Detail of the north-east corner
THREE-DECK
BUS DEPOT
AT KOWLOON
WONG CHO TONG, architects and engineers
CLIFFORD C.F. WONG, B. Arch, ARIBA, project architect
WINSOME & CO. (E. & B.) LTD., contractors
P
RESTRESSED concrete construction, of which little has yet been seen in Hong Kong, was seriously consider- ed by the architects for the new multi- storey bus depot at Kwun Tong, Kowloon. But as local contractors generally are unfamiliar with this material, it was thought that the bids received would be uneconomical.
Instead, high strength reinforced concrete was chosen and an attempt has been made to derive distinctive architectural form from a purely functional and economical solution. The external appearance expresses the function and the utilities, as well as the structural strength of the building. The new depot, which covers
a
site area of 102,000 sq. ft., has three decks. It is thought to be the first ever multi-storey parking area for buses a result of the high cost of land in the colony and the need by 1966 for the Kowloon Motor Bus Company to garage at night more than 1,000 buses.
To meet this need, the company plans three new depots: the one now completed at How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, accommodating 350 double- deck buses; another of similar size and capacity now under construction on a site opposite; and a third three- storey structure holding 385 buses at Lai Chi Kok. The latter will include a new headquarters building for the
company and is scheduled for com- pletion at the end of this year.
The
The two depots at Kwun Tong will be linked at second floor level by a concrete bridge across How Ming Street. This will span 45 ft. and will be 40 ft. above ground level. first vehicular bridge linking two commercial buildings in Hong Kong, it will enable large buses to travel from one depot to the other without obstructing traffic on busy How Ming Street.
The completed depot has a floor area of 320,000 sq. ft. and a build- ing volume of 680,000 sq. ft. Al- though it is solely a parking depot, it includes mezzanine floors, inserted
Completed bus depot seen from Kwun Tong Road
Far East Architect & Builder July, 1965
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