news review
Massive HK public works programme
Expenditure on Hong Kong's public works during 1969/70 will be HK$539 million - one of the biggest programmes in the colony's history and 25 per cent. of the total budgeted spending for the
year.
The money will go towards the construction of nearly 450 projects, the biggest item being for 187 new reinforced concrete buildings costing HK$185.5 million. Civil engineering works total 189 and will cost HK$78.8 million, while 56 waterworks pro- jects will cost HK$38.4 million.
Nearly HK$7 million is to be spent on the Technical Institute, Hong Kong, and two secondary technical schools in Kowloon. In addition forty-four 24-classroom annex schools will be built in resettle- ment and low-cost housing estates. The bill for new fire stations and workshops comes to nearly HK$4 million.
Work will continue on Government's new low- cost housing and resettlement estates which, with modernisation of older blocks, will cost HK$89 million.
More than HK$34 million is earmarked for new hospitals, clinics, prisons, swimming pools, abattoirs and markets. Of this HK$5 million is for a ward block at Kowloon hospital and HK$1 million for a sports complex at Aberdeen.
Over HK$50 million is for new road construc- tion, including HK$6 million on the HK$29 million Kowloon City interchange, $2 million for the Choi Hung roundabout interchange, $3.8 million for the Waterfront Road and $2 million for improvement to Castle Peak Road between Castle Peak and Ping Shan.
Another Singapore hotel scheme approved
A proposal for another luxury hotel the 321- room Hotel Royal at Newton Road has been given planning approval by Singapore Government. The $$8.5 million building, 15-storeys high, will be sited on an area of 81,438 sq. ft. which was originally planned for two staggered square blocks of flats. Piling for the original scheme has been completed and the column positions have been adopted in the new project. A T-shaped building rising from a two-storey square podium has resulted.
Apart from its 321 air-conditioned rooms, the hotel will include two restaurants to seat 550 and
Far East BUILDER, April 1969
220 persons, a supper club, arcade shops, swimming pool and sun deck and garden at podium roof level. External finishes on the reinforced concrete structure will comprise Anolok alumium sun grilles, granolithic walls and fixed plate glass panels with aluminium framing. The sun grilles are designed to cut off angular sunlight yet offer uninterrupted views to the guests. With the heat-resistant tinted glass panels they will effect a saving in air con- ditioning loads.
The floor facades are designed in continuous harmony using the grilles and vertical projecting
Hotel Royal
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DEPAR
fins to effect continuity and give vertical emphasis. All four elevations will have visual frontages, the entrance approach being distinguished by a Japanese garden and a projected overhead podium floor.
Architects United are the consultant architects and Chung Swee Poey and Sons are the supervising architects and structural engineers.
More pavilions for Osaka
The contract for building the United States pavilion at Expo '70, Japan, has been awarded to Ohbayashi-Gumi Co. Ltd., one of the busiest con- tractors on the Osaka site.
Of a unique design, the huge building will be 6.4 metres above ground level at its highest point and will have a total floor space of 16,218 sq. metres. There will be two basement levels inside. the reinforced concrete structure.
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New York architects, Davis, Brody, Chermayeff, Geismar, de Harak & Associates, designed the pavilion which will be surmounted by an air-dome with a cable roof the first of its type. Each cable is supported by the loop-shaped concrete structure and the space between each cable is covered by semi-transparent glass fibre. Four air compressors will be used to expand the roof.
The height of the roof from the top of the con- crete structure to the centre of the roof is 20ft. (6.1m) and the weight is only 1.5 lb. (680g) per sq. ft. (per 0.305 sq. m). The interior of the ground level dome will contain a sunny park during the daytime and will be brightly lit at night.
Details of other pavilions they are building have recently been announced by Ohbayashi-Gumi.
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