54
Basements.
BUILDING (CONSTRUCTION) REGULATIONS, 1956
(b) be glazed with 1 inch wired glass in fixed hardwood frames not less than 1 inches thick or steel frames in panels not exceeding 4 sq. ft., or with glass bricks or blocks in panels not exceeding 40 sq. ft. in area, with expansion joints of 1/10 inch per foot width at both sides and at the top of the panel.
102. Each element of construction in a basement shall have an F.R.P. not less than twice the period required for the elements of construction of the building or compartment thereof in which the basement is situated :
Provided that no basement need havé an F.R.P. exceeding 2 hours.
COUNCIL Chamber,
17th April, 1956.
"Blerk of Councils.
Explanatory Note.
These regulations are the third in a group of these enacted under, and coming into force with the Buildings Ordinance. 1955. Reference should be made to the introductory passage in the Explanatory Note to the Buildings_(Administration) Regulations. Compared with the pro- visions of the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 128) these regulations concerning construction lay down the requirements in great detail. The provisiona concerning piling (regulation 30), those dealing with the structural use of timber (regulation 77) and those with fire resisting requirements (Part X111) have no counterpart in the former Ordinance. In the main. the regulations consist of highly technical rules; and for this reason it is proposed to coinment only an uwe matters.
2. Part VI, which deals with walls and piers, includes regulations for determining their thickness in one of three ways: this many be done by calculation based on the maximum compressive stresses permitted in the materiala used (regulations 67-80), by calculation in accordance with the relevant British Standard Codes of Practice for load bearing walls, or finally by complying with the detailed "rales of thumb" in the case of buildings not exceeding four storeys in height (regulations 45-52) Cavity wall construction is being permitted for the first time in Hong Kong (regulation 53)
3. Under the former Ordinance steel-framed and reinforced concrete buildings could be designed under London County Council By-laws of 1909 and 1916 which were repealed by the London Buildog Act of 1930. Regulation 77 now permits designing of such buildings, and also those employing structural limber, in accordance with the relevant provisiona of the London Building By-laws, 1938, or of those of 1952 with sobagquent amendments. Many of these 1962 by-laws were based on recommendations contained in the 1948 British Standard Codes of Practice, and these state the assumption that such designing would be entrusted to chartered structural or civil engineers experienced in the structural use of steel and reinforced concrete. It has therefor been thought necessary to restrict the use of these 1952 by-laws to certain engineers qualified under regulation 4 of the Buildings (Administration) Regulations. The authorized architect is required to countersign all structural plans and calculations prepared by
BUILDING (CONSTRUCTION) REGULATIONS, 1956
the qualified engineer. All authorized architects may, however, submit designs in accordance with the 1938 by-laws; (which are no longer accepted by the L.C.C.) though they will no longer be entitled to submit designa based on the 1909 and 1915 by-laws which are considered obsolete, and uneconomical in the use of materialı. In all cases there is a further safe- guard to be found in the provisions of subsection (3) of section 9 of the Ordinance which empowers the Building Authority lu prescribe conditions concerning the Ove specified matters" Since authorized architects are permitted to pay these L.G,C, by-lawa, there will be found only four regulations dealing with loads (reguistions 22-25); the first of these, which deals with the effects of wind, has been prepared to take account of typhoon winds experienced in Hong Kong.
(Secretariat 1/1/741/52)
55
ས ས -