A View on Hong Kong’s Infrastructure Future: A Q&A with Benjamin Foltz

A growing city, Hong Kong is a major international business, trade and financial hub in Asia. Jacobs has a legacy of more than 50 years in Hong Kong, helping accelerate the city’s vision to create a lasting, positive legacy for generations to come. 

With our design, engineering, program management and consulting and advisory capabilities, we’re solving major problems the city is facing – from urbanization, climate change, logistics and digital proliferation to security, water scarcity, and challenges around investment partnerships and mega infrastructure.

This series of Q&As introduces you to our visionaries helping realize Hong Kong’s sustainability and resilience goals. In this article, meet Benjamin Foltz, one of our principal engineers, who discusses his journey and how we’re helping shape Hong Kong’s future. 

Hi, Benjamin. Tell us about your background and your career journey at Jacobs. 

I started at Jacobs in Baltimore after graduating with a civil engineering degree from Penn State University in 2007. After spending a decade in Baltimore delivering rail design for light and heavy rail projects, I moved to Jacobs’ Melbourne office in Australia in 2017 when the public transport industry was booming. 

For six years, I held project and design management roles on rail projects in Australia and New Zealand. Most recently, I was the Deputy Package Manager across all design and architecture disciplines for a new aboveground metro station at Melbourne Airport. I’ve recently moved to Jacobs’ Hong Kong office to join the infrastructure team.

My father inspired me to pursue a career in STEAM. He was the Chief Photogrammetrist and Surveyor for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. He encouraged me to be a civil engineer when I was in secondary school.

Is there a project you're particularly proud of?

I’m very excited to be working with the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) on the detailed design stage of the first phase of the San Tin Technopole. It is part of an upcoming 250-hectare land development within Hong Kong’s  Northern Metropolis which will not only develop the region’s innovation and technology industry, but will also bolster housing supply, cultivate job opportunities and revitalizes the community. 

More than that, the project will also adopt an integrated low-carbon infrastructure system to meet carbon neutrality goals before 2050 and leverage digital strategies such as building information modeling and digital twins. Our scope includes design review, detailed design, tendering, construction supervision, and associated engineering infrastructure works for roads, bridges, drainage systems, waterworks, sewage pumping stations, water service reservoirs and kilometers of common utility enclosures. 

It’s one of the strategic growth initiatives under the Hong Kong 2030+ Study to reshape the built environment while incorporating smart, green and resilient initiatives – one I am personally very proud to be involved in! 

When it comes to the future of infrastructure in Hong Kong, what are you most excited about?

The Hong Kong government’s plan for growth is aiming to address the need for more housing and community facilities, spur business, improve infrastructure, as well as create recreational spaces. In addition, Hong Kong’s transport infrastructure is key to catalyzing economic growth and generating social value for its communities.   

From supporting the delivery of critical transport infrastructure, reimagining urban landscapes and built environments, to safeguarding the city’s future for a more climate-resilient tomorrow, our team is proud to be supporting MTR Corporation and Hong Kong government agencies including the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Highways Department, Lands Department and  Water Supplies Department  in the past few decades. 

In support of Hong Kong’s long-term goals, I’m looking forward to more major development projects that will create a lasting legacy for the local community and beyond. 

What advice would you give to young professionals entering the industry? 

Be open to learning new disciplines and skills that you never thought you would be doing. Step outside of your comfort zone and traditional areas of expertise. Embracing new opportunities for growth and development can lead to unexpected and fulfilling experiences.

What do you enjoy most about being part of #OurJacobs?

Building lasting relationships based on earned trust throughout the company in varying sectors and geographies, across continents is what I enjoy the most about being part of Jacobs.  

Benjamin Foltz is a Project Manager and holds professional engineering certifications in Maryland, U.S. and Victoria Australia. He joined Jacobs in Baltimore following his graduation from Penn State University in 2007 and has since moved to Hong Kong joining our infrastructure team. On weekends, he likes to take ferries to other nearby islands for hiking. He also enjoys flying to nearby destinations in Asia or take the fast train to Mainland China.