From left: Prof Sam Chan, Prof C K Mak, Prof Wei Pan
In response to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the fast development of this pandemic, the HKSAR Government decided in late January 2020 to build new quarantine camps to meet the extremely urgent need for quarantine. The first such project delivered in Hong Kong is the Lei Yue Mun Quarantine Camp (LYMQC).
Lei Yue Mun Quarantine Camp
The target for the Architectural Services Department (ASD) of the HKSAR Government, the project client was to deliver the Camp with high quality and speed. The ASD, together with the main contractor China State Construction (Hong Kong) Limited and in collaboration with the Centre for Innovation in Construction and Infrastructure Development (CICID) of Department of Civil Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), completed the quarantine camp in two stages -- the first batch of 118 units in 25 days and the remaining 234 units in 60 days.
HKU CICID as Academic Collaborator of the project team set up a cloud-based web-portal for real-time logistics monitoring of module transportation and installation. CICID also developed an AI-based and computer vision which enabled module detection algorithm for module lifting cycle time estimation and module installation progress prediction. This technique employed an UVA for taking aerial photos for site progress and safety monitoring.
In recognition of the highly commendable effort on this project, HKU CICID together with the LYMQC project team has been awarded the “Brunel Medal – Highly Commended, 2020” Award by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in October 2020. Professor Wei Pan, Executive Director of the CICID led the research team to take this project from inception to completion utilizing modular integrated construction (MiC) and smart construction technology.