Engineer Hong Leang Y has spent more than five years working in construction-related jobs around Cambodia.

He was one of the candidates in the 2015 Cambodian Young Entrepreneur Awards, and last year, won an employment award at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council Awards.

Leang Y is currently the head of Phnom Penh-based Lotus Green Team, a contracting company providing design, build and maintenance of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services.

Post Property sat down with Leang Y to get his insight on the inner workings of residential and commercial buildings.

When was Lotus Green Team established and what projects has the company been involved in?

Lotus Green Team was founded in January 2012. We focused on installing air conditioning systems, electrical systems and water systems in order to contribute to the development of Cambodia’s construction industry.

The buildings that the company has collaborated on include Park Hyatt hotel in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh International Airport, Siem Reap International Airport, Sihanoukville International Airport and the Cambodia Beer factory. We are also currently working on the domestic terminal of Phnom Penh International Airport.

How vital is a functioning water and electrical system in a growing city like Phnom Penh?

No system is more important than the water and electrical system. They each are essential in their own ways and each one helps complement each other. Constructors and all parties involved, as well as project owners, need to collaborate together in order to achieve success over every construction project.

Why is an effective water, electrical and sewage system so important?

It’s hard to differentiate the importance of all these systems, since it depends on the type of the building and the utilisation of the building. They are all general systems that are akin to the organ systems of our body.

There won’t be comfort and safety if any of the system fails to operate correctly, or if the construction of any of the system doesn’t abide by the standard techniques.

As an engineer in Cambodia, do you believe the government, companies, and all parties involved in the construction sector should implement an overarching mechanism to provide more oversight and supervision of the sector?

It’s mandatory that authorities should create a mechanism to supervise the quality of general construction in Cambodia. For most projects, there is a team of supervisors that are responsible for overseeing the quality of the techniques and equipments used; for other companies, they have the ability to afford independent specialists to supervise their working progress for them.

The construction industry in Cambodia is advancing at a formidable rate; therefore, authorities should create a board of directors to oversee and follow up on activities during construction work.

Complications that may arise in the future include construction without proper permits which still happens in Cambodia. Supervising every construction project closely will benefit the country in the future.