Editorial | Hong Kong building defects cost more than reputation
- Public safety also matter of concern as shoddy concreting at HKU development becomes latest poor work to be highlighted
Hong Kong’s civil engineering credentials are among the world’s best. From iconic construction marvels to day-to-day infrastructure projects, there is no shortage of exemplary showpieces.
But its hard-earned reputation can be easily tarnished by occasional substandard works. The consequences may be severe.
The latest case of concern is a project at the University of Hong Kong. Online photos showed honeycomb-shaped cavities and exposed steel reinforcement bars on pillars and beams on several floors of the redevelopment in Pok Fu Lam.
The problems were exposed in a recent social media post by a construction boss, who blew the whistle on shoddy work at the MTR Corporation’s Sha Tin-Central link in 2018. The university later confirmed that defective concrete work was first identified in late April and May at a handful of locations.
The project team had issued four site memos and a warning letter to the contractor for rectification, though no significant improvement had been observed.