Excavation completed. concrete was poured to provide a surface for the rock asphalt tanking. This a complete tanking was to ensure waterproof layer for the whole site.
the decision to Speaking on construct the building in two halves. the structural engineer. Mr. Leslie Ouyang. B.Sc. Arch., A.M.I. Struct. E.. A.M.S.E.. said in all parts of the world there were 'rule of thumb' methods for deciding when to use expansion joints.
He said that Hong Kong it had been found that with a fluctuation in temperature of about 50 degrees Farenheit it was possible to design a building of up to 200 feet in length without using these joints.
"In the case of the President Hotel we had a building which was 325-feet long and a problem of dif- fering foundations."
Mr. Ouyang's firm, planned the
1 building in two halves incorporating the use of Expandite water bar joints in the basement and on the external walls.
The actual gap between the two sections of the building is about one inch.
For the interior of the building. special cantilever beams from sup. porting columns come to within one inch at the joint and metal plates span the gap.
Discussing the design of the super- structure, Mr. Ouyang said that the main concern was typhoons.
"The problem of wind pressure in the Colony, with the need for the maximum development of the site and maximum development of the interior to ensure return for the high land costs, plus the height restric- tion and the wish to build on aesthe- tically pleasing hotel make design difficult." he said.
was overcome
to
However, the combination of all these elements
by constructing shallow beams, widen- ing the column spacings to up 35 ft. 8 inch, and by devising number of sheer walls to stiffen the building.
a
The main sheer walls were com- bined into the lift towers and com- prise a large box-core in the centre of the structure
Two other walls were constructed across the width of the hotel and in- corporated into the normal wall lay-
out.
There will be five main restaur- ants and five bars in the hotel.
The highlight of the hotel will be the Siamese Skylight restaurant on the 17th floor. It was designed, together with the rest of the interior of the hotel. by William Pahlmann of New York who went to Bangkok to get the right atmosphere.
Mr. Pahlmann, a world renowned interior decorator, had a Thai artist specially flown in to paint a colorful mural in the restaurant.
Other public areas also give an idea of their decor the Nine Dra.
gons Hall. Firecracker Bar, Lotus Grill. Three Kingdoms Restaurant and Bar and the Rice Bowl Coffee Shop.
The Nine Dragons Hall (from the Chinese "Kowloon") will seat 1,000 at a banquet or 1.250 at a conven- tion.
a
An unusual feature will be a base- ment Health Room incorporating Swedish Sauna bath. It will be open to both hotel guests and local residents.
cen-
Year round air conditioning will be provided by two 700 ton trifugal refrigeration machines. The public area has been divided
into 20 zones, each operated individually and with fully automatic controls. Bedrooms and shops will be served by individual fan coil units taking air from the air-conditioned cor- ridors. A total of 1.100 units have been installed.
In the lounge, five 32 feet long linear diffusers Alush with the ceiling will supply conditioned air to an area 72 ft. X 20 ft. Water piping has been divided into three circuits and each can be oper- ated individually. Thus, public areas can be cooled while bedrooms and shops are being heated.
General contractor is Yat Yuen Hong Construction Co. Ltd. Sub- contractors and suppliers include:
PILING: Paul Lee Engineering
Co.
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COFFEE SHOP
LOUNGE
SHOPS
MAIN ENTRANCE
LIFT LOB.
R C
SHOPS
LOUNGE
GENERAL
OFFICE
TELEPHONE
OPERATOR
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FIRST FLOOR
PLAN
THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER-VOLUME 18 NUMBER 3
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