July_1966 — Page 36

in the preceding month and 80 in the corresponding month last year.

During the same month, 86 completed buildings were certified for occupation. Of these, 12 were buildings for domestic purposes, 21 for non-domestic purposes and 53 for combined domestic and non-domestic use. In addi- tion, the Building Authority approved the demolition of 56 buildings.

Cost of new building work completed in the Colony during May was HK$63,365,586. Another $2,620,889 was spent on site formation. The figures for the previous month were $76,359,077 and $3,848,878 respectively.

RP CONTRACTORS AWAIT PAYMENT

GRAVE concern over the time taken by the Department of Public Works to meet its bills was expressed last month by the Philippine Contractors' Association.

A committee on civil works set up by the Associa- tion to investigate the causes of delays in construction projects quotes several examples of work stopping because of non-payment.

In the case of the Manila north diversion road pro- ject (Balintawak-Polo section) for example, the commit- tee states that the contractor had to suspend all work due to non-availability of funds, contrary to certification of availability previously issued. It is claimed that the con- tractor and a sub-contractor spent more than P1 million of their own working capital on the project. for which they have not been reimbursed.

In another case the Guadalupe bridge project. Makati the contractor claimed that he had not been paid for the accomplished work since January this year. He also alleged that over P63,000 was still due on two previously completed and accepted contracts, the Cagay- cay River irrigation project finished in 1961, and the widening of pier 13 north side, South Harbour, Manila. finished in 1964.

TOWN PLANNING COURSE

THE Town Planning Institute, Hong Kong Branch, and the University of Hong Kong, Department of Extra-Mural Studies are considering the possibility of setting up a part time post graduate degree or diploma course in town and country planning.

In a recent letter to the Hong Society of Architects the branch states that the proposed diploma or degree course would be related to the requirements of the Town Planning Institute, London, but with a special orientation to Hong Kong and South East Asian needs. One sugges- tion was that the course might be linked to that in London University.

The letter goes on: “In the first instance it is thought that a three year post-graduate part time evening course consisting of perhaps 80 hours of lectures and studio work a year would be established."

If the idea gets sufficient support it is hoped to start courses in October, 1967.

TUNNELS FOR WATER SUPPLY

ABOUT four miles of tunnels and large diameter pipes will be constructed between Tai Lam Chung Reservoir and Castle Peak in the New Territories, Hong Kong, to de- liver water from the Tai Lam Chung reservoir to newly- developed areas in the Castle Peak district. The tunnel scheme, capable of conveying up to 80 million gallons of water per day, has been adopted in preference to a pipe- line to avoid the disruption of traffic which would occur if large diameter steel water mains were laid along the Castle Peak Road between Tai Lam Chung and Castle Peak. The tunnels will be driven at a low level through the intervening hill ranges and will be connected by short pipelines across the So Kwun Wat and Siu Lam Valleys.

Of horse-shoe cross-section, 7 ft. 6 in. nominal size, the tunnels will have a flat invert and will be mostly un- lined except for the invert. For the inter-connecting pipe-

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lines, large steel pipes of 48 in. diameter with bitumen lining will be used.

Work on the tunnel scheme is expected to start later this month and to take two and a half years to complete.

EXECUTIVE LIVING AREA

REALTY Development Corporation of Malaysia, Ltd. (RDC), has opened its second “executive living area" in Kuala Lumpur, on a site known as Hillview, off Ulu Klang Road. There are about 50 home lots.

The company introduced executive living areas last year at Pantai Hills. It stated then that the idea was a result of a survey which showed a strong demand for planned residential areas for the middle and upper income brackets. The requirement of this group was that all housing development in their neighbourhood should con- form to a certain standard.

The second stage of the Pantai Hills scheme, 74 home sites, was more than 50 per cent taken up within three weeks of opening for sale.

PRIVATE PARKING BUILDINGS

A SITE of about $2,000 sq. Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, vate multi-storey car park.

ft. in Great George Street, is to be developed as a pri- Conditions for the sale of the land for this use are be- ing drawn up by Govern.

ment.

The proposal is connect- ed with a Government ex- periment to find out the possibility of private enter- prise helping to solve the parking problem in the urban densely populated

areas.

Work is now in progress on the first car park under this scheme at Leighton Road, Happy Valley. The site is being developed by H. and S. Enterprises. Ltd. at a cost of about HK$2.85 million. A 17-storey build- ing is proposed with car parking on the first six floors and domestic accom- modation above. Mr. Henry Ip is the architect and the general contractors Henry Engineering struction Co., Ltd. Government is also conducting studies on three pro- posed car parking buildings at the western end of the cen- tral reclamation, on the former naval dockyard site and at Yaumati, Kowloon.

Leighton Road building

are

Con-

RESETTLEMENT BLOCKS

ANOTHER SİX eight-storey resettlement blocks, together with a 24-classroom estate school for primary education, will be built by Hong Kong Government at Yau Tong Bay in Kowloon,

Tenders for the site formation of Area "C", on which the six blocks will be built, were invited last month.

CAISSONS FAVOURED

THE foundations for the proposed 50-storey domestic blocks at Ping Shek Estate. Kowloon, would probably be by means of caissons, said Mr. Geoffrey Yeh, execu- tive director of Hsin Chong Investment Co., Ltd., in a talk to the Hong Kong Rotary Club last month.

Mr. Yeh said that in many circumstances, such as for tall buildings above sound bedrock at 50 ft. to 80 ft. below the lowest floor, caissons would probably be cheaper than piling or raft foundations.

He quoted a recent scheme with which he was con- nected where more than 100 caissons had been construct-

Far East Architect & Builder July, 1966