LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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three such projects in progress, one in Yau Ma Tei, one in Sheung Wan (both scheduled for completion in 1995) and one in Sham Shui Po (to be completed in 1993).
Building Development - Private Sector
As the property market continued to boom, the number of occupation permits issued for completed buildings was 443, compared with 440 in 1991. The amount of usable floor area provided was 3.1 million square metres and the total costs of new building works were $23,518 million.
The skyline of Hong Kong changed following the completion of a 78-storey office building, the Central Plaza. With a height of 374.30 metres, it is the tallest concrete- framed building in the world, the tallest building in Asia, and the fourth tallest building in the world. Phase I of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was completed and Phase II was at an advanced stage of completion. A major residential development was well underway at Ap Lei Chau comprising 38 tower blocks of flats for more than 50 000 people.
As new buildings in Hong Kong become more sophisticated, it is imperative to maintain a high standard of building safety. New Building (Planning) Regulations were introduced in 1992 requiring the provision of easy means of access within new buildings for fire fighting and rescue purposes.
The Buildings Ordinance Office also continued to place great emphasis on building safety in existing buildings. More staff were employed to deal with the problem of potential dangers arising from older buildings. Efforts in publicity and civic education were maintained to promote public awareness of the need for efficient maintenance and repair of buildings. In the on-going enhanced planned survey exercise, 8 624 buildings in suspect condition were inspected resulting in the issue of 910 orders requiring repair or demolition of buildings.
On the morning of May 8, 1992, Hong Kong experienced a severe rainstorm. This event, one of the worst on record, meant that the Buildings Ordinance Office had to attend to a total of 85 emergency cases, resulting in the immediate closure of one building on a permanent basis, and 20 buildings temporarily.
The problem of unauthorised building works remained a problem for the Buildings Ordinance Office. Operations were launched to clear external appendages which threatened the safety of public thoroughfares. Fifty two buildings were targeted for clearance during the year. Of the 11 160 appendages removed, 6 140 were removed voluntarily by the building owners themselves, attesting not only to the success of the operations but also to the willingness of the public to co-operate.
The office played an active role in promoting energy conservation by co-ordinating a study on the use of overall thermal transfer values in air-conditioned buildings as a means to achieve energy efficiency. A draft handbook was prepared and commended to the building industry for use on a trial basis.
The office was also alert to the wasteful use of tropical hardwood in the building industry, to the detriment of the environment. Practice notes were issued to authorised persons, registered structural engineers and registered contractors aiming at encouraging the use of alternatives to timber for construction purposes. An exercise was initiated to examine existing building regulations to further the cause.
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