The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     In order to solve the problem of inadequate land and housing supply, the Government spares no efforts in identifying land for housing development. The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has all along been co-operating with the Government and enhancing its efficiency in planning, design and construction of public housing, with a view to building more units as soon as possible.
 
     At present, more than 90 per cent of the building components in some public housing projects of the HA have adopted the precast construction method, and a six-day construction cycle for a typical floor of 20 units has been achieved. In addition to the introduction of more advanced precast construction technology in recent years, the HA has selected a total of five domestic blocks in Tung Chung, Lam Tin and Anderson Road for the adoption of the modular integrated construction (MiC) technology. The HA will actively select more projects suitable for adopting MiC technology and other advanced construction technologies.
 
     Furthermore, the HA will also identify projects that are suitable for the contractor to carry out both designing and building. The new design and build procurement model can, on the one hand, spare the limited human resources of the Housing Department from carrying out detailed design work, enabling it to focus on the planning, co-ordination and supervision of public housing development in order to cope with the increasing flat production work. On the other hand, this model can leverage the private sector's resources and expertise in enhancing the entire design and construction process. Greater flexibility will also be allowed to the contractors in the procurement of material, project implementation and workflow when the processes of designing and building go hand in hand.
 
     A spokesman for the HA said, "The total public housing production can reach 96 500 units between 2017 and 2022, representing an increase of 30 000 units compared to the previous five-year period. This shows the persistent efforts of the HA. The Chief Executive has also recognised and supported the work of the HA. We will continue our efforts to ride out the challenges ahead and to construct more public housing units, with a view to shortening the waiting time for public rental housing and meeting the aspirations of society to shorten the waiting time."

Ends/Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:45

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