Brief Bio

Ir Prof. Chi Sun POON is currently the Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering and Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is also one of the Directors of PolyU-NAMI 3D Concrete Robotic Printing Research Centre. He was awarded the title of Changjiang Chair Professor by the Ministry of Education in 2017. Ir Prof. Poon specialises in the research and development of environmentally friendly construction materials, waste management, waste recycling technologies, concrete technologies and sustainable construction. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Hong Kong Concrete Institute, and has been serving actively in various professional and government bodies and committees. He is a pioneer in the research on valorizing different types of wastes as construction materials. His extensive publications in the area makes him one of the leading scholars in this field. He has a Google Scholar H-index of >150, and has been listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists released by Stanford University and ranked 4th globally in the field of Building and Construction. Ir Prof. Poon has been an Editor of Construction and Building Materials from 2014 to 2024. He has also been an Editorial Board Member of Cement and Concrete Composites since 2017. He was awarded the State Technological Innovation Award 2017 (2nd Class).

Abstract

Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) is gaining increasing importance in Hong Kong. However, concrete MiC manufacturers and users suffer from low assembly efficiency and lifting difficulties due to the use of conventional normal-weight concrete. Traditional lightweight concrete is typically limited to non-load-bearing elements. Therefore, developing high-performance lightweight concrete (HPLC) capable of carrying structural loads is essential. Hong Kong PolyU has developed a low-carbon HPLC and successfully applied this technology to MiC projects in Hong Kong. The adoption of high-strength lightweight aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials contributes to reducing the embodied carbon of the HPLC. The combined use of ultra-high-performance concrete binder  (UHPC) with lightweight materials has been demonstrated to be able to produce durable HPLC, characterised by low density, ultra-high strength, and superior durability.  Apart from the structural grade HPLC, the PolyU has also developed high-performance foamed concrete with superhydrophobic properties, incorporating waste CO2 in the foaming process. CO2-foamed concrete can be used for non-structural elements, offering high strength and excellent thermal insulation.