The Faculty of Construction and Land Use (FCLU) at PolyU is the only Faculty in Hong Kong’s higher education institutions that is devoted to the construction industry. Over the past two decades, the Faculty has made impressive progress in its research capability and reputation. A recent independent survey by Thomson Reuters, a US company that produces the Science Citation Index (SCI) database and other related products, has once again confirmed PolyU and hence the Faculty as a world-class centre for research in construction-related disciplines.

In the field of Civil Engineering, PolyU leads all other universities in the world in both the total number of papers published in SCI journals over the five-year period of 2003 to 2007 and the total number of citations received by these papers in 2008 from other SCI journal papers. The table below shows that PolyU is followed by two top universities in the world, the University of Illinois and the University of California at Berkeley, both of the US. In terms of the number of citations received per paper, which is equivalent to the five-year impact factor of a journal defined by Thomson Reuters in their annual Journal Citation Reports, PolyU’s performance is matched by the University of Illinois but exceeds significantly that of the University of California at Berkeley. Therefore, in terms of both volume and impact, PolyU’s research publications in Civil Engineering compare favorably with the best in the world.

Table 1: SCI Publications and Citations in Civil Engineering

^*for the entire University of Illinois system but mainly the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In the field of Construction and Building Technology, PolyU leads the University of California at Berkeley and the Technical University of Denmark by a large margin in both the total number of SCI journal papers published over the five-year period of 2003 to 2007 and the total number of citations received by these papers in 2008 from other SCI journal papers. The results for the number of citations per paper however show that in this field, there is room for PolyU to improve the impact of its work. However, it is worth noting that the five-year impact factor of PolyU’s SCI papers is already much higher than that of leading journals in the field such as the international journal “Energy and Buildings” whose latest five-year impact factor is 1.759.

Table 2: SCI Publications and Citations in Construction and Building Technology

In the field of Environmental Engineering, PolyU is the third most productive university in the world in this field although its citation performance lags behind the two leading universities, again the University of California at Berkeley and the Technical University of Denmark. Nevertheless, the five-year impact factor of PolyU’s SCI papers in this field is already similar to the value of 5.075 for “Environmental Science and Technology” which is widely recognized as the top journal by researchers in both fields of environmental science and engineering. Again, there is room for PolyU to improve the impact of its work in this field.

Table 3: SCI Publications and Citations in Environmental Engineering

PolyU has also been highly successful in winning General Research Fund (GRF) grants (formerly Competitive Earmarked Research Grants) in the category of "Civil Engineering, Surveying, Building and Construction". For the nine consecutive years since 2001/2002, PolyU ranked first among all institutions in Hong Kong in both the amount of funding and the number of grants received. The latter has consistently been over 40% of all grants awarded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council in this category since 2004/2005 and reached 47% in 2008/2009.

In addition to the publication of papers in high quality journals, experts in the Faculty have also been highly active in deploying their research outcomes in solving challenging real-world problems, often through the offering of consultancy services to the industry. For example, in 2008/2009 and in 2007/08, the total consultancy turnovers of the Faculty were HK$21 million and HK$24 million respectively, which constitute 21% and 24% of the total consultancy turnovers of the university in the respective years.

The research achievements of the Faculty have no doubt contributed significantly to the international reputation of PolyU and particularly that of engineering research at PolyU. In terms of publication performance covering all engineering fields, PolyU is ranked 63^rd in the world, according to the 2009 Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan. This ranking is based on objective indicators that evaluate both the quantity and quality of a university’s scientific papers in SCI journals, and incorporates the assessment of both long-term and short-term achievements.

In the 2009 Times Higher Education-QS World University Ranking, the Engineering and IT discipline of PolyU is ranked 91^st compared to 121^st in the previous year, making PolyU one of the top 100 best universities in the engineering field.

The Faculty of Construction and Land Use (FCLU) has called for two rounds of applications for matching funding from FCLU’s Sustainable Urbanization Research Fund (SURF) in August and September respectively. Two types of matching funding applications have been considered in both rounds: (a) matching funding for individual projects; and (b) matching funding for significant equipment items for shared use by colleagues from more than one department.

The main criterion used in making funding decisions for applications in category (a) is the importance/significance of the requested matching funding to the fruitful execution of the project, while that for applications in category (b) is the long-term benefit of a particular piece of equipment to the development of sustainable urbanisation research in more than one FCLU department.

It was agreed at the 26th Faculty Research Committee Working Group meeting that the combined amount of matching funding from the department and SURF should not exceed the difference between the original budget, and the grant amount received from the funding body. The exception to this rule is ITF projects (and other similar projects), for which the original budget had been arrived at through a negotiation process, because of which the difference cannot be easily identified. For the latter kinds of projects, the combined amount of matching funding for each project is capped at 10% of the original budget. The final amount of matching funding provided to each application by SURF will be the smaller of the half of the shortfall of the original funding (or 5% of the original budget for an ITF or similar project), or the amount of departmental matching funding.

Please click here to view the full list of successful applications.

The Faculty of Construction and Land Use (FCLU) had been invited by the Council for Sustainable Development (SDC) to be one of the partner organizations in the fourth public engagement process of the Council. On this account, leading scholars and professionals in the area of Sustainable Urban Development, from Hong Kong and Shenzhen, gathered at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 22 August, 2009, for the `Forum on Sustainable Urban Building Development’. This Forum was part of the public engagement exercise of the SDC; its purpose was to stimulate community discussion on how a quality and sustainable built environment may be achieved through consideration of the following:

1) Possible sustainable building design options.

2) Control options on existing building design policy related to gross floor area.

3) Building energy efficiency.

The Forum was opened by Prof. Otto Lin, Consultant to the President, PolyU, while Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Land Use (FCLU) set the theme of the Forum in his welcome address. The Forum was in two sessions, with a quota of 100 participants per session. Both sessions had been over-subscribed, reflecting the keen interest which government departments, academic and industrial organizations had in the subject.

The Forum had a total of ten speakers, who shared with the audience their professional experiences and academic findings. Ms. Rita Leung from the Business Environmental Council gave an overview of the public engagement exercise. Ms. Ye Qing, Director of the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research, delivered a story about sharing a green building in Shenzhen. Prof. Andrew Leung, Chair Professor of the Department of Building and Construction, City University of Hong Kong, explored the issue of sustainable development in order to save the earth. Dr. Ben Chan of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, investigated the role of natural ventilation and thermal envelope strategy in respect of sustainability in urban building construction.

Colleagues in FCLU had played a particularly active role in this Forum. Prof. Heng Li, Chair Professor of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), addressed the issue of knowledge-based interactive constructive virtual prototyping. Prof. Edwin H. W. Chan, and Prof. Li-yin Shen, also from BRE, spoke respectively on healthy buildings research in Hong Kong’s dense urban development; and the application of sustainable urbanization indicators by comparing various practices. Three colleagues from the Department of Building Services Engineering, Professors Francis Wai-hung Yik, Shiu-keung Tang, and Hongxing Yang delivered addresses respectively on energy saving through natural ventilation in Hong Kong’s public housing, improved environmental acoustics, and the development of building-integrated photovoltaic technologies for sustainable urban energy supply.

The Forum was a platform for the exchange of professional findings and expertise; it was also an opportunity for the development friendship and the exploration of possible collaborations.

For the academic year of 2009/10, 33 non-local students have been admitted to the undergraduate programmes of the Faculty, amongst them six are holders of University Scholarships and one the holder of a Departmental Scholarship.

To brief students on the learning support and student services available at PolyU, and to smoothen their transition to the new environment, SAO had organised a one-week Orientation Programme for Non-local Undergraduate Freshmen in late August 2009. The  Faculty and departmental sessions were scheduled in the afternoon of 26 August 2009. Some 30 non-local students attended the Faculty session, introduced by Prof. Geoffrey Shen, the Associate Dean (Teaching), which was then followed by departmental sessions and guided tours.

In addition to the Orientation Programme hosted by SAO, since 2007/08 the Faculty has been offering the subjects "Foundation Year Seminar I" and "Foundation Year Seminar II" to non-local students admitted to the Foundation Year. The two seminars aim to train students to become independent learners by enhancing their study habits in a new socio-cultural context, and are jointly taught by SAO, the Faculty and its departments. With a view to cultivating their sense of belonging, students will be provided with an overview of the Faculty and its departments, and offered opportunities for interaction with staff members.

This year, the Faculty session for "Foundation Year Seminar I" took place on 21 September 2009. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, Dean of the Faculty welcomed the freshmen while staff members and representatives of student associations from each department briefed them on the development and achievements of their respective departments. The session was followed by a tour to the Industrial Centre (IC) to introduce students to the facilities and services offered by IC.

A delegation from the Harbin Institute of Technology paid a two day visit to the Faculty of Construction and Land Use (FCLU) on 28 and 29 of September, 2009. The delegation was led by their Vice President Prof. Ren Nanqi and comprised of high- level representatives from their Faculty of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Architecture, as well as a few other faculties of allied disciplines. It also included the Deputy Manager of the Office for Hong Kong-Macau-Taiwan Affairs, Mr Gu Jianzheng. The delegation met with, on separate occasions, Prof. Ko Jan-ming, Vice President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Prof. Teng Jin-Guang, Dean of FCLU, and representatives from the different departments in FCLU.

This delegation was to discuss with FCLU the prospect of developing collaborative projects. Preliminary agreement was reached on three major issues:

(1) To develop joint supervision programmes for PhD students.

(2)   To have PolyU joining the Harbin Institute of Technology, as a partner university in key national laboratories.

(3)   To jointly establish a research centre on civil engineering.

A draft Memorandum of Understanding would be prepared. It is hoped that this could be signed by the presidents of the two universities in early 2010, if Prof. Timothy W. Tong could arrange a visit to the Harbin Institute of Technology by that time.

Earlier in the same month, on 22 September, 2009, The University had also received a delegation from Beijing Jiaotong University. This visit was to reciprocate an earlier PolyU delegation to Beijing Jiaotong University. The present delegation sought to consolidate a proposed joint collaboration in applying for national projects administered by the Ministry of Transport. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two universities, to cover several key areas.

(1) On the initiation of the Beijing Jiaotong University, the two universities are to jointly apply for the scientific research projects related to the Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway.

(2) On the initiation of PolyU, the two universities are to jointly develop innovations in railway-track technology, in order to later promote the application of the relevant technologies in transport systems overseas.

The joint projects will be supervised by designated personnel of both universities, who are to regularly liaise. The two universities are to strengthen their overall cooperation. Their initial joint ventures in railway safety and civil engineering will later be extended to other domains, where the two universities can mutually complement their respective strengths. The Memorandum is for three years, and subject to extension upon its expiry.

Faculty Opening Ceremony

President’s Visit

Information Seminar

Exhibition Booth

Demonstration Session

The 2009 PolyU Education Information Day (Info Day) was successfully conducted on Saturday 26 September.  Info Day is a PolyU annual event organised to familiarise the applicants of the Joint University Programmes Admissions System with the programmes available from the University, plus the facilities and resources that support these programmes.

The Faculty exhibition at the PolyU podium, which showcased our Undergraduate degree and Higher Diploma programmes opened with a bang at the Faculty Opening Ceremony officiated by the Faculty Dean, Associate Deans and Heads of Departments.  There were also information seminars and laboratory visits.  Nearly all of our information seminars attracted full house attendance, with a re-run of the seminar on BSc (Hons) Surveying to accommodate the large number of interested candidates. Visitors were also impressed by our exhibits and demonstration sessions held on-campus.

Damage Models and Algorithms for Assessment of Structures under Operating Conditions

Artificial Intelligence Integrated Construction Simulation Method: From Basics to Methods with Real Case Applications

The Faculty of Construction and Land Use is delighted to announce the recent publication of two books by members of the Faculty. The first is Damage Models and Algorithms for Assessment of Structures under Operating Conditions by Dr. Siu-Seong Law, of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering (CSE), who co-authors it with Dr. Xin-Qun Zhu, of the University of Western Sydney. The second book is Artificial Intelligence Integrated Construction Simulation Method: From Basics to Methods with Real Case Applications. It is based on the dissertation of one of our former MPhil students in CSE, Eric Wah Ho Chan, who now co-authors the book with Dr. Ming Lu, his academic supervisor. The publication of these two works is expected to contribute significantly to the excellent international reputation of FCLU in research and scholarly publications.

Damage Models and Algorithms for Assessment of Structures under Operating Conditions is devoted to the condition assessment of a structure under operational loading, such as earthquake excitation, wind loading, vehicular loading or ambient excitation at the supports. The book is a comprehensive treatment of the subject; it provides different algorithms which would enable real time identification with deterministic results on the state of the structure. It also covers a group of damage-detection-oriented-models developed by the authors, and methods for extending the deterministic condition assessment to provide statistical information. The methods and algorithms described can be implemented for on-line condition assessment of a structure through model updating of the structure during the course of operation loading. The book is a leading-edge work heavily rooted in advanced engineering practice. It is intended for structural engineers and advanced students interested in the benefits of damage models and algorithms for the assessment of structures under operating conditions. It is also suitable for researchers and decision makers working on structural health monitoring of existing structures.

Eric Chan’s dissertation first caught the attention of a German science book publishing house (VDM), which had identified the high-quality of the work and its practical impact for publication. VDM then approached Eric and Dr. Ming Lu, inviting them to publish their research findings into a book in order to disseminate the research to a worldwide readership with particular interest in innovative construction operations management. Artificial Intelligence Integrated Construction Simulation Method introduces a construction operation simulation method called Simplified Discrete-Event Simulation Approach (SDESA) and its real world applications. SDESA combines both the conventional site layout planning and operations scheduling, and bypasses the complexity in constructing a simulation model and the attendant difficulty in decoding simulation output data. It is helpful to both senior university students and junior engineers in the industry to design and evaluate alternative construction operations management strategies. Furthermore, Artificial Intelligence-based knowledge discovery technique is integrated into the simulation method, allowing for quick transformation of simulation output data into immediately applicable tactics for engineers. Artificial Intelligence Integrated Construction Simulation Method is now available on the websites of leading book retailers, and is finding its way into major university libraries.

This is the remarkable true story of Lam Chi Sing, whose success has blossomed literally from trash. Lam is an alumnus of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), who in early October 2009 became one of the awardees of the `Ten Outstanding Young Persons’ Award (TOYP), organized by the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong. A graduate from the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering with both a BSc and an MSc, Lam decided to work in collaboration with PolyU on the research and development of eco-blocks, as it was his conviction that their ability to neutralize the toxic substances from car exhaust would help improve the air quality of Hong Kong. He threw in his entire fortune to set up a company.

In light of the belated recognition given to the urgency of environmental protection in Hong Kong, it was not surprising that for a very long time Lam’s enterprise was a strenuous uphill journey. The major setback was insufficient capital which quickly eroded his initial investment and made it necessary for him to take up part-time jobs, work round the clock, in order to make ends meet. When his fortune hit rock-bottom, Lam could not even buy his mother dinner on Mother’s Day; he would always be grateful to his family who quietly put money into his wallet as a token of support. But he was not to be deterred and maintained a hands-on approach to his work. In order to collect glass bottles – the raw material for eco-blocks – he frequented garbage disposal locations and turned himself into a garbage collector, accompanied only by homeless wanderers who roamed the same areas. In such a short-sighted and utilitarian society as Hong Kong, Lam was predictably ridiculed by his peers, who forecast that his future was to be as bright as the trash he was so passionate about. But they were wrong. Today, Lam is an icon in the environmental protection industry, heads a company that has grown from its initial staff total of 4 people to the present 20, and with equipments that worth a total of 20 million. His story of success is a testimony to his foresight. Environmental protection is now ranked one of 6 major industries by the government. Although Lam is not going to rely on government subsidy, he did admit that it was a `bonus’. The TOYP award is a formal recognition given to young people who excel in their professions and their contributions to the community. Personally for Lam, it bears out the truth in his motto that `Temporary setbacks enhance personal growth, longer-term setbacks are the key to success’. The PolyU is proud to have nurtured this fine young man, and extends to him the warmest congratulations on his TOYP award.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is glad to announce its eighth intake for the degree of Master of Science in International Real Estate (MSc in IRE), which has just commenced in September 2009. This programme is delivered in conjunction with Zhejiang University. It is taught by professors from the Department of Building and Real Estate of the Faculty of Construction and Land Use of PolyU and Zhejiang University and leads to an award by PolyU, which is recognized nationally, internationally and also by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

With the rapid development of China’s market economy, real estate has become a major focus for investment, development, and a core component of the national economy. This in turn has created enormous demand from senior real estate executives to acquire new knowledge, professional experience and international perspective. China’s entry into the WTO further enhanced the internationalization of the Chinese real estate market. As such, its real estate institutions, legal system, land use policy, investment concepts, development models and management strategies must be aligned with international standards and regulations.

The MSc in IRE integrates theoretical knowledge and practical issues in real estate investment, development strategy and management from different angles. The objective is to cultivate in senior personnel in the real estate industry the knowledge, experience and international perspective required to strengthen their business expertise and promote the growth of the industry. The programme has access to the best examples of real estate practice in the global market, and includes two international study courses with study tours outside mainland China.

Despite the global economic downturn in 2008, and its temporary negative impact on the Chinese real estate market, 2009 has witnessed a remarkable market rebound. The renewed confidence in the future of the real estate market is reflected in the record new intake for this year’s MSc in IRE. 38 out of a total of more than 60 applicants were successfully enrolled in the programme, a record high when compared to previous years.

The programme already has a lot of graduates who are now working in the senior positions in the real estate industry in mainland China. Graduates may apply to become members of the RICS after gaining relevant working experience and passing the RICS’s assessment of professional competence. Through this programme, some graduates have already become Chartered Surveyors who are able to share the international business networks (of over 140,000 members) and professional resources provided by RICS. The MSc in IRE is one of the first jointly offered programmes to go through the academic re-accreditation by the State Ministry of Education of the Chinese mainland.

Dr. Edmond W.M. Lam

Dr. George Zhizhao Liu

Dr. Meng Ni

Dr. Bo Wu

Dr. Edmond W.M. Lam

Dr. W.M. Lam obtained his BSc (Hons) in Construction Economics and Management from the Department of Building and Real Estate(BRE), PolyU in 1999 and was commended as being top of his class. He is currently an Instructor at BRE.

After graduation, Dr. Lam worked in a construction cost consultancy firm in Hong Kong as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor and later further his study at  PolyU where he obtained his PhD degree in Construction Procurement Management.  He has been a Post-doctoral and Project Fellow in Construction Management, and Co-Investigator of a Construction Industry Institute Hong Kong(CII-HK) research project entitled, “Construction Safety Involving Working at Height for Residential Building Repair and Maintenance”.

Dr. Lam has also been a Lecturer at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education specialising in building and construction related subjects. He has published several research papers on the subject of construction procurement management in refereed academic journals and international conference proceedings. Currently, Dr. Lam is a Full Member of the Australian Institute of Building and Deputy Editor of the newsletter of CII-HK.

Dr. George Zhizhao Liu

Dr. George Zhizhao Liu is a specialist in Global Positioning System (GPS)/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Before he joined the Department of Land Surveying & Geo-Informatics (LSGI), PolyU in June 2009, he had worked for years as a research specialist in the GPS/GNSS industries. He received his PhD in 2004 from the University of Calgary, Canada. Prior to that, he obtained his MSc. and BSc. degrees from mainland China in 1997 and 1994, respectively.

Dr. Liu’s work has been primarily focused on GPS/GNSS precise positioning and navigation, algorithm research and software development, atmosphere and ionosphere studies using GPS/GNSS data. He has made significant contributions to the research of ionosphere tomographic modeling using GPS data for which he received several prestigious international awards and fellowships.

He is the author of over 30 international journal and conference publications. He served as the Chairman of a working group under the International Association of Geodesy and played an active role in many community social services. Currently he is serving as the Managing Editor of the Journal of Global Positioning Systems and Director of the International Association of the Chinese Professionals in Global Positioning Systems.

Dr. Meng Ni

Dr. Meng Ni received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Aero-engine Engineering from the Northwestern Polytechnic University, China in 2000 and 2003, respectively.  He joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2003 where he received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2007.  Since then, Dr. Ni has continued at HKU as a Research Associate (September 2007 – January 2008) and a Post-Doctoral Fellow (February 2008 – June 2009), before joining the Department of Building and Real Estate, PolyU as a newly appointed Assistant Professor in July 2009. 

Dr. Ni’s research interests cover renewable and clean energy technologies, including solar energy, fuel cell and hydrogen energy; numerical heat and mass transfer; and building services.  He serves as a reviewer for 11 international journals in the field of renewable and clean energy technologies.  He is an organizing committee member of the First International Conference on Applied Energy, held in January 2009 and a member of the organizing committee of the First International Conference on Sustainable Urbanization to be held in 2010. 

In 2007, Dr. Ni received the Young Scientist Award from the Hong Kong Institution of Science and a Diploma for excellent scientific activity in hydrogen energy by the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.

Dr. Bo Wu

Dr. Bo Wu has been newly appointed as Assistant Professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, PolyU. His research interests include Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Planetary Mapping and Robotic/Human Navigation in Extraterrestrial Exploration Missions, Image Matching and Machine Vision, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Principles and Applications.

Dr. Wu obtained his doctorate degree from the State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing of Wuhan University, China in June 2006. He then worked as a Post-doctoral Researcher (July 2006 - June 2008) and a Research Associate - Engineering (July 2008 - July 2009) at the Mapping and GIS Laboratory, Ohio State University, USA. Since 2006, Dr. Wu has been working on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) funded projects for Mars and Lunar exploration missions including the Mars rover localization, Mars  and Lunar topographic mapping, and the development of a Lunar astronaut navigation system.

Dr. Wu has published over 30 research articles in international journals and conference proceedings. He received a Nomination Award of the National 100 Excellent Ph.D. Dissertations in China in 2008. He is a member of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Dr Jian-Fei Chen

Professor Hazim Awbi

Dr Ben Chao

Professor George Hong

The Faculty of Construction and Land Use was honoured to have the following speakers giving seminars at PolyU:

Dr Jian-Fei Chen, Reader in Structural Engineering, Institute for Infrastructure and Environment, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, UK; gave a seminar titled “Understanding and Predicting Debonding in FRP Strengthened RC Structures”. (12 Aug 2009)

Professor Hazim Awbi, Professor of Building Environmental Science, School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading, UK; gave a seminar on “Indoor Environment Research at the School of Construction Management and Engineering, University of Reading”. (25 Aug 2009)

Dr. Ben Chao, Professor and Dean, College of Earth Sciences, National Central University, Taiwan; was speaker at a seminar on “Time-Variable Gravity: An Old and New Tool for Remote Sensing of Global Changes”. (8 Sep 2009)

Professor George Hong, Chief Research Officer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Professional Development, Professor of Economic History, Purdue University Calumet; gave a seminar on “In China Unique ? China Development vs. Western Perceptions”. (29 Sep 2009)