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The Hong Kong Housing Authority has ordered the contractor to submit a comprehensive rectification plan after discovering substandard concrete in the structural components of three under-construction public housing blocks in Tung Chung.
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According to the official website, the main contractor for the Tung Chung Area 42 public housing development is Able Engineering Holdings Limited. The company is also a contractor for Queen Mary Hospital’s new clinical block, where elevator disruptions were reported recently due to alignment errors in lift shaft exterior walls.
The authority said on Saturday that during routine concrete cube strength tests conducted between late August and early September, the engineering team discovered that the concrete quality in structural components of Blocks 3, 4 and 5 required further review and testing.
After being notified, the Housing Department’s contract manager and chief structural engineer led on-site teams to conduct a detailed structural assessment. The assessment confirmed that the overall site structure is currently safe.
The engineering team ordered the contractor to extract additional concrete core samples for compressive strength testing in accordance with contract requirements, to verify compliance with design specifications.
The contractor was also required to submit a detailed report and a repair and rectification plan for approval to ensure the remedial measures are implemented strictly.
The department said the concrete supplier for the site, Glorious Concrete (HK) Limited – Yick Yuen Plant, has been replaced, and site construction workflows have been adjusted.
It added that Phases 1 and 2 of the Kam Sheung Road site 4A also used concrete supplied by Glorious Concrete. Comprehensive inspections and random testing at that site found no similar issues.
The department has also informed other engineering teams to conduct comprehensive checks on comparable projects, and no problems have been found at other sites so far.
The Housing Authority said it will continue to follow up closely. Once full investigation findings are available, any proven contractor shortcomings will be reflected in performance ratings, which will affect future tendering opportunities.
If the case is deemed severe, tougher regulatory actions, including tender suspensions, will be considered. The authority said it will monitor progress and quality closely, aiming to complete the works within the original contract timeframe while complying with relevant laws and structural safety standards.
