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stresses of 18,000 and in some cases 20,000 lb. per sq. in. were generally permitted and the new figure retains the safety margin with the use of the lower grade steel now appearing on the market.
Architects have been advised to re-check the quality of steel in use on building sites under their control and to take any remedial action considered necessary. Build- ings Ordinance staff will continue to visit sites to take steel samples for testing.
Following the introduction of these precautions, the chairman of the Hong Kong Shipbreakers Association, Mr. Quincy Chuang, said the criticism had caused "un- necessary disturbance" among contractors.
"The majority of members' products will meet Hong Kong building requirements," he said. "There is a stock of lower-grade steel bars in Hong Kong, but if contrac- tors want to use them they will be required to use a greater quantity to cover the safety factor."
FIRST COMMUNITY PROJECT
A ground-breaking ceremony for the first community housing project in Taipei has just been held. The scheme is being undertaken by United Builders, a local private interest, in co-operation with Kuhn Loeb Company of New York.
The American firm is to invest US$5 million to build 1,392 apartments on land at the rear of the Chinese Air Force General Hospital, off Nanking East Road.
The dwellings are to be sold on a 20-year instalment plan. Altogether 348 four-storey buildings will be erected before the end of next year.
NEW TYPE SECONDARY SCHOOL
A NEW type of secondary school is to be built this year by the Singapore Government. It costs about M$1.1 million and can accommodate 1,920 children in two sessions,
The school consists of five buildings containing 24 classrooms, a library, general office, bookshop, a science and domestic science block, an assembly hall and can- teen, a workshop block and a block for watchmen's quarters.
It has been designed to take up the smallest pos- sible space on the site.
Three of the buildings the classroom block, science block and assembly hall are arranged round a courtyard which measures 180 ft. by 80 ft. Continuous verandahs are provided round the courtyard at ground and first floor levels.
The assembly hall accommodates a fully equipped gymnasium, three badminton courts and a stage with full lighting equipment. The science block contains four laboratories and a demonstration room with tiered seating for audiovisual work, and the domestic science suite in
the same building contains a needlework room, a kitchen and a housecraft room.
The first of this new type of secondary school is now being constructed by the Public Works Department in Rangoon Road, Singapore. Thirteen others are tenta- tively planned.
NO DEMAND FOR SITES
SOME conformation of recent reports that the building boom in Hong Kong shows signs of weakening is given in an announcement last month by the Superintendent of Crown Lands and Survey. He stated that there was no demand for residential sites at present.
Because of this and the fact that there were only two new industrial sites in the urban area ready for sale, there would be no advance programme of Crown Land sales in the urban area for the third quarter of this year.
The Superintendent said that Government would continue to put up for sale industrial land as and when it came available, He expects to publish a sale pro- gramme of industrial land for the last quarter of 1965 when more urban industrial sites should be ready, includ- ing a number of sites at Aberdeen.
As regards residential land, the Superintendent com- mented that a considerable number of lots, mainly for lower density development, had been sold over the past few years and Government felt that the time had come to refrain from including further residential lots in the regular sales programme.
However, he explained. this did not mean that re- sidential lots would not be put up for sale if applicants were interested in particular sites. "The Crown Lands and Survey Office has about 50 residential lots available for sale and any of these can be submitted to auction very quickly if an application is received," he said.
AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL EXHIBITION
BUILDING materials and equipment will be a major fea- ture of an Australian industrial exhibition to be staged in Kuala Lumpur in August.
The exhibition will be held in the Chinese Assem- bly Hall from August 2 to 11. It is sponsored by Aus- trialian Export Promotions, an agency representing the Austrialian Associated Chamber of Manufacturers and Commerce. Previous exhibitions have been held in Hong Kong, Wellington, Fiji and Manila.
3.4 ACRE MARKET OPENED
THE Cheung Sha Wan wholesale vegetable market in Kowloon, Hong Kong, was opened last month. Covering about 3.4 acres of reclaimed ground, it has been built by the Vegetable Marketing Organisation at a cost of HK$2.9 million.
First of the new type of secondary school to be built by Singapore's Public Works Department
Far East Architect & Builder July, 1965