The HKUST BIM Lab, led by Prof. Jack CHENG of Civil and Environmental Engineering, collaborates with Modern Proptech Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Modern Living Investments Holdings Limited, to develop Hong Kong’s first digital twin-based property management technology platform named “Digital Twin-Based ESG Platform for Property and Facility Management Industries”. The platform was funded by the Hong Kong government’s Innovation and Technology Fund through the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM).

At the launch ceremony on December 18, 2023, Prof. Jack CHENG, Director of HKUST BIM Lab and Associate Head & Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and Mr. Rankin NG, CEO of Modern Living Investments Holdings Limited and Director of Modern Proptech Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding on the research collaboration.

The new platform is an integration of building information management (BIM), internet of things (IoT), robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, supported by major environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives. It aims to achieve three major results: (1) a reference data model and robotic-assisted protocol for geo-based sensing data capturing for indoor air quality (IAQ) purposes, (2) a prototype software based on spatial-temporal AI analytical model for facility management, and (3) an integration and dynamic display of data in a digital twin software as a service (SaaS) platform for decision-making and ESG reporting.

The development of the platform marks a milestone in the enhanced use of innovative technology in the city’s property management sector. With the joint efforts of LSCM, Modern Proptech, and HKUST BIM Lab, the platform is the first tangible outcome of government-industry-academia-research collaboration in Hong Kong’s property management industry.

The platform will be piloted in selected shopping malls from March and is expected to be officially launched in September 2024.