{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"American Concrete Institute: Asia’s rapid growth and large population set the region apart, create opportunities","date":"2026-04-09 14:02:43","id":6242,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2026/04/1775644083763_Zhu Liu copy 2.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) is steadily extending its global reach, with a particular emphasis on the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Driven by a commitment to advancing concrete knowledge worldwide and engaging globally, key components of its Strategic Plan, ACI remains active in key international markets and continues to foster engagement outside North America.

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One individual playing a central role in these expansion efforts is Zhu Liu, PE, director of the APAC region at ACI. He works to deepen engagement, strengthen collaboration on technical and educational initiatives, and promote the adoption of ACI codes, standards and certification programmes throughout APAC.

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Mr Liu views his position as an opportunity to leverage both his engineering experience and personal heritage to amplify ACI’s impact. With over 20 years as a structural engineer, he understands the needs of members and stakeholders across diverse regions. His international background – growing up in China and living in Canada, the US, the UAE and Saudi Arabia – gives him a unique and global perspective as well as deep ties to Asia.

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“I believe my position helps people on a global scale, especially in APAC, where I feel personally connected,” said Mr Liu. “I have two high-level goals I am working on, which is to exchange knowledge with developed countries and bring knowledge into developing countries.”

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Challenges in APAC

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In working across the APAC region, Mr Liu has encountered significant diversity in language, culture and economic standing. Asia is home to both the richest and poorest countries and contains more languages and cultures than any other region. This diversity, combined with robust economic growth over the past decade, makes the region both promising and complex as ACI strengthens its presence.

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According to ACI, one specific challenge involves the reference standards used across the region. Most Asian countries rely on non-ASTM testing methods, which can complicate the adoption of ACI codes and certification programmes that often reference ASTM standards. To address this, ACI has begun partnering with ASTM to encourage the adoption of ASTM testing standards across APAC.

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“Looking at an analysis of concrete usage in Asia, it is higher than any other region as far as annual compound growth rate or absolute volumes are concerned,” said Mr Liu. “ACI standards and certification programmes could be used by almost all developing countries in Asia if we can gain acceptance for ASTM testing methods in the region.”

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APAC local chapters

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Another important consideration is raising awareness of the benefits of being allied with ACI. Sometimes, these advantages are not well understood locally, highlighting the need for Mr Liu’s continued outreach. He actively connects with local chapters and members, gathering feedback and setting up one-on-one meetings with governmental bodies through these networks.

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Mr Liu emphasised the importance of open dialogue with local governments. By listening first to stakeholders, he can tailor ACI’s offerings – whether documents or programmes – to fit local priorities and needs. He described this as an interactive process that requires multiple conversations to identify the most effective solutions.

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In some developed countries, established codes are already in place, and there may be reluctance to make changes, shared ACI. Here, the institute can evaluate its offerings beyond ACI Code-318-25: Building Code for Structural Concrete – Code Requirements and Commentary to find appropriate options. For developing countries, the opportunity is even greater, as their codes may not yet be fully matured. In these cases, local agencies might be open to adopting models based on ACI Code-318-25, customised for local practices and translated into local languages.

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The role of education and training

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Education and training stand out as major priorities for government agencies across the region, given the focus on maintaining construction quality. This creates an opportunity for ACI’s educational and certification programmes. Conducting research into local practices, training approaches and certification needs is key to ensuring these programmes are effective.

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“Education and training may be the most important things ACI can do in East Asia,” said Mr Liu. “Developing countries need whatever they can find to improve the quality of design and construction. Developed countries instead might be more interested in continuing education.”

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ACI’s commitment to sustainable construction practices is also a critical aspect of its global strategy. The institute has long been a leader in sustainability, and Mr Liu’s approach starts with engaging chapters that act as ACI’s local champions. These chapters can help guide conversations on sustainability and define ACI’s position within them. In regions without an established chapter, Mr Liu’s plan is to begin with student chapters to build a foundation for growth.

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“With their help, we can find our position in the conversation,” he said. “For those regions without chapters, we need to establish one, starting with a student chapter.”

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Future vision

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Looking ahead, Mr Liu noted that Asia’s rapid growth and large population set the region apart. This dynamic environment creates new opportunities for both ACI and the countries involved. His focus is on supporting developing countries that require the most assistance from ACI, while also working with mature markets like Singapore, which could play a central role in ACI’s future activities in the region.

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Mr Liu underscored that ACI’s leadership, technical resources and recognition exceed those of any other organisation in the industry. Beyond providing direct support, ACI can act as a connector, linking local people with governments and less-connected institutes. Its influence extends beyond country borders, helping to facilitate knowledge exchange across disciplines, industries and nations.

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Japanese contractor Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd has secured a contract for the redevelopment of No.2 University Drive and IT building for the University of Hong Kong. Totalling approximately JPY 30.3 billion (HKD 2,211 million), the project includes construction of three new buildings, comprising two nine-storey laboratory buildings (section A and B) and an eight-storey IT building (section C).

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Founded in 1911, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the city's first and oldest higher education institution. It is known worldwide as a research-intensive comprehensive university with 10 faculties, including the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Arts, Law, Science, Dentistry, Architecture, Business and Economics, Education, and Social Science. HKU is Asia’s global university, with diverse students and faculty community and a vast network of academic exchanges with universities and institutions all over the world.

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Located in the Pok Fu Lam area, the project covers a construction floor area (CFA) of about 45,000 sq m and is expected to be completed in 2024. According to Penta-Ocean, the construction work will be challenging as it involves building on a slope with Victoria Peak in the background.

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Penta-Ocean entered the Hong Kong market in 1986. Since then, the company has taken part in numerous large-scale projects in the city, including the MTR’s new Victoria Harbour railway tunnel, ground improvement work for the Hong Kong International Airport Third-Runway System, as well as Hong Kong Government office buildings, data centres, and medical facilities.

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The company has also been working on a number of education-related facility projects, such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Integrated Teaching Buildings, the Vocational Training Council’s Hong Kong Design Institute, and the International Culinary Institute, in response to the demand for new school construction and rebuilding following the implementation of the ‘New Education System’ in fiscal 2009.

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“We will continue to develop our business proactively in the future, with Hong Kong as an important market for our overseas business,” stated Penta-Ocean.

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Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University has unveiled its new sports hall - The Wave. It is believed to be the first large-scale building in Southeast Asia that features an innovative timber construction technology known as mass engineered timber (MET).

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Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) recently inaugurated its new sports hall named The Wave. It is said to be the first large-scale building in Southeast Asia that features an innovative timber construction technology known as mass engineered timber (MET).

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According to NTU, such technology provides five times better heat insulation than concrete and is able to support a continuous 72-m wave-like roof without the need for internal columns. This opens up a cavernous three-storey space with no internal pillar, which can host three full-sized basketball courts or 13 badminton courts.

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The Wave is designed with external columns to support the seven long-span timber arches weighing over 440 t. This is possible because MET is much stronger than concrete or steel when comparing its weight-to-strength ratio, said NTU. And as the building process involves assembling prefabricated parts, construction is sped up, resulting in 25 percent savings in manpower.

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The Wave consists of 980 mechanised retractable seats, plus a special cooling system that chills the air as it enters the hall so that no conventional air-conditioning systems are needed, added NTU. Other eco-friendly features include energy-saving LED lighting and solar powered systems.

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The building is also designed to take advantage of its natural surroundings. Using computer modelling of the sun and wind patterns on-site, the building designers aimed to harness the natural winds, explained NTU, and thus good ventilation can be achieved with average wind speeds of about 0.4 m per second.

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“Sustainability is a core value of this university, and we walk the green talk, from education and research, to the building technologies on the NTU campus,” said Professor Bertil Andersson, president of NTU. “As an owner of a pine tree forest in Sweden, I’m a firm believer in sustainable forestry. I’m proud that NTU has pioneered the innovative use of wood in buildings here resulting in another iconic NTU structure, The Wave.”

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Note: More detailed information on the project will be published in the SEAC Jul/Aug 2017 issue.

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