Throughout a year of teaching and research achievements, HKMU has not neglected the importance of enhancing and expanding its physical infrastructure. In the face of space restrictions that apparently impose physical limits on its ambitions, the University has been thinking “outside the box” to optimise available space, renovate and update wherever possible, while also locating further space for expansion in the future.
Optimising precious campus space
Located on a relatively small campus site in a densely populated area, HKMU is constantly looking to maximise the space it has available for teaching, learning and student development. During the year we completed the relocation of some administrative offices off-campus to free up some office space for teaching and learning purposes. We are also searching for an off-campus warehouse for large-scale storage purposes. Once space had been cleared on campus, the remaining administrative and school offices were consolidated and renovated, and the extra space also allowed for the construction of new teaching laboratories, including a Digital Art Laboratory and a Medical Science Laboratory. Other renovation work transformed miscellaneous space into a multi-functional gallery and exhibition area for displaying students' creative work or hosting student activities. The Stanley Ho Library on the Main Campus underwent significant refurbishment, introducing new discussion rooms, furniture and facilities to cater to students' diverse individual and collaborative learning needs. Alterations have also been made to the Open Plaza on the Jockey Club Campus, to accommodate participants in the weekly flag-raising ceremony.
Many of our students, especially those coming from outside Hong Kong, have a need for safe, secure and affordable accommodation while they are undertaking their studies. We have been exploring a number of options to expand the amount of student accommodation we can offer, this year identifying properties that have the potential to be used as student hostels.
Planned new campus to promote health and wellness for all
Although HKMU occupies a tight space in a very built-up area, it is fortunate to have access to a slope site on Sheung Shing Street with the potential for further campus development. During the year, a planning consultant commissioned by HKMU developed a conceptual design and various environmental and traffic assessments relating to the site, and formal submission to the Town Planning Board is planned for the fourth quarter of 2023. The new development has been planned under the theme “A Hub for Community Health and Wellness”. As its name indicates, the campus will be designed to support HKMU education programmes, research, and activities promoting health and wellness for the entire community. Planned state-of-the-art facilities include a gerontechnology laboratory, an integrated health clinic and an interdisciplinary research centre.
Modern, capacious, green facilities all round
Meanwhile, at our Kwai Hing Campus, we have been adding new facilities and making other enhancements. A new Early Child Education STEAM Room has been opened there, while enhancements have been made to the Smart Hotel Room.
While developing and expanding its campus, the University has always paid close attention to green living and sustainability themes. On the back of its work to extend coverage of its campus sustainability initiatives and expand its recycling efforts, HKMU won several green campus recognitions in the last year. Among them were the Hong Kong Green Organisation Certification, led by the Environmental Campaign Committee, and Certificates of Appreciation from the Natural Christmas Trees Recycling Programme and the Peach Blossom Trees Recycling Programme by the Environmental and Ecology Bureau.
Expanding the library collection beyond physical boundaries
The HKMU library collection continued to grow in the academic year 2022–23, expanding to over 6.3 million books and dissertations, more than 206,000 journal subscriptions, some 288,100 multimedia items and over 460 databases. A striking feature of this expansion is the substantial proportion of the collection now available in electronic format — over 97% of the books and dissertations, 99% of the journals and 92% of the multimedia items. This expansion of the digital collection, together with the launch of the new cloud-based library system and resources discovery platform in July 2023, is a sign of our unwavering commitment to go beyond physical boundaries in providing an exceptional range of teaching, learning, and research resources to our faculty and students.
HKMU library collection
