Background

BACKGROUND

It is well known that Hong Kong is very densely populated and lacks land resources. Sustainable land development and utilization is extremely important for developing a green and low-carbon economy and improving the living environment in the city. The China Harbour-PolyU Joint Research Centre for Land Development (JRC) was established by China Harbour Engineering Co. Ltd. (China Harbour) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) under the Research Institute for Land and Space of PolyU. The JRC aims at (1) facilitating government-industry-university cooperation, (2) taking advantage of the extensive experience of China Harbour in land reclamation, environmental engineering and marine infrastructure construction, and the excellent research strengths of the PolyU in new civil engineering materials and structures, smart construction and spatial information technologies, (3) targetting the acute land and infrastructure development issues in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the country, especially engineering and technical challenges that need to be resolved urgently for better marine land reclamation and marine engineering construction, (4) bringing technological breakthroughs in the fields of green and low-carbon construction, construction of artificial islands and floating structures, and smart city development, and (5) promoting wide research collaboration and knowledge transfer to make significant contributions to the economic development and livelihood improvement in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the country.

STRUCTURE

Members of the JRC are researchers from both sides. The inaugural Co-Directors of the JRC (Professor DAI Jianguo of PolyU and Mr SUN Hualei of China Harbour) will be responsible for the daily operation of the JRC. The Management Committee, co-chaired by Professor DING Xiaoli of the PolyU and Mr XUE Yong, Managing Director of China Harbor (Hong Kong) will be responsible for the strategic JRC's directions and major decisions.

MAIN AREAS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The JRC will make the best use of the abundant resources and experience of China Harbor in implementing projects and technological applications in Hong Kong and other parts of the world, and the solid research strengths of the PolyU in land and infrastructure developments, and focus on at the first stage of the JRC research innovations, knowledge transfer and talent cultivation in the following main areas:

• Innovative marine engineering and island-tunnel connection technologies for artificial islands and other related projects.
• Key technologies for innovative prefabricated building, smart harbour, and smart airport projects.
• Development of innovative solutions for solid waste treatment and zero landfill, contributing to the realization of carbon neutrality, and better recycling and reuse of urban and marine solid wastes.
• Fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials and green high-performance concrete for marine engineering.
• Life-cycle technologies for marine infrastructures and development and applications of innovative AI-based spatial information technologies for construction projects.