Balfour Beatty JV wins £200m Hong Kong contract

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Balfour Beatty JV wins £200m Hong Kong contract

Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group, today announces that its joint venture, Gammon Construction, has won a HK$2 billion (c. £200 million) contract to create Hong Kong’s first year-round, all-weather water-park at Tai Shue Wan for Ocean Park Corporation.

Covering an area of over 693,000 square feet, the Ocean Park Water World project includes construction of the main building structure and fit out and installation of various indoor and outdoor attractions. Gammon Construction will also carry out mechanical and electrical services installation and other building services work to support the water park’s specialist systems including wave generators and a water filtration plant.

To take advantage of the epic view of the South China Sea and maximise the amount of natural light reaching the interior, the building features extensive glass walling and shell shaped roofing with a translucent skylight system, which reduces the requirement for artificial lighting.

Gammon Chief Executive, Thomas Ho, said: “We are pleased to have secured this exciting development, where our expert capabilities and experienced team provides our client with the skilled partner they need to safely deliver complex projects.”

Gammon will take a proactive role in the Value Engineering process in collaboration with Ocean Park Corporation, in order to create cost-effective solutions. Lean technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) will be leveraged to maximise efficient coordination.

A workforce of 750 will be engaged at construction peak.

Gammon Construction, headquartered in Hong Kong, is a 50-50 joint venture between Balfour Beatty, the international infrastructure group and Jardine Matheson, the Asian-based conglomerate. The two companies have worked in partnership since 2004 to forge a reputation for delivering high quality projects for customers throughout China and Southeast Asia. The business is a major player in the Hong Kong and Singapore roads market. Gammon’s service extends over the full project life-cycle, from initial site survey and design through construction to commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

Balfour Beatty is a leading international infrastructure group. With 30,000 employees, we provide innovative and efficient infrastructure that underpins our daily lives, supports communities and enables economic growth. We finance, develop, build and maintain complex infrastructure such as transportation, power and utility systems, social and commercial buildings.

Source: www.balfourbeatty.com

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.