"As the main contractor, Shui On is honoured that the Murray House project receives this prestigious award. The award not only shows recognition and support to the government's effort in conserving our heritage, but also reflects Shui On's capabilities and expertise in undertaking this type of projects," said Mr Louis Wong, Deputy Managing Director of SOCAM. Shui On has extensive and unique experience in restoring historic buildings. In addition to the Murray House project, Shui On has undertaken other restoration works including the KS Lo Gallery - Flagstaff House Museum of Teaware, North District Park Phase I and Airport Core Programme Exhibition Centre (Homi Villa). These were mostly massive and complicated works. Moreover, Shui On Properties Limited, SOCAM's sister company privately owned by Group Chairman Mr Vincent H.S. Lo, has developed Shanghai Xintiandi through restoring numerous traditional "Shikumen" buildings in Shanghai. Xintiandi has become a hotspot in Shanghai, attracting key politicians, business leaders and tourists from all over the world.

More old buildings are expected to be restored in Hong Kong as the Urban Renewal Authority takes a holistic approach to urban redevelopment that emphasises preservation of buildings of historical, cultural or architectural interests. "SOBC has just been included in the Works Bureau's List of Approved Specialist Contractors for Public Works under the category of 'Repair and Restoration of Historic Buildings'. Only those included in this list are eligible to submit tenders for projects related to repair and restoration of historic buildings in Hong Kong," added Mr Wong. "Prerequisites for the inclusion include track records, capabilities and expertise in undertaking heritage projects as well as a broad supplier base in sourcing traditional materials. The inclusion of Shui On in this list not only confirms our professional qualifications in this area, but also gives us a strong advantage in bidding future projects."

The government's policy to preserve our heritage was made clear when the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR proposed to strengthen the protection of antiquities and monuments in the Policy Address 1999 in order to enhance citizens' sense of belonging, and heritage regulations were reviewed in 1999. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has formed a Heritage Tour Task Force to formulate relevant measures and strategies and promote Hong Kong's cultural heritage. It is expected that the Government's heritage protection policy will increase the number of restoration contracts available for tender.

With a history of more than 150 years, the old Murray House was once one of the oldest Victorian-era buildings in Hong Kong. It was dismantled in 1983 and the building components had been stored in Tai Tam until 1998 when the Government decided to re-erect this historic monument at Stanley as part of the Hong Kong Housing Authority's Ma Hang Village Phase III project.

The Shui On team responsible for the reconstruction of Murray House had to meet the structural requirements of the Housing Department as well as historians' artistic requirements in restoring historic monuments. Since only 95% of the stone components of the original Murray House were preserved for reconstruction, the major challenge for Shui On engineers was to search for the remaining 5% that could replicate the original stone components. Special attention must be paid to control the sizes of the new stones.

Each original stone of Murray House was numbered indicating its original position before it was dismantled. Shui On engineers had to re-install each of the 3,000 plus stones into its original position, just like putting a 3,000-piece puzzle together. In order to restore the uniqueness of Murray House and fulfill special requirements demanded by historians, Shui On imported a special kind of lime from Britain to seal the stones instead of the usual plaster normally used for the purpose. To comply with the requirements of contemporary structural design, Shui On built an inner concrete structure to support the building before the original stones were re-installed as exterior walls. Murray House is now located at the waterfront of Stanley, right next to the Stanley Beach and the Old Market. Since its re-erection, Murray House has become a landmark and a key scenic spot in Stanley, attracting numerous local visitors and tourists.

Shui On Building Contractors Limited (SOBC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Shui On Construction and Materials Limited. Being the first ISO 9002 certified construction company in Hong Kong, SOBC is on the NW2 list of building contractors of the Hong Kong Housing Authority and holds the Group "C" licence for public building works of unlimited value. SOBC is also a registered building contractor of the Buildings Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government.