Airport of Hong Kong Construction - Report Example

Report: Construction of Hong Kong International Airport REPORT: CONSTRUCTION OF HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Summary of the project The engineers who constructed Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) made an impossible idea develop into reality in the form of one of the largest international airports. The project, which entailed the construction of Hong Kong International Airport, was a collaboration between the British and the Chinese governments. The British government was involved in the project because it had acquired Hong Kong as its territory through a 99-year lease. In the 1984 Declaration, Hong Kong was established as a special administrative region, which was to be ruled by both Britain and Beijing. The 1984 Declaration also stated that British rule over Hong Kong was to end in July 1, 1997. Meanwhile, firstly, Hong Kong Airport was under pressure as it became smaller and difficult to handle the increasing number of people and cargo (Perren, 2005: 1). Secondly, the rapid increase of Hong Kong’s population made it a dense city, and thirdly, residential houses were constructed next to the Kai Tak airport, which was very risky to the population. The above issues instigated the need of constructing a new airport in Hong Kong. David Wilson, Hong Kong’s British governor, came up with an idea of building an airport before the 99-year land lease ended in 1997. The new Hong Kong International Airport, at Chep Lap Kok, was to be constructed on an artificial island after the flattening of Chep Lap Kok and Lam Chau Islands. The construction of this airport called for support from the UK and Chinese governments as both governments signed a memorandum of understanding that established the parameters of control of the construction of the airport. The airport came into existence after the investment of more than $20 billion USD in the construction. In overall, the whole project comprised constructing large tunnels, a high-speed rail system, new superhighways, suspension bridges, cargo and freight terminals and the airport. The construction of the airport started in 1991, and it was officially opened in 1998 (Craig, 1998: 98). The stakeholders and their success The major stakeholders during the construction of the new Hong Kong International Airport were the governments of Britain, China and Hong Kong. Firstly, the British government was involved because Hong Kong was a British territory. Secondly, the Chinese government was involved because Hong Kong was to fall under the authority of the Chinese government after the expiry of the lease, and thirdly, Hong Kong was involved since it was the local government. Conflict of interest ensued among the stakeholders because of future social, political and economic benefits. However, tension among the stakeholders was cooled down after the signing of the memorandum of understanding in 1991 by the British and Chinese governments. The bodies that were charged with the task of supervising the construction of the new airport were: The Sino-British Airport Committee Board and the Provisional Airport Authority. In essence, the airport’s financial and policy framework was negotiated by the Sino-British Airport Committee Board while the design and development of the whole project was overseen by the Provisional Airport Authority. Additionally, the Provisional Airport Authority had the objective of financing and delivering the following complete infrastructures: the tunnels, bridges, cargo and freight terminals, railway connection and the airport (Annual Report 2009/10, 2009: 47). The stakeholders who were involved in the construction of the new Hong Kong International Airport managed to drive the project into a major success. Firstly, the success of the project was seen when the two governments of UK and China signed a memorandum of understanding that ensured the construction of the airport. Secondly, the memorandum of understanding by the two governments ensured a smooth transition of Hong Kong after the 99-year lease expired in 1997. Thirdly, the airport’s long-term benefits ensured that the stakeholders would profit socio-economically (Perren, 2005: 1). Governance mechanism The best governance mechanism for the project that involved the construction of the new Hong Kong International Airport was the establishment of a parallel body to oversee the project. The parallel body’s main objective would be to ensure that the project comes to a successful conclusion without any political interference by the two governments of Britain and China. The management structure would apply a method in which both parties identify their areas of interest whether social political or economical. Thereafter, a different body or organization that has a neutral position is given the task of reviewing the issues and bringing a point of compromise (Craig, 1998: 48). Scope of the project and work breakdown structure The general scope of the project drew in the construction of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok at a cost of more than $20 billion USD. The project had more than 200 construction contracts and was sub-divided into 10 separate minor projects. Further, the scope of the project entailed creating an artificial land mass, constructing a suspension bridge that would help in a faster movement of people and goods in to the new international airport and out to the mainland that was designed to endure typhoons, a high-speed rail system, large tunnels, new superhighways, cargo and freight terminals and the airport. The above was to serve more than 460 flights and more than 100,000 passengers in a day. Work breakdown structure entails the identification of the various work packages, which are to be included during the construction of a project such as the schedule, cost, tasks and the stakeholders (Norman et al, 2008: 36). The following is a proposal of a work breakdown structure that is suitable for a project: 1. Initiation – involves the work to be done to start the project 2. Evaluation and Recommendation – entail the project working group evaluating the stated solutions and offering recommendations 3. Develop and deliver project Charter to the Project Sponsor 4. Project Charter approval by the project sponsor 5. Planning – development of the preliminary scope statement by the project manager 6. Determination of the project team by the project manager 7. Start the planning process with the project manager, team and the sponsor 8. Development and submission of the project plan for approval 9. Execution – the work is set on course 10. Procurement of the necessary hardware and software required for the project 11. Project manager and project team get acquainted with materials to be used in the project 12. Monitor the progress of project in accordance with the project management plan 13. Closeout – the project comes to a conclusion 14. Auditing – accounting for all the materials procured for the project 15. Acceptance of the concluded project by the project sponsor Risks associated with the construction of the new HKIA The first risk entailed the struggle for control of the territory of Hong Kong by Britain and China. Britain had acquired a 99-year lease that was to expire in 1997 before the end of the project. China was to take over the control of Hong Kong, but it was not clear if it would follow up the project to conclusion. The second risk involved the time limit that was set for the project. The project had a tight schedule since it was to be completed before the British control over Hong Kong ended in 1997. The third risk involved financing for the whole project. Investors were not sure of China’s intention regarding the project after it assumes control over Hong Kong after the end of the 99-year lease in 1997. The fourth risk of the project entailed the construction of a bridge that would stand against giant typhoon winds of the Pacific. The fifth risk entailed a time factor in that a highway system was to be constructed on the rocky mountains next to Hong Kong within 7 years. The sixth risk of the project involved constructing a bridge with very heavy cables (Chapman & Georgoulias, 2010: 7). The above risks, which could have halted the project, were managed by the signing a memorandum of understanding between the British and Chinese governments. The memorandum of understanding brought the two governments in one page and led to the establishment of two bodies: the Sino-British Airport Committee Board and the Provisional Airport Authority, which would supervise the project. The engineers handled the other risks that were related to cost, time and technicalities (Chapman & Georgoulias, 2010: 7). A Project Network A project network is important in the context that highlights the critical and peripheral tasks in a project’s schedule. The critical tasks in a project network should be of priority since they are independent of the peripheral tasks. To ensure that a project network is put into good use, it is important to identify the critical tasks and allocate time to the peripheral tasks. The first risk to a timescale is the allocation of a lot of time to a peripheral task. The second risk entails confusing a peripheral task to be a crucial task, and a crucial task to be a peripheral task, and the third risk is lacking the tools to monitor the critical tasks in order to avoid project slippage. The above project network entails the renovation of a house. The critical activities are tidying up the house to remove broken materials, repairing the walls and fixing electricity. The main risk on the time scale is repairing the walls. A delay in this activity results in the delay of applying the paint, replacing the windowpanes and installing new wires and fixing the electric sockets and switches. In essence, repairing the walls will be the most crucial activity (Norman et al, 2008: 76). Causal map for a construction labor A causal map is a good instrument when it comes to identifying various risks before a project commences, and after completing a project it aids in learning best practices and avoiding mistakes in future projects. For instance, the above causal map for a construction labor identified the risk of a construction project commencing without a skilled and motivated labor. After identifying the risk, it was appropriate for the project manager to come up with various contingencies that would aid in getting rid of the identified risk. This involved the project manager reducing the turnover rate and recruiting skilled personnel to ensure a construction project that was driven by motivated, skilled, and sufficient labor. On the other hand, post-project learning is important in that the problems that were experienced in the completed project are clearly identified and avoided in similar projects in the future (Norman et al, 2008: 96). References Annual Report (2009/10) ‘Hong Kong International Airport: Our Green Airport’ Annual Report 2009/10. pp. 1–127. Chapman, J. & Georgoulias, A. (2010) ‘Sustainable Financing for the Hong Kong International Airport’ Harvard Graduate School of Design. pp. 1–15. Craig, C. (1998) Site Preparation for the New Hong Kong International Airport. London: Thomas Telford. Norman, E., Brotherton, S. & Fried, R. (2008) Work Breakdown Structures: The Foundation for Project Management Excellence. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Perren, J. (2005) ‘Man Rises: Building the Hong Kong Airport’ The Atlasphere. p. 1. Read More