CIVIL ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS
OCEAN TERMINAL
Contract progresses despite
typhoons and ground difficulties
Model of the terminal showing proposed new hotel and offices on the waterfront.
PROGRESS on the construction of
Hong Kong's new HK$56 million Ocean Terminal on the Kowloon waterfront is now becoming apparent as the jetty extends into the harbour towards is full length of 1,250 ft.
By mid-December piling for the 250 ft. wide sub-structure had passed the half way mark, with the deck construction following closely behind and erection of the five-floored ter- minal building, 1,025 ft. x 190 ft., under way.
Permanent piling work on the pro- ject was started just before Christ- mas, 1963, following the driving of a series of test piles from locations close in shore to 1,250 ft. out. If the present construction rate is main- tained, the contractors Taylor Woodrow (Overseas), Ltd., sponsors in joint ventureship with Paul Y. Construction Co., Ltd. should com- plete the whole structure early in 1966.
Typhoon Record
S. E. Faber and Partners, Hong Kong, are the consulting engineers, acting on behalf of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co., Ltd. The architects are Spence, Robinson, Prescott and Thornburrow, and the consultants for the mechani. cal works and services are Thomas Anderson and Partners.
The stage now reached after a year's work has been achieved in
spite of what has been officially de-
scribed as a record number of typ- hoons during September and October, 1964. Apart from the hazards of the worst, Ruby, Sally and Dot, which caused widespread damage through- out the Colony, delays were experi- enced by six others which although they did not eventually pass directly over the Colony still required the same routine precautions to be taken.
The precautions involved tying or weighting down all offices, plant and materials, clearing and storing loose. gear and despatching the floating plant to a typhoon shelter.
After the possible hazard had past, the laborious and unrewarding task of unsecuring the gear and getting the job running again had to be done. During September and most of Octo- ber this became virtually a weekly performance.
The possibility of high velocity winds of up to 160 m.p.h. was a factor influencing the design of the pier, in which Taylor Woodrow En- gineering Design Department, Lon- don, played a prominent part. Com- petitive tendering for the project was between ten British, French and Am- erican construction companies, all of whom were asked to submit schemes so that the consultants could take ad- vantage of the contractors' "know how" and experience.
Far East Architect & Builder January, 1965
Of the variety of proposals sub- mitted the bid selected was thought to be the best combination of econo- mic construction and desirable de- sign. Its unique feature is that the pier and the superstructure are phy- sically separated.
Precast Beams
The pier consists of a precast rein- forced concrete beam and slab deck with an in-situ concrete topping, car- ried on 1,217 prestressed hollow con- crete piles of 2ft. 4in. external dia- meter with a 4țin. wall. The piles vary in length from 40ft. to 120ft. and are driven to bearing in alluvial sand, decomposed rock or bed rock.
Precast segmented reinforced con- crete cylinders of 6 ft. or 4 ft. 6 in. external diameter with 6 in. walls, support the building superstructure. The cylinder units are precast in 10 ft. lengths, assembled and sunk through apertures in the already com- pleted pier deck to carry the heavy building column loads down directly to the foundation stratum of decom- posed granite, or again in many cases bed rock.
Design of the superstructure framework was analysed with the aid of a computer by Phillips Consul- tants, Ltd., a member of the Taylor Woodrow Group.
When completed the 75 ft. high building will have a total floor area
63
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