New Lift Installed in Shui Pin Wai Estate

Built in 1981, Shui Pin Wai Estate is the oldest public housing estate in Yuen Long District. To provide a barrier-free environment for its tenants, the Housing Authority (HA) has recently installed a new lift at the seven-storey Bik Shui House which lacked such facility before.

The ground condition of Bik Shui House made the foundation design and construction of the lift tower quite complicated, but the HA has managed to overcome the technical difficulties by exploring and adopting a breakthrough solution. The project boasts a number of unique features. For instance, it is the HA's first pilot project using light-weight cladding and a prefabricated steel frame structure. With the adoption of a machine-room-less design, operation of the lift can save about 30% of energy consumption when compared with the conventional lift system. The construction of the machine-room-less lift requires no new piled foundation, thus reducing the construction cost by 8 million dollars. The construction period has also been shortened by seven months, and above all, causing less nuisance to tenants in the vicinity.

Construction of the new lift tower has been completed and an inaugurating ceremony was held on 21 January. The lift is now open for use.