3.11. During the year under review, 131 contracts were placed to a total value of $161 million and some 5,760 accounts were checked for work executed under the Maintenance Contracts to a total value of approximately $16 million: an increase of some 30% over the previous year. Consequent upon the Architectural Office assuming responsibility for works previously carried out by the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works, the Q.S. staff employed by the Ministry have been satisfactorily integrated into this Division.
3.12. The engagement of the services of private quantity surveyors showed a slight increase over the previous year when only projects undertaken by private architects were placed outside the Division. This year, in addition to those, a further two Architectural Office projects were placed with private quantity surveyors. This has been necessary due to the large increase in the number of contracts placed and the fact that three of the professional staff of this Division were transferred to the new Technical Audit Unit and have not yet been replaced.
3.13. The Division has, in addition, been responsible for the collection of statistical and cost advisory information relating to buildings and building materials and providing advice to other departments on grant-in-aid and subsidized schools and co-operative housing schemes.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING DIVISION
Government Structural Engineer:
Au Sik-ling, B.Sc. (Lingnam University), M.I.Struct.E.
3.14. The Division is responsible for the structural design of all projects undertaken by the Architectural Office. This includes maintenance works, the preparation of structural drawings, details and reinforcing bar bending schedules, the supervision of reinforced concrete and structural steel works on site and the design and supervision of piling and foundation works, together with advising other divisions of the Office on the structural feasibility of projects.
3.15. During the year the Division completed the structural design of over 130 separate new buildings and one 1,500 feet long flyover for vehicular traffic; supervised foundation and structural works at over 120 sites and the sinking of over 5,700 precast and in-situ piles. At the height of the disturbances in the summer, the structural engineers gave advice to at least four police stations for priority works for buildings, including the design for a helicopter landing pad on an existing roof.
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