trance lobby as a crush space and con- tains the audience in that zone.
Accommodation
Radio Hong Kong's requirements for their new broadcasting centre were originally defined in a list of accom- modations covering present and future expansion, based on a ten-year plan evolved over a period of time in con- sultation with all relevant parties. These requirements called for 11 studios proper, comprising continuity for news, talks, public affairs and recorded music programming, production or drama, and recording with ancillary narrators and self-recording studios.
Complimenting the studios are the administrative offices primarily located on the first and second floors, the operation rooms on the ground floor and the technical rooms which are confined to the ground and lower ground floors. In order to minimise vibration within the building the heavy equipment such as transformer, genera- tor, air-conditioning compressors and air-cooled condensers, is housed under the main entrance walkway with ex- hausts outlets encased in a box struc- ture bounding the walkway at the upper level.
The main block of 54,000 sq. ft. is 174ft. 4in. by 147ft. 4in. by 62ft. 5in. high above the lower ground floor and the large audience production studio at its north end is 48ft. by 62ft. 6in. by 26ft. 3in. high above ground floor.
The site itself is approximately 82,000 sq. ft. of cut decomposed granite of very even composition which posed only minor problems to con- struction, these being two dried up gullies. The soil bearing capacity allow- ed the use of simple spread footings for building support.
Reinforced concrete frame con- struction is used for the buildings, with reinforced concrete external walls to the lower ground floors and curtain walling to the first and second floors, comprising cast in situ concrete wall units and mild steel window units. In- ternal walls are of concrete and brick.
Water tanks and a radio room are placed on the roof of the four-storey block and a 40ft. high concrete tower with two platforms for antenae is erected over the main stairwell.
in the original design for the Pok- fulam site the architect allowed for a single steel tower to be erected behind the building; in relocating at Broadcast City it became apparent that two steel towers would be required to carry the antenae. The building authority dic- tated that orange and white banding
would be necessary on the towers be- cause of helicopters, but the architect discovered that if a concrete tower were built it would come under the heading of a 'spire' and would not require colouring - hence the present 'diving tower' with two platforms.
Finishes
The overall design is based on the old adage 'form follows function' and the strongly defined separation of studio, office and lower ground floor is the result. As a binding unit of measurement between all the compo- nents the building it is designed around a 10ft. module with a sub-module of
Ground floor
First floor
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3ft. 4in. This module as designed could not unfortunately be used throughout all the components of the building as many of the materials, e.g. ceiling components, could not be purchased in Hong Kong to meet modular require- ments, primarily due to the limiting time factor on construction.
Externally materials have been chosen with a view to reasonable costs and freedom from maintenance. They include fair-face concrete, mosaic tiles in black and white, white granolithic- based resin coating on the curtain wall channels, white plastic roofing on the air-conditioning concrete studio ducts, mustard-coloured enamelled asbestos
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Far East BUILDER, June 1969
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