No_2_January_and_February__1950 — Page 28

ILL

1

DAD

KATALOGY

DX

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• MAN TA

ASET

GIRL DI SANGE

bath PARES

JAK INKABLE

(Above) Ground floor plan showing the layout of the four banks and the entrance lobbies.

/Below) Typical floor plan showing the great variety of office arrangements, note the strategic placing of lift and stair halls and the compact grouping of lavatory and washroom units.

R=

HI

LIFT

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old St. Francis Hotel which was also a landmark of the "good old days". A greater contrast cannot be imagined than that represented by this magnificent new office struc- ture as compared with the ancient edifices it displaced. This business structure is a modern one in every sense of the term with ample window areas regularly spaced under continuous projecting canopies which not only protect the windows from inclement weather but provide an architec- tural feature that lends character and proportion to the external appearance of the building. It is ten stories high, with regular set-backs above the sixth floor on part of the Queen's Road and Ice House Street frontages. The centre portion rises vertically the full ten floors and, assisted by projecting vertical members, supplies the change of plane upon which the architectural theme of the building is centred. This change of plane has been further emphasized by the rounding of the angle, which forms the corner of Queen's Road and Ice House Street, and the projection of the ground floor canopy which extends the full length of the building.

To reduce the fussiness of design which might other- wise result from the numerous windows, the architects decided to use a plain but bright finish for the external face of the building. This takes the form of precast regular sized terrazzo slabs in a monotone cream colour which have been set on the walls with flush joint so as to reduce as much as possible line detail which might tend to confuse the eye.

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In contrast to Marina House and Holland House in which the feature was entirely omitted, a wide projecting canopy covering the full width of the pavement has been provided above the ground floor level. This canopy is of full cantilevered design entirely eliminating unsightly columns and thus provides welcome cover to pedestrians in unseasonable weather without blocking the flow of pave- ment traffic that reaches such terrific proportions in Hongkong's overcrowded streets.

Following the modern tendency, the floor space has been divided into small office units, any number of which can be combined to provide the necessary area required by individual firms. Also obeying the modern trend, the ceiling heights except for the ground floor have been kept to 10′0′′. To the Hongkong business man moving from the old-fashioned buildings with their 16'0" to 18′0′′ ceiling heights these lower ceilings might feel a bit depressing. On the other hand, the clean, plain finish of the walls gives an illusion of greater spaciousness and the smaller dimensions do make air-conditioning of offices a practical proposition.

With the exception of the ground floor which has been divided to provide accommodation for four banks, the entire building has been exclusively designed for office accommoda- tion. This, to our mind, is a much more sensible policy than reserving upper floors of buildings set in such valuable sites for flats or apartments. After all, residential