Experts urge wider One Stanley checks, tighter paperwork after steel bar shortfall

Hong Kong’s building authorities should consider inspecting the remaining properties in a luxury residential development and tightening work process documentation after one house was found to have used insufficient steel bars during construction, experts have said.

Their suggestions followed the Buildings Department revealing at the weekend that it had launched an investigation into work quality issues at One Stanley in Stanley, one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Southern district, and had requested information from the developer, contractor and relevant professionals.

While the department said the irregularities did not “pose obvious danger”, it did not mention whether it would examine the other properties in the development, which comprises 32 detached houses and 11 low-rise blocks containing 50 flats in total.

Lingnan University’s Professor Yau Yung, a surveyor who researches building illegality, said the department could consider inspecting the rest of the development to play safe.

“It is possible that the other properties will have similar issues if they involve a systematic error, an omission or malpractice,” he said.

Edward Chan Sai-cheong, past chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ structural division, said the results of the investigation would determine whether the department had to check the remaining properties.

“It has conducted many tests. First, it should decide whether it is an individual case or a systematic situation. Secondly, it should also decide whether it involves a serious problem,” he said.

Chan said some owners might have concerns about a site-wide inspection as they did not wish to be troubled, while others might want to hire professionals for inspections before escalating the issue to the department.

The issue came to light after a report by online property news platform WuChatProp alleged that an on-site inspection of a house at One Stanley found insufficient steel bars had been used in some parts, falling short by as much as 75 per cent of the number in the approved building plans.

The owner reportedly bought the property in 2024 for about HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) and discovered quality issues when he started renovations in August last year.

The developer, K&K Property, said on Sunday that it was highly concerned about the incident and was investigating.

It said that if any party was found to have made construction or other related errors, the company would carry out any fixes needed to the property and hold the relevant parties accountable according to the law.

The department, which issued an occupation permit for the development in July 2023, said it had received a complaint about the structural safety of floor slabs in January this year. Subsequent inspections found irregularities in the concrete cover of one of the beams and in the steel reinforcement of some slabs.

Yau of Lingnan University said the incident involved the quality of concealed work, which relied on technical staff from the contractor to supervise.

He added that the department generally would not check such work when it issued an occupation permit unless there was an obvious issue.

Yau said the department could consider using penetrating radar for future assessments but warned it might require additional manpower and significantly lengthen the process.

He called for strengthening documentation of the work process.

“In the future, in some hidden works, such as installing steel bars and waterproofing the kitchen and toilet … Whether these works have been done correctly and thoroughly, I think there should be plenty of technology available that can help keep records of them,” he said.

“In case of any disputes, it will be easy to pull up those records to judge whether things were done right or wrong in the first place.”

Yau added that strengthening documentation requirements could also deter contractors and developers from cutting corners.

Chan, the engineer, said the idea of strengthening documentation could be explored, noting that the department currently required certain work procedures to be recorded.

He said existing rules on the supervision of new building works under the Buildings Ordinance were sufficient, as the law stipulated that the contractor had to deploy technical staff to supervise procedures.

An industry expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused the department of trying to downplay the severity of the issue.

“Claiming there is no imminent danger simply means the structure will not collapse immediately, but it undoubtedly poses serious long-term safety risks,” the expert said.

He stressed that every engineering project must strictly adhere to established design standards, approved architectural plans and standardised protocols, particularly regarding concrete quality.

Addressing the impact on affected property owners, he said the use of defective building materials should in theory give them legitimate grounds to rescind purchase agreements.