No_3_March_and_April__1950 — Page 72

Looking across the living room through the picture window

side and have the garden and the principal rooms opening on to it on the north side, as any other arrangement would have necessitated a longer drive and unnecessary sacrifice of flat area. However, in order to provide a sunny spot on the south side of the house, the patio was located on that side and a low screen wall protects it from the direct view of the car court.

Although the problem of ventilation on this site was not difficult, as on most occasions it was found that if anything the breeze was too strong, provision has been made for inducing currents of air through the house on very still hot days through large exhaust fans placed at the highest point of the building above the hall bathroom. These were designed to draw air from downstairs rooms through the stairhall, and also from upstairs rooms, through louvres opening into the space above the second bathroom, and from there exhausted mechanically by the fans.

Cooking smells from the kitchen and from the servants porch are vented through a common stack at roof level by means of an 18" exhaust fan. This exhaust fan also serves the ground floor lavatory.

Circulation of air in the servants' shower and W.C. are assured by the installation оп the roof of a Robertson ventilator, and daylight is provided by glass blocks in the ceiling.

The house itself is a two-story one with the usual arrangement of living-room, dining-room and the necessary services on the ground floor; and the bedrooms on the upper floor. However, as is usual with this architect, the particular arrangement is the result of the needs and the personal tastes of the owner, combined with, or modified by, the pecularities of the site and its locality.

The living-room has been designed practically as an enclosed porchway, two sides of the room being composed almost entirely of glass french doors, whilst the third side is half window and half fire-place of considerable size and depth. There is a splendidly arranged patio to the south side of the living-room, whilst the opposite side is enclosed by a covered porchway which connects directly on to the living terrace and lawn. In fine weather with the huge glass doors thrown wide open, the family are practically living entirely out of doors. The entrance vestibule leads directly into what is normally a

passageway, but in this house, the passageway still forms part of the living-room and acts as the connecting link with the dining-room by means of a wide arched opening. This dining- room whilst of modest proportions, has an outdoor terrace with which it forms, when combined, an area large enough to take care of all family or social requirements.

The study projects from the line of the house into the area between the dining-room and living-room porches. It is really part of the house, yet can be closed off for privacy whenever required.

The pantry-kitchen is connected directly with the dining- room but is placed out of the way behind the stair hall and leads directly to the servants' porch and open yard round which are grouped the various servants' rooms.

The family car is parked in a covered open port which forms part of the entrance porchway to which it is connected by a wide sheltered canopy. The roof of the car port and the line of the canopy is worked into the design of the build- ing. It adds prominence to the entrance porchway and makes it an architectural feature of the building.

The master bedroom, with its separate dressing room and connecting bathroom; the two additional bedrooms, one of which is arranged as a studio bedroom, with a bathroom to be shared between the two, comprise the amenities on the floor above. Here again full length glass french doors lead out from each of these rooms on to the sun deck verandah which forms the roof of the living room porch, study and dining-room porch.

The Shouson Hill District in which this house is located was developed many years ago but was never, until recently, considered a popular residential area. It was awkwardly situated on the opposite side of the Island from the City of Victoria and set into a deep valley off the main highway which girdles the Island of Hong Kong. It was a rather barren looking place with few trees and a limited view of the sea which was considered a desirable aspect for residential districts. However, in recent years, a number of very fine buildings have been erected here, many improvements have been made in roads, in water supply, and in landscaping, and Shouson Hill is now very highly regarded from the home builders' point of view.

(Above) A corner of the dining room

(Right) Another view of the living room, showing details

of the magnificent fireplace

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