(13 June 2017, Hong Kong) The Quality Building Award 2018 (QBA 2018) is now officially open for nomination. QBA is a biennially-held award giving public recognition to buildings embodying excellence across a range of categories.
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QBA 2018 features three main changes compared to the previous years with the goals of increasing industry representation, and encouraging further stakeholder engagement. They are:
- A newly-introduced “Non-Residential Building – Government, Institution or Community” category.
- An increase in the number of jurors (from 9 to 14).
- A single combined “Building Outside Hong Kong” category (previously separated into two).
Sr LAI Yuk Fai, Stephen, Chairman of the QBA 2018 Organizing Committee, said: “I am deeply honored to be selected to lead the QBA 2018 award process. Over the years, QBA has become one of the most recognized industry awards thanks to widespread industry participation and engagement. This year’s theme, ‘Driven by Profession, United for Success’, aims to reinforce QBA’s vision: to unite professionals from all backgrounds and disciplines in the pursuit of true building excellence.”
Regarding the changes from previous years, Sr LAI added: “As the industry continues to evolve, so does the need for more perspectives to be represented. As such, the QBA 2018 Organizing Committee has decided to further expand the number of jurors from 9 to 14. Furthermore, the Non-Residential Building category has been separated into commercial and non-commercial. We believe these changes will continue QBA’s tradition of rewarding excellence, while also paving the way for greater industry involvement and representation in the years to come.”
Categories and Eligibility
The six award categories for QBA 2018 are as follows:
| CATEGORIES | NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS* |
| 1) Hong Kong Residential
(Single Building) |
– Nominated new building must be a single independent structure not part of a complex containing other buildings.
– Major Function of the nominated building must be for residential use. |
| 2) Hong Kong Residential
(Multiple Buildings) |
– Nominated new buildings must be a group of buildings of similar kinds, which form a residential complex.
– Major Function of the nominated multiple buildings must be for residential use. |
| 3) Hong Kong Non-Residential
(New Building – Government, Institution or Community) |
– Major Function of the nominated new building must be for Government, Institution or Community use.
– Nominated new building may be single or multiple buildings. |
| 4) Hong Kong Non-Residential (New Building – Non- Government, Institution or Community) | – Major Function of the nominated new building must be for non-residential use or non-GIC use.
– Nominated new building may be single or multiple buildings. |
| 5) Hong Kong Building (Renovation / Revitalization) | – Nominated existing building must have undergone and completed a renovation, restoration, revitalization or similar process to its physical structure and/or communal facilities.
– Nominated existing building may be a residential or non-residential building. |
| 6) Building Outside Hong Kong | – Nominated building must be outside the territorial limits of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
– Major Function of the nominated new building must be for residential or non-residential use. |
- Eligible buildings should possess either Occupation Permits (OP or Phased OP), Acknowledgment letters on Form BA14 or Confirmation letter of Substantial Completion between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2017 as stated in the submission requirements.
Award Tiers
Multiple awards are provided every year. They are ranked as follows:
| AWARD TYPE | DESCRIPTION |
| Quality Excellence Award | Only one Quality Excellence Award will be presented to a project within the territorial limits of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with outstanding OVERALL quality that is judged to be the BEST among all the Grand Award Winners. |
| Grand Awards* | There will be recognition of Grand Award Winner(s) for each nomination category. This is the highest recognition to projects at the category level. |
| Merits* | There will be recognition of merit(s) for each nomination category. |
| Finalists* | There will be recognition of finalist(s) for each nomination that has passed the first screening, site visits and that has been presented at the Finalist Presentation to Jury Panel cum Conference. |
* QBA 2018 Organizing Committee reserves the right not to bestow an award if the Jury Panel deems that no nomination is worth receiving that particular award. The decision of the Jury Panel shall be final.
Advisors and Jury Panel
QBA 2018 is supported by the following industry leaders as Honorary Advisors and Jurors. Jurors are selected from various backgrounds to provide a balanced perspective:
| Honorary Advisors | Ir Dr Lo Wai Kwok, SBS, MH, JP | Legislative Council Member, Engineering |
| The Hon Abraham Shek Lai Him, GBS, SBS, JP | Legislative Council Member, Real Estate and Construction | |
| Jury Panel Chairman | Dr CHEUNG Tin Cheung, JP | Director, Buildings Department, Hong Kong SAR Government |
| Jury Panel Vice-Chairman | Sr LAI Yuk Fai, Stephen | Chairman of QBA 2018 Organizing Committee |
| Jury Panel | Dr CHAN Chi Kau, Johnnie, BBS, JP | President, The Hong Kong Institute of Housing |
| Ir CHAN Kwok Cheung, Thomas | Senior Vice President, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers | |
| Mr Marvin CHEN | President, The Hong Kong Institute of Architects | |
| Prof Nelson CHEN | Director, School of Architecture, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | |
| Mr Philip FUNG | Vice President, The Hong Kong Chapter of International Facility Management Association | |
| Ir CS HO | Deputy Chairman, Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency | |
| Sr Thomas HO | President, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors | |
| Mr Eddie LAM | First Vice President, The Hong Kong Construction Association | |
| Mr LAM Sair Ling | Adjunct Associate Professor, Division of Architectural Conservation Programmes, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong | |
| Mrs Sylvia LAM, JP | Deputy Director, Architectural Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government | |
| Mr SIT Wing Hang, Alfred, JP | Deputy Director, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government | |
| Cr TANG Chi Wang | President, Hong Kong Institute of Construction Managers |
For more information about QBA and QBA 2018, including the nomination procedures and past winners, please visit the official website at www.QBA.com.hk and follow our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/QBAHK/.