Professor Francis Au (left) and Dr Fiona Kwok (right) introduced to the audience about the complexity of this phenomenon in a city.
Ground settlement has become a buzzword in the media for a few months. However, not much attention has been paid to the reasons behind this phenomenon, including the possible materials below ground level, and their likely responses to changes in loading and ground water level, construction activities in the neighbourhood, etc.
In response to the recent public concerns on ground and structures settlements, a seminar was jointly organized by the Faculty of Engineering, the Department of Civil Engineering and the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers on September 26, 2018.
It is impossible to give simple answer to the phenomenon of ground settlement, Professor Francis Au, Head of Civil Engineering, and Dr Fiona Kowk attempted to help the audience recognise the complexity of this phenomenon in a city.
Dr Fiona Kwok kick-started the seminar by introducing the fundamental concepts of ground settlement. Professor Francis Au further elaborated that different types of structure have different capabilities in accommodating settlements. The seminar was well received with full house attendance.