XN000022-1976-07-01 — Page 2

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1976

NEW G.P.O. ALMOST READY ******

HONG KONG'S NEW $43 MILLION GENERAL POST OFFICE HAS VIRTUALLY BEEN COMPLETED AND WILL SOON BE OPENED.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT WORKERS ARE NOW PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE MODERN FIVE-STOREY COMPLEX WHICH WILL BE THE NEW NERVE CENTRE OF HONG KONG'S POSTAL SERVICE, REPLACING THE 65-YEAR-OLD G.P.O. BUILDING AT PEDDER STREET.

DESIGNED BY A TEAM OF SENIOR P.W.D. ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS IN CONSULTATION WITH THE POSTMASTER GENERAL, THE ELEGANT STRUCTURE FEATURES A WHITE GLASS MOSAIC FINISH AND IS FITTED WITH TINTED GLASS AND ANODISED ALUMINIUM WINDOWS. UNLIKE THE OLD G.P.0., THE NEW COMPLEX IS FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED.

AT NIGHT IT WILL BE ILLUMINATED WITH SODIUM YELLOW-CAST LAMPS ADDING ANOTHER GLOWING FEATURE TO HONG KONG'S GLITTERING SKYLINE.

APART FROM ITS IMPRESSIVE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES. THE BUILDING HAS BEEN DESIGNED ON AN EXTREMELY FUNCTIONAL BASIS AND INCORPORATES THE LATEST MAIL HANDLING CONCEPTS.

PROMINENT AMONG THEM IS AN IN-BUILT THREE-BERTH DOCKING SYSTEM WHERE MAIL BAGS ARE LOWERED BY BOOMS INTO WAITING LAUNCHES FOR IMMEDIATE TRANSFER TO OCEAN-GOING SHIPS.

AUTOMATIC CHAIN AND BELT CONVEYORS, ALL GEARED TO FURTHER ENHANCE MAIL HANDLING EFFICIENCY, CRISS-CROSS THE BUILDING IN ALMOST SURREALISTIC PATTERNS. MANUAL BACKUP SYSTEMS ARE ALSO PROVIDED.

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OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE CLOSED CIRCUIT TV SCANNERS, CENTRALISED VACUUM CLEANING DEVICES THE FIRST IN HONG KONG AND AN ARRAY OF OTHER ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL INNOVATIONS INSTALLED UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF CONSULTANT ENGINEERS FROM THE BRITISH POST OFFICE.

LOCATED ON A 3,700 SQUARE-METRE (40,000 SQ. FT.) SITE ON THE CENTRAL RECLAMATION, THE BUILDING PROVIDES A TOTAL FLOOR AREA OF ABOUT 15,800 SQUARE METRES (170,000 SQ. FT.) MORE THAN DOUBLE THAT IN THE OLD G.P.O. BUILDING.

ACCESS TO THE GENERAL POST OFFICE IS EITHER FROM STREET LEVEL OR FROM A HIGH-LEVEL PEDESTRIAN PROMENADE WHICH INTERCONNECTS OTHER BUILDINGS IN THE VICINITY.

THE MAIN PUBLIC HALL IS SITUATED ON THE FIRST FLOOR WHERE, APART FROM NORMAL STAMP SALES, 12,400 POST OFFICE BOXES ARE PROVIDED. THIS IS NEARLY TWICE THE NUMBER PROVIDED IN THE OLD G.P.O.

THE MAIN