The Periodic Newsletter of the Meinhardt Consulting Engineering ...

Issue 2 - 2008
The Periodic Newsletter of
the Meinhardt Consulting
Engineering Group
This Issue:
Building A Success In China
A Bright Future for Meinhardt China
Hong Kong Science Park - Tai Po, Hong Kong
Taikoo Hui, Guangzhou Cultural Plaza - Guangzhou, China
Avic Plaza - Shenzhen, China
Yau Tong Estate Phase 4 - Yau Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Victoria Meinhardt,
Chairman
It is hard to believe that 34
years ago Bill Meinhardt
opened our office in
Hong Kong with only two
engineers. Meinhardt
China is now a 850 strong
multidisciplinary practice.
This would not have been
possible without Laurie
Smith at the helm
Meinhardt’s good fortune
coutinues with W.H. Wong
accepting the postion as
CEO of Meinhardt China.
Bill Meinhardt had a vision
of an Australian firm moving
into Asia. Today Meinhardt
is an international firm
competing in the world
market.
BUILDING A SUCCESS IN CHINA
Phil Treyvaud,
Group CEO
When I first arrived at
Meinhardt, the Hong Kong
office was the model for a
successful office to which
other offices aspired. This
is of course a testament to
Laurie Smith’s management
team.
W.H. Wong is Laurie’s
natural successor. Meinhardt
is delighted that a man
with not just the right skills,
but character has takn on
the mantle as head of
Meinhardt China.
We would not be where
we are today in China without
Laurie Smith, and
I am confident tomorrow
will be great under
W.H. Wong’s guidance.
Insight Magazine 2
When Laurie Smith joined Meinhardt’s Hong Kong office in 1982, there were just 15 staff in
this M&E practice. Meinhardt Hong Kong is now an 850-strong multidisciplinary business,
and Laurie has overseen the expansion into five offices in China. Now retiring as CEO of
Meinhardt China, he looks back on the company’s huge growth in the Asian market and his
own experiences of this region.
“Arriving in Hong Kong was a “We overcame this by the
life-changing experience, both quality of our work, persistence
personally and professionally, and a long term plan.
as the pace of life is so much Meinhardt now has a welldeserved
reputation as a large
faster than in Australia,” Mr
Smith said. “The projects are international company with one
bigger, decisions made faster, of the strongest management
clients are very knowledgeable teams in Hong Kong, along
and the industry professionals with a track record in Asia that
are well-respected.
is second to none,”
Mr Smith said.
“I remember it took almost
18 months to make the
But there were other major
transition and feel comfortable hurdles in subsequent years,
with the new and higher level including the British-Sino
of challenges.”
dispute over sovereignty
of Hong Kong, the Asian
At the time, Meinhardt Hong economic crises of the 1980s
Kong’s major challenge and 1990s and the chaos
in growing the business was to caused by SARS in 2003.
gain credibility so it could
compete for major projects The company’s response
against large, well-established was to manage its business
Hong Kong companies. prudently and carefully,
and to exert rigorous
financial controls.

(L to R)
Tamar Development
Project, Hong Kong
MTRC Yau Tong
Station, Hong Kong
Hong Kong Land Project,
The Landmark Hotel
Opposite Page
Former Meinhardt China
CEO, Laurie Smith
HAECO Hanger
Maintenance Base,
Hong Kong
Our way of life is all about the built and natural environment
in which we live, and engineers have a huge responsibility in
both of these areas.”
Meinhardt grew steadily,
completing many projects for
the Swire Group, (including
Cathay Pacific Airways,
HAECO and Swire Properties),
Hong Kong Land projects in
Hong Kong and throughout
Asia, MTRC and Airport
Authority works, institutional
works for the Hong Kong
Government and numerous
projects for all major property
development companies in
Hong Kong.
Over that time, Mr Smith has
witnessed significant changes
in the areas of sustainable
design, safety, efficiency of
construction methods and
the impact of computer aided
design and drafting.
“ Our way of life is all about the
built and natural environment
in which we live, and engineers
have a huge responsibility in
both of these areas. They must
move away from technical
issues only, and live up to the
broader responsibility.
This wider vision creates
incredible career prospects
for clever, hard working and
committed people.”
What hasn’t changed are
the qualities and skills young
graduates need to succeed in
an engineering career.
“Build on your interpersonal,
communication, management
and business skills as well as
your engineering capabilities,”
Mr Smith said. “Start early,
work hard and never give up!”
He attributes some of his
own success to the network
of “excellent colleagues and
clients” he built up (including
Pam Chow, his secretary for
26 years) and the guidance
and friendship from many
outstanding people in
Hong Kong.
“Asia is the fastest growing and
most entrepreneurial part of the
world. With our 35 year track
record and good management,
the success of Meinhardt Asia
is assured,” Mr Smith said.
While retiring from Meinhardt,
he is certainly not retiring from
life. A lover of adventure and
challenge both personally and
in business, he will continue to
live a very full life.
One goal is to complete the
second half of the Round the
World Yacht Race, in which he
competed in 2002/03.
“I only went half way, from
Liverpool to Hong Kong via
the Panama Canal and a few
other places. Now I have the
opportunity to do the second
half,” he said.
Insight Magazine Issue 2 - 2008 3

A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR MEINHARDT CHINA
W.H. Wong, who takes over from Laurie Smith as CEO for Meinhardt China, has a strong vision
for the business. It includes growing the existing offices, establishing new offices in second
tier cities and extending current services on the mainland to a full multidisciplinary business.
I would like to see Meinhardt build
these offices in China as truly local
companies of an international
group, offering structured training
and career development for both
local and expatriate staff.”
Meinhardt China CEO,
W.H Wong
Plaza Indonesia & Grand
Hyatt, Indonesia (Below)
Opposite Page:
Shenzhen Metro Line
4, Phase 2, China
With offices in Beijing, Hong
Kong, Macau, Shanghai and
Shenzhen, Mr Wong’s goal is
to establish Meinhardt China
in second tier cities such as
Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chongqing
and Changsha. He also wants
the company to become
registered for a design licence
in China and to expand into
new areas such as building
science, sustainability and
the environment.
“I would like to see Meinhardt
build these offices in China
as truly local companies of an
international group, offering
structured training and career
development for both local and
expatriate staff, and assisting
them to be professionally
recognised internationally,”
Mr Wong said.
Although acknowledging
that the global financial crisis
will have an adverse effect
on the engineering industry
in China, he believes that
good companies will always
have a major share of
available business.
“There will be a great reduction
in the number of small scale
and ‘quick return’ projects,
but infrastructure and major
commercial projects are likely
to proceed as they are longterm
investments and should
not be much affected.
“Meinhardt China has
successfully come through
Asia’s previous financial and
political difficulties, and I have
confidence that the company
will survive, and survive well.”
A major reason for this is the
very strong team of directors
and senior professionals who
have been with the company
for many years. They have
established a highly effective
partnership, and have the
common goal of achieving
engineering excellence. Well
organised systems are in place,
and Meinhardt China has built
up a strong client base.
While confident about the
company’s future, Mr Wong
does not expect his new
leadership role to be easy.
“There is a Chinese saying:
‘building up a successful
business is difficult, but
sustaining it is more difficult’. I
would add: ‘making it
more successful is even
more difficult’.
“My challenge really is how
I can do better, after such a
great predecessor. I need to
rely on my fellow directors and
colleagues to continue to put
in their unfailing efforts, along
with the support of Meinhardt
China’s clients and business
associates who have been
offering opportunities for years
to Meinhardt China to deliver
quality services.”
Insight Magazine 4

Mr Wong, who graduated
from Hong Kong University
with a B.Sc (Eng) in Electrical
Engineering, began his
career working with electrical
contractors, consulting
engineers and then an
international multidisciplinary
group in Hong Kong.
He joined Meinhardt Hong
Kong in 1984 as a Director,
worked in Sydney in 1987-88,
then returned to Hong Kong.
Recalling the first project he
won at Meinhardt Hong Kong
(a small job rewiring a primary
school after a fire), Mr Wong
said it was significant because
the lack of surety around Hong
Kong’s future had dampened
the economy.
“In 1985, soon after this little
success, the Hong Kong office
was awarded a significant
project. The Plaza Indonesia
was the biggest commercial
development in Jakarta at that
time and, in my opinion, this
commission set the foundation
stone of the subsequent growth
of Meinhardt in Hong Kong.”
A major project which is
currently marking another
milestone for him is the
Shenzhen Metro Line 4
Phase 2 project, comprising
a 5km railway tunnel and two
underground stations. This is
Meinhardt China’s first railway
project in mainland China, and
the first joint venture for the
company with two mainland
design institutes.
Commenting on his succession
to Laurie Smith, Mr Wong
jokes that his former colleague
is a “living fossil”.
“He still fancies the use of –
and expects engineers to use
- butter papers to do sketch
designs, when engineers
nowadays can only use
CAD stations.
“I’m joking, of course. Laurie
is a versatile and competent
engineer who is dedicated
to perfection in his work. As
a colleague, he is a mentor,
and I quote another Chinese
aphorism: , . ,
. ‘If one is assisted by
masters, he would become
a king; if one is assisted by
talents of the same peer, he
would become a warlord; and
if one is assisted by disciplined
followers, he would fail.’
The essence of this proverb
is the importance of deploying
quality people to the success
of the organisation. Laurie
is particularly gifted in this
respect. For years, he has
posted talented leaders of
various disciplines to the
right positions, given them
appropriate directions, created
an autonomous environment
for all individuals, inspired their
potential and coordinated them
to form an integrated team.
“He has mentored very many
in Meinhardt China and has
extended his contribution to
other Asian offices.”
Mr Wong believes that
engineering education and
training are not completed
in universities, and that the
first five to six years of
personal skill development
is the key to success in an
engineering career.
Projects today are bigger
and more complex and are
completed at a much faster
pace. Engineers therefore need
to learn a lot, learn it fast, and
work and study hard to build a
solid foundation of experience.
However, they benefit from
the formalised training
program and experienced
engineers at Meinhardt, and
IT makes technical information
more readily available and
more accessible.
“Engineers should capitalise
on these opportunities
and materials, and inspire
themselves for further
advancement in innovation.
Engineers have to be patient,
as technical skills and problemsolving
experience have to
be accumulated. They should
stay to complete projects, from
inception to final handover, so
they have first-hand experience
in tackling problems at different
stages of a project,”
Mr Wong said
Glenn Morris,
Group Director /
Managing Director – Australia
I had the good fortune of
working for Meinhardt China
from 1993 – 1999. I consider
Laurie as one of the three
business mentors who have
influenced my career – a
role he doesn’t realise he
was playing!
Laurie and the executive team
have been instrumental in
building a highly successful
Meinhardt operation in China.
Under the stewardship of
W.H. Wong and the Executive
Directors, Meinhardt China’s
future looks bright and should
maintain its mantle as a
leading consultant in Hong
Kong and growing business in
mainland China.
Insight Magazine Issue 2 - 2008 5

HONG KONG SCIENCE PARK
TAI PO, HONG KONG
Client: HK Science and Technology Parks Co.
Architect: Leigh & Orange Ltd.
Completed: 2008
The Hong Kong Science
Park Phase 2 is a unique
and pioneering project in
Hong Kong, being that its
aim is to create a platform
for innovation, research &
development (R&D) activities
for high-tech and high-value
industries. Such as electronics,
precision engineering,
IT / telecommunication
and biotechnology.
The Hong Kong Science Park
Phase 2 consists 10, 7-storey
buildings including energy
towers, R&D offices, laboratory
buildings & structural creative
oval shape auditorium of
modern facades 2nd order
non-linear analysed tensile
fabric steel structure of
amphitheatre, services tunnel,
link bridges, swimming pool
and music water feature.
This world class standard
research centre contains
numerous energy efficient &
sophisticated building services
facilities and earns its merit
in Quality Building Award,
2008 for two categories,
namely Sustainability and
Non-residential in recognition
its high standard of quality.
This innovative and sustainable
structural building earns
the Joint Structural Division
Special Awards 2008 (Hong
Kong Projects).
Meinhardt provided civil,
structural, geotechnical,
building services and façade
design services.
Insight Magazine 6

Taikoo Hui -
Guangzhou Cultural Plaza
Guangzhou, China
Client: Swire Properties Ltd
Architect: Arquitectonica (ARQ)
Estimated Completion: 2010
Taikoo Hui is one of the most
prestigious commercial office
hotel developments in Tianha
of Guangzhou China.
The project consists of a
45-storey office in tower 1, a
30-storey office in tower 2,
a 28-storey hotel, a 3-level
podium and 4-level basement
will include 5-storey retail mall
and 2 levels of underground
carpark and a cultural centre.
Mechanical, electrical and
other services will be provided
by Meinhardt.
Avic Plaza
Shenzhen, China
Client: Hutchison Whampoa Limited
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP
Estimated Completion: 2010
Meinhardt is providing
building services, structural,
geotechnical engineering
and façade and building
maintenance unit (Gondola)
consultancy design for this
project. The development
is composed of a 49-storey
245m high office building and
47-storey 170m high service
apartment building, which sit on
top of 6-levels of retail podium
and 4-levels of basement
carpark with underground
connection to MTR station. The
total GFA of the development is
around 240,000m².
Insight Magazine Issue 2 - 2008 7

Yau Tong Estate Phase 4
Yau Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Client: Hong Kong Housing Authority
Architect: Hong Kong Housing Authority
Estimated Completion: 2011
This is Hong Kong Housing
Authority’s Yau Tong Estate
Phase 4, a regional type
shopping centre of 8-storey,
45,000 m2 GFA. It consists
of mainly multi-storey
shopping center as well as
public transport interchange,
one-storey carpark and a
separate community hall.
Meinhardt is providing
engineering design services
of multiple disciplines:
structural and geotechnical,
building services and building
façade design.
China
Hong Kong
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421 Queen’s Road West,
Hong Kong
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