WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1982
21
DUKE VISITS COLISEUM SITE
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HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF KENT THIS MORNING VISITED THE HONG KONG COLISEUM NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION NEAR THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY TERMINUS AT HUNG HOM.
THE DUKE WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE SCALE OF THE STADIUM WHICH WILL BE ASIA'S LARGEST WHEN COMPLETED EARLY NEXT YEAR.
HE WAS MET ON ARRIVAL BY THE DIRECTOR OF BUILDING DEVELOPMENT, MR D.W.T. MOK THE CHAIRMAN OF THE URBAN COUNCIL, MR HILTON CHEONG-LEEN THE DIRECTOR OF URBAN SERVICES, MR B.D. WILSON AND THE CHAIRMAN OF THE URBAN COUNCIL'S CAPITAL WORKS SELECT COMMITTEE, MR LAWRENCE FUNG,
AFTER VIEWING AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS, MODELS AND DRAWINGS OF THE STADIUM AND A SHORT FILM SHOWING THE LOWERING OF THE STADIUM ROOF, THE DUKE TOURED THE 12 000-SEAT STADIUM.
HE WAS BRIEFED BY MR MOK ASSISTED BY THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT, MR JOSEPH LEI; MR Y.Y. LAM, CHIEF STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, ON DESIGN AND STRUCTURAL MATTERS. ALSO PRESENT WAS MR S.D. CHIU OF TECHNIC CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD., MAIN CONTRACTOR.
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS SHOWED KEEN INTEREST IN THE UNUSUAL STRUCTURE AND DESIGN OF THE STADIUM, AND THE FACILITIES IT WILL PROVIDE.
HE WAS TOLD THAT THE STADIUM IS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW HUNG HOM RAILWAY TERMINUS COMPLEX, BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRAINT OF THE NUMEROUS RAILWAY TRACKS THAT RAN BENEATH THE PODIUM FROM WHICH LEVEL THE STADIUM WAS BUILT, ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF SUPPORTS CAN BE PROVIDED BETWEEN THE RAILWAY TRACKS.
AS A RESULT OF THE CONSTRAINT, THE STADIUM TAKES ON A BOLD FORM OF AN INVERTED PYRAMID SPRINGING OUT FROM THE FEW SUPPORTS CARRIED DOWN THROUGH THE RAILWAY TRACKS LEVEL TO CAISSON FOUNDATIONS BELOW.
BEFORE ENDING HIS 50-MINUTE VISIT, THE DUKE MET MEMBERS OF THE URBAN COUNCIL AT A RECEPTION.
LATER IN THE MORNING, THE DUKE MET THE CHAIRMAN OF THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION, MR MICHAEL SANDBERG, AND ITS OTHER EXECUTIVES IN THE HILTON HOTEL'S BALLROOM WHERE HE WAS BRIEFED ON THE BANK'S NEW HEADQUARTERS BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN CENTRAL.
THE ARCHITECT, MR NORMAN FOSTER, EXPLAINED THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE BUILDING WHICH WILL BE 183 METRES HIGH WITH THREE STRUCTURAL BAYS OF 28, 35 AND 41 STOREYS EACH.
THE BUILDING,