Far East ARCHITECT & BUILDER
The oldest trade journal in the Far East
EDITOR: A. G. BARNETT
Contents
MARCH 1968
news review
News Review
CAA Conference, Singapore
Report by HK delegates
21
222
25
World News
27
J. Hotung Building, Hong Kong
31
Oi Man Housing Estate, Hong Kong
35
Winnipeg Art Gallery
37
Competition won by HK-trained architect
Broadcasting Complex for
Radio Hong Kong
41
Chokchai International Building, Bangkok 44
Office Conversion Project, Singapore
46
Civil Engineering Section
HK Mass Transport Studies Published
51
Master Policy for Transport Urged
54
Construction of Hwa Kiang Bridge
57
H. P. Lee and J. H. Cheng
Materials and Equipment
61
Contractors' Plant
63
Building Plans Approved
67
Contracts Awarded
67
Index to Advertisers
68
2
Cover picture: The J. Hotung Building, Hong Kong. Occupying an island site at the junction of Hankow Road and Middle Road, Kowloon, the 17-storey block comprises 238 apartments above three floors of offices and two levels of shops. See page 31.
Published monthly by Far East Trade Press Ltd., 1908, Prince's Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 241031 European Office: Building and Contract Journals Ltd., 32 Southwark Bridge Road, London, 8. E, I, Tel: Waterloo 2060. Printed by Shum Shing Print- ing Co., 7 Ship Street, Hong Kong. Tel: 724513.
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PAVILION DESIGN CONTROVERSY
THE rumble of criticism which greeted Government's ap- pointment of a four-man design team to be responsible for the Hong Kong Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka became a furore of discontent when the team released last month a preliminary sketch of its basic proposals.
Comments from architects and laymen ranged from "slightly unfortunate" and "undistinguished" to "peurile" and "makeshift", while the Hong Kong University's Archi- tectural Society charged on the one hand that the design was "not coherent" and on the other that it came near to plagiarism/ (HKU students had previously prepared de- signs for an Osaka pavilion as an academic exercise.)
The sketch (page 22) shows that the Hong Kong site will comprise a main pavilion and a smaller adjacent pavilion which may house a restaurant, the two buildings being surrounded by water and linked by a covered way in the form of a bridge. The main building is a simple rectangular structure which is described by Government Information Services as "expressing contemporary Hong Kong".
Mounted on its roof will be a gathering of real junk sails which will "move in a changing pattern as the wind direction alters" Tallest of the sails will rise to about 70 ft. above the roof level, while a central mast decorated with flags will be 90 ft. high. The sails will be raised and lowered daily by Hong Kong fishermen.
Visitors to the exposition will see the Hong Kong pavilion as they travel on a skyway system which passes close to the pavilion. Traditional entertainments such as lion dances, mannequin parades and other public shows will be staged on an island surrounded by water on the pavilion site.
This basic design has been produced by Mr. Alan Fitch, ARIBA, MSIA, who heads the design team and is particularly responsible for planning the pavilion and land- scaping the site. Work on the interior designs is being carried out by Mr. Jackson Wong, B.Arch (Hons.), who is responsible for the social section: Mr. Christopher Haffner, B.Arch. (Hons.) (Liverpool), ARIBA, for the tourist cultural heritage section; and Mr. Bernard Navetta. B.Sc, senior design executive of the Trade Development Council, for the industrial and commercial section.
COMPETITION CALLED FOR
It was the appointment of this design team which spark- ed off a series of critical letters to the Hong Kong daily, South China Morning Post. One correspondent, un- der the pseudonym Academic Architect, pointed out that the history of buildings designed by committees was notoriously bad.
The same writer asked: "How long will it be before autocratic nomination is superseded by competition in an area where it positively shouts for it?"
He said that it was high time that some of the local, less known but fully qualified and very able designers were given opportunity to show their prowess. The publicity that a competition for this exhibition would have, would also draw attention to the abilities present in Hong Kong
Far East Architect & Builder March, 1968
21