CIMC MBS starts construction of Hong Kong's first modular building for permanent use

SHENZHEN, China, May 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese modular building provider CIMC Modular Building Systems Holding Co Ltd (CIMC MBS) has started construction of Hong Kong's first modular building project for permanent use on May 20, marking a milestone in application of the new construction method in the metropolis.

The InnoCell project is an on-site residential building aimed at providing working space-cum-temporary accommodations for companies and incubatees working at Hong Kong Science Park. It will provide more than 400 residential units of accommodation for talent and incubatees from the Science Park.

While the first and second floor of the 17-storey building will use traditional construction method, the rest will apply the innovative construction approach of modular construction.

Modular construction is a type of prefabricated building model. Instead of doing all the construction work on-site, it allows more than 90 percent of a building project to be finished in the factory, significantly saving construction time and reducing construction waste.

According to CIMC MBS, construction time of InnoCell is expected to be reduced by 30 percent. Construction of the project is expected to be completed by 2020.

"By building construction projects in Hong Kong, we not only show the local government and the local industry our unique advantages in modular construction technology, but also, we have become more familiar with the city's regulations in design, examination and approval, acceptance specification," Victor Zhu, general manager of CIMC MBS, said, "With more than ten years of experience in the global market, we are able to provide our Hong Kong customers with high quality services. This is what our customers value most and the primary reason that we won the bidding."

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, the prefabricated building model helps solve challenges facing Hong Kong's construction industry at the current time, including the lack of construction workers, the need to improve safety of construction site and enhance productivity.

Lam said adopting the new approach in the construction of InnoCell is in line with her policy of encouraging the industry to use innovative technologies and is a new milestone in promoting technological application in the field. The city will further expand the usage of modular construction in other projects in the future, she added.

CIMC MBS has been making efforts on helping Hong Kong transform and upgrade its construction industry in recent years. In November 2018, the company finished construction of the city's first modular building facility at Zero Carbon Building. The facility is for display, not for permanent use.

InnoCell, as Hong Kong's first such project for permanent use, has a significant meaning to the innovative development of the city's construction industry, Zhu noted. That means CIMC MBS has successfully marched into Hong Kong market and laid a solid foundation for its growing presence there, he said.

"As Hong Kong government steps up efforts to promote the application of modular building in the city, we will have a wider space for growth, enabling us to make greater contributions to the transformation and upgrade of Hong Kong's construction industry," Zhu said.

SOURCE CIMC