Denis George Levett, one of the founders of Rider Levett Bucknall’s offices in Hong Kong and China (formerly called Levett and Bailey), passed away peacefully on 8th March 2019, aged 91.The Board of Directors and staff mourn the passing of Denis with great sadness, and send their deepest condolences to his family.
Denis was a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, and an Honorary Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. He qualified in 1955 in Britain and practised in Britain and Australia before coming to Hong Kong in the early 1960s. He was a past chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a past chairman of the Joint Standing Committee for the Standard Method of Measurement. He spent many years as Chairman of the Education and Membership Committee of the RICS (Hong Kong Branch) and played a major part in the development of professional education in Hong Kong including in particular, the establishment and validation of degree courses in surveying at the University of Hong Kong and at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Under his leadership, Levett and Bailey grew from a small beginning in the early 1960s to a well-respected professional practice in Hong Kong and mainland China. He retired as Senior Partner in 1999.
Denis was a great mentor. His perseverance in striving for excellence and dedication to the quantity surveying profession inspired many generations of quantity surveyors and construction professionals.
When Levett and Bailey got its first assignment in mainland China in 1979, Denis had seen the potential of growing the profession there. Not only had he actively sought opportunities to share knowledges and best practices, but also established staff exchange program with some of the mainland companies so that people in Hong Kong and mainland China could expand their horizon and learn from each other.
In terms of publication, he wrote a book called China – Building for Joint Ventures together with the two professors from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Reading, UK in the early nineties. Then he was invited by Hong Kong Institute of Architects to revise the Standard Form of Building Contracts. It took him almost ten years to keep on revising the draft to address concerns from different parties. The revised Standard Form of Building Contracts was finally published in 2005.
“Many of us who are fortunate to have worked with Denis have fond memories of him. His scholastic and charismatic image will always be with us. We shall continue to be inspired by his passion and compassion and shall miss him dearly.” Kenneth Kwan, Chairman of Rider Levett Bucknall Hong Kong and China said.
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