Atkins helps nation build better cities

Atkins, a leading global design, engineering and project management consultancy firm, sees an opportunity to apply its expertise and know-how in sustainable urban development in China as the nation continues its drive toward urbanization.

Chris Birdsong, Atkins' CEO in Asia-Pacific, said the UK firm's rich experience would enable it to have a positive impact on Chinese urbanization and the company's growing presence in China will be highlighted by Atkins Chairman Allan Cook's visit to Beijing today as part of UK Prime Minister David Cameron's delegation.

Birdsong made the comment a fortnight after the Third Plenary Session of 18th CPC Central Committee approved China's urbanization plan, reflecting the nation's determination to have better cities.

Hong Kong contracted Atkins to design the third phase of the reclamation project in the city's Central district. Photos provided to China Daily

"Now, it is clearly an opportunity for us to bring our skills and knowledge - both of our local capabilities and international know-how - in supporting the development of the cities in a sustainable way," said Birdsong.

"We were part of the first wave of urbanization on the Chinese mainland," he added. "Atkins has been to China for a long time, we have local capabilities, and we are able to bring our experiences from other parts of the world to the country and localize it."

Founded in 1938, Atkins has been on the Chinese mainland since 1996 and has a long history in urbanization. This year marks Atkins' 40th year in the Asia-Pacific region, since it started business in Hong Kong in 1973.

The company sees their urban planning, master planning, architecture as well as all other businesses related to sustainable development are growing on the Chinese mainland, Birdsong said.

"So clearly, when you look at China, another 300 million people will be urbanized in the next 20 years and it is going to continue the urbanization rate that you don't see in other parts of the world, except maybe other places in Southeast Asia," he said.

Atkins has maintained strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region, according to company data. Revenue in the region reached 49.2 million euros ($66.4 million) in the six months to Sept 30, with an increase of almost 20 percent from the same period of 2012.

The company is also enhancing their footprint in Southeast Asia, and their entry into the markets of Vietnam and Malaysia, together with service diversification in Singapore, and has resulted in the first few commissions in each territory, according to the company's report.

The region is one of Atkins' targeted growth areas, and the company will continue diversifying into other infrastructure projects on the Chinese mainland, Birdsong said.

The company has recently won an important new contract to develop guidance for the Eco-Low Carbon urban planning for China in May 2013. The project is due to be completed in March 2014.

The firm will help develop, test and apply the ELC guidance, aiming to provide a key and high-profile reference point for ELC urban planning in China.

Mark Harrison, Atkins' director for urban planning and consultancies, said: "The project, which is closely aligned with Atkins' Future Proofing Cities, - a report, which explores how cities can assess all potential risks in a holistic way to be most effective in promoting inclusive urban development. The Future Proofing Cities initiative will provide a clear, practical methodology for ELC urban planning which sets out approaches, methods, tools and techniques tailored for Chinese local government planning based on international best practice."

The EURObiz, journal of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, said China's emerging ELC urbanization initiative forms a key component of the government's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), which places a strong emphasis on energy and resource efficiency, reducing green house gas emissions and environmental protection.

The project involves cooperation with both national government agencies and city governments, including China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Local and global

Noting the company is still growing in Hong Kong on key transport projects 40 years on, Atkins' managing director for the Asia-Pacific Samson Sin said the firm also attaches importance to other Chinese cities, which are on different development stages.

"For example, cities in the western part of China are undergoing the first phase of urbanization, so we have a lot of opportunities to masterplan an area from scratch," Sin said, referring to the new Donghu central leisure area in Karamay in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which is the richest mainland city in terms of GDP per capita.

"Our plan aimed to enhance the wealth of the city and raise the living standard of the residents," Sin said, adding that Atkins' work in tier-one cities focuses more on "the maintaining and upgrading of the existing infrastructure using our planning and engineering expertise, and what we call 'Brownfieldsite' development".

"To better seize the opportunities during China's urbanization, we partner with local design institutes," he said.

Atkins also sees opportunities in the process of surging Chinese companies going abroad.

The firm is "keen to cooperate with major Chinese companies to work abroad, as well as invest or build infrastructures in other countries", said Catherine Li, Atkins' director for alliances and client relations in Asia Pacific.

Atkins, through its 75 years in the business, has gathered "extremely extensive" international project experiences, best practice and understanding of different standards and codes, Li said.

"The combination of international and local is a key strength that we Atkins can bring to our Chinese partners to invest and implement projects abroad," Li added.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 12/02/2013 page17)