Developed mainly with nanoscale TiO2 and Cesium Tungsten Bronze mixture particles, the highly cost-efficient coating can be widely used in building glass curtains (including shopping malls, offices), smart homes, aircrafts etc. Opportunities to commercialize this product are being actively explored with multinational companies.

*The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) launched a Pay for Safety Scheme in public works contracts in 1996 with an aim to boosting the safety performance in the construction industry. Under the Scheme, sum(s) payable for carrying out safety measures would not be included in competitive bidding.

To further enhance the research performance of FCE and to cultivate a more collaborative and supportive research culture among faculty members, particularly to guide and support the development of junior/young staff members, those present concurred that the Faculty should consolidate the existing research centres in the Faculty.

Potential research areas that the Research Centre for Urban Hazards Mitigation could include studying multi-natural hazards caused by climate changes, multi-hazards mitigation, fire engineering, particularly building and tunnel fire prevention and mitigation as well as resilient cities.

The salon concluded with a change of the Centre’s Directorship from Prof. You-Lin Xu to Prof. Xiaoli Ding. The new Deputy Directors are Prof. Asif Usmani, Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), and Prof. Jian-hua Yin of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE).

A breakout session of the Summit was held on 31 May 2017. Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), gave an overview of recent innovations and impact on sustainable urban development in FCE. This was followed by presentations on selected research in geo-informatics, environment, and building energy from Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), Prof. Xiangdong Li, Associate Dean (Research), and Prof. Shengwei Wang, Chair Professor of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), respectively. In addition, there was an exhibition of posters highlighting the research impact made by the four departments in FCE. Participants also visited the Smart Construction Laboratory, the Underground Utility Survey Laboratory, and the Fire Engineering Laboratory under the guidance of Prof. Heng Li of BRE, Dr Wallace Lai of LSGI, and Dr Nai Kong Fong of BSE respectively.

At the breakout session	Prof. Shen (right) and Prof. Xu (left) with one of the summit participants	Prof. Albert Chan (left) talking about his research on the anti-heat stress uniform	A visit to the Underground Utility Survey Laboratory

On 20 May 2017, a Consultation Day was held for prospective students in the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) on the PolyU campus. The Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) organized an information seminar plus a separate consultation session for the Broad Discipline of Construction and Environment (BDCE). Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean (Teaching) introduced FCE and BDCE at the info seminar, which was followed by presentations from Dr Daniel Chan, Associate Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Dr W.L. Lee, Associate Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), Prof. K.F. Chung, Associate Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), on the respective departments. There were also consultation sessions for 7 BSc/BEng and 5 Higher Diploma programmes offered by the four departments. In addition to getting the latest updates on the range of programmes available, JUPAS applicants were briefed on admission strategies and interview skills. It was a great opportunity for them to learn more about our programmes before they reprioritize their JUPAS programme choices.

Prof. Shen introducing FCE	Dr Chan introducing BRE

Dr Lee introducing BSE	Prof. Chung introducing CEE	Prof. Shi introducing LSGI

On 22 May 2017, a panel comprising of officials from the Hong Kong Government and academe met to review and prioritize 4 new programmes for the Academic Development Proposal (ADP) exercise for the 2019-2022 triennium, one from each department of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE). The panel members were Prof. Philip Chan, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU; Ir Chi-Chiu Chan, Ex-Director of the Drainage Services Department, Immediate Past President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), and member of the Construction Industry Council; as well as Ir Dr Raymond Cheung, Chief Assistant Secretary (Works) of the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Government. After they were welcomed by Prof. You-Lin Xu, Dean of FCE, Prof. Geoffrey Shen, Associate Dean (Teaching), gave an overview of the meeting. Panel members heard from Prof. John Shi, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI), Prof. William Lam, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Prof. Asif Usmani, Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering (BSE), and Prof. Albert Chan, Head of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), who took turns introducing their respective programme proposal, namely, the BSc (Hons) in Urban Informatics for Smart Cities, the BEng (Hons) in Sustainable Structural and Fire Engineering, the BEng (Hons) in Building Ecology Engineering, and the Bachelor of Global Construction (Hons). An open discussion following the 4 presentations facilitated the panel review. Comments were also sought from a fourth panel member, Ir Chi-Keung Hon, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works).

Participants at the meeting

(from left) Prof. Xu with 3 members of the review panel, Ir Chan, Prof. Chan, and Ir Dr Cheung	Prof. Shen giving an overview

5 other FCE students were rewarded for participating in the competition, which included civil engineering student Ng Siu Wai in the 1st Runner-up team of SPART as well as property management students Lam Wai Ming, Chan Man Ho, Chan Wai Kit, and Tsoi Ling Yui in the 2nd Runner-up team of BREER. Scholarships of $30,000 and $20,000 were presented to the 1st Runner-up team and 2nd Runner-up team respectively.

Prof. You-lin Xu, Dean of FCE, said, “It is my pleasure to see that students from our Faculty have triumphed in the Smart-e City Competition for Youth Housing in Hong Kong. They have shown their creativity in applying their knowledge to this issue, which is important for all those who are looking for space to grow and develop in the urban jungle of Hong Kong. I am sure they have learnt much from participating in this competition. I would like to thank Prof. Shiu Keung Tang, Associate Head of the Department of Building Services Engineering, for representing FCE, as well as his colleagues Dr Lin Lu and Dr Sunliang Cao for serving respectively as the competition advisor and one of the panel judges. Their hard work has ensured the success of our students.”

Jointly organized by the Faculty of Business and FCE, the competition was sponsored by K & K Charity, which was founded in 2015 to support youth, education, and the underprivileged in Hong Kong.