Geotechnical Division successfully organised a technical Visit to the City University of Hong Kong Student Hostel Project in Ma On Shan on 15 July 2023. We would like to give special thanks to City University of Hong Kong and Gammon Construction Limited for their support and arrangement for the site visit. Construction work for the 5th phase of the Student Hostel project at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) at Whitehead, Ma On Shan officially commenced in Jan 2022. The building structures are expected to be completed in late 2023. The Student Hostel project will have six halls with a total of 120 single rooms and 1,024 double rooms for CityU’s undergraduates and postgraduates, each hall will have a different theme, including Research, Technology, Energy, Globalisation, Sustainability, and Inheritance. The project has adopted advanced construction technology called Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), which involves over 1,300 modules in the overall building complex. It is currently the world’s largest student hostel project to have adopted MiC technology, calculated by the number of bed spaces. In addition to hostel rooms, there will be communal rooms, corridors, toilets and plant rooms constructed using MiC. Adopting MiC technology can reduce construction waste, shorten the construction period and minimise the impact on the neighbourhood. The project has also adopted several green elements that promote sustainable living and explore smart living technologies. For instance, 200 photovoltaic panels on the roof of the residential tower blocks will save energy and electricity costs.
