Modular Method Saves Time on Hong Kong Project

Brief 

Modular integrated construction, in which complete units are fabricated off-site, has been used in a pioneering high-rise in Hong Kong. The method let Hip Hing Engineering knock six months off the construction timeline for the InnoCell tower in the Hong Kong Science Park.

Insight

In Hong Kong, a forward-thinking engineering firm built InnoCell—a high-rise, mixed-use tower—using modular construction and BIM.

• Hip Hing Engineering built InnoCell, the first high-rise building in Hong Kong to use Modular Integrated Construction (MiC).
• MiC allows construction steps to happen in parallel, with modular structures prefabricated off-site at the same time as on-site work.
• Hip Hing completed InnoCell six months ahead of schedule and achieved 600,000 accident-free person-hours during construction.

Hong Kong’s glistening skyscrapers dot the city’s famed skyline. Constructing these towers is a remarkable feat, and Hip Hing Engineering has taken the process to the next level with InnoCell, a 17-story building providing living and coworking spaces for IT talent.

Situated at the Hong Kong innovation hub Science Park, InnoCell is the first high-rise building in Hong Kong to use what the city calls Modular Integrated Construction (MiC). MiC (more commonly known as modular construction) is a method wherein building units—complete with finishes, fixtures, fittings, and furniture—are prefabricated off-site and then installed on-site.

Modeling Helps Streamline the Construction Timeline

Hip Hing completed the InnoCell building in October 2020 after only 14 months of work, delivering six months ahead of schedule. This timeline was especially impressive given the scale of the project amid the disruption caused by the pandemic.