Speech of the President of the Board of Directors of Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau
Dr. Ao Peng Kong
Civil Engineering Laboratory of Macau (LECM) was established in 1988 to provide civil construction firms and Macau society with technical supports in civil engineering, laboratorial testing and calibration services. It is an institution that actively participates in the development of infrastructure in Macau and focuses on technologies and quality management in civil engineering.
LECM was founded to support Macau’s development of large-scale constructions and to improve the technical quality in engineering of Macau, by the local Government and the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC) from Portugal, together with some construction companies, consultants, material suppliers and related associations in the territory.
Since then, LECM has been playing an important role in quality control involving in large-scale construction projects of transportation and logistics, as well as in those reconciling with cultures and environment protection in Macau, such as the Macau International Airport, the Friendship Bridge, the Cultural Center, the Deep-Water Port, the Waste Incineration Center, the Lotus Bridge and the Border Gate, etc.. The completion of these important projects facilitated a new and rapid economic development period of Macau. After that, LECM continued its active participation in major governmental construction projects, such as the main stadium and other sports facilities for the East Asian Olympic Games in Macau, the Sai Van Bridge, the Science Center, public housing, the Jetfoil Terminal, the Light Rapid Transit System (LRT), reclamation, pathways and other construction projects.
In order to improve the technology and quality of engineering in Macau, LECM has completed a series of regulations and standards, technical guidelines, quality control manuals, as well as approval and reception procedures. The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau of Macau (DSSOPT) has also commissioned LECM to prepare three documents related to project budget and quality to allow more equitable engineering tenders and to avoid possible arguments in cost calculations of projects. They are the “General Technical Specification for Public Works”, “Guidelines of Standard Method of Measurement for Public Works” and “Guidelines for Preparation of Bill of Quantities for Public Works” respectively. There are Chinese, Portuguese and English versions to meet the needs of the local, China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
LECM has by now started, together with DSSOPT, the approval and certification efforts on materials and precast elements imported to Macau, especially on cement, PHC piles, water pipe and those elements involved in governmental construction projects, including the concrete products for Macau LRT project. Moreover, LECM completed the certification work for concrete of 100 years durability, working together with the local concrete industry. In 2012, LECM was commissioned by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority to certify concrete work for the main components of the project, aiming for quality assurance of the entire process in production from raw materials to finished products, as to meet with the high standard requirements of strength and of durability.
Moreover, LECM has also involved in surveillance operations on dangerous buildings, bridges and the airport, as well as in inspections of water leakage for buildings. LECM guarantees the safety of buildings in the region.
In order to better implement quality control on projects, LECM constantly makes improvements in expertise, enhancements in technical capabilities, and upgrades in management systems. We have obtained ISO9001 and ISO17025 accreditation since 2007. In internal management, LECM continuously improves in our digital document auto management system, allowing maximization of our informatics management application.
At present, we are also gradually implementing ISO 17020 standard, which is the management system of inspection institutions. Inspection work is another focus of LECM in addition to testing and calibration. As in civil engineering, a series of inspection processes are used to assess including construction process, under construction or existing buildings, building materials, etc., whether they can meet the applicable standards and specifications. These are all within the scope of inspection work.
By establishing and employing the above management system, LECM’s daily management and the quality of testing, calibration and inspection work are guaranteed, facilitating a more standardized working environment of the industry. The objectives of the above-mentioned system, namely, 1, economic benefits; 2, work efficiency; 3, the quality of the project, are in line with the three basic objectives of the construction project. It is hopefully to promote the development of industry more effectively.
Looking forward to the future and the rapid development of society, we understand that the prospects of Macau’s construction industry can be described as full of opportunities and challenges. A sea water area of 85 square kilometers granted by our mother country to Macau indicates an enormous space for marine water conservation development; the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area; the policy of the Belt and Road Initiative; the development of Macau as a world tourism and leisure center; as well as Macau being the platform between China and Portugal are all important opportunities for Macau’s future economic development, and these developments are inseparable from the demands for infrastructures. The construction industry in Macau must seize these opportunities, continue to learn and develop as to integrate into the overall development of the country. LECM will actively work with the industry to move forward.
LECM, in the face of all kinds of difficulties and opportunities, will carry high our spirit of "being true (factual) and (being) aspirational” to serve our consistent objectives, ensuring the quality and progress of projects, in our good traditions and fine style. We will carry on our continuous improvements in management system, upgrades of hardware and software, as well as proliferation of new technologies, to move forward to a goal stronger, higher and farther.