weighing about 220 tons, and the stiffening girder, 660 metres long and weighing 2,000 tons, will be manufactured at IHI's Kure Shipyard Shingu Works. Hiroshima. The stiffening girder will be of a new box type, with a streamlined cross-section to withstand winds. It is scheduled to be transported to the construction site in 37 steel block sections.
The substructure of the birdge, including the bridge piers and abutments, is now being built by Hyundai Construction Co. Ltd., a Korean com- pany, with completion scheduled for August this year. Installation of the main towers will be carried out with the use of a 250-ton floating crane. When completed in 1971, the Namhae Bridge will be the second largest suspension bridge in the Far East, following the 680-metre Wakado Bridge in Japan.
More co-operation between architects and HKU
Much closer co-operation between the Hong Kong Society of Architects and the Hong Kong University is a primary aim of the new president of the society. Mr. Leslie Chao Ouyang.
Delivering his inaugural address last month, the president said that he fully supported a proposal by Professor Gregory to send his students to work in architects' of fices after three years study and their first de- gree in the university.
'We are also work- ing in conjunction with the university to conduct the profes sional examination of the RIBA, Mr. Ou- yang said. 'We are of the opinion that these examinations must bear direct relationship to the local practice. And there are many other aspects of mutual interest which the university and our society should deal with jointly.'
Mr. L. Ouyang
Another aim of the new president was to initiate progress towards making the society more respon- sible for its own affairs. He said that the proposed Architects. Engineers and Surveyors Ordinance was still being considered by a joint committee from the professions. There were still many difficulties to surmount but he was determined to make progress on the drafting of the ordinance.
Mr. Ouyang noted that liaison groups had now been formed between the society and the public works department and the fire services department. Any architectural problems that merited the atten- tion of Government could now be freely discussed.
In addition the working party for preparation of Structural Regulations for Hong Kong had come to the closing stages and soon there would be a set of structural regulations for Hong Kong, which took into consideration local conditions.
Society officers for 1970 are: D.W. McDonald,
vice president; Andrew Lee King-fun, hon. secre- tary; Samn Lim, hon. treasurer; and council mem- bers H.C. Astbury, A.V.J. Alvarez, David Lee Tai-Wai, J.A. Prescott and R.F.M. Purvis.
―
Start soon on Plover Cove extension
Work is expected to begin next month on rais- ing the Plover Cove dams so that the reservoir's storage capacity can be increased from 30,000 mil- lion to 50,000 million gallons.
Hong Kong Government is considering tenders for the multi-million dollar job which involves heightening the main dams and two subsidiary
now about 40ft, above the low tide level dams by 12 ft.
---
―
In addition a small dam will be constructed to seal off a low saddle in the Tai Mei Tuk peninsula and a siphon spillway will be constructed on the site of the present spillway. Installation of siphons on the spillway will enable maximum use to be made of the available storage capacity in the reser- voir basin by permitting excess water to be re- moved rapidly during periods of heavy rainfall.
Other works connected with the project have already begun. These include the installation of ad- ditional pumps at the Tai Po Tau and Sha Tin pumping station, and extensions to the treatment works at Sha Tin for additional water becoming available from Plover Cove after the dams have been raised.
Flat completions at lowest
A total of 7,618 private flats was completed in Hong Kong in 1969 the lowest figure recorded for ten years and less than half the average supply over the period between 1950 and 1960.
The reduced completions resulted of course in fewer vacant flats, but Mr. N. Cooke, commissioner of rating and valuation, in his Property Review 1970. describes estimates of the supply coming forward in 1970 and 1971 as 'more encouraging, though still well below the peak years of 1964-66'.
The review shows that much of the shortfall in the private sector will be redressed by the increased supply of accommodation becoming available from government and government-aided sources. The estimated overall supply of housing by main sources of supply for 1970 and 1971 is 27,265 and 30,640 units respectively. against a ten-year aver- age of 24,435 units per annum.
Mr. Cooke says that the proportion of new ac- commodation built for letting is declining, while the trend towards owner-occupation continues. Some 86 per cent of the 1969 output was initially built for sale, compared with 81 per cent in 1968 and 73 per cent in 1967.
For flatted factories the report states there were 'severe rental movements'. The average in- crease of the 309 cases analysed was 39.01 per cent. Just over 2 million sq.ft. of flatted factory space was certified for occupation in 1969.
6
Far East BUILDER, April 1970
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.