Mr Fong Tak-yan, Anson

Mr Fong Tak-yan, Anson
BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering (2016)
Engineer, Civil Engineering and Development Department, HKSAR Government

Upon graduation from PolyU in 2016, I joined the Government of the HKSAR as a civil engineering graduate and undertook three years of HKIE Scheme “A” training in Civil Discipline in various government departments, such as Drainage Services Department, Highways Department, and Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD).

During the three training years, I received fruitful training experience through participating in different civil engineering projects, including lift retrofitting works in existing footbridges, upgrading of existing sewage treatment plant, and reconstruction of a pier. Among these civil projects, the expansion of the existing Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Plant is the most interesting and challenging. During my site training in 2018, I was deployed in this project and responsible for supervisory and administrative works.  Under this project, the Membrane Bioreactor Technology (MBR), which is one of the most advanced treatment technologies worldwide, was adopted in the engineering design. The expanded plant, upon completion, would become the largest MRB treatment works in Hong Kong with increased treatment capacity and enhanced effluent quality from secondary to tertiary standard. The works mainly included demolishing part of the existing treatment tanks and construction of the bioreactor building as well as membrane tanks. All these works were constructed within a limited, congested and operating treatment works area. Therefore, the construction team needed to maintain close liaison with the treatment works operation division, chemists and the Environmental Protection Department to ensure normal operation of existing treatment works, sewerage diversion and monitoring works, while completing the expansion works in a timely manner to meet the increasing treatment needs as a result of population growth in nearby development areas. In view of this, I adopted the Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology and requested regular coordination meetings in dealing with clash problems and different site issues, such that most of the problems could be solved ahead of the construction programme. Thanks to the unremitting efforts by all parties, this project was successfully completed within the tight construction schedule in 2019 and achieved zero accident in the whole construction cycle, site safety as well as winning the Autodesk BIM award.

By the end of my training, I had acquired practical engineering knowledge and professional experience in civil engineering project planning, design and construction, having equipped myself with essential qualities to be a civil engineer. In 2020, I was promoted as an engineer in CEDD after passing the Professional Review of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Currently, I am working as a Project Manager’s Representative for a site formation project. With greater responsibilities, I need to handle more challenging and difficult problems. I, therefore, would keep myself abreast of the latest construction technology and knowledge through further learning. As I improve my problem-solving ability and professional knowledge, I can face uncertainties and unforeseeable problems, either in work or in life, with higher self-confidence.

I hope all CEE graduates would keep learning and upgrading themselves, make good use of what we have learned at PolyU and contribute ourselves to society. As the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility”.