In the 2022 Best Global Universities Rankings by US News, PolyU is the fourth best university in Hong Kong and 15th in Asia. Globally, it has jumped from 170th last year to 124th among the top institutions around the world. Its Civil Engineering subject, which is a major offering of the Faculty of Construction of Environment (FCE), is now ranked number two in the world, one spot ahead of last year’s ranking.

On 26 October 2021, a lecture was held on innovative construction technologies and cross-border project management of two major medical facilities funded by mainland China. Hosted by Prof. Xiangdong Li, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE), the lecture was given by Mr Yi Zhang, CEO of China State Construction International Medical Industry Development Corporation, who introduced the Chinese initiatives to help Hong Kong fight the pandemic, namely, the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and a community treatment facility.

Prof. Chi-Sun Poon, Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), recently received $2,269,000 from the Lantau Conservation Fund (LCF) to enhance marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning along the Lantau eco-shoreline with low-pH sea-sand seawater eco-engineered seawall panels.

Prof. Daniel Tsang of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) was awarded $8,784,200 from the Green Tech Fund (GTF) for his project entitled “Biochar-enhanced Construction Materials for Sustainable Waste Management and Decarbonisation.” That was the largest funding amount for a single project out of the eight funded projects.

The InnoCarnival 2021 was held at the Hong Kong Science Park with the theme of “Innovate for a Bright Future” in the last week of October 2021. Organized by the Innovation and Technology Commission, the event aims to show the public that innovation and technology (I&T) is closely linked to people’s daily lives, to inspire the younger generation to pursue knowledge and cultivate an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) towards pursuing a career in the I&T field. Among the exhibitions were two award-winning projects from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) at the PolyU pavilion.

In an effort to nurture future research talents, PolyU has launched the following schemes to attract promising young scholars to the University. Academics in the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) have been supported with funding to engage a postdoc fellow in their research.

Dr Yiwei Weng of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) has received $600,000 from the Start-up Fund for New Recruits for a 3-year project to integrate BIM with robotics for introducing steel reinforcement by a team of robots in 3D concrete printing.

The PolyU Undergraduate Info Day was held on 10 October 2021 for the general public to learn about the various programmes of study at the university. Each department of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) gave online and live talks about its programmes and guided tours for visitors who came to the campus. Over 700 people participated in the annual event either online or physically.

On 18 October 2021, Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President of Research and Innovation (VPRI) had an informal meeting with the management of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE).