No_11_November_1968 — Page 25

Fair-faced walls a feature of Mariners Club

ONE of the best examples in Hong Kong of the use of off-form fair-faced concrete as an effective and econo- mical structural finish is the Mariners Club building sited at Middle Road, Kowloon.

The 12-storey rectangular building has staircases at each narrow end, but the architect has avoided the addition of box-like structures by giving the end walls a graceful curve around the stair well. These end walls are con- structed entirely of off-form concrete to a height of 130 ft.

Initially wrought timber crates were tried as formwork for the fair face, but these were found to be uneconomical for repeated use and were discarded in favour of reinforced plywood with the surface deeply etched to produce na- tural wood grain lines on the finished

concrete.

The positions of tightening screws for the walls were lined up to give a neat appearance to the finish and the formwork itself needed very care- ful designing to ensure perfect per- pendiculars and straight horizontals for the whole area.

The use of the same cement throughout the job has ensured that no variety of colour occurs with wea- thering and though a silicon finish was considered it has not been found

THE SAILORS' HOME and MISSIONS TO SEAMEN

LEIGH and ORANGE

BRIDGEWATER & COULTON (HK)

J. ROGER PRESTON & PARTNERS

JOHN LOK & PARTNERS

necessary. Casting was done in lifts of 12 ft., thin slivers of timber being used to produce vertical lines on the finish. A series of three deep horizontal lines across the facade was made by 3in. by lin, chamferred battens. The central of these three lines is in fact where the joints occur, so that no joints are visible on the exterior.

The exposed framework on the main facade, which overlooks the Chat- ham Road children's playground, is also left fair-faced. To contrast with this the walls are finished in olive green Glamorock and the sprandrels in black Glamorock.

Difficult site

The Mariners Club is a multi-pur- pose building with public rooms on the lower floors, sleeping accommodation on the upper floors and staff flats on the top two levels for the manager, as- sistant manager and chapel padre.

It replaces the Seamen's Institute which has stood since 1933 at Glouces-

owners

architects

quantity surveyors air-conditioning consultants

main contractor

ter Road, Wanchai on Hong Kong island. With the materialisation of the Wanchai reclamation scheme, the in- stitute lost its waterfront location and the Mission, after seeking a new site for several years, finally accepted from Government the site at Middle Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon.

The area of land granted, approxi- mately 28,940 sq. ft., was without any access and required considerable site formation to form a pedestrian access from Middle Road and vehicular and staff pedestrain access from Minden Row on the north west of the site.

For the architects the major pro- blem was the limitations of the site with regard to contours, access and height restrictions and the need to squeeze into the area all the complex requirements of the club for accom- modation and recreational facilities. A steeply sloping rock hill forms part of the rear of the site.

Formation work was limited be- cause of the existing hill and Govern-

Far East BUILDER, November 1968.

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