China's leading construction company eyes UK cooperation

Wang Wei (middle), leader of CBTGC's UK team, Mark Waterstone (left) from Rosepride, and David Hudson (right), chief executive of Guildhouse UK, pose with a board printed with the One Lansdowne Road project in Croydon. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A Chinese construction company which specializes in research and development aims to bring China's technical expertise in building to the UK.

China Building Technique Group Company was selected in 2015 as the primary contractor for a regeneration project in the south London borough of Croydon, giving it a chance to demonstrate a Chinese company's ability to provide building services in a mature market such as the UK.

Founded in 1987, China Building Technique Group Company is a subsidiary of the China Academy of Building Research, the largest R&D organization in China's building industry. The company has rich experience in large scale projects, and played a role in China's rapid urbanization over recent decades. Now it is looking beyond the domestic market.

"We have seen a growing China-UK business relationship over recent years, and this trend is strengthened after the concept of the 'Belt and Road' Initiative was put forward, and the UK became a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank," says Wang Wei, leader of CBTGC's UK team.

"An increasing China-UK business relationship gives us the opportunity to spread our reputation overseas. Through the cooperation with local government and developers in the new Croydon project, CBTGC can bring its technical expertise in building industry to the UK," says Wang Wei.

"The new project is an example of the closer business cooperation between China and the UK from national level to local level. It will definitely bring new dynamism and development opportunity to Croydon," says Tony Newman, the leader of Croydon Council.

CBTGC will provide design and consultancy services to a regeneration project which lies in the heart of Croydon, the largest and most populous borough of London, and is part of a mass urban regeneration scheme by the local council.

Croydon, located to the south of London, is connected with central London by trail links within 14 minutes. The new project on Lansdowne Road is a two-minute walk from the East Croydon railway station.

The new regeneration project in Croydon is due to be delivered in 2019. Once completed, its residential tower will become one of the tallest buildings in London, standing at over 200 meters.

"China Building Technique Group Company has a strong track record in large-scale projects, especially tall buildings, that's the reason why we trust it with the new project," says Tony Newman.

"Right from the first meeting, it was very clear that CBTGC knows how to build tall buildings. They have contributed a lot to the engineering of the regeneration project, making it more efficient and deliverable," says David Hudson, the Chief Executive of Guildhouse, the local developer and partner of GBTGC in the new project.

China's building companies have amassed plenty of experience in large-scale project. Their strength does not only lies in cheap labor force and construction materials, but also on a mature management system of supply chain and a strong ability to provide everything from a tiny screw to a modular house, according to Wang.

A sketch shows the One Lansdowne Road project in Croydon, London. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Wang Wei is an expert from the "1000 Talent Plan", a Chinese government-initiated global talent program. He boasts 20 years of experience in the design, construction and management for large-scale projects, having managed public projects such as transit station and water filtration plant in New York.

Wang was instrumental in facilitating a UK-China partnership for the construction of Manchester Airport City in 2013, a landmark project for UK-China cooperation in infrastructure construction after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2011.

He also pointed to the capability of CBTGC to build in an eco-friendly way.

"CBTGC has set up a complete system covering R&D, production, and technology application of green building against the background of China shifting the focus of development to sustainable growth," says Wang.

A considerable part of the world's carbon emissions originate from energy use in buildings, while so far only a small portion of new buildings meet green building standards, which, according to Wang, drives CBTGC to find a way to build in a more energy-efficient way.

He says one example of low carbon construction methods is the technique of using modular construction where individual units of a project are manufactured offsite in a factory and then taken to the construction site for assembling.

"Having the units built offsite will greatly reduce the amount of pollution resulting from the construction. It also saves construction cost and time, which are all important for low carbon construction," says Wang.

Although UK leads the world in setting standards for sustainable building, Chinese CBTGC is prepared to meet the local standard and intends leaving its own imprint on the new project, according to Wang.

"UK has one of world's first standards for green construction, the BREEAM. Although a late comer, we aim to apply our own expertise in sustainable building to the new regeneration project while complying with the local standards," says Wang.