City: Hong Kong

As the southern and western parts of Hong Long Island are becoming centers of Hong’s new residential development, the study aims to connect the local residents with adequate railway transit to facilitate further growth of the communities and increase land use efficiency.

The South and West Island Lines will serve a population of 450,000 in the southern and western districts of Hong Kong Island, which are not currently served by the city’s railway network. These selected scheme congress three main elements:

• An extension of the Island Line from Sheung Wan to Kennedy Town with two intermediate stations;
• A new medium capacity line (SIL) from Admiralty, where it will interchange with existing and planned lines, to Ocean Park and to Ap Le Chau to serve residential developments;
• A new medium capacity line to interchange with the SIL and to serve Aberdeen, Cyber Port and to interchange with Island Line Extension.

AECOM’s Transportation team provided route determination and option assessments, alignment, station and depot planning, project management, railway engineering, structural and tunnel design, utility and third party coordination, traffic assessments, scheduling and cost estimation.

AECOM’s deep experience serving Hong Kong’s railway originated back to 1970s when AECOM first introduced the transit-oriented development to this land-sacred city. This milestone feasibility study sets into the next decades AECOM’s partnership with city’s railway network development.

AECOM conducted a feasibility study for the review and update of the Second Railway Development Study from the Railway Development Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Highways Department. The overall objective of this new study is to review and update the findings and recommendations of the Second Railway Development Study, taking account of the latest planning data, to formulate a comprehensive railway development strategy for Hong Kong up to 2031. The preferred railway network expansion plan will emphasize the need for a safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally acceptable rail system to help sustain the economic and social development of Hong Kong.

AECOM will be responsible for project management, engineering, planning, environment, sustainability, construction, rail operations, rail systems, and public engagement activities. MVA, our principal sub-consultant, will provide support on transport planning, modelling, and economics.

This project is a key strategic milestone for AECOM which allows us to extend our role in the planning of Hong Kong’s railway network into another decade. AECOM has an unparalleled track record on railway-related studies in Hong Kong, having played a major role in the planning of all railways and extensions in the past 20 to 30 years.

AECOM was also a key player in the development of both the First and Second Railway Development Studies in Hong Kong, which laid the foundation for railway planning up to 2021.

The Kai Tak Site 1B – Tak Long Estate is located within the Kai Tak Redevelopment Area, occupying 5.7 hectares of the former Kai Tak International Airport. This is the first large-scale residential rental development under the Hong Kong Housing Authority’s Integrated Procurement Approach (IPA), which is geared toward easing the constricted housing market.

AECOM provided engineering services, working collaboratively on a fast-track schedule across disciplines to deliver sustainable design, as well as high-quality, innovative, safe and cost-efficient solutions that not only benefited the client, but also had a positive impact on the community.

Nine non-standard public rental housing blocks provide 8,164 units, which can accommodate more than 19,000 residents. Elevated covered walkways connect the housing blocks, a 3-story car park building, a 2-story commercial centre and a one-story kindergarten building. To improve the living environment, 700 trees were planted to provide a canopy for more than 30 percent of the area.

The project has been highly recognized in the industry due to the use of precast techniques, including newly introduced Volumetric Precast Bathrooms. The development received a Structural Excellence Award (Commendation Merit) from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and a Hong Kong BEAM Plus “Gold” Rating.

AECOM serves some of the world’s most complex infrastructure projects, such as the Harbor Area Treatment Scheme Stage 2A. The notion of this project, however, is loud and simple – “Our effort is made to achieve a cleaner harbor for the future of Hong Kong.” The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) Stage 2A is one of the most important environmental programmes undertaken in Hong Kong with the objective of improving the water quality of Victoria Harbor.

The project works include construction of 21km of deep sewage tunnels covering the following areas:

• from North Point to Wan Chai to Sai Ying Pun
• from Ap Lei Chau to Aberdeen to Cyberport to Sandy Bay to Sai Ying Pun
• from Sai Ying Pun to Stonecutters Island

The tunnels are at a maximum depth of 160m below sea level. Works also include associated production shafts, drop shafts, ancillary civil and E&M works. Control over groundwater ingress during tunnelling at such great depths and preventing building settlement are great challenges for this Project. Extensive ground investigation had been carried out by land boreholes, marine boreholes and horizontal directional coring at tunnel horizon to retrieve the ground samples and to obtain the hydrogeological information to aid the design.Most of the tunnels are constructed by drill-and-blast method, except a short section which is constructed by horizontal directional drilling. AECOM is responsible for the detailed design, tender documents preparation, tender assessment and construction supervision.

Resilient cities need robust infrastructure in response to inner-city flood risks due to climate change. As an integral component of Hong Kong’s urban flood prevention master plan, the Lai Chi Kok Drainage Tunnel is part of the overall flood control strategy for West Kowloon.

The Lai Chi Kok Drainage Tunnel (LCKDT) project reinforces the flood protection capability in Northwest Kowloon, Hong Kong. The contract began on site in 2008 and included the building of a 1.2-kilometer (0.75-miles) main branch, a 2.5-kilometer (1.55-miles) branch tunnel, six intakes, a stilling basin and an outfall.

AECOM was responsible for detailed design, preparation of prequalification and tender documents, construction supervision, and contract management for the project.

Designed to withstand rainstorms with a return period of one in 50 years, the LCKDT project is one of the major strategic flood prevention schemes for the region implemented by the Drainage Services Department of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The new tunnel lessens the burden on existing urban area drainage systems by first intercepting surface runoff from the rural upstream catchment via a number of intakes to a branch tunnel. The flow then bypasses busiest residential districts of Sham Shui Po, Cheung Sha Wan and Lai Chi Kok, through hard rock and mixed ground conditions, and running close to existing water mains and sensitive structures a main tunnel about 45 meters (147 feet) below ground and is finally discharged to Victoria Harbour through a riser outfall.

As a key component of and jointly with other components of Hong Kong’s urban flood control drainage system, the project is collectively recognized by the 12th Jeme Tien Yow Award, China’s highest recognition of engineering excellence, in 2014.

AECOM provided for Hong Kong a comprehensive urban flood control master plan study, and engineered some of the most critical component of that blueprint, including the Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel in response to the increased community expectations for high flood protection standards.
The construction of the Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel (HKWDT) is to alleviate the flooding risks to meet the community’s increased expectations for higher flood protection standards. The HKWDT project consists of a system of 32 catchment intakes, dropshafts, adits and a drainage tunnel. Most of the intakes will have vertical shafts connected with adits joining to the main tunnel, traversing along the Northern Part of Hong Kong Island from Tai hang to Pok Fu Lam.

During construction, two tunnel boring machines (TBM) were be used to excavate the tunnel from the two ends, with one section of the tunnel (7.25m internal diameter) driven from the Western Portal at Cyberport for 6,650 meters, and the other section (6.25m internal diameter driven from the Eastern Portal at Tai Hang Road for 3,950 meters. A TBM dismantling chamber was designed at the mid-point of the tunnel to recover the TBM elements. This was to facilitate the concurrent tunnel excavation by two TBM’s starting from the both ends of the tunnel. The total is approximately 10.5km. The tunnel is permanently lined by precast concrete segments, erected by the TBM as excavation progresses. AECOM was appointed by the Dragages-Nishimatsu Joint Venture (DNJV) as the designer to carry out the detailed design for the design and construction contract for the project.

As a key component of and jointly with other components of Hong Kong’s urban flood control drainage system, the project is collectively recognized by the 12th Jeme Tien Yow Award, China’s highest recognition of engineering excellence, in 2014.

To meet the phenomenal growth of exhibition demand, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council decided to expand the exhibition space of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) by 50 percent in 2006. The expansion required a steel structure spanning 90 meters, with no intermediate columns, to extend across the existing water channel between the two phases of the HKCEC. This new expansion resulted in an increase of close to 65,700 square meters of exhibition space.

AECOM acted as the project manager during the outline design, tender and construction stages of this fast tracked project and is responsible for the majority of the statutory compliance checking during the design and construction stages. The design and build form of the contract was firstly adopted among projects in Hong Kong.

Siu Ho Wan Sewage Treatment Works (STW) is being designed to provide Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment (CEPT) to the wastewater mainly generated from the Tung Chung/Tai Ho New Town and surrounding areas in the Lantau Island. The design capacity of the STW is 180,000m3/day. An effluent disinfection system is constructed at Siu Ho Wan to control the potential discharge of pathogens to the North West waters and to minimize the possible adverse impact onto the marine environment including the Chinese White Dolphins.

AECOM conducted a desktop review in May 1999 to assess the feasibility of using UV radiation and ozone to disinfect the CEPT effluent from Siu Ho Wan. This was followed by a disinfection pilot test program at Stonecutters Island to collect more site-specific basis for option comparison. The UV disinfection pilot test took place in September 1999 and consisted of (1) dose response tests, (2) fouling tests, (3) headloss analysis, (4) disinfection by-products and (5) photo-reactivation tests. A pilot test unit using medium pressure, high intensity lamps with similar reactor configurations as proposed for the full-scale facility at Siu Ho Wan was used. In the initial stage of the detailed design, AECOM had conducted further pilot study using high intensity UV disinfection systems.

The intensive testing program helps to determine the optimum UV doses in achieving the necessary effluent quality criteria. AECOM analyses the pilot test data and develops relevant design parameters for the full-scale facility. We also address various design constraints and operation issues such as plant hydraulics, effluent pumping, choice of chemical coagulants, disposal of mercury UV lamps, power supply etc. The scope of the project also includes all other associated civil, geotechnical, electrical, instrumental ion, mechanical, structural works necessary for the completion of the works elements.

AECOM served as the lead consultant for the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) – Airport Master Plan 2030 Study, a 20-year blueprint that will ensure HKIA can meet the growing demand for aviation services and achieve balance between airport operations, aviation support and airport-related development in the future, while also retaining Hong Kong’s long-term competitiveness and position as an international and regional aviation hub.

The aim of the study was to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the airport’s operational requirements and constraints up to 2030 and beyond based on adding a third parallel runway and its supporting facilities and infrastructures.

Leading an experienced international team of sub-consultants, including cost estimators and environmentalists, as well as planners with expertise in airports, airfields, terminals, retail facilities, urban and real estate development, and road and rail networks, AECOM was able to complete the study within a year.

We were also the consultant for the “New Airport Master Plan” in the early 1990s, when the airport was first conceived.