Individual concrete samples in Block 2 of the Tung Chung Area 42 public-housing development failed to meet contract requirements during a mid-September review, the Housing Department said. Further testing is now under way on structural concrete identified during routine checks.
Those routine concrete-strength tests were carried out from late August to early September. After the latest finding, the contractor was instructed to pause concrete pouring at the relevant locations and take core samples for further examination.
The Block 2 finding follows an earlier concern in the fifth-floor area of Block 5. The first 12 cores tested there—about 17% of the initial batch—were taken across the affected area. Their measured strengths were between 23% and 66% above the applicable standard, and the Housing Department said they met the design and contract requirements.
The department expects to receive the complete concrete-core compressive-strength results on 25 September. It will then decide whether the contractor needs to review the strength of relevant structural components and, if necessary, submit an improvement plan for approval.
Concrete pouring in the affected areas can fully resume only after the Housing Department agrees to any required improvement plan.