The project is proposed based on the team’s experiences in a series of interrelated R&D projects conducted over the past 10 years. The project coordinator (PC), Prof. Wilson Lu is actively involved in research on BIM, smart construction, and big data. He has developed his experience in leading and coordinating research grants worth more than HK$40 million, including Collaborative Research Fund (CRF), Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS), Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), Strategic Public Policy Research (SPPR), etc. He has a good track record in publishing papers in top journals. He won the buildingSMART International Award 2021, Resources, Conservation & Recycling (RCR) Best Paper Award 2021, and American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Journal of Management in Engineering Best Paper Award 2022. He will take the main responsibility for the proposed research project.

Prof. Jianguo Dai is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at PolyU and a fellow of Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE) specialising in structural engineering and smart materials. He won the HKIE structural division R&D grant award. He has a rich experience in the structural analysis and optimisation, durability, and life cycle performance of HRMB.

Prof. Geoffrey Shen is a Chair Professor in the Department of Building & Real Estate at PolyU. He has an in-depth understanding of the management of prefabricated building construction using various technologies. He has worked with the PC on several large-scale prefabrication housing projects since 2014.

Prof. Chris Webster is a chair professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture (FoA) at HKU. A leader in urban planning, computer science, and economic modelling, he is promoting an ambitious urban generative design research agenda at HKU. He will apply his expertise on generative design and economic perspective in this proposed project.

Dr. Jingxiang Zhu is an associate professor and hands-on architect in the School of Architecture at CUHK. He is interested in spatial structures, lightweight buildings and sustainable building technologies. He won the prestigious Construction Industry Council (CIC) Innovation Award 2015 with his ‘Z-Panel System – Lightweight Prefabrication’, implemented in several earthquake resilience school projects in rural China.

Dr. Kristof Crolla is an associate professor and licensed architect in the Department of Architecture at HKU. He is best known for his design projects ‘Golden Moon’ and ‘ZCB Bamboo Pavilion’. He will contribute extensively with his expert knowledge of design.

Dr. Shang Gao is a senior lecturer in the School of Design at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He has established a reputation in the research areas of lean management, productivity optimisation, and DfMA of modular building.