Steel construction in Hong Kong : supply chain and cost issues

Abstract

The application of steel structures for building works grows worldwide, but not in Hong Kong. The number of steel framed buildings so far is less than 2% of all the buildings. For many years the local industry has evolved to the use of reinforced concrete as the main building structure material with proven efficiency and competitiveness. Cost issue has long been a primary hurdle to the adoption of steel structures in the local construction industry. The current study aims to address relevant costs issues concerning structural steelworks in Hong Kong. First, structural steel supply chain issues were identified based on data information obtained from desktop search and relevant stakeholders. Then a case study on a hotel building project was analysed to explore the reasons why the owner finally withdrew the steel composite structure. The findings indicate that the construction cost of structural steelwork is inevitably high, and the construction of steel-framed structure does not have a significant benefit for improving construction program. These issues make steel construction unfavourable in Hong Kong. Towards a wider use of structural steel in construction, efforts should be made to improve construction program thereby bringing early completion of the project and early return on investment.