No_4_November_and_December__1952 — Page 13

買いま

Albany

Road

Flats

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General view of the new building.

Nattractive block of flats for lower-ranking Civil Servants was completed early in the year on a site at the junction of Albany and Robinson Roads, overlooking the Botanic Gardens.

Though there is nothing startling in either their design or construction, being composed of elements essen- tially simple in themselves, these flats have a tropical character which raises them above the general run of such structures. They bring a touch of interest in an area which on the whole is lacking it. Proba bly the neighbouring palm trees and other foliage which were carefully preserved during construction opera- tions contribute much to the general attractiveness of the building. The lattice work enclosing the servants yards forms an interesting pattern under a bright sun and serves to relieve the severity of the expanse of plain walls at the rear of the building.

The building is four-storeys high, and contains four flats on each floor except the ground floor which only has two; the rest of the ground floor is taken up by garages and an individual trunk storage space for each of the 14 flats. These quarters are meant for single officers or childless couples.

These flats are on a slightly smaller scale than other Government residential quarters for senior Civil Servants and are planned more economically. All living rooms and principal bedrooms have a north- east aspect with a magnificent view over the harbour.

All the flats are identical in layout and consist of a small entrance hall which contains a large closet. The dining room and living room though apparently forming one large room, are separated into individual units by living area is a small hall leading to the furniture arrangement Off the the two bedrooms, a bathroom and a drying room.

A large verandah is common to the living room and the main bedroom. 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, a W.C., shower bath, kitchen and drying yard.

The ground floor has been planned so as to give each of the two ground floor flats a small area of private garden fronting on Robin-

son Road, which is accessible by means of French windows opening off the dining room Owing to the sloping site, the living room and best bedrooms of these flats are some 12 ft. above the level of the ground in front, thus ensuring complete privacy.

The method of construction follows along the lines of other multistorey buildings designed by

the Architectural Office since the war, that is they are built with reinforced concrete bearing walls, thus eliminating unsightly columnar projections along the inside walls. General Contractors:

Cheong Lee Construction Co. Electrical Installation:

Jardine Engineering Corp., Ltd. Roofing:

Dreyer & Co., Ltd. False Ceilings:

Ban Tat & Co. Teak Flooring:

China Woodcraft Co. Terrazzo Paving:

Vannini Construction Co., Ltd. Community Wireless Aerial System:

Gilman & Co., Ltd.

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View of the building from Robinson Road.

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