March_1968 — Page 3

Far East ARCHITECT & BUILDER

The oldest trade journal in the Far East

EDITOR: A. G. BARNETT

Contents

MARCH 1968

news review

News Review

CAA Conference, Singapore

Report by HK delegates

21

222

25

World News

27

J. Hotung Building, Hong Kong

31

Oi Man Housing Estate, Hong Kong

35

Winnipeg Art Gallery

37

Competition won by HK-trained architect

Broadcasting Complex for

Radio Hong Kong

41

Chokchai International Building, Bangkok 44

Office Conversion Project, Singapore

46

Civil Engineering Section

HK Mass Transport Studies Published

51

Master Policy for Transport Urged

54

Construction of Hwa Kiang Bridge

57

H. P. Lee and J. H. Cheng

Materials and Equipment

61

Contractors' Plant

63

Building Plans Approved

67

Contracts Awarded

67

Index to Advertisers

68

2

Cover picture: The J. Hotung Building, Hong Kong. Occupying an island site at the junction of Hankow Road and Middle Road, Kowloon, the 17-storey block comprises 238 apartments above three floors of offices and two levels of shops. See page 31.

Published monthly by Far East Trade Press Ltd., 1908, Prince's Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 241031 European Office: Building and Contract Journals Ltd., 32 Southwark Bridge Road, London, 8. E, I, Tel: Waterloo 2060. Printed by Shum Shing Print- ing Co., 7 Ship Street, Hong Kong. Tel: 724513.

Controlled circulation to 5,000 qualified readers

PAVILION DESIGN CONTROVERSY

THE rumble of criticism which greeted Government's ap- pointment of a four-man design team to be responsible for the Hong Kong Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka became a furore of discontent when the team released last month a preliminary sketch of its basic proposals.

Comments from architects and laymen ranged from "slightly unfortunate" and "undistinguished" to "peurile" and "makeshift", while the Hong Kong University's Archi- tectural Society charged on the one hand that the design was "not coherent" and on the other that it came near to plagiarism/ (HKU students had previously prepared de- signs for an Osaka pavilion as an academic exercise.)

The sketch (page 22) shows that the Hong Kong site will comprise a main pavilion and a smaller adjacent pavilion which may house a restaurant, the two buildings being surrounded by water and linked by a covered way in the form of a bridge. The main building is a simple rectangular structure which is described by Government Information Services as "expressing contemporary Hong Kong".

Mounted on its roof will be a gathering of real junk sails which will "move in a changing pattern as the wind direction alters" Tallest of the sails will rise to about 70 ft. above the roof level, while a central mast decorated with flags will be 90 ft. high. The sails will be raised and lowered daily by Hong Kong fishermen.

Visitors to the exposition will see the Hong Kong pavilion as they travel on a skyway system which passes close to the pavilion. Traditional entertainments such as lion dances, mannequin parades and other public shows will be staged on an island surrounded by water on the pavilion site.

This basic design has been produced by Mr. Alan Fitch, ARIBA, MSIA, who heads the design team and is particularly responsible for planning the pavilion and land- scaping the site. Work on the interior designs is being carried out by Mr. Jackson Wong, B.Arch (Hons.), who is responsible for the social section: Mr. Christopher Haffner, B.Arch. (Hons.) (Liverpool), ARIBA, for the tourist cultural heritage section; and Mr. Bernard Navetta. B.Sc, senior design executive of the Trade Development Council, for the industrial and commercial section.

COMPETITION CALLED FOR

It was the appointment of this design team which spark- ed off a series of critical letters to the Hong Kong daily, South China Morning Post. One correspondent, un- der the pseudonym Academic Architect, pointed out that the history of buildings designed by committees was notoriously bad.

The same writer asked: "How long will it be before autocratic nomination is superseded by competition in an area where it positively shouts for it?"

He said that it was high time that some of the local, less known but fully qualified and very able designers were given opportunity to show their prowess. The publicity that a competition for this exhibition would have, would also draw attention to the abilities present in Hong Kong

Far East Architect & Builder March, 1968

21