Ir Professor YUEN Pak Leung

Outstanding Alumni Award in Professional Achievement and Community Service Achievement of PolyU Faculty of Engineering

Ir Professor YUEN Pak Leung 源栢樑教授、工程師
- Higher Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, 1979

Professor Yuen is currently an executive of the Hospital Authority overseeing the design, construction and operation of the engineering infrastructure in public hospitals including the two mega-scale 10-year hospital development plan projects. Under his stewardship, the hospitals adopted a number of innovative engineering measures covering also energy savings to lower carbon emission and received the “Regional Energy Project of the Year Award” by the US Association of Energy Engineers for three consecutive years. He had been WHO and UNOPS advisor for constructing isolation facilities in the Republic of Indonesia, and provided voluntary engineering support to Szechuan Earthquake hospital reconstruction works.

A veteran hospital engineer and an expert in the specialized hospital ventilation system, Professor Yuen Pak Leung is a well-known figure in the industry. During his 40 years of hospital engineering service, he had fought several battles against the pandemics encountered by both SARS and COVID. With his wit and expertise, he was able to overcome the challenges by devising isolation facilities in hospitals within a short period, thus keeping the spread of the virus in check.

During the outbreak of SARS in 2003, there was a serious shortage of isolation beds in hospitals. Professor Yuen came up with a brilliant yet simple and fast track idea of adding exhaust fans strategically in general wards which serves to create inward airflow for installing isolation effect. After SARS, he did research and continued to steer the renovation of the ventilation system with a view to transforming general wards into isolation facilities with negative pressure functions. The number of isolation beds in hospitals thus significantly increased from 177 to over 1,000 within a short period. He also developed the world’s first-of-its-kind convertible design, which allows these isolation wards to be easily changed back into general wards under normal circumstances, which greatly enhances the flexibility in the deployment of wards. During COVID to timely cater for the rapid rise in infected, he made further inventions to swiftly turn general wards into Tier 2 isolation facilities, and converted exhibition halls into large scale Community Treatment Facilities (CTF), as well as the first high standard isolation ward in MiC form for immediate deployment in CTF. For his outstanding contribution to the fight against COVID-19 he had received the HKSAR Government Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service in 2019.

Appointed by the HKSAR Government since March 2021, he is chairing the Working Group on Implementing the Requirement on Air Change or Air Purifiers in Dine-in Restaurants under Cap. 599F across over 18,000 eateries in Hong Kong for securing enhanced indoor air environment in short time to minimize risk on chances of cross infection.

Internationally, he is current Deputy Chair of the Seoul Accord, Deputy Chair of the International Engineering Technologists Agreement (IETA), and the Vice President of CIBSE UK. Although Professor Yuen has already stepped down from the post of the President of HKIE in 2021, he has insisted on realizing the ambition he had for HKIE during his tenure - “Believing is seeing - Innovation for transformation”. He firmly believes only with innovation we can find our way forward and ensure the sustainable development of Hong Kong.