 people so far drawing attention of people from across Hong Kong and even places outside Hong Kong. Indeed, the architectural design of the CGSs has been highly acclaimed, with individual projects winning local and international architectural and green building awards.

We have no doubt that the CGSs have become good model and example for other recycling and green facilities to follow and this could not have been achieved without the exemplary contribution and dedication of ArchSD's team. We look forward to the continued collaboration with ArchSD to instill more sustainable elements into the existing and future CGSs projects. We also look upon ArchSD to come up with more and more pristine, sustainable and yet innovative designs that are long-lasting and benefit our future generations.