August_1965 — Page 6

submitted. The totals for the same period in 1964 were 790 and 551.

Cost of new building work in the Colony during the month of June was HK$73,894,583. Another $2,625,- 778 was spent on site formation work, according to statistics published in the Government Gazette.

New buildings of all types erected totalled 110, including three factories and godowns, two offices and shops, 97 houses and flats and eight others. In May new building work cost HK$79,999,953.

HOUSING BOARD WEEK

HOUSING Board Week has just been celebrated in Sin- gapore to mark the completion of the Housing and De- velopment Board's first five-year programme.

An exhibition of photographs, drawings and models held at the former Outram Prison site showed some of the finished projects and new ones proposed under the board's second five-year programme (1966-1970).

A souvenir booklet has also been published by the board, detailing its achievements and its hopes for the next five years.

By the end of 1964 a total of 44,345 new housing units had been completed and the board hopes to open its 51,000th unit this month. Cost of all this construc-

tion has been about M$192 million.

LU PAN CELEBRATION

LAST month

on the thirteenth day of the sixth moon by the Chinese calendar construction workers in Hong Kong celebrated the anniversary of the birth of Lu Pan,

Lu Pan

ROADS FOR THE TUNNEL

the great builder of an- cient China.

Many hundreds of bricklayers, decorators, painters and carpenters paid homage at the Temple of Lu Pan, at Ching Ling Terrace. Western District, Hong Kong, and in the even- ing the Colony's con- struction unions held dinner parties.

Legend has it that Lu Pan was born 2,470 years ago in the State of Lu. He is said to have built many palaces and 1 bridges and is credited with inventing some of the basic tools of car- pentry and sculpture. In recognition of his genius he was deified "God of Builders".

PLANS for spending some HK$52 million on

a road network, directly and indirectly related to the proposed four-lane tunnel under the harbour, were outlined recently by Hong Kong's Director of Public Works, Mr. Michael Wright.

The major arteries will be a six-lane, limited-access highway on either side of the harbour. Each highway will be capable of taking at least 4,000 vehicles an hour in one direction.

The Island highway would be a six-lane extension of Connaught Road, with a large roundabout at Pedder Street, Mr. Wright said. In the distant future, Connaught Road's reconstruction would anticipate a "high level road which could, if necessary, run from Des Veoux Road W. to the tunnel itself".

Also planned for Island use with the opening of the tunnel was a "major road" extending from Harcourt Road along the line of Gloucester Road and crossing the north of Victoria Park into North Point. This road would be

40

H

AUSTIN

CHATHAM

GASCOI

TECHNICAL COLLEGE

TOLL PLAZA

TUNNEL

PORTAL

INTERCHANGE

CHATHAM RO

JUL

WINSLOW

ST

COLONY POSTAL

SORTING OFFICE

Proposed clover-leaf interchange on Kowloon side

linked by a complex of flvoyers to Canal Road where an underpass would give access to the tunnel.

On the Kowloon side, tunnel traffic would flow into a six-lane highway, which would in turn enter a widened, six-lane Nairn Road. Nairn Road is expected to take two-thirds of tunnel traffic, but at its junction with Gas- coigne and Chatham Roads, a flyover complex will allow traffic to go in any direction without crossing any other stream.

Cost of the roadwork judged directly to result from the construction of the tunnel is HK$12 million. Debate by the Legislative Council on the motion to approve granting a franchise to Victoria City Development Co., Ltd. for constructing the tunnel, has been adjourned until August 11.

LISTS OF SUPPLIERS

HONG KONG Public Works Department has compiled lists of suppliers and nominated contractors for certain build- ing materials and works. Specialist firms wishing to be included on the lists and to receive tender invitations for Government contracts should apply as soon as possible to the PWD, Central Government offices.

The categories include: Air conditioning and refri- geration plant, aluminium work, metal angle framing and shelving, bronze work, builders hardware, electrical instal- lations, gas installations, lifts and escalators, louvre win- dows, metal windows, piling, plumbing installations, prestressed concrete units, rock-asphalt roofing and tank- ing, room coolers and dehumidifiers, rubber flooring, site investigations, shutters and doors, suspended ceilings and gypsum plaster work, terrazzo and marble work, tiling, tubular wells, and venetian blinds.

M$1.7$ PLANT YARD

THE Port of Singapore Authority is to construct a new plant yard at Telok Blangah Bay for its engineering de- partment, at a cost of $1.7 million.

The depot will incorporate an office block, work- shops, pre-mix shed and stores for electrical, civil and marine services. Tenders for structural steelworks, pil- ing and erection and completion of the office block have already been invited. Remaining tenders will be called

for soon.

It is expected that piling work will begin within the next few weeks. The entire project is due for comple- tion by February, 1966.

Far East Architect & Builder August, 1965