A cleaner, safer, faster way to build
Hong Kong often feels like a city permanently under construction. The inescapable sound of jackhammering, endless acres of bamboo and green netting overhead, and the daily lines of safety helmeted men and women queuing for lunchboxes are all too familiar. These commonplace scenes tell a story of an industry that has until recently relied upon methods developed a century ago or more.
However, there’s an important change afoot in the construction sector, and you can see evidence of this for yourself in the densely populated Kowloon neighbourhood of Cheung Sha Wan. On the corner of Tonkin Street is Hong Kong’s very first private residential project to use the methodology of MiC, Modular Integrated Construction, a smarter and more sustainable way to shape our urban landscape.
If you think of the way buildings are typically constructed, the method resembles that perennial playroom favourite, LegoÔ. Hand assembled, one small piece at a time, it’s a time consuming and labour-intensive process. MiC on the other hand, effectively stacks almost complete apartments on top of each other, rapidly and safely by crane. These self-contained modules arrive already fitted out with their glazing, pipes, wires, bathrooms, and kitchens. Therefore, all the labour-intensive manual work that’s traditionally completed on site, hundreds of feet above the street, is undertaken carried out in an indoor safer environment. This means manpower is protected from the elements, there’s no need to work at dangerous heights, and technology and automation are able to play a major role in efficiency and quality management throughout the process.
Speaking recently about Modular Integrated Construction, Chinachem Group CEO Donald Choi commented, “I’m hoping the pioneering work Chinachem is doing here will lead to a wider adoption of modular construction in the city. The advantages for the surrounding community are huge; reduced noise, less waste, a shorter time in construction, everyone benefits. Plus, there are great economic and safety advantages too. I’m proud we’re the first, and I know we’re not going to be the last.”
The environmental upsides of this approach are considerable, with estimates on the Tonkin Street project reducing on site labour by 70%, noise by 65%, construction waste by 65%, as well as minimising carbon emission. And these kinds of major benefits are precisely why Chinachem is next deploying MiC in a 2,000 apartment project in Tung Chung, the city’s tallest modular residential project when complete.
Tonkin Street project marks the start of a smarter future for the industries in Hong Kong, and Chinachem is proud to be pioneering a more sustainable approach to creating places with heart.
Hong Kong often feels like a city permanently under construction. The inescapable sound of jackhammering, endless acres of bamboo and green netting overhead, and the daily lines of safety helmeted men and women queuing for lunchboxes are all too familiar. These commonplace scenes tell a story of an industry that has until recently relied upon methods developed a century ago or more.
However, there’s an important change afoot in the construction sector, and you can see evidence of this for yourself in the densely populated Kowloon neighbourhood of Cheung Sha Wan. On the corner of Tonkin Street is Hong Kong’s very first private residential project to use the methodology of MiC, Modular Integrated Construction, a smarter and more sustainable way to shape our urban landscape.
If you think of the way buildings are typically constructed, the method resembles that perennial playroom favourite, LegoÔ. Hand assembled, one small piece at a time, it’s a time consuming and labour-intensive process. MiC on the other hand, effectively stacks almost complete apartments on top of each other, rapidly and safely by crane. These self-contained modules arrive already fitted out with their glazing, pipes, wires, bathrooms, and kitchens. Therefore, all the labour-intensive manual work that’s traditionally completed on site, hundreds of feet above the street, is undertaken carried out in an indoor safer environment. This means manpower is protected from the elements, there’s no need to work at dangerous heights, and technology and automation are able to play a major role in efficiency and quality management throughout the process.
Speaking recently about Modular Integrated Construction, Chinachem Group CEO Donald Choi commented, “I’m hoping the pioneering work Chinachem is doing here will lead to a wider adoption of modular construction in the city. The advantages for the surrounding community are huge; reduced noise, less waste, a shorter time in construction, everyone benefits. Plus, there are great economic and safety advantages too. I’m proud we’re the first, and I know we’re not going to be the last.”
The environmental upsides of this approach are considerable, with estimates on the Tonkin Street project reducing on site labour by 70%, noise by 65%, construction waste by 65%, as well as minimising carbon emission. And these kinds of major benefits are precisely why Chinachem is next deploying MiC in a 2,000 apartment project in Tung Chung, the city’s tallest modular residential project when complete.
Tonkin Street project marks the start of a smarter future for the industries in Hong Kong, and Chinachem is proud to be pioneering a more sustainable approach to creating places with heart.