Building an Inclusive Living Space and a Sustainable City with Heart and Craft

May and June is the time of year when Mother's Day and Father's Day are celebrated. Many people will arrange activities or prepare gifts to express their gratitude for the nurturing of their parents. While parents are delighted to have children celebrate with them, they would all agree that as long as their children show genuine care for them, every day can be Mother's Day or Father's Day. My recent visit to a construction project gave me a deeper understanding of the importance of empathy and how it can help improve our work.

June marks the start of the summer season in Hong Kong, with temperatures rising day by day. We appreciate all frontline workers who continue to perform their duties in high temperatures, and call for greater understanding and empathy for their working conditions.  The recent "Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work" issued by the Labour Department serves as a timely reminder to management to always put the safety and health of our workers first by providing appropriate rest facilities, drinking water and necessary adjustments to work schedules. We believe that a safe, decent and friendly working environment not only protects workers, but ultimately improves productivity, creating a win-win situation!

HKHS “Senior Citizen Residences Scheme” Showcases the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion

Recently, I visited the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS)’s third “Senior Citizen Residences Scheme” project –  the “Blissful Place” located at Lee Kung Street of Hung Hom, along with Mr. LIU Lifeng, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Urban Development from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Mr. Kevin MCGEOUGH, Head of Strategy and Place-making from the Ebbsfleet New Town Programme of United Kingdom.

The designers approached the project with the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the elderly in mind to create a living space suitable for them. Blissful Place incorporates thoughtful senior-friendly and safety designs throughout, such as the low door curb, toilets with sliding doors, and non-slip floor tiles to facilitate their accessibility. Each residential floor also carries a thematic colour design for easy identification. Another key feature of the project is the sky garden and Golden Bliss Clubhouse offering a wide variety of activities such as gardening, table tennis, fitness and Mahjong for residents to expand their social circle, stay active and enjoy life.

I am also impressed by how the project integrates innovative technologies to support the physical and mental well-being of the elderly, including the introduction of the brand new  “Integrated Care Link System” that provides 24/7 emergency support at home. With their portable devices with positioning function, residents can receive timely emergency support within the whole property even when they are outside of their own apartment, in order to ensure their safety.

The success of this project lies not only on the hardware, but also in the "heart-ware". In the context of this project, "heart-ware" could be interpreted as volunteer services and innovative ideas. As a "housing laboratory", HKHS has spared no effort in bringing positive changes to the industry with its housing types, architectural design and management system. Housing for the elderly serves as an excellent example of how diverse and inclusive values can be embodied in a living space to enhance social inclusivity and cohesion.

The first chapter of the Confusion Classic, Xiaojing ("The Classic of Xiao"), states that "the body, hair and skin are all inherited from the parents, so one should not harm them - this is the foundation of Xiao". Protecting oneself from harm is the starting point of Xiao. Adhering to safety rules and taking care of one's own well-being are more valuable than any gifts on Father's and Mother's Day. The CIC always places the utmost importance on safety measures on construction sites and strives to strengthen the safety culture to protect our workers. Our goal is "zero accidents on construction sites". We are committed to preventing any accidents or incidents on construction sites through concerted efforts and collaboration with our industry.

Trade Testing Centre Advocates for "Inspection for Protection and Smooth Handover" to Enhance Site Safety Standards

The Hong Kong Construction Industry Trade Testing Centre (HKCITTC) has taken the initiative to introduce several new measures, hoping to lead the industry to adopt a higher standard of safety to ensure that every construction process and detail is of the highest quality. The HKCITTC recommends that risk assessments and evaluations of potential hazards should be carried out before construction work begins, covering areas such as the site environment, equipment and tools, materials and safety equipment. Once potential hazards have been identified, targeted measures should be taken to eliminate or reduce the risks. Construction work should not commence until potential hazards have been addressed and risk reduction measures have been implemented.

The HKCITTC also advocates the idea of “Inspection for Protection and Smooth Handover” to enhance construction site safety standards. It suggests that workers should inspect the environment and condition of the site from the “upstream” working party, and then arrange proper protection in response to the onsite situation and working conditions. It also reminds workers to prepare themselves adequately for the tasks they are about to carry out, in order to meet the requirements of “Inspection for Protection and Smooth Handover”.

During construction, designated works should be executed in accordance with the construction specifications, drawings, and other requirements. After completion, workers should clean and tidy up the site, equipment, tools, and other materials. They should also inspect the quality of the workpieces and consider their impact on the “downstream” working party. Lastly, workers are also reminded to carry out final adjustments to the work before handing it over to the clients.

After a day of hard work, every industry practitioner would like to return home safely and enjoy family time. Spreading the culture and habits of "Inspection for Protection and Smooth Handover", adopting industry standards and codes of conduct, and incorporating the safety standards assessed by the HKCITTC into the real construction environment requires the cooperation of the industry and the CIC. Our industry practitioners are all parents or children themselves, and by being considerate and empathetic, we can collectively safeguard the safety of our practitioners holding different positions. I sincerely hope we can do this.

Parents' love for their children is unconditional and always wanting to provide the best for the next generation. In the same sense, the love for our living planet resonates with the concept of sustainable development: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, and guarantees their access to a clean and green environment. When it comes to the future development of the construction industry, we should shoulder the responsibility for the transformation to a greener industrial practice.

“Smart Waste Management Tool (SWMT) “ Pilot Program Ready to Launch This Year

With the high level of construction activity in Hong Kong, we are committed to reducing construction waste as much as possible in our industrial practice. The CIC conducted a research study last year to evaluate the current construction waste disposal procedures and we have made some good progress by introducing the first “Smart Waste Management Tool (SWMT)” in Hong Kong. This tool is a one-stop digital platform that digitalises processes from waste data collection to management, saving time and paper usage in the waste management handling process and enabling a more efficient waste management for construction projects.

With the groundwork laid in 2022, a pilot programme is expected to commence this year. After further review and upgrade, the tool will be officially launched in the market to benefit more industry professionals and hopefully provide our families with a more livable space, and ultimately achieve sustainable development of our city.

CIC Green Product Certification (GPC) to Promote Green Procurement

Starting from consumption and procurement, choosing green products with the lowest environmental impact throughout their life cycle is an important step towards sustainable economic development. At various stages of a building’s life cycle, the construction materials and products can have different environmental impacts that we should be aware of.

To encourage the industry to select green building materials wisely, the CIC has developed the “CIC Green Product Certification” (GPC) programme.  Being the major certification programme in the local construction industry, it provides comprehensive evaluation and certification of different building materials and products based on their environmental impacts throughout the building’s life cycle.

As at December 2022, around 800 products were certified under the 28 product categories of GPC, making a 33% increase in the cumulative number of certified products under GPC compared to 2021, reflecting the growing demand and support from the industry for this kind of service and products. Subsequently, a research project will be conducted this year to review the new and existing product categories and assessment criteria.

I hope that GPC will gradually evolve into a common platform for green procurement information, encouraging the construction industry to choose more environmental-friendly materials and products in procurement. I also encourage suppliers to adopt more sustainable measures in their production and manufacturing processes, in order to create a greener construction environment and improve our quality of life and well-being.

Young Construction Shining Stars: Pursue your Dreams with Innovation

Developing talent is important to building a sustainable future for our future generations. The CIC is keen to support the development of the younger generation in the industry, and we are delighted to see many young people excel in recent years, some of whom have achieved remarkable accomplishments in leading innovative developments in the industry. To recognise the efforts and contributions of the new generation, the CIC organises the biennial “Construction Industry Outstanding Young Person Award” to honor their devotion to excellence. In the past two sessions, a total of ten outstanding young professionals were selected, who are now shining in different fields. The upcoming award, themed “Pursuing your Dreams with Innovation”, is now in full swing. With a newly added category of “Innovative Technology, Design, Academics and Others”, we hope to recognise the achievements of the outstanding young practitioners in areas of innovative technology and building information modeling. Look around for the rising stars and send us the nomination before June 30. Let’s help them reach new heights!

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all fathers and mothers a joyful holiday. I also wish that every construction industry practitioner can extend their care for their family to the community at large and embrace the spirit of "Caring for All" by maintaining safety standards, protecting the environment, caring for our community, and working together to build a better future for all.