Tower and parking podium seen from May Road
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CENTURY TOWER, whose 33 cir cular storeys rise dramatically from the hillside above the mid-levels area of Hong Kong occupies one of the finest residential sites on the island.
It projects out from the general contour of Victoria Peak and com- mands a panorama of the central busi- ness area, Kowloon and the harbour from Lymun to West Point.
In an area where 'a view of the har- bour' is implicit in any luxury apart- ment development, it was this unique placing that led the planners to think in terms of a circular tower rather than a conventional rectangular block which would restrict the freedom the site offered.
The apartments provided in the tower are described as town flats, that
is highly mechanised, easily maintain- ed apartments, requiring the minimum of domestic help.
Sixty such flats, of medium size, were called for by the developers, to- gether with a swimming pool for resid- ents and parking space at the rate of 11⁄2 spaces per flat.
The site in May Road adjacent to the Peak Tram, is small and very steep, and in order to avoid expensive site formation work and the construction of a new retaining wall, the existing retaining walls, contours and thus the trees at the back of the site were pre- served. The building was planned in the front part of the site with two apartments per floor, resulting in a slender circular tower of 30 storeys above three levels of parking.
The psychological effect on tenants of the internal space created by the circular shape was carefully consider- ed. Models were made of the external form and the internal space, and a full-scale mock-up was built of the bathroom to study the effect of the curved walls in a confined space. It was only after such extensive experimentation that a decision was made to proceed.
Due to its shape and height, some visual representation was necessary, in order to convince not only the clients but also the Director of Public Works that the building would be aesthetical- ly acceptable. A large photographic mural showing the panoramic view of the Peak was taken from the harbour and the proposed building was super- imposed upon this mural to illustrate the effect of the building on the envi- ronment.
The concept of the apartments as town flats, put an emphasis in interior
Far East BUILDER, July 1971