TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 1983
GOVERNMENT KEEPING UP BUILDING PROJECTS
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DESPITE THE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC CLIMATE, THERE WILL BE NO REDUCTION IN EXPENDITURE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS ON GOVERNMENT BUILDING PROJECTS.
THIS WAS STATED BY MR JOSE LEI DIRECTOR OF BUILDING DEVELOPMENT, AT A LUNCHEON TALK TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF HONG KONG NORTHWEST TODAY.
MR LEI SAID THAT THE ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE OF THE BUILDING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 2 000 BUILDING PROJECTS WITHIN THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME URBAN COUNCIL PROGRAMME, DEFENCE COST AGREEMENT AND FITTING- OUT OF LEASED PREMISES PROGRAMME AS WELL AS FOR WORKS OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
+THESE GENERATE, AS A RESULT, AT ANY ONE TIME ABOUT 750 CONTRACTS, ANOTHER 350 READY TO GO OUT TO TENDERS AND ABOUT 15 TERM CONTRACTS, THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHICH ARE THE MAINTENANCE AND FITTING-OUT TERM CONTRACTS, HE SAID.
*THE MAINTENANCE BRANCH OF THE ARCHITECTURAL OFFICE HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAKING CARE OF SOME 3 500 BUILDINGS FROM THE DAY THEY ARE HANDED OVER BY THE ARCHITECT, OR LEASED BY GOVERNMENT, TO THE DAY THEY ARE FINALLY DEMOLISHED TO BE REPLACED WITH NEW ONES.+
THEREFORE, HE SAID, THE BRANCH HAD TO HANDLE AN AVERAGE OF 170 000 INDIVIDUAL JOBS ANNUALLY. THIS YEAR ABOUT $197 MILLION WOULD BE SPENT ON MAINTENANCE AS WELL AS ALTERATION AND IMPROVEMENT WORKS.
ON THE SUBJECT OF GOVERNMENT ARCHITECTURE, MR LEI SAID THAT THE PRINCIPAL OBJECT OF GOVERNMENT ARCHITECTURE WAS TO PRODUCE FUNCTIONAL BUILDINGS AT A MINIMUM COST AND BUILDINGS THAT FUNCTIONED WITHOUT FRILLS.
THIS FUNCTIONAL AND ECONOMIC APPROACH, HE ADDED, DEMANDED STANDARDISATION FOR BUILDINGS SUCH AS SCHOOLS, POLICE STATIONS AND QUARTERS.
+THE ECONOMIC MASS PRODUCTION APPROACH TENDS TO INHIBIT EXCITING ARCHITECTURE,+ MR LE SAID.
NEVERTHELESS, OCCASIONS DID ARISE WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROVIDED SCOPE FOR IMAGINATIVE DESIGN, HE ADDED.
WHILE STRESSING THAT ANY ASSESSMENT OF GOVERNMENT ARCHITECTURE HAD TO BE BASED ON HOW BEST THE DESIGN SOLUTION MET THE CRITERIA WITHIN THE PARAMETERS IN THE GOVERNMENT CONTEXT, HE WAS OF THE OPINION THAT MORE SHOULD BE DONE TO ENCOURAGE ARCHITECTS IN HIS DEPARTMENT TO SEEK IMAGINATIVE SOLUTION TO DESIGN PROBLEMS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF FUNCTIONAL ECONOMIC APPROACH.
/MR LEI