# GENERAL
# INTRODUCTION
1.01
Hong Kong's topography has always imposed natural restrictions on its development and land utilization. Its population of some 4.6 million is for the most part concentrated in an area of about nine square miles covering the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, and the Kowloon Peninsula as far as the foothills which run from Lei Yue Mun in the east to Lai Chi Kok in the west. Buildings for commercial, industrial and domestic use, together with recreational facilities and the road network, have absorbed the majority of available land in these urban areas and in order to improve the housing standards of its people and to provide alternative employment opportunities, Hong Kong is developing new towns in the New Territories, while continuing to improve the existing facilities in the urban areas.
1.02
Although the shortages in the staff of the various disciplines employed within the Architectural Office continued during the year under review, progress on the projects in hand was kept at a reasonable level. The establishment of a fairly firm set of Programmes allowed a greater degree of staff resources planning which helped towards the overcoming of some of the staff shortages which occurred although this was, in turn, partly nullified by the high priority afforded, of necessity, to the work generated by the 1976-83 Defence Works (Costs) Agreement.
1.03
Tender prices remained reasonably steady during the year with minor fluctuations only, resulting in an overall rise of about 6% over the year.
Activity in the building industry, in both public and private sectors, increased considerably during the year and with everything pointing to a continuation of this trend, building costs are likely to rise in the year ahead.
1.04
In August 1976, His Excellency the Governor formally opened the new General Post Office, prominently located on the waterfront in Central District. This building, whilst providing all the usual postal facilities for the public, also contains some of the most up-to-date mechanical mail handling equipment available and combines with this the unusual feature of being able to accommodate, virtually under part of the building, the vessels which operate the marine postal traffic within Hong Kong.
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