City University of Hong Kong (CityU) held a technology transfer forum on 18 May on topics in building design and health protection, sharing technological development with experts from the building and construction industry.

The aim of the forum, which was organized by the Technology Transfer Office of CityU, was to disseminate mature technologies at CityU among local industries for the advancement of technology. The theme was “Breakthroughs in building design and health protection”. The forum included three presentations covering wind tunnel facilities, virus cleaning in buildings and structural analysis software.

Mr Wong Hon-yee, Director of Technology Transfer Office, emphasized in his opening remarks that CityU excelled in applied research. Researchers not only focus on theories but also their applications. He said that the forum had facilitated exchange of ideas with industry by introducing the efforts made by researchers.

Professor Edmund Choi Cheong-chuen of the Department of Building and Construction introduced the close-circuit wind tunnel. “Wind tunnel study relates to our daily lives closely. It can estimate the curtain effect of high-rise buildings by demonstrating how they influence wind direction and the concentration of air pollutants, thus facilitate improvements in town planning,” said Professor Choi. The facility is also useful for studying wind loading on buildings and structures, air pollution, and dynamics of buildings and bridges.

Dr Albert So Ting-pat, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Building and Construction, discussed the structure and operating principle of the Virus Cleaner as well as its applications in buildings to enhance general air-conditioning systems. “Besides destroying virus, we can explore the use of the Virus Cleaner as air filters to trap dust particles and kill bacteria in buildings,” said Professor So. The Virus Cleaner has been developed post-SARS with a research grant from the Research Grants Council. Laboratory tests and studies conducted at the Prince of Wales Hospital confirm the Virus Cleaner filters and destroys 90% of viruses.

Dr Lam Heung-Fai, Assistant Professor in the Department of Building and Construction, demonstrated the “Instant Structural Analysis” software to the participants. “The software is convenient and fast. It provides engineers with swift solutions to structural analysis problems,” Dr Lam said. Users can learn the software within hours and is a perfect tool for teaching and learning about structural analysis.