Housing Society to practice what it preaches with modular offices at four sites

Stacy Shi

The Housing Society's four construction sites will be equipped with multipurpose offices using the modular integrated construction method for recreational activities and safety training.

Construction at Kai Tak 2B1 and Anderson Road R2-4 sites will commence next month and is expected to be completed by October.

Projects director Franco Cheung Koon-wah said yesterday the offices could be reused at multiple sites while solar energy technology would be deployed to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in line with the environmental, social and governance principle.

Most construction site offices are, he said, merely container boxes, and the hope is to establish a more spacious integrated center to infuse the site with greater vitality.

"For example, at the Anderson Road site, the office would comprise an air-conditioned restroom, recreational facilities such as a mini basketball court and film screening venue, a virtual reality safety training space and venues for contractors to conduct site safety seminars."

The authority will also trial use of metal scaffolding at the site as it is more robust and durable than bamboo scaffolding and can be reused.

Twelve out of its 17 construction sites are operating fully in line with the 4S smart site safety system rolled out last year, with Anderson Road the first to be awarded the label by the Construction Industry Council.

In the second half, it will set up a new smart center at its Quarry Bay operations headquarters, which will enable project managers to monitor the situation at multiple sites in real time and consolidate data, including life-cycle assessments related to environmental protection.

It has also collaborated with science and technology start-ups to develop a smartwatch utilizing artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technology to monitor the health of construction workers, including real-time transmission of data for such things as heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature and location.

"This is to enable site management to take immediate follow-up actions when necessary especially amid the hot weather, and has already been tested in some construction sites," Cheung said.

Also, the society has implemented an anti-fraud system for construction materials via blockchain encryption, which enables the monitoring of the origins and destinations of construction materials.