April_1967 — Page 1

Far East

ARCHITECT & BUILDER

The oldest trade journal in the Far East

EDITOR: A. G. BARNETT

APRIL 1967

news review

Contents

News Review

21

222222

44

右開

Public Works Priorities May Change

Sir David Trench

25

World News

27

John F. Kennedy Centre, Hong Kong

31

New Building in Djakarta

39

Dean Sherwin

Rothmans Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok

46

Federico S. Ilustre

Civil Engineering Section

Lightweight Concrete

Dr. H. W. Chung

Queen's Road E. Flyover, Hong Kong

52

Saigon Water Scheme ..

54

Materials and Equipment

57

61

65

Contractors' Plant ..

Building Plans Approved

Contracts Awarded

Book Reviews ..

Index to Advertisers

:

49

3668

67

68

70

Cover picture: Sarinah department store completed last year in Djakarta. It was built and financed by Japanese ccmpanies. The architect was Prof. P.T. Perentjana Djaja and the contractors, Ohbayashi-Gumi, Ltd. 'New Building in Djakarta' page 39.

See

Published monthly by Far East Trade Press Ltd., 1908, Prince's Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 241031 European Office: Building and Contract Journals Ltd., 32 Southwark Bridge Road, London, 8. E. 1. Tel: Waterloo 2060. Printed by Shum Shing Print- ing Co., 7 Ship Street, Hong Kong. Tel: 724513.

Controlled circulation to 5,000 qualified readers

BETTER REAL ESTATE PROSPECTS

THE decline in the number of vacant flats during 1966 seemed to offer prospects of a slightly better year in the real estate business, at least in so far as demand was concerned, the Hong Kong Governor, Sir David Trench said last month.

Speaking at the Budget meeting of Legislative Coun- cil, the Governor said the output of private domestic ac- commodation over the year as a whole equalled that of 1965. Over 27,000 premises were occupied in 1966 an increase of some 3,000 over the previous year.

There were some signs of a tailing off in output in the last months of 1966. At the beginning of the year. some 18,000 premises stood vacant, this total being the highest number of vacant premises ever recorded. Despite the continued high building rate during the year, the number of vacant premises had fallen to 16,000 odd by the end of 1966.

Sir David told the council: "In the meantime. Government has recognised the difficulties developers face in obtaining building finance by extending the suspension of certain building covenants, by extending the scope of premium instalment terms in lease regrants, and by re- laxing control on the sub-letting of factory space where the premium is being paid by instalments.“

There were few auction sales of Crown land during 1966, the Governor said, and not much interest in the sales of Crown land that were held. Last year saw a considerable decrease in the letting of new contracts for private building work, but during the year the value of new buildings completed was HK$1.058 million, an in- crease of HK$79 million over 1965.

SINGAPORE CONTAINER COMPLEX

WORK on the construction of a M$70 million container complex and ancillary services at East Lagoon of the Port of Singapore Authority will begin in the next 10 months. The project. comprising four berths, will be partly financed by the World Bank and is expected to be com- pleted in 1971. A PSA statement issued last month said two of the berths should be ready for commission by late 1969.

The statement added that it was envisaged that the inevitable utilisation of Singapore as a container port in South-East Asia would substantially increase its tranship ment responsibilities. The East Lagoon complex would also have adequate facilities for feeder service vessels. A 700 ft. wharf at the end of the basin and adjacent to the main container berths would ensure speedy despatch of containerised transhipment consignments.

IFAWPCA CONVENTION

MORE than 200 delegates and observers attended the seventh convention of the International Federation of Asian and Western Pacific Contractors' Associations, held in Wellington, New Zealand, from February 20 to 25.

The convention was opened by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Mr. Keith Holyoake, who told delegates that the federation, by fostering regional cooperation, was

Far East Architect & Builder April, 1967

21