These will house the company's system control room, en- gineering and administration offices and an ICT computer for processing consumer accounts. Architects for this building are Palmer and Turner.
BUILDING PLANS APPROVED
THE Building Authority approved a total of 28 new building plans of all types in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories in May compared with 26 in April.
During the same period, 78 newly completed build- ings were certified for occupation compared with 71 in the preceding month. The total included 18 for domestic purposes, 20 for non-domestic purposes and 40 for com- bined domestic and non-domestic use. In addition, the Building Authority also approved the demolition of ten buildings, the same number as in April.
Cost of new building work in the Colony in the month of May amounted to HK$110,070,229, while a total of HK$7,312,217 was spent on site formation work. In the same period there were 108 new buildings of all types erected. This total includes six factories and godowns, 11 offices and shops, 84 houses and flats and seven other buildings of mixed accommodation.
AIA BUILDING PROGRESS
A HEIGHT of 190 ft. has now been reached on the core of the 26-storey tower office block being built at Stubbs Road. Hong Kong, for American International Assurance Co.
The core, which will eventually reach 288 ft., is con- structed by the slipform method, introduced into Hong
Core of AIA Building at 12th floor level
Kong by Concrete Silos Pty. Ltd., Sydney. Around the core each floor will be free of columns and will provide 6,000 sq. ft. of office space. External walls will be con- structed of precast concrete units with post-tensioned diagrid floors.
Architects are Palmer and Turner, and main con- tractor, Paul Y. Construction Co. The building is estim- ated to cost about HK$16 million.
M$18 M. JOHORE BAHRU PROJECT
OUTLINE plans have been drawn up to develop Johore Bahru, Malaya, as a major tourist centre. The scheme calls for the development of a shopping centre at Jalan Ah Fook, between the round-about and the fish market, and the Lido seafront. The shopping centre is estimated to cost M$13 million and will include a first class hotel and a multi-storey car park.
and is estimated to cost M$5 million. The project will in- clude floating restaurants, food stalls and other amenities. The seafront scheme will be given to private en- terprise. The Government has received applications to develop the area and is now studying them.
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Johore Government is also planning to build port-cum-light industrial area in or near Johore Bahru. It is now studying such a possibility at Tanjong Petri. The project is estimated to cost M$40 million and in- cludes the building of a $1.5 million viaduct over the level crossing at Jalan Bukit Meldrum and a new and bigger Customs import and export depot.
The present dilapidated building which houses the Labour Department and the Customs export depot will
be demolished to make way for the centre. Construction
PENANG LOW COST HOUSING
PENANG State Government has signed a contract with Foo Kam Swee of Seremban, for the construction of a 17-storey block of low cost flats at Noordin Street Ghaut, Penang.
The State's Chief Minister. Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee, announced last month that five low-cost housing schemes were now under construction in Penang, costing about M$10 million. The other four projects are: Ayer Itam (third phase), one block of 17-storey flats: Mak Mandin, Butterworth (first phase), three blocks of four-storey flats: Chain Ferry Road, Butterworth, five blocks of four-storey flats; and Ayer Itam (phase four), one block of 16-storey flats.
The State Government has obtained a Federal loan of over M$9 million for these projects, while State subsidies will amount to about $671,000,
The Noordin Street project is expected to take about 16 months to complete. The block will provide 398 housing units and will include a post office, a clinic, community hall and a parlour for special purposes.
CONVALESCENT BLOCK FOR KOWLOON HOSPITAL
AS PART of Hong Kong Government's long-term develop- ment programme for medical services, a new convalescent block is to be built for the Kowloon Hospital in Argyle Street, Kowloon.
The project will form part of the existing Kowloon Hospital complex which now serves as a tuberculosis and chest hospital as well as a convalescent annex to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The new block, which will eventually provide 586 additional beds, is designed to pro- vide subsidiary convalescent beds to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. It will be situated in the south-west area of the existing hospital grounds and will become the adminis- trative centre for the whole Kowloon Hospital complex which will then have more than 1,000 beds.
There will be five floors of wards with two ground floors an upper ground floor for administration, phar- macy and public space purposes and a lower ground floor for stores, workshops, staff canteen and special departments. Engineering equipment and main distribution pipe work will be housed in a basement some 10 ft. below
of the new Lido seafront will be carried out in four stages Model of new convalescent block
Far East Architect & Builder July, 1967
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