NEW P.W.D. OFFICES IN KOWLOON
in
Impression of the project when completed with extensions,
number of sections with Weldimesh
The ground floor level will permit of full access from Farm Road and part of
It is but a sign of the times that the With this end in view, plans have been a Hong Kong Government should be plan- prepared for a Public Works Department partitions. ning the erection of fairly extensive office office block and depot to be erected on premises for the Public Works Department Farm Road in the Ma Tau Wei District, in Kowloon while construction of the near Kowloon City, to be combined with Central Government Offices on the Island ancillary buildings and areas which will
provide the Roads Office and Drainag are proceeding apace.
Office with their own administration and stores control centre on and for the Kow loon side.
OT
At the western end of this Hoor there
this floor will
provide a covered park for the cars of those working in the building. The office space on this floor is with The phenomenal growth of the Kowloon
reserved for the Drainage Office. side of the harbour during the past few
private offices for a Chief Engineer and years, and the fact that this development
an engineer, and with semi-private progress gives no signs of slackening has and the lower ground floor of the five ors,
These departments will occupy two floors general offices for draughtsmen, survey- inspectors of work, foremen and made it necessary for Government to plan storey building to be erected initially, the clerks as required. There will also be an on the provision of office facilities for remaining two floors will be assigned to instrument store and a room for the sur- engineers, surveyors, draughtsmen, etc., the Crown Lands Office and whose work is entirely confined
Buildings vey coolies. to that Ordinance Office. In fact, every Public side.
Works Department except the Architec- The Public Works Department, in com-
tural Office. Water Works Office and the will be a staff canteen with fully equip- mon with all other Government services, Port Works Office, will have accommoda- ped kitchen attached. linds that the present arrangement of tion in this building.
The whole of the first floor is reserved having their office centralized on the Hong The main office block will, of course, sible to provide generous space for clerks for the Roads Office where it will be pos- Kong side to which the staff have to re-
dominate the entire project from the turn after carrying out their duties in
and computors, and assistant engineering point of
view of size, appearance and Kowloon, is not only a hardship on the
surveyors on either side of the private location The
the building offices individual, but a waste of time in travel will be somewhat similar to the
design of
for the Chief Engineer, two ling which could be employed to better
gineers and assistant engineers. On the advantage.
Government Offices on Garden Road, and
opposite side of the central corridor large will therefore be well worthy of the pro- offices will be allocated for the engineer- Another disadvantage of the present minent position it will occupy in
ing draughtsmen and inspectors of work centralized system is the concentration of scheme.
with smaller areas for the assistant en- records and the difficulty of ready re-
gineers and foremen. In addition, there ference when required on the other side. The lower ground floor which will be Finally the question of the handling and formed from the excavated base of the will be a large plan printing office, an in- keeping track of departmental stores and rising ground will be used mainly to pro- "quipment, it is felt, could be more easily vide covered parking space for Roads The Buildings Ordinance Office will be dealt with if the two main areas of the Office vehicles. There will also be four accommodated on the second floor with Colony were separated and administrated large store rooms and a large gang tool separate offices for five building survey- from their own respective districts. lock-up store which will be divided into ors, the Assistant Chief Building Surveyor
TLOW
the
strument store and a file store.
en-
11
―