Timothy Joseph JACHNA is an assistant professor in the School of Design at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a architect who was trained at the Architectural Association Diploma School, London (postgraduate diploma: 1990 to 1993) and the University of Illinois, Chicago (Bachelor of Architecture in Design: 1983- 1988). Jachna got abundant international architectural design and planning experience such as working as design director/architect/project manager at the LANGHOF®, Berlin, Germany (1994-2001); planner at the TET Wasserstadt (urban planning), Berlin, Germany (1994); leader of model-building studio for Archigram exhibition: Kunsthalle, Vienna, Austria (1993-94) and architect/project manager at the Hartshorne+Plunkard Ltd., Chicago, USA (1989-90, 1991-92). His research experience included participation in the exchange programme with Unité Pedagogique 3 (UP3), Versailles, France (1985-86) and awarded research assistantship with Professor Paul Doukas at Athens, Greece (1987-1988).

Mr. Liu Zhifeng was born in December 1946 in Jiangsu Province, China. He graduated from the Department of Organic Chemistry of East China Polytechnic University in 1970. He is now a senior economist.

In 1970, Mr. Liu Zhifeng started to work in China Yanshan Petro-Chemical Corporation as a technician, and he had worked there for more than two decades. During this period, he was gradually promoted to the Chairman of the Corporation, and it was not until 1992 did he leave the Corporation.

From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Liu Zhifeng was appointed as Vice Minister of the State Commission of Economic Restructuring and Reform, being responsible for the distributional system reform, institutional reform of land use, housing reform, and social security reform.

Since 1998, Mr. Liu Zhifeng has assumed the position of the Vice Minister of Construction, in charge of policy and legal affairs as well as housing and real estate issues.

Professor LIU Hong-yu's career has always been in the field of real estate and construction. After completing his undergraduate (BSc in Civil Engineering, 1985) and graduate (MSc in Management Engineering, 1988) work at Tsinghua University (THU), he came to the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for two years joint research on land management. After he went back to Beijing, he jointed the work of land use system reform in Mainland China. In October 1992, the Institute of Real Estate Studies at THU, the first on-campus real estate research organization was founded with the effort of him. During the past decade, the Institute still keeping one of the leading real estate group in China.

LIU was promoted to Full Professor in 1996 and began to serve as the director of the Institute of Real Estate Studies at THU. The major interests of his research are focused on real estate economics, real estate development, real estate finance and investment and construction project management. In 2000, he was recruited from the Department of Civil Engineering to head the Department of Construction Management at THU as its founding Head. He has since successfully established a real estate concentration within the Department.

In recent years, he has contributed greatly to the remarkable success of the Asian Real Estate Society (AsRES). From 1996, he has served as an AsRES Director since it's founding and the President of it in 1999/2000. He also serves as the Honorary Professor of The Hong Kong University and Vice President of China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers.

E-mail: liuhy@tsinghua.edu.cn

Martin Lodge is an independent consultant. Before long he was the Business Development Manager for Gammon Skanska Ltd (a 50:50 joint venture between Skanska AB & Jardine Matheson Group; both major multinational listed companies). Gammon Skanska is probably the leading construction company in Hong Kong. His responsibilities there included developing Gammon Skanska's participation in the fledgling "PPP" (Public Private Partnership) market in Hong Kong.

His talk will focus on the potential for PPPs to be applied to Sheltered Housing for the Elderly in Hong Kong.

Prior to joining Gammon Skanska, he worked for Hongkong Land, a major property developer and also part of the Jardine Matheson Group.

Martin Lodge trained as a civil engineer in Scotland and the USA, and has a Masters in Finance from London University. He is a former British Army officer and, when not working, can be found sailing amongst the waters of Hong Kong.

Mr Louis LOONG is the Secretary General of The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Mr LOONG received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Hong Kong. He has acquired extensive experience in international banking and telecommunications prior to taking up this appointment in 1999.

Mr LOONG commits a great deal of his spare time on community services. He is currently the Chairman of the Special Fundraising Committee of the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF.