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strong-minded to withstand the com- mercial pressures of their clients and were able to exercise their under- ing of design.
It is not only a matter of the design of individual buildings and their ap- propriatness but of relationships of one building to another in form and
style. It is not a denial of the pos- sibility of contrast and of innovation.
Uneven Pyramid
A typical case in Hong Kong is where two buildings each occupy half of an island site, stepping back to each other in the general form of an uneven pyramid, each using a different de- sign idiom. Whilst each may be a rea- sonable design itself, together they look ridiculous.
โกเอดา ค
Two on an island
The matter goes further than eleva- tional design and in- cludes the contribu- tion that the developer is morally bound to make to the improve- ment of the environ- ment. The developer is subject to the good will of the general public not only in the toleration of the dis- turbance and incon- venience of his build- ing operations which are considerable, but
in the impact that his building will have on their daily lives.
How many developers have taken advantage of the bonus floor area permitted when the ground floor is left open and dedicated to the public? And to return to the opening thesis: How soon will any of their work receive "world wide acclaim"?
So far the Building Authority has hardly exercised its powers under clause 9B(1) (f) of the Buildings Ordinance which permits the refusal of approval of plans where "the carrying out of the building works shown thereon would result in a building differing in height, design, type or intended use from buildings in the immediate neighbourhood or previously existing on the same site”.
Whatever interpretation may have been put on this clause in the past, the wording appears to cover the possibility of aesthetic control; this must have been the intention of the original draftsmen of the ordinance. since so much of it has been modelled on previous legislation in the United Kingdom, where aesthetic control has been a principle of such legislation.
It must be obvious to all concerned that the present "spoilation of the environment" cannot continue to be tolerated. Perhaps the warning bells are already ringing.
GEORGE JONES & SON LTD.
(ESTABLISHED 1899)
are proud to have been responsible for the PAINTING & DECORATING
AT
PASIR PANJANG "B" POWER STATION
under the control of Merz & McLellan - Consulting Engineers - and congratulate the Public Utilities Board of Singapore on their latest fine achievement.
U.K. LIVERPOOL-91 Everton Road,
Liverpool 6.
LONDON 27B Kensington Church Street,
London W.8.
ALSO AT BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA.
—
Far East Architect & Builder February, 1966