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Friday, December 7, 1973
"It was a complete departure from usual practices and in the
three years of operation of the new hospital, it has proved, satisfactory
from both a functional and a medical point of view," he said.
Mr. Wong, who worked as an architect in New Zealand and England
before joining the P.W.D. team in Hong Kong in 1957, emphasized the
importance of team work in architecture.
"Every design of a building may be conceived by one architect,"
he said, "but it takes a whole team to translate the idea to reality.
"The complexity of building a hospital is enormous and every
aspect of the building industry participates in the work in order to achieve
the initial concept."
In particular, Mr. Wong was appreciative of the contribution of
one of his assistants, Mr. Johnson Lau, who has since joined the Chinese
University as a Senior Architect.
Kowloon Hospital West Wing is not only an achievement
in that it is a successful building; in terms of economy and design, it
could be invaluable as a prototype for the further study of the development
of medical facilities planned by the government for the next ten years.
At the handing-over ceremony of the hospital in 1970, the Director
of Medical and Health Services, Dr. G. E. Choa, acknowledged its merit and
described it as a 'milestone' for his department.
Not only did it provide more beds for a growing population, Dr.
Choa said, but it also met "changing needs in the pattern of medical
services for the community".
Note to Editors:
Copies of a photograph of Mr. Wong and a model of the Kowloon Hospital are boxed for collection.
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