This year’s Building Surveyors Conference was successfully held on Saturday 22 October 2011 with a record high attendance of over 240. This year also marked the memorable 25th Anniversary of the Conference and the theme was “Built Environment: Health and Safety”. Mr CY Leung was our guest of honour of the Conference and speakers included Government officials, academia, private

practitioners and representatives from the Mainland and Australia. The sharing on surveying practices in different countries from various speakers did stimulate the attendees’ critical thinking on the future direction of building control in Hong Kong.

 

Following the Day Conference was the Conference Dinner for which over 80 guests and members enjoyed the good time together. The Guest of Honour of the Dinner, Mr. CK Lau, recalled the works and functions of a building surveyor, from past to present. Presentation of certificate to newly elected Distinguish Building Surveyors was one of the highlights in the Dinner. This year, we have three newly elected Distinguish Building Surveyors, they are Mr. Daniel Ho Chi Wing, Mr. Edwin Tang Hoi Kwan and Mr. Kenneth Yun Ying Kit. Congratulations to our respectable gentlemen for receiving this Hall of Fame of building surveyors. Professor Barnabas Chung also took us back to 25 years ago to the first Building Surveyors Conference and recalled our memories of the proceedings of the first conference.

 

All guests and members enjoyed the dinner and had a memorable moment. Group photos with all the past and newly elected Distinguish Building Surveyors, together with all past Chairmen and current Chairman were taken, as this was such a golden opportunity with all their attendance!

 

I would like to tender my sincere thanks and gratitude to the Organizing Committee of the Conference and Dinner led by our Vice Chairman, Andrew Kung with the support of Arthur Cheung, Daniel Pong, Billy Wong, Jason Law, Susan Ang and Denny Yeung. Without their hard works, we would not be able to make this event so successful.

 

In response to the invitation from Professor Barnabas Chung, I joined a sharing session with the current Year One/ Two students of the BSc Surveying course of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the evening of 12 October 2011. Professor Chung invited several experienced surveyors in GP, QS and BS disciplines to share with the students the distinctive nature of works and roles of the various surveying disciplines with a view to offer them more information to gauge their studies and career development. Tsui Ho and Alfred Wong, two experienced building surveyors also joined the sharing session. Needless to say, we endeavored to inspire and encourage the students to seriously consider picking building surveying as their choice of future career development.

 

I am delighted to receive the invitation from Dr Daisy Yeung of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, the City University of Hong Kong to speak at the briefing sessions to the potential applicants to the BSc in Surveying course on 15 and 16 October 2011. I joined the briefing sessions with Antony Man, Chairman of QSD. Since there would be two batches of applicants to the university entry, one under the A-Level entry and the other following the new 3-3-4 education structure, two separate sessions were arranged respectively. I have taken the opportunities to introduce the HKIS and the building surveying profession to the attendees with a view to let them have a better understanding on the roles and prospects of a professional building surveyor. Apart from the BSc in Surveying course, the course of Associate of Science in Surveying run by the Division of Building Science and Technology is also providing study and training in building surveying. I visited the information booths introducing the courses to the potential applicants and found students were so active in making enquiries. These do remind me that we do not only need to take a more proactive approach in promoting our profession to the public, but also to the potential new blood so as to attract them to apply for surveying course. It is definitely our undeniable duty for the future development of building surveying profession.

 

Following the publication of the new fire safety code which will be taken into effect from 1 April 2012, Buildings Department has arranged two briefing sessions for the relevant building professionals to understand the changes and new requirements under the new code on 21 and 28 October 2011. Due to over-subscription of the two briefing sessions, many of our members were unable to attend. In response to the strong demand from members, we have arranged a separate briefing session on the new code exclusively for HKIS members to be held on 24 November 2011 at HKIS. Interested members please do not forget to register for the briefing session and take action immediately.

 

DEC not only stands for December, but also Divisional Education Committee in the BSD Council. Every member should have come across the works done by DEC along his/her career path towards a qualified building surveyor as DEC works on the professional assessment issue and make recommendations to the Board of Education. DEC is led by our council member Peter Dy and currently it has finalized the framework of APC in introducing new assessment model for acquiring AMHKIS, a newly established class of membership. Some modifications of the submission requirements of Critical Assessment were proposed for the APC in getting MHKIS membership. The forthcoming work of DEC is to revise the existing APC Rules and Guide.

 

Time flies. It is again the season to have our BSD AGM and Annual Dinner. This year, I am eager to learn that the event will be held on 2 December 2011 at Kowloon Bowling Green Club. Our Organizing Committee seeks to look for a better place for the AGM and Annual Dinner every year so as to offer a comfortable gathering place for the members to meet old friends and have social gathering amongst different generations contributing in our profession. Place is changed, but enthusiasm and passion remain. I would like to invite your participation to show your concerns and supports to the BSD’s works done and efforts paid for the profession’s development and welfare of members in the past year and our plan on the same in the coming year. Newly qualified members are free of charge. Everybody please grasp the chance. Details of registration will be announced soon.