tions provided headaches for the architects and the consulting en- gineer, Mr. S.E. Faber, and revealed a little of the story of old Hong Kong. At the rear of the site piling was fairly straightforward, but at the front large boulders were found to be lying partly under an old building to the west and partly on the site of the Lok Hoi Tong Building.
It was impossible to remove this without endangering the existing and adjoining building except by using other methods. The ground under the rock was treated by grouting and stabilized.
Still unsolved is the provenance of a twelve foot long cannon that was dug up during the excavation. History experts could not identify it, and now it adorns the garden of the owner of the building.
General construction of the build. ing is in reinforced concrete on piles. but several novel features arc included in the finished structure. For the first time in Hong Kong, it is claimed, use has been made of a simulated curtain wall in aluminium. Here the fin is independent and the window rests on the wall. differing from a real curtain wall where the fin and window are one. The win- dow spandrels are of aluminium. faced in baked enamel in two layers with insulating material bonded be tween to keep out the heat. The window glass in the front elevation too is a novelty: it is a laminated safety glass in amber tint.
The cinema itself is designed to have a smaller capacity than the old Queen's Theatre, which seated 1,250.
Instead the hall will accommodate 600 on the ground floor and 312 in the cantilevered dress circle. Extra space has been given to each seat in order to provide extra comfort. Access to both parts of the cinema is by escalators, which will be reversed when the place is emptied, so that there will be no need for toilsome stair climbing.
Another novel feature of the cinema proper is the ceiling which is fibreglass panels set in aluminium frames. These are extremely light. take spray colouring easily, and im prove the acoustic properties of the auditorium.
The new Queen's Theatre is the first built in Hong Kong specifically for wide screen projection. The auditorium is wider at the screen and than at the rear unlike the old theatre and other theatres in town. so all customers have an equally good view.
The shopping arcades are rendered attractive by their facings and floor- ing in marble and granite. External facings are in emerald green Swedish granite and golden Italian granite. Interior facings are in Italian and Belgian marbles, Nabresina and anti- que Rubane. Flooring is in Traver- tine marble. There is also an ternal glass mosaic decoration.
ex-
The whole building is aircondition- ed by three units. One unit supplies the cinema, one the offices and the third the shops. They can operate all together or independently.
Private water supply comes from tubular wells.
General contractor was Lam Woo and Co. Other sub-contractors and suppliers included:
PLUMBING AND SANITARY
FIXTURES: Lee Yu Kee Ltd. PILING: Vibro Piling Co. Ltd.
and Intrusion-Prepakt Inc. ALUMINIUM CURTAIN WALL: Hong Kong Aluminium Ltd. (Alukon Int. Ltd., subsidiary of Alcoa).
ESCALATORS: Hitachi. AIRCONDITIONING:
Jardine
Engineering Corporation Ltd. (York).
LIFTS: Jardine Engineering Cor
poration Ltd. (Schindler). MARBLE: Raoul Bigazzi. GLASS MOSAIC: Lee Yu Kee
Ltd. ALUMINIUM
SHOWCASES:
Hong Kong Aluminium Ltd. (Acme).
PROJECTION AND SOUND
EQUIPMENT: Westrex. FIBREGLASS CEILING: Pacific
International Co. (Corning). WINDOWS: Demig Trading Co. (F.E.) Ltd. (Sigla, German Dentsche Tafelglass A.G.) WELL AND PUMPING EQUIP. MENT: Dreyer and Co. Ltd, Nolco screens and Emu sub- mersible pumps).
ASPHALT TANKING: Dreyer
and Co. Ltd.
GAS INSTALLATION (in sub- basement); Hong Kong and China Gas Co. Ltd. DOOR HARDWARE: Shewan,
Tomes (Schlage and Tonks). CINEMA WALL PAINT: British
Paints (Murisan).
46
م
SHOP
LOWER GROUND FLOOR PLAN
-
UPPER GROUND FLOOR PLAN
HENET
A
SHTICE
BOO
FRST FLOOR PLAN
BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER
}
VOLUME 16, NUMBER 3
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.