HKCEC Atrium Link Expansion Takes Grand Award in Biennial Building Competition

The Atrium Link Extension of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) was named Grand Award Winner in the Hong Kong Non-Residential Category of the Quality Building Award (QBA) 2010. The awards presentation banquet took place 11 June at the Conrad Hong Kong.

A biennial award founded in 2001, the QBA honours buildings of outstanding quality and excellent project teamwork. The theme for the 2010 QBA was “Quality Transcends Time,” chosen to recognise the contribution of outstanding buildings in creating a better future. The Non-Residential Category was one of six QBA 2010 categories.

Complex Project
Of the award-winning HKCEC expansion, the QBA jury members noted that it was “a complex project with extremely difficult site constraints. It was necessary to build over the existing water channel and busy roads with a long-span, mega-hanging structural truss system. This extension enlarges the exhibition facility by nearly half the current functional area, and its design approach successfully achieves a coherent and seamless connection between the two phases.” The jury added that, because of the expansion, “the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s exhibition and conference facilities is upheld and maximised.”

Carrie Lam, QBA 2010 Honorary Patron and Secretary for Development of the Development Bureau, said she was “particularly impressed by the comprehensive judging criteria” used. “A holistic approach was adopted in assessing a wide range of key areas of activities, including innovation and practicality of the building designs, whole-life value of the built environment and post-occupancy evaluation.”

Trade Fair Capital
Thanking the jury members, the QBA organisers and its 2010 Honorary Patron Carrie Lam, HKTDC Director, Corporate Development, Christopher Jackson said the HKTDC was honoured to receive the award. “We are delighted with the response to the HKCEC expansion from exhibitors and buyers from Hong Kong and all over the world.”

“Our vision,” said HKTDC Executive Director Fred Lam, “is to develop Hong Kong as the trade fair capital of Asia.” The expansion project, completed in April 2009, is helping to do that, he said. “After the expansion was opened, many public and trade shows have been able to record phenomenal growth despite a rough economic climate.” These included last year’s HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition) and the 2009 Hong Kong Jewellery and Gem Fair, both of which became the world’s largest fairs of their kind following the expansion.

World-Class Engineering
“Our new space is just at the right time in the right place to help Hong Kong capture Asia’s new economic boom,” said Mr Lam. “I think this project is a good example of Hong Kong’s can-do spirit, professionalism and, above all, world-class engineering capability.”

The QBA 2010 was jointly organised by nine professional organisations:
The Hong Kong Institute of Housing; the Hong Kong Construction Association; the Hong Kong Institute of Architects; the Hong Kong Institute of Construction Managers; the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers; the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors; the Hong Kong Chapter of International Facility Management Association; the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency; and the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong.