Arcadis makes waves with Volvo Ocean Race, addressing water resiliency in Asian cities

The Volvo Ocean Race Hong Kong Stopover 2018 sailing race is entering Hong Kong waters for the first time and Arcadis is proud to be a Host City Sponsor of the eventThe arrival of the world-famous race highlights the need to future-proof waterfront resiliency and reduce plastic waste in the ocean to improve city liveability

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach^[1] - 19/01/2018 - Arcadis Asia is proud to announce it is a Host City Sponsor of the Volvo Ocean Race Hong Kong Stopover 2017-2018. 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 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 ofpreparing 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 in Victoria Harbour on 20 January, with key races taking place on 27 and 28 January.

As a Sponsor of the Race, Arcadis' programme of events includes an Arcadis afternoon for its Hong Kong staff to welcome the incoming fleets; 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.

About Arcadis

Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy firm for natural and built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built assets. We are 27,000 people active in over 70 countries that generate €3.4 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. www.arcadis.com^[2]

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} www.arcadis.com (www.arcadis.com)