Postgraduate Courses

The process and methodology of construction and the approach of supervision in accordance with the local practice are discussed and illustrated. Observation on the quality and safety of work is emphasized with particular attention to the local regulations. References are made to local construction cases and the practice notes issued by the authority.

Buildings ordinance, buildings regulations, codes of practice, duties of authorized person and registered structural engineer, town planning ordinance, land matters, environmental impact assessment, traffic impact assessment, drainage impact assessment, sewerage impact assessment, structural plan submission, quality supervision, occupation permit, property development, case studies.

The course would cover Principle of Project Management, Contractor Management, Public Works Development, Consultant Management & Engineering proposal, Design & Build, BOT & PPP, Project Finance, Project Risk Management, Project Partnering, Value Management, Safety Management, Environment Management, Case Studies.

This course focuses on different forms of contracts used in the construction industry; different dispute resolution methods such as mediation, arbitration, adjudication, China arbitration etc. will be discussed in depth. Law of Contract and Conditions of Contracts will be presented. Risk, time and cost control in contract will also be discussed. Class participation and presentation in the various topics are expected from students.

Estimate, tendering strategy, budgetary control, contract account, cash flow management, depreciation, taxation effects, annual reports, strategic management, benefit cost analysis, life cycle costing, value engineering.

Fundamental concepts (workability, strength, dimension stability, and durability); updated concrete technology (microstructural engineering, development of special concretes); concrete fracture and modeling; nondestructive evaluation methods for concrete structures.

Reinforced concrete durability; damage caused by natural and human-being disaster; infrastructure degradation, inspection; non-destructive evaluation; conventional repair techniques; composite materials; steel plate or composite strengthening, beam and column retrofitting.

Integrated treatment of analytical methods and technical aspects in design of tall building structures, including structural modeling, frames, shear walls, outrigger-braced systems, core-walls, tubular structures, and special topics.

This course provides consolidated theoretical background and practical knowledge on the analysis, computer aided modeling and design optimization of modern tall building structures. Topics include behavior of different forms of tall building structures; finite element modeling and analysis; principles and practice of structural optimization for tall building design.

Analysis of stress and strain, elastic and inelastic behavior of materials, formulation of BVP, beam on elastic foundations, torsion of noncircular thinwalled members, deformation of cylinders and spheres, inelastic analysis.

An introduction and overview of earthquake engineering, basic seismology and earthquake characteristics, seismic responses of SDOF and MDOF structures, philosophy and principles of earthquake resistant designs, and earthquake hazard mitigation including retrofit, smart structure and health monitoring technologies.

Basic concepts of prestressed concrete, design for serviceability and time-dependent analysis, ultimate strength limit states, anchorage zones, statically indeterminate structures, two way slabs, compression and tension members, future developments.

Introduction to seismic engineering and seismic design and analysis of concrete structures, including seismology, seismic hazards, dynamics of SDOF and MDOF systems, seismic response spectrum, conceptual design of concrete buildings for seismic resistance, capacity design principles, seismic design of reinforced concrete beams, columns, walls and beam-column joints.

Wind structures, wind loads, wind induced vibrations, wind codes, wind tunnel test techniques, structural monitoring, and vibration control.

This course is focused on the bridge superstructure analysis and design using limit states design method. The main objectives of this course include the introduction of limit states design method; discussion of design philosophy and code requirements; as well as analysis and design examples using limit states design method.

The course will cover basic wave characteristics, linear wave theory, wave transformation processes, wind-wave generation, coastal processes, wave-structure interaction, design procedures and requirements for coastal structures such as seawalls, breakwaters and beaches.

Innovative technologies for land and groundwater remediation, site investigation, risk assessment, and local case studies on land decontamination such as Kai Tak Airport, Penny's Bay, North Tsing Yi will be included.

Principles, design and management practices of physico/chemical treatment processes for removing contaminants from drinking water and municipal wastewaters; includes coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, air flotation, centrifugation, filtration, membrane, air stripping, carbon adsorption, disinfection, chemical oxidation processes, operation management and residual management.

Theory and conceptual design of key unit processes and unit operations in domestic wastewater treatment and reuse with emphasis on applications of compact and advanced treatment technologies.

This course is designed to give a comprehensive understanding of the hydraulics of pipelines, open channels, sewer mains and free surface flows. Particular attention will be given to topics relevant to water supply including leakage detection, urban drainage and coastal processes.

This course covers the design and management of municipal hydraulic systems involved in the conveyance of water supply and sewage, as well as in the disposal of storm water. Emphasis is placed on the theoretical and engineering aspects in the analysis, design, operation, and management of water distribution system, sewer system, pumping system, and storm drainage system.

Overview of transportation planning process, population/employment forecasting techniques, discrete choice models, simplified transportation demand models.

Traffic flow fundamentals; microscopic and macroscopic traffic flow characteristics; principle and theory of traffic signal; essential modeling techniques; various traffic signal control models.

The main objective of this course is to understand the fundamentals of soil behavior with particular emphasis on the physical principles behind the macro-scale engineering properties, which originate from "particle interactions". In the first part of this course, fundamentals of soil behavior will be revisited. In the second part, experimental characterizations of particulate-scale soil behavior will be introduced, including an introduction to the basics of innovative wave-based techniques (using mechanical and electromagnetic waves) and different applications of this non-destructive measurement technique.

Current practice of foundation design and analysis, including design and analysis of bulkheads, deep excavation, tieback systems, tunneling in soft ground, buried conduits, lateral pile loading, pier foundations.

The course is intended to introduce post-graduate students the essential knowledge in the design and construction of tunnels and caverns. The topics cover ground characterization, design principles, construction techniques, risk assessment and management and lessons learnt from past case histories.

Fundamental principles, stress state variables, steady-state and transient flows, theory of shear strength and its measurements, soil stiffness, plastic and limit equilibrium analyses of earth pressures, slope stability and bearing capacity, critical state framework, instrumentation, engineering applications on slopes including static liquefaction of loose fill slopes, foundations, forensic studies such as slope failures.

This course will introduce in detail the slope safety management system in Hong Kong, including its background, past development, as well as its key components, e.g. geotechnical control and landslide prevention and mitigation programme. The course will also cover basic knowledge on engineering geology, Hong Kong landslides, fundamentals and methods of slope stability assessment, slope stabilisation and landslide mitigation measures as well as the advanced subjects of quantitative risk assessments and use of novel technologies in landslide assessment.

Bayesian methods, reliability evaluation, system reliability, reliability-based design, probabilistic risk analysis, probabilistic observational methods, Monte Carlo Simulation, Fault and Event Tree models, elementary utility theory, decision with multiple objectives. Emphasis will be placed on applications. Practical examples will be used extensively to demonstrate application of these methods.

Selected topics of current interest. May be repeated for credit if different topics are covered.

An independent project carried out under the supervision of a faculty member.