September_1971 — Page 39

NORTHEAST ELEVATION

BLOCK B

NORTHWEST ELEVATION

BLOCK C

ABERDEEN, a fishing harbour on the southern side of the Hong Kong island, has long been a tourist attraction, with its clustering Chinese junks, floating restaurants, and the suburban serenity. Such a setting has made possible the location of the David Trench Home for the Aged, which sprawls over an undulating site (48,000 sq ft) on the west slope of Brick Hill, commanding a panoramic view of Aberdeen and the nearby offshore islet, Ap Lei Chau.

The site inclines from east to west and is very rocky. During site forma-

tion work explosives could not be used because of existing buildings in the neighbourhood; only pneumatic drills were employed.

To cope with the rocky terrain, the architect has designed the home in such a way that the building complex, consisting of three blocks, sits along the contour of the site. The number of storeys has been kept to the minimum. A circular block (Block B) stands in the centre, flanked by two curved, ob- longish buildings, one on the east (Block A) and the other on the west

(Block C). A covered passage way con- nects the first floors of the central block and Block A.

The circular block contains kit- chens and mess rooms; the other two buildings contain enough bedrooms for about 300 occupants. One-tenth of the accommodation space has been re- served by the Social Welfare Depart-

ment.

Block A is 11⁄2 storeys with 19 bed- rooms, 2 common rooms, 1 office room and 5 lavatories. In all there are 152 beds in this block. A 5-foot wide

GARDEN

OPEN AREA

KITCHEN

STORE

SCALE:

10

15

FT

Far East BUILDER, September 1971

GROUND FLOOR

BLOCK B

MESS

FIRST FLOOR BLOCK B

0 5

10

15

SCALE:

FT

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