tenants in a cross-contour block
of commodated in a storey of greater A group of such cross-contour making his own way home by road height than that necessary for the blocks, extending spaciously over the or footpath why should he be flats above and below, forming a gal- hillsides above the existing industry on the low-lying forced to pay for lifts? In such lery or promenade running off at right and town centres development they could either
either be angles from the road into the building land beneath, with the areas between omitted altogether, or treated as a itself. This would separate the pedes the blocks green with turf and trees, public utility on which fares are paid, trian areas of the scheme from the could enliven and humanise many of the eroded slopes above Kowloon and like the Peak Tram. Indeed, it might road traffic.
elsewhere. The roads at regular inter- be worth investigating the possibility
A pattern now begins to emerge. It vals up the contours, and the blocks of grouping such developments around seems possible to envisage large estates running across them, would give an forms of vertical transport other than built on slopes adjoining existing or underlying discipline to the whole lifts, such as escalators, cableways and new industrial areas where the con- complex of buildings. Based firmly funicular railways, running up the
tours run, for correct orientation of thus on the topography of the site the hillside itself, and operating separately the blocks, approximately north and architecture would seem to spring from the housing so as to be financial-
south. Roads and footpaths give naturally from the landscape. ly self-supporting.
access along the contours at every
No-one will imagine that the prin- Housing schemes presently planned seventh floor level, so that no flat is tend to be very large in scale and may more than three floors above or below ciple here put forward will be easy well grow larger. In such schemes the main access on this, the gallery to translate into building, or that a solution fit for one site will apply shops, markets, churches, temples, floor. From each gallery floor, with
other. Yet some schools, clinics and so on all must its shops, markets and other facilities, exactly have their places. In a cross-contour stairs lead up and down to the flats, attempt to make a general solution development these ancillary needs forming a basic unit of seven storeys: and the hillsides made good places to would have to be supplied within the the gallery itself, three floors above live, the problem of sites would be blocks themselves. The best place for and three floors below. This unit is
must be made; for should it be found
them might well be at the point where repeated throughout the scheme, unit solved and those of cost and of social and architectural standards much the roads and footpaths running along overlapping unit as the slope of the diminished. the contours adjoin or run through site and the requirements of access the blocks. Here they could be ac- may dictate.
D. P. C.
VONO
BEDS
AND
MATTRESSES
HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED TO THE FOLLOWING PROMINENT HOTELS, INSTITUTIONS, APARTMENTS, HOSPITALS, ETC.
Ascot House
Astor Hotel
Capitol Hotel
Carnarvon Hotel
Carlton Hotel
Clover Hotel
Grand Hotel
Hotel Miramar
Luk Kwok Hotel
Metropolitan Rest House Melbourne Hotel Metropole Hotel
Trade inquiries to the
Sole Agents:-
New Ritz Hotel Peninsula Court Savoy Hotel
Shamrock Hotel Sunning House Sun Ya Hotel Victoria Hotel Winner House Washington House Helena May Institute University of Hong Kong Y.W.C.A. Hostel
Kwong Wah Hospita!
Ruttonjee Sanatorium
Sailors' Home & Mission to Seamen
American Consulate General
Butterfield & Swire
Cable & Wireless, Ltd.
Far East Land Forces
Hong Kong Government Stores Department
Hong Kong Electric Co., Ltd.
Hong Kong Club
The Hong Kong Telephone Co., Ltd. U.S. Navy Purchasing Branch
SWIRE & MACLAINE, LTD.
Telephone: 30331
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER
VOLUME 14. NUMBER 2