HONG KONG
BANK
FLATS
for
PORTUGUESE
STAFF
Photograph and site plan of the project.
In spite of the extended period of prosperity which Hong Kong has been enjoying these past few years, the lot of the white collar worker has been anything but a happy one. His salary has not been increased com- mensurate with the rise in the cost of living and the lack of housing accommodation has made it impossible for him to obtain decent living quarters for himself and his family within the range of his means. While most of the leading concerns in the Colony managed to buy or build flats and apartments for their officers and executives and higher paid employees, the clerks, assistants, and other local born personnel have been left to fend for themselves against impossible odds. In spite of press and public representations the high cost of construction and particu- larly the inflated value of land has made it impossible for housing schemes to be planned that would enable flats to be built that could be rented out at reasonable rates and still allow a fair economic return on the investment required.
It is rather gratifying, therefore, to be able to record that something has been done to solve this pressing problem even though on a limited scale and it is particularly fitting that the Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Cor- poration, an institution which plays such an important role in the commercial and financial life of the Colony,
LA
SALLE
ROAD
.
LA
N. R. I. L. 1127
SALLE
COLLEGE
TOTAL
TYPHOON SIGNAL
STATION
AREA
115000 SQ FT APPROT
NGA
TSIN WAL RP
SAU CHUK
YUEN RB
should be in the van of this humane and philanthropic endeavour.
They have recently completed three blocks of flats to house a large number of their Portuguese staff. Each building is ten storeys high and accommodates twenty families thus providing reasonable accommodation for sixty families in all. The buildings are sited on a long sloping site at the head of College Road, Kowloon, north of Boundary Street. Although set deep into the heart of Kowloon Peninsula, the elevation of the ground, the design of the apartments and the orientation of the buildings have provided that from each flat a commanding view both of Kowloon and the harbour is obtained, while at the same time the occupants receive the full benefit from all prevailing breezes.
(Above) Architectural detail of main entrance, and
(right) the compradore shop.
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