The Faculty of Construction and Environment takes great pride in the recent election of Prof. Chow Wan-ki, Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering, to the Fellowship of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HKAES), an organization dedicated to the advancement of the science, art, and practice of engineering for the benefit of society. Since its establishment in 1994, its membership has included such distinguished personalities as Prof. Sir Charles Kao, the winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics, the Hon. Sir S.Y. Chung, a visionary who led the founding of the HKAES, Prof. Ko Jan-ming, and Prof. Timothy Tong, President of PolyU. Fellows are elected annually by their peers for their exceptional achievements and are expected to provide expert advice to the government, industry, and the community when needed. Inasmuch as one can be known by the company that one keeps, Prof. Chow is certainly in excellent standing. Congratulations to Prof. Chow for this high honor.

The latest crop of University Fellows was honoured in a conferment ceremony at the Jockey Club Auditorium on 30 January 2013. It included Ir Tsui Tack-kong, a recipient of the 2011 Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award, and Mr Kong Qingping, Chairman of China Overseas Land and Investment Limited. Both have made significant contributions to the University and the community. The former is a Founding Member and Member of the Board of Directors of the PolyU Development Foundation, playing an active role in various PolyU fund-raising events. The latter has a wealth of experience in the field of construction engineering and real estate development. As an Adjunct Professor to PolyU's Department of Building and Real Estate, Mr Kong was invited to give a public lecture at PolyU entitled "Real Estate Market in China, Present and Future." Congratulations to both of them.

On the afternoon of 29 January 2013, four students from each of the departments of the Faculty were honored as outstanding students in an award ceremony at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre. Ranked top of their respective classes, they were Chen Mengpei of the Department of Building and Real Estate, Chan Sze Hang of the Department of Building Services Engineering, Xia Tian of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Lai Sze Wing of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics. Following are their profiles:

A final year student in the BSc (Hons) programme in Building Engineering and Management, Chen Mengpei has made the most of her university experience by participating actively in extra-curricular activities. From debating in the World Universities Championships to working as a summer intern at Swire & Sons (HK) Ltd. to serving as a student representative at international conferences, she has developed leadership qualities that made her stand out from her peers. She has also maintained an impressive academic record, which led to an opportunity to study as an exchange student at Loughborough University in the U.K. for one semester in 2012. Her hard work and determination to succeed won her a scholarship from the International Student Ambassador Scheme for 2012/13. She was also chosen as the outstanding student of the Faculty of Construction and Environment in 2012.

Aspiring to be a building services engineer, Chan Sze Hang began her studies in a higher diploma programme before continuing in one leading to a degree. She believes it is important to focus on the present and never give up your dreams for a better future. With her positive attitude and enthusiasm, she has inspired others to follow in her footsteps. She would like to help more students after she graduates this year by returning to campus to share her experiences with them.

As idealistic as he is pragmatic, Xia Tian has majored in Environment and Sustainable Development to help people in China live a healthier and more sustainable life. He hopes to do this by improving the air quality in Chinese cities and is aware that he needs further studies to make a difference in dealing with the challenging problem of air pollution. An exchange student at the University of Leeds in the fall of 2011, he has learnt to tolerate and appreciate different cultures. For him, an outstanding student must be noble, have a broad perspective as well as leadership skills.

Last, but not least, Lai Sze Wing believes self-discipline and good time management skills are essential for an outstanding student to maintain a balance between work and life. Her most memorable experience at PolyU has been the week-long survey camp in the summer of her first year, when she learnt to work in a team and developed her leadership skills. It is evident from the experiences of these exemplary students that being successful at university is not just about excelling academically. Congratulations to them all for achieving so much in a few short years, and here’s to a bright future for them.

On the afternoon of 11 January 2013, about 30 visitors from the Hong Kong Institute of Real Estate Administrators were introduced to the Faculty of Construction and Environment and the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development. After opening remarks by the Acting Dean, Prof. Geoffrey Shen, presentations of our research innovations were made by Dr Huang Ting of the Department of Building and Real Estate, Prof. Poon Chi Sun of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prof. Yang Hong-xing, and Dr Linda Xiao, both of the Department of Building Services Engineering. They each talked about research advances in their respective fields in terms of their applications to the construction industry. For example, Dr Xiao showed how the diagnosis, commissioning, and optimization of a building’s life-cycle could enhance its energy efficiency. Prof. Poon talked about the use of eco-blocks in construction to reduce pollution, while Dr Huang discussed the advantages of a proactive construction management system. The visitors also had a chance to tour the laboratories of the Department of Building Services Engineering before leaving the campus of PolyU.

Supervised by Prof. Liyin Shen and Dr Linda Fan, Dr Xiaoling Zhang graduated with her PhD from the Department of Building and Real Estate in 2010. After stints as an instructor at the University of Hong Kong and a postdoctoral fellow at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dr Zhang has recently been appointed an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Public Administration at the City University of Hong Kong. Her research interests are in housing and urban studies, environmental studies, particularly in micro-level management in real estate enterprises, competitiveness for real estate developers/home builders, their behavior/ actions in contributing to social responsibility/sustainable development, sustainable facilities management, public energy policy and renewable & sustainable energy use in the built environment. This has led to the publication of more than 30 refereed papers, mostly in high impact SSCI/SCI academic journals, including several that are in press, with a further 13 currently under review. She was an Outstanding Paper Award Winner at the Literati Network Awards for Excellence in 2011. She has also written three book chapters and 11 refereed conference papers, with 5 invited presentations at international conferences held in China, Korea, Singapore, Macau and Malaysia. We wish her great success in her new position at CityU.

The PolyU Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programmes was successfully held on Saturday 19 January 2013.  This is an annual event at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for prospective applicants to familiarize themselves with the taught postgraduate programmes available at the University.

The event was kick started by Prof. Edwin Chan, Associate Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate, who is also the coordinator of the MSc/PgD in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution.  He introduced the Postgraduate Scheme during the Overview Session on behalf of the Scheme Chairman. 

Following the Overview Session, break-out sessions for our eleven taught postgraduate programmes, including a new MSc/PgD in High Performance Buildings (HPB), were conducted at various venues. The  HPB programme provides an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge of assessment of High Performance Buildings, which impose minimal impacts on global carbon footprints (global impacts) and provide optimized building systems performance for their owners (building impacts), as well as the best indoor environment for the health and well-being for their occupants.
The break-out sessions gave prospective applicants an excellent opportunity to obtain more in-depth information and to chat with award coordinators for a better understanding of programme requirements.   More than 90 people attended the Overview Session and nearly 270 turned out for the break-out sessions, a record high for our Faculty. 

Entry Scholarships are available for outstanding students.  For details, please visit http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/postgrad-scheme.  Applications for the 2013-14 admission can be submitted via www.polyu.edu.hk/study

If you think our academic staff can only be found in their offices and lecture halls, think again. On 14 December 2012, a basketball court in the sports complex on campus was brimming with action. The two teams that were engaged in a basketball game represented the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) respectively. Though they were playing for different sides, the members of the two teams were not strangers to one another. That’s because some of the members of the MTRC team used to be LSGI students. Mr Jason Law, a land surveyor at MTRC, was pleased to be back on his old stomping ground since graduating in 2000. Another alumna was Ms Bessie Liu, an assistant land surveyor who graduated in 2007. Not only did she enjoy organizing and watching the game, she also had a chance to catch up with Prof. Ding, head of the department, on the bleachers. The LSGI team included Dr Charles Wong and Ir Dr Wallace Lai, both assistant professors of LSGI. They were glad to burn some calories on that occasion, which brought different generations together for some exercise. Even though LSGI was the winning team, both sides had fun with the game and looked forward to more events like that in the future.

On 13 December 2012, a dinner in honor of the 2012 Outstanding BRE Alumni was held at the banquet hall of the PolyU Student Halls. Besides the award winners, Ir Prof. Johnny Fan Siu Kay and Ir Prof. Peter Mok Kwok Woo, Prof. Timothy Tong, President of PolyU, and Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, were also there to celebrate. The winners were selected based on their achievements and contributions to the community as well as the built environment. The panel of 5 judges included Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Ir Tsui Tack Kong, and Ir Prof. Fred Ng.

FCE Public Lecture:
Behaviour of Concrete-filled Stainless Steel Tubular Columns at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures
Date & Time: 4 February 2013 (Monday), 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Venue: Room Y301, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Website: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/events/20130204_lecture/

FCE Mainland Research Alumni Forum cum Banquet
Date: 20 April 2013 (Saturday)
Venue: Shenzhen
For details, please visit http://www.polyu.edu.hk/fce/alumni_event2013/

12th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET2013)
Date: 26-29 August 2013
Venue: Chiang Chen Studio Theatre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Website: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/risud/set2013/