No_5_1955 — Page 29

Cadogan Street Housing Scheme for Hong Kong Housing Authority

Architect: T. S. C. Feltham, A. R. I. B. A.

Photograph of the model looking towards the south-west

The Housing Authority was established in April 1954 to provide housing accom- motation for those persons in the Colony living in overcrowded and unsatisfactory conditions. The first scheme prepared un- der the Authority's administration is to be located at North Point, and piling there was recently started.

The second scheme to be announced is a low-cost housing development near the Tramways terminal at Kennedy Town in West Point. This project envisages, how ever, a much lower standard of accom- modation than that allowed for at North Point. In fact, provision is made for the minimum allowable floor space per person. No criticism can be made on this point, as the proposed flats will be far more spacious. and probably much cheaper than those to which most of the expected tenants have been accustomed.

THE SITE

The site comprises the hillside situated just to the west of Cadogan Street about 250 feet south of Victoria Road. It is almost rectangular in shape and covers an area of 161,000 square feet, or about 3.7

acrus.

The gradients of the site are extremely steep and the area is broken up by sever- al nullahs. The lowest point is about 50 feet above the street level and the highest point 285 feet, making a difference in level of 255 feet; this slopes roughly from the south-west down to the north-east.

The west side of the site is particularly steep, sloping at an angle of about 15 degrees: for this reason, development here has been kept to a minimum owing to the high cost of site formation in relation to the building cost. The buildings located on this part of the land were planned on Cross contour development. whereby successive storeys extend towards the rising ground and stop at their respec- tive floor levels upon meeting the slope. Exits at each floor level have been allow- ed for at the points of intersection.

BELCHERS

STRAT

CADOGAN

BLOCK

BLOGE

The steepness and natural difficulties of this site were predominant factors in the development; it was only possible to plan buildings of the most direct and straight- forward type upon it if extremely high costs for site formation work were to be avoided.

A considerable amount of retaining walls are required even at the lower end of the site, to form the various levels which the buildings are to be placed. The existing nullahs running diagonally across

Site plan

BLOCK

200FT.

VICTORIA

ROAD

On

27