Analogue

Issue 60, Jan 2023

ATAL Held Seminar Series to Share Insights into Smart Sustainability
安樂工程舉行研討會系列 實現智慧可持續發展

ATAL Engineering Group (ATAL) successfully held an inaugural seminar series earlier, comprising 3 half-day seminars and bringing together ATAL thought leaders with industry experts and academics to share experiences and case studies on the theme of “Smart Sustainability: People・Innovation・Environment”.

“Through these seminars, we aim to raise awareness of ATAL’s capabilities and contribution in these areas and to explore how companies and individuals can help build a smarter, greener world,” Ir Dr Otto Poon, Chairman of ATAL Engineering Group, explained.

“We’re also leveraging these events to connect with our customers, partners and stakeholders.” Ir Dr Otto Poon, Chairman of ATAL Engineering Group, added.

Day 1: Building our Future through Young Talent Development

The first seminar focused on young talent development, with experience sharing by keynote speaker Mr Chan Ka-kui, GBS, JP, Immediate Past President of the Construction Industry Council and a leader with a distinguished four-decade career in the construction sector. ATAL’s professional team including Ms Pat Poon, Human Resources Director; Mr Davis Liu, Director of Training and Development; Mr Eric Cheung, Technical Manager; and Ir Dr Sammy Wan, Associate Director of Corporate Sustainability, offered highlights of ATAL’s strategies in talent development and elaborated how the Group has successfully nurtured generations of high-calibre engineering and management talent.

Talent development is in the Group’s DNA. We have trained more than 1,000 engineers and technicians over the past four decades. We have continued to invest in young talent development, including establishing the ATAL Training Centre and rolling out training series, career development programmes and various multi-skill training initiatives.

Left: The first day of seminar series focused on young talent development.
Right: Keynote speaker Mr Chan Ka-kui, GBS, JP, Immediate Past President of the Construction Industry Council, shared his experience with a distinguished four-decade career in the construction sector.

ATAL’s professionals shared their experiences of connecting youth, upskilling the workforce in innovation, and creating a supportive, safe and healthy workplace.

Day 2: Innovations towards Net-Zero and Smart City
The second session of our seminar series, entitled “Innovations towards Net-Zero and Smart City”, focused on how innovation can be a game-changer in creating a smart, net-zero carbon future.

Keynote speaker Mr Alex Wan, Managing Director, Asia for Smart Solutions & Advanced Engineering of WSP, introduced the concept of “Digiteering” from various technologies aspects, which aims to unlock digital value for engineering excellence.

Led by Ir Dave Chan, ATAL’s Chief Executive of Information, Communications and Building Technologies (ICBT), our ICBT professionals shared the journey of digital and green transformation, and how we shape the future of our built environment with one-stop innovative technologies, namely IoT Application for Smart Buildings, AI in Driving Energy Optimisation, Retro-commissioning (RCx), Video Analytics and Smart Mobility. Dave charted the evolution from traditional stand-alone buildings to integrated buildings and digital buildings, and looked ahead to the era of smart buildings in a smart city.

With growing industry trends and market opportunities arising from supportive government initiatives for smart and green city, ATAL’s profound experience and capability of unique innovative solutions have differentiated the Group among the industry.

Keynote speaker Mr Alex Wan, Managing Director, Asia for Smart Solutions & Advanced Engineering of WSP, highlighted the importance of several core technologies, including robotics, IoT, digital twin, AI, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Panellists shared thoughts about innovative technologies. Our ICBT team elaborated on BIM models that enable the deployment of analytics driven applications.

Day 3: Shaping the Environment for a Greener World

The final session of ATAL’s seminar series explored “Shaping the Environment for a Greener World”, with Professor Wang Wenxiong, Chair Professor and Associate Dean of School of Energy and Environment of the City University of Hong Kong, as keynote speaker. Prof. Wang shared his academic research with practical experience in developing the next generation of rapid and sensitive biologically diagnostic tool for water quality assessment.

Ir Steven Lai, ATAL’s Chief Executive of Environmental Engineering, together with his team elaborated on building resilient and sustainable water supply, achieving energy neutrality in municipal wastewater plants, moving towards Net Zero by Co-generation and Tri-generation.

Keynote speaker Professor Wang Wenxiong, Chair Professor and Associate Dean of School of Energy and Environment of the City University of Hong Kong, shared his academic research with practical experience in water quality assessment.

Professor Wang and ATAL’s professionals exchanged views on transforming to a greener world on different fronts, such as wastewater treatment and energy optimisation.

Going forward, ATAL will explore ways to enable waste treatment plants to support the Government’s carbon neutrality goals by generating electricity from food waste or sludge for the plants’ own consumption. We shall also upgrade customers’ existing water and wastewater treatment plants through the incremental application of digital twin technology to achieve more accurate dosing of chemicals for sewage treatment and to simulate different operational scenarios.

“Innovation and sustainability have long steered ATAL’s growth,” Ir Dr Poon said. “As long as we stay close to customers’ needs, leverage technology and innovation to make buildings smarter and the environment greener, we will continue to create shared value for our customers and the communities we serve,” he concluded.