No_1_1957 — Page 30

Detail of one of the Depots.

Originally, it was first intended to an instrument store and a file store. build four floors of the office block The Buildings Ordinance Office is

all for the use of the Public Works

accommodated on the second floor Department, and add the three upper with separate offices for five building. floors at a later date. However, after

surveyors, the Assistant Chief Build- work had commenced on the building, ing Surveyor and an Assistant Struc- it was decided to complete the seven tural Engineer. About 20% of the floors in one go, and of these three total area of this floor is used for the upper floors, the fifth was assigned to filing room in which are kept the the Public Works Department and the

plans submitted for approval by sixth and seventh floors to the Medical architects, and the rest of the area is Department, the Urban Services De divided into large rooms for building partment and for canteen facilities.

inspectors, draughtsmen and clerks.

The third floor is occupied by the Crown Lands Office and here again

The main office block will, of course, dominate the entire project when it is

Detail of the Farm Road elevation. finished, from the point of view of the arrangement of the accommodation access on to their respective yards. size, appearance and location.

The is commensurate with the size of the The T-shaped extension to the north design of the office building, now com- staff in each section. Separate offices end of this building serves to enclose pleted, is somewhat similar to the new are provided for four estate suveyors the two yards, and contains the lava- Government Offices on Garden Road, and land surveyors. Land bailiffs

tories and washrooms for coolies and and is therefore well worthy of the have their own separate large offices. fitters and, at the extreme ends, a prominent position it occupies in the A large printing room is also provided. combined gate-house and record room Practically one-half of the area on for the respective storekeepers. This this floor accommodates the assistant land surveyors and draughtsmen, with to control the movement into and out arrangement enables each department a filing room on one side and a survey instrument store on the other.

scheme.

The lower ground floor which had been formed from the excavated base of the rising ground is used mainly to provide covered parking space for Roads Office vehicles. There are also

The Drainage Office is on the fourth four large store rooms and a large floor, with private offices for a Chief gang tool lock-up store which is divid- Engineer and an Engineer, and with ed into a number of sections with semi-private or general offices for Weldmesh partitions.

draughtsmen, surveyors, inspectors of work, foremen and clerks as required. There is also an instrument store and a room for the survey coolies.

of their respective yards and thus are able to accept full responsibility for equipment and stores handled therein.

Eventually two floors will be added to this central building, the first floor of which will accommodate a large attached, while on the second or top canteen with fully equipped kitchen

floor are quarters for personnel of the two departments.

The Architectural

Office of

the

General Contractors: Yick Lee & Co. Lifts: Otis Elevator Company. Electrical Installation: Swire &

Maclaine, Ltd.

The ground floor level permits of full access from Farm Road and part of this floor provides a covered park for the cars of those working in the There are, of course, ample lavatory

The office space on building.

this and washroom facilities on each floor floor is now occupied by a Births and with access from the main staircase Public Works Department is respon- Deaths Registry at one end and a and lift lobby. Separate accommoda- sible for the designing of the project Branch Post Office at the other. tion is provided for senior, junior and and the carrying out of the work.

The first floor is occupied by the female staff. Roads Office. There are private offices The area fronting Farm Road be- for the Chief Engineer, two engineers tween the main office building and and assistant engineers, with generous the existing To Kwa Wan Health space for clerks and computors, and Office is divided by a narrow building assistant engineering surveyors on in its centre, leaving two large yards either side of them. On the opposite on either side. One of these will be side of the central corridor, large used for a stores dump by the Roads offices are allocated for the engineering Office and the other for a similar draughtsmen and inspectors of work purpose by the Drainage Office. This with smaller areas for the assistant building is divided into two sets of engineers and foremen. In addition, workshops and stores, one for each of there is a large plan printing office, the two departments, with direct

28

"Crittall" Metal Windows: Dodwell

& Co., Ltd.

"Marley" Floor Tiles: Dreyer &

Co., Ltd.

"Flintkote" to Roof Surfaces: Shell

Co. of Hong Kong Ltd. Fire Hydrants and Valves: Jardine

Engineering Corp., Ltd.

Page 30Page 31