Having worked in Asia since 1996, William Forwood of Merx knows the construction and design industry inside out. The company he founded is recognised for its personalised and flexible approach to project management consultancy within the mixed client base of corporate offices, hospitality, retail, data centres and aviation. At Hong Kong Indesign: The Event, Merx will be participating as a Gold sponser.

BHP Billiton at MBFC Tower 2

Tell us how you entered the industry and how you came to start Merx.

I started by completing my Bachelor of Construction Management at RMIT in Melbourne and after two years of working on inner-city residential tower projects, I moved to Hong Kong when I was 25 years old. That was in 1996; the pre-handover buzz was electric and the projects were mega. I was working for an international JV (Joint Venture) on the gateway train station into China with a site office of over 100 people. Still in Hong Kong, I moved into a pure project management role with CMI-Savills Consultancy. This took me from Hong Kong to Sydney, and then to the Lion City of Singapore. I started Merx in 2001 when the dot-com bubble burst, and the rest is history.

JP Morgan at One Changi

What does Merx offer to clients and businesses that is different?

The Merx values of Agility, Excellence, Integrity, Passion and Teamwork are what make us tick. Being completely independent and being a smaller firm, most of our clients tell us that we are more agile and personal in the way we work [compared] to many larger companies.

Porsche Design

Please share with us a project you recently enjoyed working on.

We love the work we do with Porsche Design and the new Elements Store underneath ICC in Kowloon. [That] was another cool project for us to be doing with them.

Why the interest in partnering with Hong Kong Indesign: The Event?

Merx has been established in Asia for 12 years and has had an operating office in Hong Kong since 2008. Whilst we generally focus on programme, cost, communications and the technical aspects of projects, the design is what inspires the end form, function, look and feel. [The Event] is a great link to the design community and as a Gold sponser, we are actively being part of the inauguration in Hong Kong. We also sponsored the first two Indesign events in Singapore, so this is a nice way to keep the relationship rolling.

Tag Heuer at Wisma

Speaking of Hong Kong, what is your view of the architecture and construction scene within Hong Kong and China?

Hong Kong is incredible – not only what you see above ground, but [also] all the train networks and civil works that lie beneath the ground. The topography of Hong Kong and the harbour makes the city. China is a marvel in terms of the pace and volume they have been going at since the Dragon woke two decades ago… [it’s] staggering…

What do you forecast 10 years from now in Hong Kong with regard to this?

More of the same… but maybe with more LEDs than neon [lights]!

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