fire victims while taller buildings were being planned and built. Most of these were demolished within the next two or three years, and all Resettlement Estates now consist of either double wing 'H' blocks or similar single wing blocks known as 'I' blocks. At the end of March, 1962, there were in all 179 such blocks in occupation.
53. Plans of a typical seven-storey resettlement block will be found at Appendix III Drawing No. 1. It will be noted that these blocks are in the shape of a letter 'H', the crossbar of which accommodates the latrines. The design and construction of these buildings is undertaken by the Public Works Department and the design of the original six- storey experimental buildings at Shek Kip Mei was so successful that few modifications have been found to be necessary. The blocks are now of seven-storeys and their flat roofs have been strengthened and have enclosed penthouses for use as schools or boys' and girls' clubs. During 1960-61 a new type of block was introduced in which the courtyards are enclosed by hollow block screens within which are placed the end staircases. This has brought about a striking change in appearance; but the basic design remains the same, as can be seen from Drawing No. 2 at Appendix III. The chief advantage of this new type of block lies in its having an additional twenty four rooms, each with a private balcony and four large ground floor shops of 310 square feet each.
54. The wings of each building vary from 140 to 320 feet in length depending on the site. Each wing is normally divided into bays of about twenty five feet (the full width of the wing) by nine feet six inches. Access is provided by balconies on each floor which run completely round the four sides of each wing.
55. These 240 square feet bays were, in the first buildings, divided by centre line partitions into rooms of 120 square feet. In later blocks the position of this partition varies from floor to floor and it is possible to provide rooms of different sizes for larger and smaller families. The dimensions of the rooms, and their monthly rents, are:
(a) $10 rooms of about 86 square feet for families of 3 to 34 ‘adults'; (b) $14 rooms of about 120 square feet for families of 4 to 5 'adults'; (c) $18 rooms of about 152 square feet for families of 51 to 61⁄2
'adults';
(d) $28 rooms of about 240 square feet for families of 8 to 10 'adults' (or two smaller families wishing to share). (A child under 10 years is counted as half an adult).
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