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the Cape Canaveral of the building industry?
One further development of signi- ficance which ought to be mentioned at this point is the curtain-wall; this is a development and not a break- through, and its defects are due to this. Materials needed to come first. and their application afterwards; there is no new material used in curtain-walling and the incompatabi- lity of those employed are its weak- ness, in that complex, instead of simple, jointing systems are required to make it function. The material should come
first and from its characteristics its use should be determined. Without the availability of a wide new range of building materials, little change in building procedures is likely to occur.
There is, however, a sphere of operation, in which immediate action takes place, and all that is necessary is to lower our sights a good dea! and look at the wastage of materials that occurs on building sites (parti cularly in Hong Kong).
Here is scope for an immediate assault on the problem. This wastage occurs mainly in two ways, in mis- takes in the construction generally, resulting in repetition of work and in carelessness in the handling, use and storage of materials.
Not one more ounce of cement, aggregate or water should be incor-
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IO.
(b) the actual demolition of any part of a building where there is a special risk of collapse, whether of that part of the building or of any part of a building, in the course of, or as a result of, the demolition works, so as to endanger any person employed in the de- molition works;
(c) the cutting or breaking up or dismantling of reinforced con- crete, steelwork or ironwork forming part of the structure of a building.
No floor, roof or other part of a building that is being demolished shall be so overloaded with debris or materials as to render it unsafe.
II. Where, during the carrying out of any demolition works, steelwork or ironwork is being cut or released dismantled, precautions shall be taken, so far as is practicable, to prevent any
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or
porated in a concrete mix than is necessary to obtain the designed result. No bag of cement should get damaged and spill out its contents. No container of liquid should leak. Every piece of material, timber and metal, should be cut to give full utilization.
An old military adage goes "time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted"; substitute for reconnais- sance the word organization or plan ning, which do not differ very much in meaning from it; then one has the key to the answer
site organization and skilled control.
A building operation should pro- ceed like a factory process, materials fed into a production line and a building emerging from the end, with minimum waste, and as in efficient industry what waste there is, turned into useful by-products.
The amount of rubbish that is cleared away from building sites is frequently very large. The ideal would be to see that only the amount of material actually required is taken to the site and all that would need be the building plant and tools. The use of ready-mixed concrete, prefabricated reinforcement, factory- made plumbing and electrical as semblies and joinery work, all lead to material savings and efficient site operations.
A factor that needs consideration at the design stage, but often neglect
danger from a suudden twist, spring or collapse.
12. Where during the carrying out of any demolition works, any part of of the framing is being removed from a framed or partially framed building, all practicable precautions shall be taken to prevent danger from collapse of the structure.
13. (1) An authorized architect who contravenes paragraph (1) of regula- tion 3 shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars.
(2) A registered contractor who con- travenes paragraph (2) of regulation 3 shall guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars.
(3) A registered contractor who con- travenes paragraph (a) of regulation 6 or paragraph (2) of regulation 8 shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months.
ed, is the building sequence needed to bring it into realization; for in stance, a design which allows the roof to be built at an early stage, may not only speed up the finishing but give greater efficiency in the organization of the work
and consequent greater economy; this is a proper part of the design process
—
to design as it is to be built, and an architect's responsibility does not end by his producing an efficient and economic design in terms of space and material utilization if the building process in itself is not economic in achieving it.
The last war brought home to us the sorry position we find ourselves in when we suddenly realize that there is no more cement, steel or timber, having long been accustomed to using empirical formulae and to traditional methods. Circumstances force us
to use the hallow block and we find it satisfactory; we find a 1" door is just as good for our purposes
as 13" door, and that aluminium can be used instead of brass or steel in many circumstances In the not too distant future, war or no war, we may find ourselves without our stock materials.
Are we prepared for this emer gency? Are we
Are we even thinking of how maximum use may be made of a minimum amount of materials? Let us hope when the crises comes, that the only answer is not a Buck- minster Fuller dome!
(4) In the event of a contravention of regulation 5, 7, 10, 11 or 12 or of paragraph (1) of regulation 4, para- graph (b) of regulation, 6, paragraph (1) or (3) of regulation 8 or paragraph (1) of Jegulation 9, the registered contractor appointed in respect of the demolition works shall be guilty of an office and liable on summary conviction to a fine of two thousand dollars and to impri- sonment for six months.
14.
regulations
shall not
These apply to demolition works that are in the course of being carried out at the commencement of these regulations.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The architects of the Kun Tong District Government Branch Office and Health Centre and Maternity Clinic, described in our last issue. are Wong and Ng Associates on be half of the Hong Kong Public Department.
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER—VOLUME 17, NUMBER