The Cenotaph which stands before the Hong Kong Club on the north side of Chater road is being integrat- ed with the garden and the green area around it will be extended to the west.
The new garden means a return to the original purpose of an agree- ment made between the Hong Kong Government and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation that Statue Square should be maintained as a large open space in the centre of Victoria. The total cost of the work is about HK$1,800,000, of which the Bank will contribute $1,100,000 and the Government $700,000.
On completion the garden will be placed under the management of the Urban Council.
Three Elements
en-
Three main elements have been incorporated into the design of the garden by the architect for the pro- ject. Mr. A. Fitch, ARIBa, msia, of Szeto Wai, architects and gineers. These are paved walks with shelters, grassed areas with trees, and a generous use of water to give the whole area special interest and an atmosphere of coolness and serenity.
The complete area will be raised about 4 ft. above the surrounding roads and pavements. This is to put it on a different plane from the pass- ing traffic and also to avoid, so far as possible, excavations into the maze of services which interlace the site below ground.
The presence of these services
make the construction of an under- ground car park on the site a very uneconomical proposition. Parking space lost to the development is be- ing replaced by the Government on a reclaimed area between the Star Ferry concourse and the new Blake Pier.
There will be three major foun- tains. The one on the northern side of Chater Road will be of a type new to Hong Kong. Known as a Butter- fly fountain, it is of Swiss design and automatically provides a series of un- usual jet combinations. At night it will be lit up by multi-coloured lights.
On the southern portion of the garden will be two fountain walls, against which powerful jets will shoot streams of water.
The larger of the two walls. 7 ft. high, will have an undulating surface made up of a combination of precast concrete units faced in glazed tiles produced by Mr. A. Casadei, who was responsible for the murals in the newly completed Prince's Building. The undulating surface will give a waterfall effect as the water travels down the wall.
A bronze and ceramic mural, also by Casadei, will be incorporated into the smaller fountain wall and this will be highlighted by strong under- water lighting.
There will be four other pools which will have small bubble jets with colour change lights.
Pedestrian Bridge
A pedestrian bridge will be incor- porated in the concourse to span one
of the pools in the southern section of the garden. To reduce mainten- ance work, its railings will be clad in stainless steel.
Columns supporting the shelters will also be clad in this material. The shelters will have upswept curv- ed roofs, the underside of which will be faced in bronze glass mosaic tiles. lit by spotlights at night.
About 35 large trees, each 15 ft. high, will be brought from the Vic- toria Park area for planting in the main walk of the garden, and about 250 small trees will be planted in small close groups to provide a self protective screen against strong winds from the seaward side, parti- cularly during typhoons.
Work Started
The statue of Sir Thomas Jackson. founder of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, will be moved from its existing high pedestal close to the pavement of Des Voeux Road, and given a more human scale by being set on a lower pedestal within the garden and surrounded by a paved walk.
Work on stripping the turf from the existing garden has already start- ed and the new garden is expected to be completed in about six month's time. The main contract, worth about HK$1,790,000, has been let to John Lok and Partners. The HK$400,000 sub-contract for pump- ing and filtrating equipment and lighting is to be carried out by Haden-Gilman, Ltd.
ROAD
CENTRAL
POOL
LAWN
PAVING
BRIDGE
POOL
POOL
LAWN
LAWN.
Far East Architect & Builder October, 1965
CHATER
ROAD
POOL
PAVING
OTOS
ANONENKO?
Layout Plan
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