Arcadis Asia will be a host city sponsor of the Volvo Ocean Race during its Hong Kong stopover. Whilst celebrating the first time the world-famous event enters Hong Kong waters, it is also Arcadis’ aim through a series of activities during the event to highlight the vital issues of building water resiliency and the reduction of plastic waste in oceans to improve the quality of life for Hong Kong residents. The Volvo Ocean Race coincides with Arcadis’ core sustainability goal as well as its expertise in flood defence,
water conservation and coastal resilience.
Building water resilience and sustainable cities
Arcadis, the leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, has long focused on improving quality of life through natural and built assets and the connection
with the Volvo Ocean Race begins at the hosting venue. The race will be hosted at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal where Arcadis provided quantity surveying services to this iconic landmark.
The arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race highlights the importance of improving water resiliency in Hong Kong. With Arcadis’ Dutch heritage and global projects comes expertise in addressing
coastal resiliency and water management issues. Hong Kong, which sees a high average rainfall and is prone to tropical cyclones, has taken steps to become a “sponge city”, where excessive rainwater is absorbed by large underground storage tanks. By raising awareness of the importance of preparing for extreme weather conditions exacerbated by climate change, Arcadis is also helping the Hong Kong government harness its water assets and offer people improved liveability.
John Batten, regional sustainable cities leader, Arcadis Asia, said: “We are delighted to help bring the excitement of the Volvo Ocean Race to Hong Kong, giving residents the opportunity to witness
first-hand the challenges that the teams face. At the same time, we hope that when seeing the boats race into Victoria Harbour people will be inspired to appreciate our seas, support and protect clean oceans. Through our focus on creating sustainable built assets, we intend to help Hong Kong harness its water assets for the greatest long-term advantage.”
Arcadis Volvo Ocean Race activities
Since 1973, the Volvo Ocean Race has been a human adventure like no other and provided the ultimate test of a team. The 2017-18 edition is taking the teams 45,000 nautical miles around the world, across four oceans, six continents and 12 landmark host cities. For the first time, a team from Hong Kong – Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag – is taking part in the event. This is also the first time Hong Kong becomes one of the host cities.
Arcadis’ iconic project the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal will host the famous race from January 17 – 31 which will see some of the world’s most-skilled sailors navigate Victoria Harbour to win the Hong Kong leg. The fleet left Melbourne, Australia, on January 2 and are expected to arrive at Victoria Harbour on January 20, with key races taking place on January 27 and 28.
As a sponsor of the race, Arcadis’ programme of events includes an Arcadis afternoon for its Hong Kong
staff to welcome the incoming fleet; the Arcadis Pavilion and a networking evening event with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce titled Future-Proofing Resilient Waterfronts; and the Arcadis Pro-Am Race, a friendly race in which an Arcadis team supported by clients team-up with professional sailors to compete
in a series of mini-races that mirror the main event.
