XN000022-1994-03-01 — Page 9

TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1994

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SPEAKING AT A MEET-THE-MEDIA SESSION AFTER THE TOUR, DIRECTOR OF ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES, MR KENNETH CHAN, SAID TIN SHUI WAI WAS A DEMONSTRATION OF A PROCESS IN WHICH EMPHASIS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT HAS SHIFTED FROM MAINLY A "PRODUCTION LINE IN KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND FOR INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT SUCH AS THE NEW TOWNS, TO A CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT OF ALL ASPECTS OF THE BUILDING PROCESS, PARTICULARLY FROM A QUALITY PERSPECTIVE.

"THE PROJECTS YOU HAVE SEEN WERE DESIGNED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE ALREADY INCORPORATED MANY IMPROVEMENTS IN RESPONSE TO THE DEMANDS FOR BETTER QUALITY AS VIEWED THEN, IT SHOULD BE EMPHASISED THAT THIS PURSUIT IS DYNAMIC AND CONTINUING AND AS THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE CONTINUES TO GROW, SO TOO DO THE AFFLUENCE AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE COMMUNITY, MR CHAN SAID.

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ΤΟ HIGHLIGHT THE CONTINUING SCALE OF DEVELOPMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT AS A WHOLE IN 1992/93, 63 CONTRACTS FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF PROJECTS WERE GAZETTE WITH A TOTAL VALUE OF $2,030 MILLION, HE SAID.

DURING 1993/94 THE NUMBER OF CONTRACTS LET WILL BE 60 WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF $2,652 MILLION. EXPENDITURE ON BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS, AS A WHOLE, HOWEVER, WILL INCREASE FROM $4,707 MILLION IN 1992 TO $5,067 MILLION IN 1993.

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ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, MR CHAN SAID HIS DEPARTMENT INITIATED IN 1993 A CONSULTANCY TO INVESTIGATE THE USE OF TROPICAL HARDWOODS THE LOCAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY,

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THIS INITIATIVE RESULTED IN A WORKSHOP LAST WEEK WHICH FOCUSED ON THE ISSUE IN HONG KONG AND HAS PROVIDED THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE INDUSTRY THE DETERMINATION IN MINIMISING THE INDISCRIMINATE USE OF TROPICAL HARDWOODS IN CONSTRUCTION."

MR CHAN ALSO SPOKE ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY WHICH, HE ADDED, CONTINUED TO BE HIGH ON THE ASD AGENDA.

"VARIOUS

METHODS OF REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY UTILISING MORE EFFICIENT PLANT AND ADOPTING BETTER CONSTRUCTION METHODS то ACHIEVE BETTER INSULATION STANDARDS ARE BEING ACTIVELY PURSUED, HE SAID.

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REDUCING ENERGY

"THE USE OF SOLAR ENERGY AS A MEANS OF CONSUMPTION IS UNDER INVESTIGATION WITH A VIEW TO USING IT ON SOME PROJECTS ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS, MR CHAN ADDED.

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BUDGET GUIDE READY TOMORROW

A BUDGET

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GUIDE HIGHLIGHTING THE MAJOR POINTS OF THE 1994/95 BUDGET AND HOW THEY AFFECT THE AVERAGE HONG KONG CITIZEN WILL BE DISTRIBUTED FREE TO THE PUBLIC TOMORROW (WEDNESDAY}.

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ENTITLED "WHAT THE 1994 BUDGET MEANS FOR YOU" THE LEAFLET IS A BILINGUAL PUBLICATION TO BE ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT ON BUDGET DAY.

THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR THAT SUCH A GUIDE IS PUBLISHED. A TOTAL OF 200,000 COPIES WILL BE ISSUED.

/THE EASY