No_2_July_and_August_and_September__1951 — Page 41

ALBANY ROAD GOVERNMENT FLATS

and

At the junction of Albany Robinson Roads, immediately above the Botanic Gardens, on an area which was formerly the site of the residence of the Superintendent of the Botanical Department, there is being erected a block of flats for lower ranking Civil Servants.

While the method of construction will follow along the lines similar to the Government European resi- dential quarters recently erect- ed, these flats would be on a some- what smaller size and more econo- mical layout. All flats will have a north-east aspect with a view over the Harbour. Construction

The building will be four storeys high and constructed with reinforced concrete bearing walls, which is a form of construction generally used for the multi-storey buildings de- signed by the Architectural Office since the war. It has been found cheaper in cost than the more usual beam and column construction, and capable of more rapid construction as it eliminates columns and nearly all beams, thus resulting in room

Part ground floor plan on the left of which is shown typical arrangement of the flats.

(Right)

Photograph of the building in

of erection.

course

shapes with clean modern lines and ceilings unencumbered by beam pro- tusions.

Accommodation

the

There will be two flats on ground floor and four flats on each of the first, second and third floors, making a total of fourteen flats. The remainder of the ground floor will be taken up with garages and trunk storage space divided off with light partitions to give one space to each flat.

All the flats are identical and con- sist of a small entrance hall, living room opening onto a large balcony, dining room, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a drying room. The kitchen has a door opening onto the entrance hall and a service hatch to the dining room. The servants' quarters, which are entirely self- contained for each flat, comprise two rooms each 70 square feet in area, w.c., shower bath, kitchen and drying yard. It is perhaps worth noting that the Government Architects work to a minimum area of 70 square feet for each servant's room, a standard very much higher than that generally

provided in Hong Kong.

The ground floor has been planned so as to give each of the two ground floor flats a small area of private garden opening off the dining room. Owing to the sloping site, the living room and best bedroom of the ground floor flat are some 12 feet above the level of the ground in front, thus ensuring that even the ground floor flats have complete privacy.

These quarters are meant for single officers or childless couples.

Building work is now in progress and the flats are expected to be occupied during January, 1952.

started on

When work was first this building, progress was exceed- ingly slow because of difficulty en- countered in the foundations. Dur- ing the course of excavation old re- taining walls were unearthed, which were obviously part of the building that had occupied the site prior to the erection of the residence for the Superintendent of the Botanical De- partment, and had been subsequently covered up and lost sight of. The top of these walls were between 16 to 20 feet below the existing ground

SER.

YARD

SER,AM.

SER.RM

KITCHEN

|GOVERLO

WAY

"THE FA

BEO

ROOM

DINING

ROOM

HALL

ENTRANCE

HALL

DEYING,AN.

LIVING

ROOM

DED

VERANDAH

GARAGES GARAGES

TRUNK STORES

-- 39 --

level and as these old walls were found to be quite inadequate for the requirements of the present building, they had either to be removed or to be rebuilt.

General

Contractors:

Const. Co.

Electrical Installation:

gineering Corp., Ltd.

Cheong Lee

Jardine En-

Roofing: Dreyer & Co., Ltd.

False Ceilings: Kan Tat & Co. Teak Flooring: China Woodcraft Co., Terrazzo Paving: Vannini Const Co.

Ltd.

Community Wireless Aerial System:

Gilman & Co., Ltd.