With a number infrastructure projects underway and the target of building 460,000 new residential units by the government over the upcoming ten years, the demand for construction workforce is significant. In order to face various challenges head on, reduce construction costs and boost the industry productivity, the Construction Industry Council has entered into discussions with the Development Bureau, Innovation and Technology Bureau and stakeholders of various sectors to set up the Construction Innovation and Technology Application Centre (CITAC).
It is aimed to encourage industry practitioners to integrate and focus resources on the development of innovation and technologies which could be adopted by the construction industry in Hong Kong with a view to raising the productivity and safety standards, as well as promoting the sustainability of the industry.
“With the vision of introducing the advanced construction technology from around the world into Hong Kong, CITAC is established to showcase the world-class construction innovation and technology for the local industry practitioners. Through the support from the government and the collaboration among the industry, I believe a higher degree of industrialisation can be achieved,” said Mr. Thomas HO, Chairperson of the Construction Innovation and Technology Application Centre.
Located just next to the Construction Industry Council Kowloon Bay Training Centre, the 10,000 square feet CITAC will open at the end of November. There are a total of five exhibition areas featuring five important elements (The Five “I”s) which will lead the construction industry into a new age: Industrialisation, Informatisation, Intelligentisation, Integration and Infinity. “GIZMO Corner” is also set up to display the invention by the local industry.
Mr. HO added that the local construction industry definitely has its edge over other countries while some areas have fallen behind. Despite that it may take 5 to 10 years for the industry to fully embrace The Five “I”s, he remains optimistic about the industry prospect which is just a matter of pacing. He believes that innovative engineering solutions will create a safer and more comfortable working environment, attracting more young people to join the industry.
The newly released Policy Address indicates that local research & development expenditure on innovation and technology as a percentage of the GDP will be increased to approximately HK$45 billion a year (i.e. from 0.73% to 1.5 %) in the next 5 years. Mr. HO expects that the construction industry could utilise their resources more effectively in order to provide more subsidies to SMEs in the construction industry. With lower construction cost and higher productivity, we can bring forward the revolution and co-create “Construction Industry 4.0”.