Japanese contractor Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd has secured a contract for the redevelopment of No.2 University Drive and IT building for the University of Hong Kong. Totalling approximately JPY 30.3 billion (HKD 2,211 million), the project includes construction of three new buildings, comprising two nine-storey laboratory buildings (section A and B) and an eight-storey IT building (section C).

Founded in 1911, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the city's first and oldest higher education institution. It is known worldwide as a research-intensive comprehensive university with 10 faculties, including the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Arts, Law, Science, Dentistry, Architecture, Business and Economics, Education, and Social Science. HKU is Asia’s global university, with diverse students and faculty community and a vast network of academic exchanges with universities and institutions all over the world.

Located in the Pok Fu Lam area, the project covers a construction floor area (CFA) of about 45,000 sq m and is expected to be completed in 2024. According to Penta-Ocean, the construction work will be challenging as it involves building on a slope with Victoria Peak in the background.

Penta-Ocean entered the Hong Kong market in 1986. Since then, the company has taken part in numerous large-scale projects in the city, including the MTR’s new Victoria Harbour railway tunnel, ground improvement work for the Hong Kong International Airport Third-Runway System, as well as Hong Kong Government office buildings, data centres, and medical facilities.

The company has also been working on a number of education-related facility projects, such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Integrated Teaching Buildings, the Vocational Training Council’s Hong Kong Design Institute, and the International Culinary Institute, in response to the demand for new school construction and rebuilding following the implementation of the ‘New Education System’ in fiscal 2009.

“We will continue to develop our business proactively in the future, with Hong Kong as an important market for our overseas business,” stated Penta-Ocean.

Image © Penta-Ocean Construction