Hong Kong, March 22, 2023 – With Hong Kong facing a chronic housing crisis, the government has been actively promoting Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) as a solution to the problem by improving construction efficiency and alleviating manpower shortage. To expedite the housing supply, the government took a step further in incentivizing and encouraging the adoption of MiC last year by relaxing floor area and building height restrictions for MiC projects.

In light of this, Chun Wo Construction Holdings Company Limited ("Chun Wo") participated as a supporting organization in a seminar titled "Opportunities and Challenges in a New Era of Modular Integrated Construction." The seminar was hosted by the Hong Kong Property Technology Association (HKPTA) and co-supported by REVIVE TECH ASIA (REVIVE). It attracted over a hundred business leaders, industry professionals, government officials, and scholars to participate in the discussion, all of whom brought lively discussion and unique perspectives on the topic.

The seminar was held both in-person at The Community Lab and online, featuring a range of expert speakers from the industry, including Ms. Winnie Ho, JP, HKSAR Secretary for Housing, Ir Dr. Pang Yat Bond, Derrick, JP, Honorary Advisor of HKPTA, Sr. Lee Ka Lun, Stephen, Chairman of Chun Wo, and Mr. Billy Wong, BBS, JP, General Manager (GM) of Construction of Henderson Land Development. They discussed at length the development and future opportunities of MiC from multidimensional views, including industry ecology, government policies, private markets, talent acquisition, and technology, providing valuable insights for stakeholders from various sectors.

Winnie Ho, Secretary for Housing of the HKSAR, stated, “Over the past five years, the industry has shown a tremendous amount of interest and enthusiasm towards property technology (PropTech). We believe that upcoming MiC projects, such as Transitional Housing and Light Public Housing, can effectively solve deep-rooted housing problems. Additionally, we will continue to promote MiC by exploring incentive policies that encourage private developers to adopt MiC. I truly believe that Hong Kong can keep up with mainland China's development in property and construction technology and proudly showcase the limitless possibilities of Hong Kong's construction industry to the world in the near future.”

"MiC has great potential in the Hong Kong market," said Stephen Lee, Chairman of Chun Wo. "According to a market survey conducted by a third-party organization, over 85% of surveyed private property owners believe that MiC is more effective in solving the housing supply shortage than traditional construction methods. They also support wider use of MiC in housing construction, with over 75% of respondents stating that they would consider purchasing residential projects built with MiC in the future.” He also mentioned that Chun Wo has developed a patented "wall connection technology" for concrete-based MiC, which enlarges the area of a unit. This innovation helps to solve the problem of overlapping walls at integrated modules and is capable of constructing buildings up to 40 stories high.

Billy Wong, GM of Construction of Henderson Land Development, said, “Private residential projects require a larger investment notwithstanding the active consideration of whether there are projects that are suitable for adopting MiC. In order to meet market demand while ensuring diverse unit designs, we are still researching alternative solutions.” He hopes that the government can continue to take the lead in promoting MiC technology. Through various promotional methods, he believes the public's awareness and acceptance of MiC can be raised."

Ir Dr. Derrick Pang, Honorary Advisor of HKPTA, said: “One development that I would like to see is making use of the steady demand of MiC and standardized designs from public housing, the HKSAR government can facilitate long-term investment in private sector in developing robotics for MiC manufacturing.”

In addition to the keynote speakers, the seminar invited Mr. Roy Lam, CEO of Mattex Asia, to share and demonstrate the "Dynamic Procurement Management SaaS Platform" used for MiC projects. He believes that this platform has the potential to create a faster, more environmentally friendly, and transparent procurement ecosystem, which will help accelerate digital transformation in the construction industry.

Mr. Spencer Liu, Associate Partner from McKinsey & Company, discussed how the property sector can drive sustainable development through technology using the ESG concept. He highlighted that the built environment accounts for over 60% of global carbon emissions, and the industry should leverage building, and suggested that the industry should leverage building and property technology, such as adopting construction methods with lower carbon emissions, to contribute to sustainable development.

Photo 1: Ms. Winnie Ho, JP, HKSAR Secretary for Housing (fourth left), Ir Dr. Pang Yat Bond, Derrick, JP, Honorary Advisor of HKPTA (sixth left), Sr. Lee Ka Lun, Stephen, Chairman of Chun Wo (second left), Mr. Billy Wong, BBS, JP, GM of Construction of Henderson Land Development (third left), and other guests.

Photo 2: Ms. Winnie Ho, JP, stated that the government is determined to promote MiC projects from all angles in order to address deep-seated housing issues.

Photo 3: The keynote speakers discussed at length the industry ecology, government policies, private markets, talent acquisition, technology, etc.

Photo 4: The seminar attracted over a hundred business leaders, industry professionals, government officials, and scholars to participate

Chun Wo Construction Holdings Company Limited
Founded in 1968, Chun Wo Construction Holdings Company Limited (“Chun Wo”) is the core member of Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings Limited. Chun Wo is principally engaged in the core construction and property development businesses with the professional capability to undertake large-scale integrated construction projects. Recent large-scale infrastructure projects in Hong Kong have been or are involved, the Central-Wanchai Bypass, the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary infrastructure facilities, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Passenger Clearance Building, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Hong Kong section) and MTR Shatin to Central Link, etc.

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