Construction Innovation Scholarship: Meet the Successful Candidate

The CIOB delivered the Construction Innovation Scholarship in 2020-21. This unique programme was put together to enable our membership community at all levels to consider research projects, focusing on new ideas and concepts which could be of benefit to the industry.

Through this type of experience, the CIOB believes our members can develop their personal and professional expertise and confidence. Furthermore, bringing exciting innovation in the form of best practice, toolkits and methodologies will enhance the sector for the better.

During the recruitment period, the CIOB successfully identified one special member who submitted their research proposal, took the time to attend a panel interview with experienced representatives of the CIOB and passed with flying colours.

The successful individual is Siu Hong Or, (Tony Or), who graduated from City University of Hong Kong with a BSc in Surveying in July 2020 and is employed as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor by Beria Consultants Limited. Tony inspired the entire panel (Roger Flanagan FCIOB, Rebecca Thompson FCIOB and Mustafa Ullah FCIOB) with his research proposal of building dwellings with bamboo. Tony demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of his subject, the market and solutions to the challenges in the use of bamboo to construct dwellings for elderly residents. The research proposal fits with the CIOB policy positions and ticks several boxes including sustainability, affordability, climate change and quality of life.

We are now working with Tony to detail the operations and metrics to measure success and define key milestones as he begins his journey as a CIOB Construction Innovation Scholar. 

Here’s what Tony has to say:

Project title: New Development of MIC using Special-treated Bamboo for Rapid and Green Construction of Elderly Houses (Bamboo MIC 2022)

It is my pleasure to be honoured this treasurable CIOB Construction Innovation Scholarship 2021. Below is my reflection on my research idea, the impact of this project on myself and research journey.

Research background  

In this project, I desire to use my knowledge gained from my Bachelor’s degree in Surveying to cater to the special needs of the elderly by studying a new type of elderly flat. Bamboo, which is a sustainable building material is suggested for the elderly rehabilitation and natural living environment.

The major problem that Asian cities encounter is the booming ageing population. The space and number of elderly caregivers are highly insufficient. Due to high rental costs and the long queue of waiting lists asking for the elderly wards, citizens of Asia are mostly reluctant to send their elderly parents to the elderly homes directly. Another problem is the dramatically high living flat prices or rentals in Asian small cities like Hong Kong and Tokyo. This is caused by the land shortage, huge construction costs and high living density.

Since Hong Kong is a coastal area, moisture, mildew and corrosion can easily happen on building finishing. Bamboo is believed to have good mechanical properties to make buildings eco-friendlier with high durability and low cost. I thus propose to use the special-treated bamboo (as major construction material) to build MIC (Modular Integrated Construction) modules with net-zero carbon emissions for the elderly houses in this research project.

Personal growth  

This project can highly enhance my analytical skills. Not only do I consider the construction cost, but also the life cycle costing (Purchase, Installation, Operating, Maintenance, Disposal) of the Bamboo-MIC units. During this project, I need to conduct several tests on the bamboo MIC materials. My big data analytical skills gained from my minor in Business Intelligence can also help.Besides, my organisation and communication skills will also be improved throughout this hands-on experience (1.5 years research on the pilot bamboo MIC design and build) under the lead of Dr Ivan Fung (project supervisor). Tight collaboration among my peers, who are graduates of civil, structural and building services engineering at CityU, is incredibly important, simulating the genuine cooperation among different building professionals in a building project.

Project delivery

This project will be separated into six stages:

Stage 1: Literature review and design of Bamboo-MIC

Stage 2: Procurement and delivery of MIC materials with laboratory testing

Stage 3: Installation of Bamboo-MIC

Stage 4: Testing of bamboo MIC performance and built-environment

Stage 5: Invitation for second/ third parties visit & audit

Stage 6: Promotion of this project, 3D prototypes & animation