December_1967 — Page 2

Artist's impression of the two-storey building incorporating a pier and watchtower overlooking the harbour which is being built at Collyer Quay, Singapore, to house the Harbour Division of the Customs Department. Piling for the L-shaped pier began six months ago and will be completed by April next year. The whole

One of the schemes. a 200-bedroom hotel and shopping complex at Havelock Road, has been awarded to Mr. Chan Chun Ping, a Singapore businessman and director of Prima, Ltd. Mr. Chan said recently that Hong Kong businessmen were associated with him in the pro- ject. They had offered $$1,219,200 as premium for the 76,200 sq. ft. of land. Construction work would start in January and the building. including furnishings, would cost about $$3,813,000.

The other six projects for which bids have been accepted are as follows:

Kallang Park floating restaurant and refreshment centre (land premium S$460,800 and investment S$902,907) awarded to Mr. Ang Kho Thang and partners;

Collyer Quay multi-storey car park, shopping com- plex and restaurant ($$3 million and $$5 million) to Overseas Union Enterprise Ltd:

Chin Swee Road office building (S$320,147 and S$358,000) to Tong Fong and Co. Ltd:

People's Park flats and shopping complex (S$2.5 million and S$16.75 million) to Mr. Ho Kok Cheong:

Havelock Road 150-bedroom hotel and shopping complex (S$647,615 and $$2.25 million) to Oriental Credit and Realty Ltd. and Tay Chin Seng; and

Havelock Road 150-bedroom hotel and shopping complex (S$569,407 and S$2.48 million) to Guan Bee Co.

SIA SEEK ASSURANCES

THE Singapore Institute of Architects has asked the Government to take steps to ensure that the impetus of existing and projected development will not be prejudiced by the 14 urban renewal schemes.

"A statement on this will help to reassure and en- courage developers especially on the scope and value of projects which have already been comissioned or have been submitted for approval," said the SIA in a memoran- dum to the Ministry of National Development.

In reference to the 14 projects, the SIA strongly recommended the laying down of a reserve land price for each of the sites to avoid abortive speculation on land costs and to guide bona fide tenderers on the existing conditions of land tenure in Singapore.

The SIA recommended that Government should say whether alternative usages and an increase of floor areas would be allowed in these 14 projects.

EXTENSION OF TIME LIMITS

THE Hong Kong Government has decided to grant a further one year's extension to the time limits on building development.

Certain relaxations in time limits were announced in November 1965. These applied to developers owning land which was either the subject of exclusion orders

26

S$1.5 million scheme is expected to be ready by the end of 1968. The new building will have a total floor space of 19,000 sq. ft. for administrative purposes and an adjacent covered shed for examining cargo. In addition there will be a small slipway for Customs speedboats and a repair workshop.

made before July 1, 1965 or held from Government under conditions of sale or grant executed before July 1, 1965 and on which development had not commenced or had not been completed.

The November announcement enabled these de- velopers to apply for an extension of one year, free of either penalty or premium, of the time limit by which they were required to begin or complete their_approved development schemes or to fulfil their Building Covenants, In September 1966 a further extension of one year was granted in the case of those developers who had applied for and had been granted their original year's free exten- sion provided the extension already granted expired before June 30, 1967.

It has now been decided to grant, on application, yet one more year's free extension in all cases where one or more previous free extensions of one year has been granted and expires before June 30, 1968. For any new applicant who qualifies under the original November 1965 announcement an extension of one year only will be granted.

HUGE HOUSING CONTRACT

THE main contract for construction of the Hong Kong Housing Authority's Ping Shek Estate, Kowloon, has been awarded to Wan Hin & Co. Ltd. The company's tender amounted to HK$20,705,773.

Ping Shek Estate, designed for the Authority by Palmer and Turner, will comprise five square tower blocks of 28 storeys and two rectangular seven-storey blocks arranged around a two-level plaza or town square.

It will ultimately house 29,000 people in 4,570 flats. There will be 60 shops on the estate, three kindergartens. community rooms, a 31⁄2 acre recreation area and un- derground parking. Sites have also been earmarked for three 24-classroom schools.

All the flats in the Ping Shek scheme will be of the usual Housing Authority type, having one living/ sleeping room, to be allocated on the basis of 35 sq. ft. per adult, plus a small kitchen, toilet bathroom, and a private verandah. They will be available to families with incomes from HK$400 to $900.

PLAN FOR ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION

AN Architectural Foundation to "promote and enlarge the knowledge and study of architecture and other allied arts and sciences in Malaysia" is to be established in Kuala Lumpur next year.

A draft constitution has been drawn up and it is being studied by members of the Malaysian Institute of Architects, the sponsors of the foundation.

A spokesman of the institute said last month that the foundation would also involve itself in the advance-

Far East Architect & Builder December, 1967