It has been appointed by the Hong Kong government鈥檚 Water Supplies Department (WSD) to look into relocating the Yau Tong fresh water and salt water service reservoirs.
Tony Chik, divisional director of design and engineering services at SNC-Lavalin鈥檚 Atkins business in Asia Pacific, said: 鈥淭he HKSAR Government is actively implementing its strategy to seek out land for housing, social and economic developments. Sustaining Hong Kong鈥檚 competitiveness with rock cavern development is one of the key approaches.鈥�
The scope of this multi-disciplinary study includes the selection of a suitable site, preliminary technical and impact assessments, site investigations, preparation of an outline design for the engineering works, formulation of the implementation strategy and programme, and public engagement. It will also involve a planning review of the future land use of the existing sites to establish a business case to confirm the financial viability of the project. The study is expected to take approximately 24 months to complete.
Dennis Fok, associate director of design and engineering services at SNC-Lavalin鈥檚 Atkins business in Asia Pacific, said: 鈥淔or this we will adopt the New Engineering Contract (NEC) Professional Services Contract (PSC) form. The new contractual partnering approach will enable even closer collaboration with WSD to develop innovative, cost-effective and environmental friendly solutions for the sustainable development of Hong Kong.鈥�
Arup began work in 2012 on a long-term strategy for cavern development in Hong Kong, commissioned by the Civil Engineering & Development Department. The study was set up to formulate policy guidelines, prepare cavern master plans and develop a systematic relocation programme for suitable Government facilities. Recent output includes the second edition of a guide to cavern engineering, published in January.
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