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news review
Check on safety of Kuala Lumpur industrialised buildings
The Malaysian Government is seeking assurances that there can be no repeat at local industrialised housing projects of the progressive collapse which occurred recently on a building in London.
The Ministry of Local Government and Housing has asked for reports from the Kuala Lumpur Muni- cipality and the Federal Housing Trust on the safety of prefabricated blocks now being erected in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The request coincides with a British tribunal's finding that some blocks built by "system methods" are liable to collapse.
In Britain the tribunal was set up following an accident at Ronan Point, East London, in which a gas explosion tore a complete corner from a 23- storey block. The failure of one load-bearing wall affected the same section throughout the 23 storeys.
Mr. Hugh Griffiths, chairman of the British tri- bunal, issued the warning that progressive collapse could be set off by accidental damage, settlement or other types of explosive. Engineers and archi- tects in Britain are now examining other types of system-built blocks to see if they are also liable to the Ronan Point type of collapse.
The Kuala Lumpur prefabricated blocks at Ja- lan Pekililing use a Danish system similar to that employed at Ronan Point. The Penang scheme is based on a French system. Gas will not be used in either project.
Start on largest low-cost housing estate
Work will begin later this month on the first stage of Hong Kong's largest low-cost housing estate
the Kwai Shing estate on the Texaco Peninsular
in the New Territories. The first stage of five 20- storey blocks and three estate schools is expected to be completed by mid-1971.
The buildings will be erected on different levels because of the difficult nature of the site. Two external lift towers, each 100 ft. high, will be built to provide mass vertical transport to link upper terraces with the lower terraces which will be served by buses. Three passenger lifts will be installed in one tower and two in the other.
Work will also start shortly on the first stage of the roads and services for the estate. This will involve the construction of about one mile of roads ranging from 36 to 46 ft. in width and the laying of 12,500 ft. of drains of various sizes to take care of the stormwater and foul water in the north-eastern portion of the estate.
The final stage of Government's Kwai Hing estate at Kwai Chung will start in November. This involves two 20-storey and two seven-storey blocks to provide homes for some 12,900 people and one 24-classroom estate school.
The whole estate, costing HK$13 million, will comprise three 20-storey and two seven-storey blocks and two schools. On completion in 1971, it will house 18,000 people.
Changing standards of resettlement accommodation
The growing speed with which each new design of resettlement block in Hong Kong becomes ob- solete is a point of interest to emerge from the report of the Resettlement Department for the year ended March 31, 1968.
It shows that of the first design (Mark 1) 146 blocks were built in the 86 months between October 1954 and November 1961; 94 Mark II were erected in 54 months from May 1960 to October 1964; 142 Mark III in 38 months from February 1964 to March 1967; and the earliest of the 56 Mark IV blocks, which in turn have become obsolete, date only from April 1965.
A new design, Mark VI, was on the planning board at the beginning of the year. This takes into account the recent Housing Board recommendation that the basic space allocation on resettlement be increased from 24 sq. ft. to 35 sq. ft. for each adult.
By the end of March this year the Public Works
Kwai Shing Government low-cost housing estate
Far East BUILDER, October 1968.
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