The same is now true of project managers, with increasing numbers of employers asking for project managers and many pm positions being advertised across all sectors. It seems that everybody wants a project manager. It is a profession whose time has come. 

However, drilling a little deeper into the stated requirements, it appears that a significant proportion of businesses do not really appreciate what project management is or can be. They may not appreciate whether a project manager is “good” or “bad”, or that hiring a professional pm could yield better business results. 

There are companies in Hong Kong that do appreciate the value of a professional pm. Some have an in-house PMO (Project Management Office) and bring in accredited training providers to deliver pm-specific training to get their project managers at least to the APMP standard. Many have an in-house, bespoke and robust pm methodology, refined and tested across years of project delivery. However most of these companies do not have a complementary training and qualifications structure aligned to that methodology and these companies could be doing so much more. Whereas, in the UK, major businesses are now turning to the APM to come in and accredit their in-house methodologies. 

The Association for Project Management (APM) has been at the forefront of the development of project, programme and portfolio management for 40 years. APM’s mission statement is “to develop and promote the professional disciplines of project and programme management for the public benefit” and APM is committed to doing so through its Five Dimensions of Professionalism – Breadth, Depth, Achievement, Commitment and Accountability. These five dimensions provide a framework for the development of a project manager’s career. 

The Hong Kong Branch of the APM has been established for 20 years and provides a visible and accessible face of APM at a local level. The branch’s primary role has been to provide high quality events that are accessible to all levels of our membership whilst serving the wider public good. These events offer opportunities for members to network, make connections and learn about the latest developments in project and programme management as well as helping them meet their Continuous Professional Development (CPD) requirements. 

However, project management is changing. As the profession grows and develops recognition of project management competence will continue to increase in importance for individuals and for employers. Professional project managers will demand more and APM must continue to be the provider of choice for all aspects of professional support. Businesses will need to align training and development needs, career paths and project delivery mechanisms if they are to attract and retain the best. 

The APM HK Branch is committed to continue providing high quality events, and to make available the wider range of services and products that professional project managers and project-based businesses need. These include training and qualifications, high quality publications and thought-leadership on all aspects of project management. 

APM qualifications are an essential part of the APM Five Dimensions of Professionalism and are designed to meet an individual’s changing needs throughout their career. The benefits of choosing the APM qualifications include achievement, recognition, knowledge and support. Qualifications offer routes into APM membership and confirm a project manager’s competence in a world that is increasingly demanding. 

The APM also produces cutting-edge thinking on all aspects of project management. For example, recent work on governance has been adopted by the Office of Government Commerce in the UK as the governance standard for their projects. 

What’s next for the profession of project management in Hong Kong? It will become a career of choice for young professionals, it will move from “nice to have …” into “must have …”, and it will become recognisably indispensable for all businesses that run projects. 

APM is a registered charity with over 19,000 individual and 500 corporate members. Find out how the APM could help your career or business. http://www.apm.org.uk/group/apm-hong-kong-branch  

Mark G Lomas is a project manager working for MTR Corporation. He has delivered numerous major infrastructure projects across Hong Kong over 17 years since moving from the UK. He is Chairman of the Association for Project Management Hong Kong Branch and is the first Hong Kong recipient of the Registered Project Professional designation.

The site is located between the pedestrian Rue De Xiamen and the Praca Do Lotus, a neighbourhood park and tourist attraction on the Avenida da Amizade. A wide range of buildings and activities surround the new development, including the Oceania, the Waldo Hotel, the Golden Dragon Hotel, Macau Polytechnic Institute, the Grand Prix Museum and the Edf. Jardin San On. The busy ferry terminals to Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta are a short walking distance away.

The design responds strongly to the local planning authorities requirements for connectivity with the existing city. As a result, considerable portions of the site area have been dedicated to public use. Softly lit, broad covered footpaths, redolent of Macau’s traditional architecture, surround the project on all four sides. Pedestrians interact with the building on a personal level, comfortably sheltered from the summer heat and the rain. The footpaths act as natural conduits from one part of the city to another. In further support of public connectivity, a plaza, “Piazza LKF”, has been formed at the western end of the site adjacent to Rue De Xiamen and the existing LKF Hotel.

Piazza LKF is dedicated to outdoor cafes and restaurants served from the buildings podium. It forms an urban pivot and oasis, a meeting place for locals and visitors alike. Passersby will stop for a coffee or a snack, to chat, or shop and connect with each other. Locals meeting up for an evening of entertainment will congregate here before embarking to other destinations during day-time or night-time. The piazza will be sensitively designed with artwork, sculpture pieces, water features and sensual lighting to provide comfort and ambience. The pedestrian takes precedence over the motor-car in the modern city environment.

The retail podium massing aligns with adjacent traditional scales of old Macau. The facades are formed by staggered layers of crystal and glass that further reduce the feeling of scale. Names of tenants and restaurants, videos of events and promotions will permeate the facade panels above the covered walkways. The cladding will be of translucent illuminated glass promoting activity from within, especially at night-time. The podium roof is verdantly landscaped with gardens and pools serving the residential tenants club at that level.

The gardens overlook the adjacent Praca Do Lotus and Piazza LKF providing an extended, elevated private garden connecting the cities open spaces. The residential units sit above the retail podium. In a departure from the traditional post-war blocks, the building is organised by a series of interlocking volumes. These respond to the requirements of the area program and deliver a wide range of apartment sizes.

Beautifully landscaped balconies and terraces at various levels are created by the interlocking volumes affording residents with tremendous wide-angled vistas across the city and the harbour. The facades are treated with fading coloured panels of metal and glass in a futuristic collage of materials and textures. Open terraces are formed within the centre of the fenestration connecting the city behind and in front.

The design is a functional, modern response to a new era of city centre lifestyle destinations in Macau and the region.

From its origin in 1913, Clestra has been designing, producing and installing demountable partitions and Acoustic ceilings whilst all the time consulting with their clients.

With plants in Strasbourg and Seoul, 33 agencies and subsidiaries throughout the world, the company provides a tight control on quality from the beginning to the end of the project. Clestra’s production plant in Seoul, Korea provides a quick response to customers throughout the Asia Pacific.

The company states, “We believe that as we have operated in Hong Kong for almost 20 years, we are ideally suited to offer the end-user and main contractors our environmentally friendly systems plus our experience in project management, installation and service work.”

Indeed, when PRC was born early in 2002 Atkins was already very well established in the Middle East, having just completed projects such as the still Iconic Burj Al Arab and Jumeira Beach Hotels.  But four years earlier in 1998 they had also established an architectural studio in China. 

With the economic growth of the country this would grow over the next ten years to six studios and over 1000 architectural and urban design staff throughout China and Hong Kong. More  recently they have extended this growth into South East Asia with new architectural studios soon to open in Vietnam and Singapore.

One noticeable aspect of Atkins projects is that there is not a ‘one idea fits all’ approach or an ‘in-house style’ that is applied everywhere.  This has perhaps contributed to their ability to adapt to the wide range of context to be found across Asia.  Hong Kong Design Director Ian Milne suggests, “I would say that response to context is probably the most important and unique aspect of our work”.

Architectural response to natural context

This does not mean that their designs simply look like the existing buildings around them, although this is one response.  Indeed in their design for the Alila Resort in Lishui, China, Atkins did take this approach to some extent.  The developer, had a clear vision that they wanted to build a resort that would have the characteristics of the picturesque historic villages of the local area. 

In response Atkins sent two architects on a detailed tour of the mountain villages of the area to accurately research and record the features that were typical of the largely vernacular buildings of these villages. 

However, after this research their design response was not to simply copy what they had seen.  Instead the practice set out to create something new, that combined both the spirit of these ancient villages and the character of their hotel operators highly regarded international brand.

Atkins recent competition win in Chongqing for the Bank of China demonstrates another approach, where the proposed corporate appearance of the tower fits well with the existing and other proposed towers of the city’s new Jiangbei CPD area.  However while both the client and architect wanted to fit into this context, the building will stand out as a result of its details.  The most noticeable of these is the tower’s proposed sky atrium which will give panoramic views out over this emerging part of the city. 

Another entirely different approach employed at Atkins relates more to the physical context.  Normally this is the natural context, as Asia does contain a spectacular range of landscapes from the flatlands of its great river deltas, to its mountains.

The most extreme example so far of this contextual approach in their work was their response to the man- made physical context of their Shimao Intercontinental Hotel in Sonjiang (Featured in PRC issue #56).  Here an almost impossibly complicated quarry site was exploited to permit a seventeen story hotel to be proposed where zoning permitted only low buildings.  In doing so the ugly scar created in the landscape by the quarry will be transformed into a new environment, where man and nature can now coexist in harmony.  Unsurprisingly this innovative hotel project was recently selected at MIPIM Asia as the best new future project in China.

Also close to Shanghai, the recently completed Atkins Crowne Plaza Hotel at Lin Gang New Town sits within a very different context on an island at the centre of a lake.  Here much of the public’s focus has been on its plan shape, which resembles a lotus plant, however the most contextual aspect of its design is actually in its sensitive response the its broad flatland setting.  Here the wide 15 metre high building skims just over the water with minimal interruption to its beautiful natural setting.

Responding to a cultural context

A further response to context is perhaps a more symbolic one that relates in a more abstract way to a location’s culture.  The unique cultures of SE Asia, China and India hold an abundance of inspiration and areone of the reasons why so many foreign architects choose to live in these regions.  A good example is Atkins Namaste W Hotel in Mumbai, where on many levels the form of this iconic tower relates to Indian culture. 

Its form resembles the shape people place their hands in when performing the traditional Indian Namaste gesture of greeting, whilst its screen-printed glass also reflects the Henna patterns Indians sometimes use to decorate their hands.  For this reason its designers hope that it will become a new icon for Mumbai in the way that the Burj al Arab now is for Dubai.

Indeed many of these more abstract ideas originate in Atkins work in the desserts of the Middle East, a region that perhaps first invented the idea that modern architecture could respond to a context that was more in the hearts of a place’s people, rather than in an existing physical or built form. 

While many sites in China and South East Asia have a more substantial existing context, in the faster growing new neighbourhoods in the region’s cities, the context does not yet exist other than in the vision of its Urban Designers.  It is here that this more abstract approach can again become relevant.  Indeed the same graphic idea is to be found on Atkins Four Point Hotel in Beijing, but here it is a Chinese pattern associated with weddings that is being referenced.

Perhaps one of their most interesting applications of this way at looking at context is in Atkins’ proposal for a super high-rise tower in Guangzhou for Evergrande.  Here they referred to the form of bamboo.  To the foreign eye this produces an attractive a simple modern effect with an intangible flavour of China.  But to the Chinese viewer it brings far greater meaning related to growth and prosperity.

The context of climate

The practice’s contextual response often originates from a consideration of climate. Atkins are currently working on projects that range climatically from Urumchi, where in winter temperatures often fall as low as -30’C, to Jakarta whose tropical climate is hot and humid for much of the year.  In responding to this challenge, contextual references are often inevitable.

TheTB Simatung project in Jakarta is an example of how a response to climate can give a project a visual character that at a subconscious level relates the design closely to its architectural and cultural context.  Here reasonably straightforward modern commercial buildings are shielded by a screen that bulges out and increases in density in response to various solar exposures and orientations.  This was carefully modelled using state-of-the-art computer software, some of which was developed in-house, to make sure that the shading was fully optimized.  This climatically driven response brings with it a clear dialogue with the historical buildings of Jakarta and its neighbouring areas which have also had to respond to the extremes of climate.  So while it does not actually look alike, there is a very close link between this modern design and the country’s indigenous, vernacular buildings or the later architecture of the country’s colonial period. 

A different response to climate is to be found at Atkins Bahrain World Trade Centre (WTC) where the unusual wind patterns to be found along the Persian Gulf are exploited.  Very consistent prevailing winds that blow off the sea result from hot air rising over the desert inland from the city and drawing cooler air from the sea. 

This is a characteristic that has been exploited for thousands of years in local vernacular architecture.  Indeed in the region many new developments include copies of these historic wind towers, although few of these actually perform the function of cooling any longer. 

So while the solutions employed traditionally are not relevant to a high rise office tower, the WTC’s three large wind turbines are a modern response to the same climatic context that has always influenced the architecture of the region.  In many ways this is more of a relevant response to context that the superficial copies of ancient wind towers mentioned above.

Whilst discussing Atkins’ response to each individual project, Milne states, “Whichever of these responses to context that we adopt, our approach means that many of our finished buildings look like they could only have been built in that one specific location and only for that one specific client”.

Exceptions to the rule

There are occasions however where there is either no context or the building itself needs to be the driver of the surrounding area.  A prime example of this is the Burj Al Arab. 

Here the client’s aspiration was not only to create a building that would influence the buildings in the neighbourhood around it, but also to create an icon that would be part of a new image for the city state as a whole. 

At the time Head of Architecture Tom Wright summed up Atkins’ approach, “It didn’t take too long to realize that Dubai wanted to be seen as a fast developing, forward looking and first-world culture.” 

“This being the case, we decided to look to the aspirations of the people for our ideas, rather than basing them on the existing historical or cultural context.  It seemed reasonable to take the theme of this tourist destination and design the tower in the form of a giant sail – not a historic dhow sail, but a modern, high tech sail.” 

The project went onto become the icon for the city and has remained so for the last ten years, even as bigger projects have been developed around it.  Perhaps in this case the true context existed only in the imaginations of the client and the city’s leaders.  It was for the architect to find an expression of these broader dreams in steel and glass.

Combining the highest quality materials with a new seating system designed by Foster + Partners, the lounge is intended to transform the experience for passengers using Hong Kong’s flagship carrier. The design supports Cathay Pacific’s concept for a high-quality lounge that can accommodate both First and Business Class passengers, while maximising the available space for relaxation and the airline’s range of hospitality facilities.

The reopened lounge not only demonstrates Cathay Pacific’s understanding of the modern business traveller but also demonstrates the airline’s commitment in providing facilities and service of a standard barely matched by the global aviation industry. 

In keeping with Foster + Partners’ original design intent for the airport, all spaces benefit from daylight and airside views from HKIA’s distinctive floor to ceiling windows.

The materials palette combines extensive use of dark stones walls house white marble counters and tables and extensive earth-tone furnishings sitting on reflective black marble for flooring, tied together with silver-grey carpets and leather upholstery, all under the airport’s distinctive white vaulted ceilings. The result is a clean and comfortable, elegant and effortlessly modern new lounge for the airline.

Air travel is glamorous once more! 

Among the many changes and upgrades is the signature Noodle Bar, which has not only doubled in seating capacity, but also moved beyond its original enclosed area to a larger open-ceiling space with ample sunlight and natural live bamboo decorations. Also new to The Wing is the introduction of The Coffee Loft, a relaxing space where passengers can enjoy a cup of specialty coffee and freshly baked pastries. Self-service buffet counters featuring a wide variety of international dishes available on both levels of the lounge throughout the day.

The Level 6 lounge, reopened in April last year, also houses all 24 of The Wing’s Business Class shower suites where passengers can freshen-up before departures. 

Foster + Partners has designed the interiors, as well as most of the furniture, including 35 unique Cathay Solus Chairs, manufactured in Italy by Poltrona Frau. Their hourglass form rises from a circular base to create a private space for individual travellers. The chair’s soft leather upholstery is enclosed by a solid, lacquered shell. Designed to function as part of a cloud-like cluster of chairs, as well as providing a secluded space to eat, work or relax, its distinctive curved form was the result of studies into the different ways guests adapted the existing lounge furniture. This chair ably represents the modern requirements of function and form. 

Philippe de Gentile-Williams, Cathay Pacific Director Service Delivery said, “The refurbishment of The Wing highlights our commitment to offering the highest level of products and services to our valued customers. We will continue to make significant investments to ensure we deliver the very best to our passengers both on the ground and in the air.” 

The Wing, the airline’s flagship lounge at HKIA, is currently going through a complete refurbishment in order to maintain its position as one of the world’s best airline lounges and to help satisfy the growing demand for lounge usage in Hong Kong.

The final phase of renovations for The Wing will be for the First Class Lounge, which will begin shortly and are due for completion in full by the fourth quarter of 2012. The Business Class Lounge is open from 5:30am until the last departure.

In the bantamweight championship co-main event, which was also a rematch, Jumabieke Tuerxun (China) defeated Yao Honggang (China) by a closely contested split judges’ decision after three rounds of non-stop action. 

In another memorable main card match, Legend middleweight newcomer Hideto Tatsumi’s (Japan) powerful striking and Judo proficiency were no match for Korean Yang Hae Jun’s counter-striking and wrestling, with Yang landing a knockout in 3:35 of the first round.

The powerful strike earned Yang the Legend award for “Knockout of the Night.” 

The main card fight between Bae and Li also earned “Fight of the Night” honors. Koji Ando of Japan earned the “Submission of the Night” award. 

In the undercard’s Century Cup bout, Ji Xian of China escaped several near submissions to defeat Leonard Delarmino of the Philippines with a rear naked choke just before the first round came to a close. 

“Tonight we saw the best MMA fighters in Asia-Pacific competing at the top of their game,” said Legend co-founder Mr. Chris Pollak. “Legend 7 was a great first event for 2012, and we have much more in store for the rest of the year.” 

Legend 8 will be held March 30 in Jakarta.

Legend 7 Results 

Main Event 

Welterweight Championship:

Bae Myung Ho (Korea) defeated Li Jingliang (China)] by judges’ decision (unanimous) after three rounds 

Bantamweight Championship:

Jumabieke Tuerxun (China) defeated Yao Honggang (China) by judges’ decision (split) after three rounds 

Other main card bouts:

Li Wenbo (China) defeated Matt Cain (Australia) by submission at 4:37 in round 1

Yang Hae Jun (Korea)] defeated Hideto Tatsumi (Japan) by knockout at 3:35 in round 1

Wang Sai (China) defeated Gareth Ealey (Australia) by doctor stoppage at 5:00 in round 2 

UNDERCARD 

Century Cup:

Ji Xian (China) defeated Leonard Delarmino (Philippines) by submission at 4:42 in round 1 

Other undercard bouts:

Michael Mortimer (Australia) defeated Taiyo Nakahara (Japan) by disqualification (illegal strikes) at 4:24 in round 1 

Koji Ando (Japan) defeated Damien Brown (Australia) by submission 2:27 in round 1 

Mark Striegl (Philippines) defeated Ev Ting (New Zealand)] by submission at 3:51 in round 1 

Agustin Delarmino, Jr. (Philippines) defeated Sung Ming-Yen (Chinese Taipei) by technical knockout judges’ decision 0:44 in round 1

Taking place on Tuesday, 6 March, RE-Invest will bring together some 40 investors from pension funds, sovereign wealth funds and insurance companies that include GIC (Singapore), Teacher Retirement System of Texas (United States), MN Services (the Netherlands), First Swedish National Pension Fund (AP1) (Sweden) and Dutch Railway Pension Fund (SPF) (the Netherlands) to discuss the key issues facing the real estate financial community today.

The central theme of RE-Invest will be ‘What is the future of fund management and is there a need for a new model?’ Round table discussions will debate specific issues identified in advance by IP Real Estate, a magazine targeting those responsible for running pension funds in Europe and a partner of RE-Invest. In addition, KPMG, which is also a RE-Invest partner, will seed discussions at the summit based on feedback from pre-MIPIM surveys of its clients.

“For the first time at MIPIM, a wide-ranging event will enable international institutional investors to meet and discuss issues which are specific to them,” says Filippo Rean, Director of MIPIM.

More than 4,200 investors are expected this year at MIPIM. In parallel with the RE-Invest summit, MIPIM will be dedicating a large part of its conference programme to investment, putting the emphasis on a segment-based analysis of property.

“There is not one property market, there are several property markets, both by geographic area and business sector. In an increasingly complex economic situation, it is crucial to offer investors and all those in real estate, a more targeted approach to the trends and issues specific to these markets,” adds Filippo Rean.

Among the 60 conferences scheduled, sessions will look at investment-related issues from various angles. All the main countries will see their distinctive features analysed including:

• Several conferences on Asia, which will be scrutinised in detail to determine the best investment opportunities.
• A session, jointly organised by IPD, will analyse the features of the British market, a two-speed market between London and the rest of the country.
• A conference on risks resulting from the situation in the euro zone with Standard and Poor’s Chief Economist for Europe.
• A session on Spain, where legislation has changed with the new government. 

Among themed conferences, sessions will be dedicated to:

• Medical property, a buoyant sector in Europe, but not risk-free.
• Sport, engine for urban development.
• Residential property, or how to build affordable and durable housing also profitable for investors.
• Logistics property, trends and developments in this integral component of commercial property.
• The impact of the European AIFM (Alternative Investment Fund Managers) Directive which will govern alternative investment funds. A session jointly organised with Juridim, the Circle of Managers and Heads of Legal departments in Real estate. 

To find out more about the conference programme, log onto www.mipim.com

In total there are 473 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, duplex and penthouses. A typical studio suite starts from 39 m2 while the two-bedroom apartments range from 71 m2 to 97 m2 spaces.

Baltimore Wharf was London’s fastest selling waterside development in 2011 and there is expected to be further sales interest as the team visits Hong Kong and Singapore this month.

Seb Warner, Regional Director of International Project Marketing, Asia Pacific at Knight Frank is confident that Hong Kong investors will be excited about this project, stating, “When the gymnasium opens shortly I would expect the development to become even more popular and the rents to rise by 5%.

The central London residential market is the world’s most internationally desired market. With over 60% of properties sold to overseas buyers.”

The Tower, from developer St George PLC, will be a shimmering column rising from the river that is intended to become the pinnacle in sophisticated city living.  Located next to the River Thames, at 50-storeys and crowned by a stunning triplex penthouse, it will boast some of the most spectacular views across London’s famous skyline.

The Tower will feature 223 one, two and three bedroom apartments, through to two exclusive duplex penthouses and one unique triplex penthouse.

As well as being one of the most exclusive residencies in London, The Tower will be one of the most environmentally sustainable buildings of its type and will feature a series of green initiatives such as a wind-turbine on its roof and the use of the water from the London Aquifer to provide heat and cooling.

Four Seasons Place has officially announced the launch of the “Four Seasons Place” app, which will give guests access to essential lifestyle information during their visit in the city.

Ms. Belinda Kuan, Four Seasons Place Senior Leasing Director said, “Four Seasons Place will keep itself abreast of lifestyle trends with Apple iPhone and iPad to launch the practical Four Seasons Place App software to provide comprehensive lifestyle information. The app can be downloaded free-of-charge when searching for Four Seasons Place through the online App Store directly from iPhone or iPad devices.”

In addition to the Four Seasons Place reservation enquiry service, floor plans and photos of various types will be available for viewing.

The app will also provide information on the historical background of Hong Kong, Chinese culture, traffic network, local Governmental departments, health care, leisure, banking, scenery and shopping. To learn more, please visit the iPhone App Store and search for “Four Seasons Place” to download the app for free.