BEYOND
135
As the Faculty enters its 135th year, its focus is on expansion. That is not just in terms of new buildings, but more students, staff and programmes. Long subject to space constraints, HKUMed is embarking on a physical expansion to meet the needs of a larger student body and to provide state-of-the-science facilities for research.
The first of these buildings to open was the Faculty Administration Wing, which freed up much-needed space for teaching and learning at 21 Sassoon Road. This was accompanied by a new terrace garden, welcoming students back with a fresh place to relax for the new academic year. The garden complements the Learning Commons, which opened in 2020, giving students another place to gather and discuss ideas.
A new building for the School of Nursing and School of Chinese Medicine at 3 Sassoon Road is set to open by mid-2022.
This major new building will be joined in 2027 by a new teaching and research complex west of 3 Sassoon Road.
Beyond buildings for teaching and research, the first clinical training and amenities building, which includes student residences will be opened on Sassoon Road in 2024-25, followed by a second batch of residences in 2027.
HKUMed’s affiliated teaching hospitals are also set to undergo expansion in the coming years. The first phase of an expansion at Queen Mary Hospital is forecast to be completed in 2024-25. While a $1.24 billion grant from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the largest single donation received by HKU, will fund The Centre for Clinical Innovation and Discovery and the Institute of Cancer Care at Grantham Hospital. These facilities are set to open in 2024.
The expansion is not limited to Hong Kong. The HKU-Shenzhen Hospital will gain a new 1,000-bed clinical block and research block in 2027, bolstering HKUMed’s presence in the Greater Bay Area.
In total, the net floor space available to the Faculty will increase by 50% in time for its 140th anniversary in 2027.
