imported materials account for about 20 per cent of the
cost.
A Housing Board spokesman is quoted as saying that nearly 99 per cent of the materials used in its flats are locally manufactured.
The one
per cent exceptions include door-locks. handles. ironmongery (from Britain) and glass (from Japan).
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MAP
A SENIOR geologist from Britain has been seconded to the Hong Kong Government to carry out field investiga- tions for the preparation of a new geological survey map.
He is Mr. Edward Arthur Stephens, a Principal Scien- tific Officer of the Overseas Division of the British Institute of Geological Sciences. Mr. Stephens arrived in Hong Kong in January and has been attached to the Crown Lands and Survey Office of the Public Works Department where he will work for the next 18 months.
The new geological map will replace the present map which is too small and too generalised for use in the plan- ning of particular development projects. The programme will involve detailed field mapping throughout Hong Kong Island. Kowloon and the New Territories. Field observa- tions will be co-ordinated by photogeological studies in which geological structures are interpreted from the stereo- scopic examination of air photographs.
NEW BOARD FOR 1967
MR. Quintin K. Calderon, head of Calderon Construc- tion Co., has been re-elected president of the Philippine Contractors Association. Other officers and board mem- bers who were re-elected were: Antonio P. Chanco, vice president: Ramon Hechanova, secretary; and Vicente Esguerra. Max Lauchli. Lucio Rodriguez. Ed. M. Sison and Benjamin Ymson, directors.
The new PCA officers are: Anton Kho Chongsu, vice president: Antonio Avecilla, treasurer; and Onofre Banson, Dominador Cepeda, Rodolfo M. Cuenca and Baldwin Young, directors. David M. Consunji and Pedro O. Escobar remain as ex-officio directors.
The Philippine Association of Civil Engineers has also announced its officers for 1967-1968. They are: Demetrio D. Copuyoc, president: Ramon G. Hechanova. vice president: Lucas F. Agbayani, secretary; Jose F. Mabanta. treasurer: and Jose Ma. de Castro, Vicente Esguerra, Jr., Jose Inocencio, Angel Lazaro, Jr., Godo- fredo J. Marquez, Ernesto Patenia and Luis Revilla Tagle. directors.
PREFAB. FOR EXPORT
כור
Factory-built bungalow housing, which incorporates air-condi- tioning, central heating and service amenities, has been de- veloped by a British company primarily for overseas markets. Called the Integar System, it is intended for use in countries with a sub-tropical climate for tourist development projects, executive or retirement villas.
The houses which can be delivered to any part of the world, are in the medium-cost range and can be erected in about 200 man hours by unskilled labour. Other advantages of the system are that it is light, easy to transport and is not dependent on the availability of building materials.
This picture shows the side and part of the front portico of an Integar system house. The manufacturers are Fitzpatrick Developments Ltd., Lea Road, Waltham Abbey Essex, England.
26
NEW HKSA PRESIDENT
NEW President of the Hong Kong Society of Architects for 1967 is Mr. Alan Fitch, ARĪBA, MSIA.
An active member of the Society for many years, he is in practice with W. Szeto, architects, engineers and planning consultants. He designed Hong Kong's Statue Square Garden and is current- ly working on the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a large new hospital and several other projects.
Mr. Fitch
Mr. Fitch was educated at King's College, School of Architecture, University of Durham, qualifying in 1948. He worked in the north of England on schools and large scale housing projects until 1951, during which period he gained a commend- ed award for a design submitted in the open competition for Coventry Cathedral.
After 1951 he worked on factory and town centre planning at Stevenage New Town until 1954 when he joined the Architectural Office of the Hong Kong Public Works Department. Here he planned parking buildings, a police training school and, jointly with Mr. R. J. Phillips, de- signed and supervised the Hong Kong City Hall. For his work on the interiors of the City Hall he was awarded membership of the Society of Industrial Artists.
Mr. Fitch joined W. Szeto in 1963.
Other officers of the HKSA for 1967 are: A. V. Alvares, vice president; J. H. Kinoshita, secretary; Lee King Fun, treasurer; and Leslie Ouyang, associate member of council.
NEW CONVALESCENT BLOCK
A NEW Convalescent block is to be constructed at Kow- loon, Hong Kong. The building is designed to provide sub- sidiary convalescent beds for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital so as to allow it to achieve a maximum turnover of beds. Situated in the south-west area of the existing Kow- loon Hospital grounds, the block will be seven storeys high. Five of the floors will contain hospital wards with a total of 586 beds.
The upper ground floor will be used for administra- tion, pharmacy and public space purposes and the lower ground floor for accommodating stores, the staff canteen and other special departments. Site formation work will start shortly.
MEKONG DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
In spite of continued difficulties in the area, the Mekong development project has made solid progress during the past year, reports the Co-ordination Committee (The Com- mittee for Co-ordination of Investigations of the Lower Mekong Basin).
The Mekong project seeks "the comprehensive deve- lopment of the water resources of the Lower Mekong Basin for the development of hydro-electric power. irriga- tion, flood control, drainage, navigation improvement, watershed management, watersupply, and other develop- ments, for the benefit of the people of the Basin."
The state of the programme at the end of 1966 is as follows:
Six tributary projects are either operating, under con- struction or about to reach construction stage. Already operating are the Nam Pong and Nam Pung projects in north-east Thailand; construction is in progress on the Nam Dong and Lower Se Done projects in Laos; finance
Far East Architect & Builder March, 1967