No_2_1960 — Page 43

DESIGN OVERCAME NUMEROUS PROBLEMS

Architect: Pak C. Kwong, B. Arch. (Canton), M. Arch. (Texas).

-

EW if any houses in Hong Kong have posed so many and diverse problems of design as that recently completed for Mr. T. T. Ma on " precipitous site on Island Road, Repulse Bay.

The architect, Mr. Pak C. Kwong, was hampered at every turn in his planning both by the highly un- usual, if not unique configuration of the building area, and by the need for complying with restrictive re- gulations of various kinds.

These are some of the difficulties the architect has succeeded in overcoming in his final design of the house:

Little land was available. Under zoning regulations the cover area of residences in the Repulse Bay dis- trict must not exceed 25 p.c. of the lot area. This requirement proved especially harsh in the case of Lot RBL 743. The natural slope from Island Road is roughly 33 degrees and even if the regulation had been waived a big house still would have been impossible of construction be-

cause of the small area of the site, and the nature of its profile.

Height of the building was limit- ed at the outset by a requirement that the roof level should not be more than 10 ft. below the main road level. Height of the building was subject also to limitations im- posed on the approach road. The Traffic and Roads Office stipulated that there should be a gradient of not less than 1 in 6.

R B.L

164

71

R.BL.

578

R.BL

L584

RBLR.BL

$83

RBL

582

R B.L

R&L.580/

ISLANT 20

RBL643

REPULSE BAY RO

ROAD

R BL 395:

GL 108

GL 116

100

300

RBL576

500

Key plan.

THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER · VOLUME 15, NUMBER 2

•

R BL 425

700 FT

The boundary of the lot is 50 or 60 ft. from the main road, and a further complication resulted from the fact that the gradient could not

the begin from

most desirable section (from the architect's point of view) because it was a right-of- way. This section has to be kept available for eventual widening of Island Road.

There was a covenant that the residence should be completed with- in two years from the date of pur chase of the land from the Govern- ment. in 1956, and though that period has been exceeded, necessitat- ing payment of penalties, the even- tual solution to all the problems is, as evidenced by the plans, both in- genious and satisfying.

The approach road was the big. gest single cause of the delays and, in the long run, of a disproportion- ate amount of the total cost being expended on it.

Of the $200.000 which was the cost of the land and site formation

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