Congratulations to our Hong Kong clients and teams for their outstanding achievements at the prestigious global NEC Martin Barnes Awards 2024 to recognize excellence in project delivery and collaboration, held in London on Friday, June 21. Two projects from Hong Kong were recognized with Grand Awards – Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant (YLEPP), and Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Area Phase 1. Two more – Cross Bay Link and Lok Ma Chau Loop – were also recognized as among Runner-up in their categories. These awards reflect our commitment to excellence and our continuous efforts to push the boundaries of engineering and sustainability.
The Yuen Long Effluent Polishing Plant received the Grand Award of the “Recognizing project excellence and innovation” category. Upon completion, it will be the first wastewater treatment plant in Hong Kong capable of achieving energy neutrality. It is also the first treatment plant in the city to adopt aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process for biological treatment, which demands less energy while improving efficiency. This project stood out for its innovative approach to reducing carbon emissions and maximizing renewable energy through the ingenious harvesting and conversion of biogas into electrical energy, extensive solar energy usage and re-use of sewage effluent for cooling.
Similarly, our work on the Kwu Tung North and Fanling North New Development Area Phase 1 has been recognized with the Grand Award in the ‘Demonstrating carbon dioxide reduction initiatives towards net-zero’ category. The project was lauded for carbon reduction initiatives including the use of S960 ultra-high strength steel, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) in concrete and Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), as well as green building design of the visitor center and other structures in the Long Valley Nature Park.
The Cross Bay Link, runner-up in the project excellence and innovation category, which recognizes projects that are able to achieve significant costs savings and efficiency gains. Grade S690QL high-strength structural steel was adopted for the first time in Hong Kong in this project, leading to cost savings and sustainability improvements due to less material inputs. Efficiencies were also realized through extensive usage of prefabrication methods.
Lok Ma Chau Loop, runner-up in “Leading the futures through best practice and collaboration”, a category that celebrates projects that have been able to realize significant economic, environmental, and social improvements through effective collaboration with partners.
The NEC Awards, organized by the New Engineering Contract (NEC) Users’ Group under the Institution of Civil Engineers of the United Kingdom, recognize projects from around the world that have showcased excellence in delivery through collaborative partnering. The recognition for these Hong Kong projects speaks volumes about the world-class caliber of our work.