The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Building Surveyors Conference 2023 "Impact on Built Assets: Proactive Maintenance and Rehabilitation"

HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Building Surveying Division (HKIS-BSD) hosted the Building Surveyors Conference 2023 at the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers on 13 October. Themed " Impact on Built Assets: Proactive Maintenance and Rehabilitation," Building Surveyors Conference 2023 aims to address the public's keen concerns regarding building dilapidation and unauthorised construction issues. This year's conference was honoured to have Ir WAI Chi-sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority, as the Guest of Honour. With a captivating theme and an impressive lineup, the conference attracted over 260 industry professionals who gathered to share their experiences and perspectives on the related issues, contributing to the development of a strong building care culture in Hong Kong as our collective goal.

Recent incidents involving the peeling of exterior wall finishes, concrete deterioration, and alleged illegal construction in detached houses have served as reminders to Building Surveyors, who are regarded as the "Building Doctors", of their responsibility to conduct thorough inspections and actively maintain buildings. Considering this, HKIS-BSD intentionally chose the theme "Impact on Built Assets: Proactive Maintenance and Rehabilitation" for the conference, aiming to provide insightful and comprehensive perspectives on socially relevant issues that had garnered widespread attention. The conference also included a Q&A session, with the hope that the speakers' presentations would stimulate discussions and debates among the participants, thereby contributing to the accumulation of knowledge and raising the professional standards and service quality of the industry.

During the conference, Ir WAI Chi-sing, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority, served as the Guest of Honor and shared with the participants the important role of the Urban Renewal Authority's strategies on building rehabilitation in prolonging building lifespans. He emphasised, " Hong Kong is grappling with a severe problem of urban decay. With limited land and financial resources allocated for urban renewal, redevelopment alone is not sufficient to tackle the issue of urban blight. The solution therefore hinges on fostering efficient and forward-looking strategies for building rehabilitation. By encouraging property owners to actively engage in property maintenance, such as conducting regular building inspections and repairs, we can prolong the lifespan of buildings. This, in turn, will provide a window of opportunity to accumulate the necessary financial and land reserves for urban renewal."

In addition, seven distinguished speakers, including government officials, business leaders, academics, and industry experts, offered diverse perspectives on the theme. Among them, Mr TSE Cheong-wo, Edward, JP, Director of Architectural Services at the Architectural Services Department, HKSARG, shared insights on " Elevating Facilities Upkeep: ArchSD's Approach and Innovative Ideas." Mr HO Chun-hung, JP, Deputy Director of Buildings at the Buildings Department, HKSARG, shared thoughts on " Promoting Proactive Maintenance and Rehabilitation for a Safe and Sustainable Built Environment." These topics sparked enthusiastic discussions among the participants.

Regarding the successive occurrence of a number of incidents caused by building dilapidation in Hong Kong, Sr HO Kui-yip, Vincent, MH, JP, Past President of the HKIS, served as both the moderator and speaker at the conference, shared insights on building restoration strategies. He mentioned that HKIS would propose the establishment of a Building Repair Authority and the creation of a mandatory repair sinking fund in the upcoming Policy Address. The Authority would be responsible for handling buildings that have not undergone inspections and repairs due to various reasons and carry out repair works in a more flexible manner. The mandatory repair sinking fund would incentivise owners' corporations to allocate funds for future maintenance and major repairs.

Sr WONG Kwok-leung, Paul, President of the HKIS stated, "The surge in incidents caused by building dilapidation underscores the increasing importance of Building Surveyors in ensuring the safety, compliance, and structural integrity of our built assets." He further expressed that HKIS would continue to contribute professional expertise to provide advice to the government, to strive to create a high-quality and sustainable built environment.

Sr CHEUNG Man-to, Arthur, Chairman of HKIS-BSD stated, "As 'Building Doctors,' Building Surveyors proactively diagnose, maintain, and repair buildings. This helps prevent further deterioration of the problem and safeguard the long-term value and integrity of building assets." He also shared that HKIS-BSD has successfully registered the trademark "Building Doctor" as an image representing the professional services of building surveyors.

Sr LAU Cheuk-kit, Paul, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Building Surveyors Conference 2023, expressed, "The registration for the conference has been fully booked two weeks ago. This overwhelming response underscores the relevance and significance of the conference's theme." He sincerely thanked all participants for their active participation and appealed all to put strategies into actions.

List of Guest of Honour and Speakers (in order of speech delivery)

Guest of Honour

• Ir WAI Chi-sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director, Urban Renewal Authority

Speakers

• Mr TSE Cheong-wo, Edward, JP, Director of Architectural Services, Architectural Services Department, HKSARG
• Mr HO Chun-hung, JP, Deputy Director of Buildings, Buildings Department, HKSARG
• Sr HO Kui-yip, Vincent, MH, JP, Past President, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors
• Mr Alan YIP, Partner, Howse Williams
• Mr Lester LEE, Acting Executive Director (Legal Services), Competition Commission
• Sr Dr LAU Wai-kin, Elvis, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Design and Environment, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong
• Sr Samson WONG, Vice-Chairman, Professional Building Surveying Consultants Association of Hong Kong

Photo 6: The conference attracted over 260 industry professionals.

High-resolution event photos are downloadable here.

Conference Booklet is downloadable here.

Highlights Photos of Building Surveyors Conference 2023：

Photo 1: Ir WAI Chi-sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority (2^nd from left); Sr WONG Kwok-leung, Paul, President of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (2^nd from right); Sr CHEUNG Man-to, Arthur, Chairman of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Building Surveying Division (1^st from left); and Sr LAU Cheuk-kit, Paul, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Building Surveyors Conference 2023 (1^st from right), convened at The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors Building Surveyors Conference 2023, sharing valuable insights and expertise.

Photo 2: Ir WAI Chi-sing, GBS, JP, FHKEng, Managing Director of the Urban Renewal Authority, graces the conference as the Guest of Honour.

Photo 3: Sr WONG Kwok-leung, Paul, President of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, delivers the welcoming speech, extending a warm welcome to all attendees.

Photo 4: Sr CHEUNG Man-to, Arthur, Chairman of The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors - Building Surveying Division, delivers the opening speech.

Photo 5: Sr LAU Cheuk-kit, Paul, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the Building Surveyors Conference 2023, delivers the closing speech.

About the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors

Established in 1984, The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) is the only surveying professional body incorporated by ordinance in Hong Kong. As of 3 October 2023, the number of members reached 10,829, of which 7,742 were corporate members. HKIS work includes setting standards for professional services and performance, establishing codes of ethics, determining requirements for admission as professional surveyors, and encouraging members to upgrade skills through continuing professional development.

The Institute has an important consultative role in government policy making and on issues affecting the profession. We have advised the government on issues such as building safety and unauthorised building works, problems of property management, town planning and development strategies, construction costs and housing problems. We have also issued guidance notes on floor area measurement, real estates valuation and land boundary survey, etc.

Please visit our official website: http://www.hkis.org.hk

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hkisofficial

About Building Surveying Division of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors

Established in 1985, Building Surveying Division (BSD) is one of six divisions of the HKIS. The total number of professional Building Surveyors as of 3 October 2023 has increased to 1,645 from 119 since its establishment. In the 39 years since its establishment, the Division organised many conferences and visits, and produced a number of publications to promote the service and image of building surveying profession.

Professional building surveyors are qualified by professional assessments with prescribed practical training. We uphold the stringent professional standards of the HKIS, which require a high level of service and efficiency as well as compliance with a strict code of professional conduct.

SOURCE The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors