April_1966 — Page 49

Lower terrace and swimming pool

HOUSE ON A HEADLAND

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NE of the finest natural settings in Hong Kong, far removed from the crowded urban areas, is enjoyed by a new private dwelling house which is sited on the tip of a head- land jutting out to the south east at Shek O.

The view out to sea is guarded by two islands. The incoming waves meet the rocky shore of the headland and sweep back alongside the house to the quiet bay behind. Across the bay rise bare hills and on the other side of the grounds is the narrow lane which is the approach road from Shek O Village.

Seen from a distance the house is two broad white bands surmounted by a low-pitched green roof standing just above the shore.

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The house and its grounds had to be designed to the particular require- ments of the owner and contain a wide range of accommodation greater variety in fact than is at first apparent since the house appears to be fairly small. This is due in part to the lowest of the three storeys be- ing sunk below site from the entrance. It had to be spacious for entertain- ing and private for ordinary family life, with of course the usual ameni- ties such as kitchen and service areas. There is a swimming pool in the open air and a large area of open terrace.

Far East Architect & Builder April, 1966

F. S. KO

CLIFFORD C. F. WONG, B ARCH., ARIBA, of WONG CHO TONG

PACIFIC CONTRACT INTERNATIONAL

SHUI TAI CONSTRUCTION CO.

The interior had to be both spaci- ous and informal, combining areas for entertaining and receiving guests in a private family atmosphere. Indeed there is a variety of areas and functions within a relatively small space. One may

withdraw from the open spaces below to the more private parts of the house: for ex- ample to the family room which is part of the master bedroom suite.

There are several private bedrooms of various sizes which, with their built-in furniture and other furnish- ings, were designed as complete units: all have bathrooms attached.

The lot is of a fair size for a single dwelling, but posed considerable pro- blems because of its configuration and position right on the edge of the head- land over a rocky shore. Parts of the shore, as well as being rocky, are very steep, and there is a considerable

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fall across the site itself.

This is of course nothing unusual in hilly Hong Kong, but in this case the rocky nature of the ground made any earthmoving extremely difficult. For a private dwelling of this nature a predominantly flat and horizontal site is required if the whole is not to be broken up and communications made very difficult.

The rugged, fretted nature of the site certainly gave opportunities for an interesting development of the brief and an exciting layout of the accommodation, but also of course was a great problem in the planning and construction of the dwelling.

Another problem was the difficulty of welding all the requirements into a unified whole. The owner, a man of strong character, had many ideas about the design of his house both as regards the overall shape and the de-

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