CE opens Construction Innovation Expo 2019
18.12.2019

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, officiated at the grand opening ceremony of the Construction Innovation Expo 2019 (CIExpo) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (December 18). The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr Yi Jun, also officiated at the ceremony. Jointly organised by the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council (CIC), and supported by the Centre of Science and Technology Industrial Development of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, this year's CIExpo features four key themes, namely, Offsite Construction, Robotics and Automation, Digital Solutions, as well as Advanced Technologies and Materials, attracting over 10,000 visitors from more than 220 local and overseas organisations from 15 countries and regions. Addressing the grand opening ceremony, Mrs Lam said Hong Kong is an ideal place for holding the CIExpo given its formidable strengths in infrastructure development, highlighting that Hong Kong's infrastructure development was ranked third earlier this year by the World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report. "Our Government's annual capital works expenditure will hit about US$13 billion in the next few years. Total construction output, covering both the public and private sectors, will triple that, contributing about 10 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product," she said. To alleviate challenges faced by the construction industry, Mrs Lam said the Government's Construction Innovation and Technology Fund, worth some US$130 million, aims to help engineering and related companies, particularly small and medium enterprises, kick-start their investment in hardware, software and the essential training that demands. Over 500 applications have been approved, covering a wide range of initiatives. "Construction 2.0", a government-industry collaboration focusing on innovation, professionalisation and revitalisation, has also been launched to help industry cope with the huge demand for housing, land, healthcare services and community infrastructure. She also said that the Government is actively adopting modular integrated construction (MiC) in government building projects, while building information modelling (BIM) technology is also being employed in major capital-works initiatives to boost project management. "The adoption of technology has created opportunities for cross-boundary collaboration, notably within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Innovation and technology (I&T) is one of the key areas for the Greater Bay Area development. We see the potential of Hong Kong in playing a key role in this aspect, hence we have been investing heavily in I&T and related industries," Mrs Lam said, adding that some US$13 billion has been applied to I&T initiatives and programmes over the past two and a half years, including infrastructure investment in a new Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop. During the three-day CIExpo, about 40 experts, academics, government officials and entrepreneurs from local and overseas engineering backgrounds will speak at various conferences on BIM, MiC, design for manufacture and assembly, robotics and automation, as well as the Building Asia Forum. Technical tours have also been arranged to local innovative buildings, including the MiC Display Centre, the CIC Zero Carbon Park, the CIC BIM Space, the Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Tank, the Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel Project, revitalisation projects at Shanghai Street and Lee Tung Street as well as the sludge treatment facility T·Park. Ends/Wednesday, December 18, 2019 Issued at HKT 16:10 NNNN