Hong Kong Construction: Past and Present

Hong Kong is one of the worlds’ leading construction markets and it has seen significant growth and development over the past few decades. There is little doubt that Hong Kong is a city of infrastructure and construction. We are always in the process of building something - be it a highway, tunnel, new MTR subway line or adding to the iconic skyscraper skyline. With construction happening all around us it’s easy to forget the sheer number of large scale construction projects that already exist in Hong Kong - let’s take a look at some of the key facts relating to these projects.

Skyscrapers

Hong Kong ranks first in the world in terms of both skyscraper and high-rise building count. Some of the key facts relating to skyscrapers in Hong Kong are below:

• Over 50 buildings stand taller than 200m
• Over 100 buildings stand taller than 180m
• Over 7,500 high-rise buildings in Hong Kong
• Tallest building is the 118 floor (484m) International Commerce Centre completed in 2010
• Hong Kong has the most skyscrapers in the world; double that of its nearest rival: New York City
• Many buildings in the city do not have a fourth floor because the number 4 is considered an unlucky number
• First building measuring over 150m was Jardine House completed in 1973
• Average Building Age: 14 years
• Most Common Function: Residential 72%
• Most Common Material: Concrete and steel 92%
• 2003 was the busiest year for new building completion measuring over 150m with 56 buildings completed

With numerous skyscrapers proposed for the coming decade Hong Kong won’t be losing its title as the world’s tallest city any time soon!

Tunnels, Roads and Bridges

Due to the rapid economic growth and population expansion of Hong Kong the city has had to adapt and development new transport links to accommodate its ever increasing number of inhabitants. This has meant huge investment in new tunnels, road and bridge link within the city limits. Read more in our article Hong Kong’s Road and Bridge Network Under Ongoing Construction.

KEY FACTS

Tunnels

• The first road tunnel in Hong Kong was Lion Rock Tunnel opened on 14 November 1967 and is a 1.43 km dual-one single bore tunnel
• There are 15 major road tunnels in Hong Kong
• Tate’s Cairn Tunnel the longest road tunnel in Hong Kong: it’s a twin two-lane carriageway tunnels between Diamond Hill and Siu Lek Yuen which was completed on June 1991. The distances between portals are 3,913 metres northbound and 3,945 metres southbound.
• Victoria Harbour has 3 road tunnels and 2 MTR tunnel crossings: Eastern Harbour Tunnel, Western Harbour Tunnel, Cross Harbour Tunnel
• The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) project is a 21km sewage tunnel and is the deepest in Hong Kong, with the lowest point being 163.8 metres below sea level.
• The TMCLK (Tuen Mun Chap Lap Kok Link) tunnel project is one of the largest contracts ever awarded in Hong Kong at HK$18.2 Billion, and is dual 2-lane sub-sea tunnel of about 5 km long. The worlds’ largest tunnel boring machine will be used to create the tunnels.

Roads

• Hong Kong has over 2000 kilometres of road network – serving over 700,000 vehicles
• Over 150 km of highways in Hong Kong
• Tuen Mun Road is the longest major expressway in Hong Kong measuring 16.2km and is part of the 19.4km Route 9.
• Moving the airport to Chek Lap Kok required some 34km of road network links, the longest being the 12.5km North Lantau Highway.

Bridges

• Hong Kong has several major bridges linking road and rail networks throughout Hong Kong
• The longest bridge is the Shenzhen Western Corridor comprising a 3.5km long dual three-lane carriageway with 0.3km on land and 3.2km over water, costing over HK$2 billion.
• Stonecutters Bridge spanning 16.km is one most iconic bridges’ in Hong Kong. It is a cable-stayed bridge with two bridge towers, one on Tsing Yi Island and the other on Stonecutters Island. It was built at a cost of HK$2.76 billion.
• Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge is an ongoing construction project which will become the longest bridge in Hong Kong. It will link Hong Kong to Macau. The proposed 50 km link is expected to cost over HK$83 billion and is due to open in 2016.

With a number of high profile projects due for completion in the next decade Hong Kong will continue to grow its built environment and stay at the forefront of major ongoing construction projects throughout the world. If you’d like to find out more about current and future major projects in Hong Kong and the job opportunities available on these projects please get in touch and we will be happy to discuss further.

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Tunnels
Roads
Bridges

Tim Cole
Maxim Recruitment
Hong Kong and Asia Region