Examples of individual research areas include construction economics, land economics, law related to property and construction, international real estate and construction investment flows, project management, China's land reforms, project documentation, knowledge based systems in construction, performance of building materials and maintenance management, facilities management systems, safety, productivity and labour provision in construction. Collaborative research between members of staff in the department, other departments of the University and other Universities have been particularly fruitful.
Staff also engage in consultancy work which demands their specialist skills.
It is the department's policy not to undertake work which would be readily undertaken by professional colleagues but only work which is particularly appropriate to a University department. This usually arises as a result of the unique skills required or due to the high level of independence and impartiality which University staff can provide. Examples of consultancy undertaken include the assessment of the professional application of a complex computing system, the impact of property and construction on Hong Kong's economy, Japanese real estate investment flows and expert witness commissions.