To the tourist arriving by sea or by ferry from Kowloon, the water- front is much more exciting than could be anticipated. The presence the of high buildings poised at water's edge. the continual activity of boats of all sizes. the cooling elfect of water. and the freshness from water. open space, and green hills is particularly difficult to sense from tourist folders.
The land reclamation projects along the waterfront are especially impressive in scope, as is the history of previous projects. What is perhaps a little disappointing is that the sea wall is being and has been pushed forward virtually as a straight line. Doubtless economic pressures neces- sitate this. but the waterfront could have greater interest if the seawall were broken by inlets, enclosed small craft basins. or bays which would exist as landscaping or "seascaping" between new buildings erected on reclaimed land.
The City Hall complex admirably answers a great need. apparent in the continual amount of activity visi ble at all times in its courtyard and observation balcony. In many simi- lar ways the waterfront could be at- tracted. Outdoor restaurants. yacht- ing activity, recreation facilities, or more attractions like the City Hail complex on a smaller scale would induce pedestrian activity and give the waterfront રી more uniformly lively appearance.
Waterfront needed
It seems too bad as well that the harbour is or will be visible from so few places in the Central District: soon it may seem one might as well be in any other big city. As land is reclaimed and new building sites added. the harbour will become less a part of the city. The presence of basins or inlets at the ends of access streets such as Ice House Street. using the existing sea wall but flank- ed on either side by new buildings on reclaimed land. would prevent buildings on Queen's Road C, from seeming quite so buried.
The Central District would regain a great deal of character through at closer integration of buildings and harbour. It is particularly exciting to see the existing buildings rising sheer out of the water; it would be
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even more exciting if new tall build- ings had water on more than one side. An aerial view of Sydney Har- bour provides a strong argument in favor of a more irregular and landscaped waterfront. perhaps at smaller scale.
Also exciting for the tourist ap proaching Hong Kong across the harbour are the residential blocks scattered along the slopes of the peak and elsewhere. Particularly striking is a huge block now under construc- tion above North Point. which seen from the eastern sea approach seems Cool almost precarious on its site. wide balconies with tropical plants. and tall buildings built high to catch the breeze seem an ideal solution to tropical conditions.
Ugly planning
There is at first something awesome in the feat of constructing a huge. ly cantilevered shelf, or a thirty- foot high retaining wall. to prepare sites for these high blocks of flats. It seems unfortunate. however, that this approach to siting appears so readily accepted. Many of these re- sidential blocks appear totally out of scale with their surroundings; it was particularly disheartening to see and to imagine Repulse Bay, anticipated as a cozy harbour, dominated by an assortment of stark "super-blocks."
Another unfortunate outcome of this approach to siting is that the underside of these cantileverel shelves tends to be forgotten and un- believably ugly, particulary if the hill- side underneath must be concretefaced to prevent erosion or rockslides. The scale of these buildings would pro- bably benefit a great deal if the siting were not so "daring" and presented a more subtle transition from slope to building. High granite-faced re- taining walls. for example, would benefit from some attempt at terrac- ing within the height of the wall. which tie in better with a sloping site. and would present interesting landscaping possibilities without a great increase in construction or maintainence costs.
Similarly. the "Mediterranean Village" concept would present an interesting relation between building and site. A series of smaller. less regular units terraced up a slope might be દી feasible approach to
or
many steep sites. and would afford a more interesting type of architec- ture:
the roof of the unit below becomes the terrace of the unit above. carefully placed walls baffles allow complete privacy and orientation toward the view, and landscaping possibilities, lush in Hong Kong, become more amusing and more indivual than those afford- ed by the "super-block.
Indeed, such units would be par ticularly pleasant when interspered among existing high-rise units. which would in turn benefit from more openness. Circulation among such smaller terraced units would be more enjoyable, with different views and outlooks induced by forced turns or framed by buildings. With care- ful planning, the same density can be created in such lower units. cover- ing more hillside, as is possible in high rise blocks, and with greater interest at no greater cost.
In European and American renew- al projects combinations of high-rise towers with low "townhouses" and carefully planned outdoor spaces have proved visually successful, as well as economical in terms of density. With a wealth of interest- ing sites, such a compromise solution might benefit Hong Kong developers with a variety of rental or sale units, while providing interesting contrast with existing slab blocks.
More room
Particularly disappointing in the majority of speculative residential blocks is an almost appalling absence of detailing. It would seem that a minimum of careful and imaginative study could eliminate many of the small and unnecessary "bumps and grinds" which mar the exteriors of so many new buildings and which render interior spaces awkward and difficult to finish. Exterior supply risers could economically be set in recesses and screened over, and many jutting corners could probably be eliminated at considerable saving.
To the North American visitor the available materials are enviable, and to exist great opportunities seem for interesting non-standard items, for example hardware, to be econo- mically fabricated on demand. In (Continued on page 122)
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER—VOLUME 19 NUMBER 2
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