As HKMU and its student population have grown, one challenge has been to create teaching, learning and social spaces that meet the needs of students and faculty alike. The task has not been easy, but we have risen to the challenge. A host of expansion initiatives in the year have unlocked additional vital teaching and research space, while exciting plans for a new campus are being drawn up for the near future.
In February 2024, the Town Planning Board approved the University's planning application to develop a vacant sloping site on the corner of Sheung Shing Street and Fat Kwong Street in Ho Man Tin into a new academic complex. With this approval, the process of applying for the land grant and planning the structure is now underway. The proposed 19-storey building will add an estimated extra 30,660 square metres of floor area, increasing our current campus space by 42%.
This exciting development offers the University much more than just additional teaching and research space. Our vision for the site is to create a new campus positioned as “A Hub for Community Health and Wellness”, which will focus on offering educational programmes and activities that address the needs of Hong Kong's ageing population and promote overall community health. Targeted for opening in the third quarter of 2028, the new building will feature gerontechnological laboratories, an integrated health clinic, and an interdisciplinary research centre.
To address the urgent need for more teaching space while awaiting the completion of our new campus, the University decided to rent a 6,600 square-foot ground-floor area in Homantin Plaza, a conveniently located shopping mall opposite the Main Campus. The newly rented space was then transformed into the Homantin Plaza Learning Centre. Opened in July 2024, it has been optimised for teaching, with several medium- and large-sized classrooms as well as a staff room for project and research staff.
A wide array of renovation and enhancement initiatives has been undertaken throughout the year. Initiatives underway include a splendid new entrance portal for the main campus, and a number of attractive outdoor leisure areas that are being gradually added to the University campus sites.
HKMU is increasingly producing practical research work that is supporting Hong Kong's bid to become a regional centre for “new industrialisation”. In December 2023 the University was awarded over HK$37 million by the Education Bureau to set up a dedicated Industrial Centre, which will support student training in fields such as electronic and computer engineering, cyber and computer security, and data science and artificial intelligence.
To accommodate more non-local students, researchers and visiting fellows coming to Hong Kong, we acquired a new hotel in Hung Hom in June 2024. Renamed MU88, the accommodation commenced operations in August 2024, with additional modifications planned for the following year. Conveniently situated near the Ho Man Tin MTR station and close to HKMU's Ho Man Tin campuses, MU88 offers easy access to HKMU and helps its residents feel like they are an integral part of university life. It also helps promote campus internationalisation.
