XN000022-1978-01-14 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1978

HUGE ROOF OF INDOOR STADIUM COMPLETED

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WORK ON THE HUGE ROOF OF THE MULTI-PURPOSE INDOOR STADIUM AT HUNG HOM HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

THE ROOF, WEIGHING ABOUT 1,300 TONNES AND MEASURING 10,000 SQUARE METRES, IS BEING LIFTED FROM GROUND LEVEL TO A HEIGHT OF 23 METRES TO REST ON TEMPORARY STEEL TOWERS.

MR. EDWIN WONG, GOVERNMENT ARCHITECT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, SAID THAT THE JACKING PROCESS WOULD TAKE ABOUT 20 DAYS TO COMPLETE.

HE SAID THAT AFTER THE ROOF WAS RAISED TO THE DESIGNED HEIGHT, THE SPECTATOR STAND AND INTERIOR OF THE STADIUM WOULD BE BUILT BENEATH IT.

+ONCE THIS WORK IS COMPLETED, HE SAID, THE ROOF WILL THEN BE LOWERED ONTO THE CONCRETE RIM OF THE SPECTATOR STAND, AND THE TEMPORARY STEEL TOWERS SUPPORTS CUT AWAY.+

CONSTRUCTION OF THE 12,500-SEAT SPECTATOR STAND WILL TAKE ABOUT 19 MONTHS AND THE WHOLE STADIUM SHOULD BE READY IN THE SECOND HALF OF 1980 WHEN IT WILL BE HANDED OVER TO URBAN COUNCIL FOR MANAGEMENT.

MR. WONG DESCRIBED THE PROJECT AS AN UNUSUAL ENGINEERING FEAT AS THE STADIUM WAS BUILT OVER THE NETWORK OF RAIL TRACKS.

+IN VIEW OF THE SOMEWHAT RESTRICTED SITE, ONLY FOUR MAJOR SUPPORTS FOR THE STADIUM ARE PERMITTED, HE SAID.

MR. WONG ADDED THAT THIS PRODUCED COMPLEX BUT INTERESTING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS REQUIRING COMPUTER AIDED STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS WITH TESTS BEING CARRIED OUT ON A MODEL UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS.

THE DESIGN OF THE $88 MILLION STADIUM, WHICH WILL BE IN THE SHAPE OF AN INVERTED PYRAMID, WILL NOT ONLY GIVE HONG KONG ANOTHER AMBITIOUS AND IMPOSING BUILDING ON ITS WATERFRONT BUT WILL ALSO GIVE THE STADIUM AS MUCH OPEN SPACE AS POSSIBLE.

ON COMPLETION, THE STADIUM WILL HAVE FACILITIES FOR EVERYTHING FROM GYMNASTICS AND BASKETBALL MATCHES TO THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES AND MAJOR EXHIBITIONS.

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