Have you ever wondered what a smart city looks like? Well, you can have a glimpse into the future now by going to the second floor of CLP’s office in Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kong’s oldest districts.

This unlikely setting is home to SmartHub@CLP, an innovative new experience centre that demonstrates CLP’s role as a smart city enabler and a pioneer of smart living. Completed in December 2018, the 5,000 ft² facility showcases the latest green technologies and innovative energy solutions.

“As a power company, we play an important role in facilitating the development of a smart city. SmartHub@CLP demonstrates how CLP has been contributing to Hong Kong’s smart city vision,” says CLP Power Chief Corporate Development Officer Quince Chong.

“The team has basically turned an industrial space into a futuristic ‘mini’ smart city in just a year. They did an amazing job.”

SmartHub@CLP features a 270-degree video projection that gives a futuristic impression of how a smart city looks and explains CLP’s role as an enabler. By exploring the six themed zones in the centre, namely smart grid, smart environment, smart living, smart business, smart mobility, and smart education, visitors can experience the initiatives and technologies that will form the foundation of Hong Kong's future as a smart city.

Mandy Leung, project manager in charge of creating the space to house the new contents, says one of the biggest challenges was that since the Sham Shui Po office was built in the 1960s, she and her team had to rely on the building plans from over half a century ago when they carried out construction work.

“We would go to the site and be surprised every day because it’s just totally different from what they were supposed to be. We had to deal with all the unknowns,” Mandy says.

“But it’s all worth it when people came to the hub and seemed to like it. It’s a big recognition for all the hard work the team put in,” Mandy says.

Kathy Tang, who supports content development, says smart city is an abstract concept and some topics may be too technical for the public. Hence, the project team decided to adopt a “journey” design, using interactive and digital multimedia as well as gamification so that visitors can easily visualise the benefits of a smart city.

“We have not been able to do it without the great collaboration and creativity of our ‘Subject Matter Experts’ from different departments,” Kathy says.

“I hope visitors will be inspired to build a smarter and greener tomorrow after they complete the ‘journey’”, says Kathy.

Architect James Law, who designed and built SmartHub@CLP, says he was delighted to have been involved in the project.

“It was a pleasure to work with different departments at CLP,” he says. “The CLP teams are very professional and passionate in driving our society’s transformation to become a smart city. CLP encourages and supports not only external stakeholders to participate in the process but also their employees.

“I came to realise CLP is not just a power company, but a company that invests in developing the technologies society needs to help it become better, smarter, and greener.”

James adds: “I am proud of the reliability of Hong Kong’s electricity. With the solid foundations we have, I can see the transformation towards becoming a smart city moving forward positively.”

SmartHub@CLP is open to CLP’s business partners, shareholders, professional groups, schools, and organisations. It can also be used as a multi-purpose space to co-create new ideas. Stay-tuned for more details.