RICRI Research Seminar: Opportunities of Fibre-reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in the Climate-resilient Shore Protection Infrastructure
Lecture/ Seminar
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Date
21 Jul 2026
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Organiser
Otto Poon Research Institute for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure (RICRI)
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Time
15:00 - 16:00
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Venue
Z414, 4/F, Block Z, PolyU and Online via Zoom
Speaker
Prof. WU Chao
Enquiry
RICRI ricri@polyu.edu.hk
Summary
Nearly half of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coastline, where climate change is increasing exposure to sea-level rise, extreme weather, and coastal flooding. As these pressures intensify, many existing shore protection systems are becoming inadequate, creating an urgent need for more resilient infrastructure.
This seminar reviews current shore protection infrastructure, with a particular focus on wave walls, and compares relevant design approaches and standards in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the UK/Europe. It then explores the potential of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites for upgrading existing defenses and developing new climate-resilient solutions. Owing to their corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, rapid construction potential, and low maintenance requirements, FRP composites offer significant advantages for marine applications. The seminar concludes by identifying key research gaps and future directions for the use of FRP in shore protection infrastructure.
Keynote Speaker
Prof. WU Chao
Reader
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Imperial College London
Prof. WU Chao is a Reader in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London, where he also serves as a PhD supervisor, a member of the Departmental Academic Committee, Admissions Officer for the MSc programme, and Executive Director of the Imperial-Hydrogen Research Centre. Prior to joining Imperial, he held research and academic positions at the University of Michigan, EPFL, Nanyang Technological University, and Beihang University. His research focuses on fibre-reinforced composites and energy infrastructure, with particular interest in next-generation composite technologies for hydrogen storage and transportation, geothermal energy applications, and wind turbine blade recycling. He has led multiple research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and is currently the principal investigator of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. Prof. WU has published over 150 SCI-indexed journal papers. He also serves as Associate Editor of several SCI journals, including the Journal of Composites for Construction, and is an Executive Committee Member of the International Institute for FRP in Construction (IIFC).
