Hong Kong is a high-density city, conditions of buildings are premised upon joint community efforts. On my recent visit to the Buildings Department (BD) to learn more about its services and work, I was briefed by colleagues on how building safety messages are promoted to the public through various channels. Among others, the Building Safety Week is the BD's annual major public education and publicity event. Concluded successfully in May, the Building Safety Week 2019 has heightened the awareness of the importance of building safety in both the community and the construction industry through a series of diversified activities, encouraging them to foster a building care culture together......

Hong Kong is a high-density city, it would be difficult to have a clear grasp of the actual environment if city planning is simply based on 2D plans. With the 3D modelling techniques reaching maturity in recent years, the Planning Department (PlanD) launched the 3D Planning and Design System (3DPDS) last year. By means of a 3D photo-realistic model, the cityscape of Hong Kong is visualised in great detail with the 3DPDS, which can also facilitate town planners to design the future city blueprint for Hong Kong by integrating existing planning information. Here, I have invited the Chief Town Planner (Information System and Land Supply) of the PlanD, Mr LIU Kam Ming, Silas, to tell us about the development process and the main functions of the 3DPDS......

After revitalisation, the 83-year-old Haw Par Mansion has been open for public visit since April this year. As one of the projects under Batch III of the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme (Revitalisation Scheme), the Haw Par Mansion has now been revitalised into a music school called “Haw Par Music Farm”. Earlier, during my district visit, I made a point of visiting the place and had a chat with the former owner of Haw Par Mansion and founder of the Aw Boon Haw Foundation, Ms AW Sian, Sally. Aw Boon Haw Foundation is the operator of Haw Par Music Farm. In addition, I have invited the Executive Director, Project Development of Haw Par Music Farm, Mr Roger WU, to introduce to us the mansion that combines Chinese and Western architectural styles......

Every year before the onset of wet season, tree management departments will complete Tree Risk Assessments (TRAs) and implement appropriate risk mitigation measures to protect tree health and public safety. In recent years, the Government has launched several pilot schemes to explore the use of technology in tree management to enhance its quality and efficiency. This time, I have invited a colleague of the Greening, Landscape and Tree Management Section (GLTMS) of the Development Bureau (DEVB) to talk about tree inspections before wet season. I have also invited Dr WONG Man-sing, Charles, Associate Professor of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), to introduce how to apply smart sensing technology to monitor tree stability......

The Dragon Boat Festival has just passed but the drumbeats can still be heard. In recent years, some government departments have formed teams to participate in dragon boat races. Dragon boating not only improves colleagues’ physical fitness, but also fosters team spirit and cooperation among them. This time, I have invited a female player from the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) of the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) to share her feelings as a member of the department’s dragon boat team, and show us how to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to landslide prevention and mitigation......