TNAG-2344-FCO40-3410-Future-of-Hong-Kong-British-Consulate-General-1992 — Page 7

Section 1 Design Considerations

?

Design Considerations.

6. The Consulate - General building will need to be fine in appearance and welcoming in its public aspects; identifiably British, if possible, and in other ways geared to projecting British interests; effective in operation, yet internally flexible to cope with the changes of use over

time; and econmical to maintain and run. This is a complex brief and a consideřble architectural challenge.

7. Accommodation.

There are seven main components of the accommodation requirement, as set out below (with appropriate square footage ) plus arcillaries, car parking and external works and landscaping.

1) Consulate - General offices

2) FCO Procurement Unit

3) Staff Amenities

4) British Chambers of Commerce

5) Consular, Passport & Immigration

6) BritishCouncil

7) Staff accommodation

21, 500

4,200

1, 700

1,500

26, 500

54, 600

16,600

8. The nature of the planned spaces that each component requires varies widely, from the predominantly cellular offices of the Consulate General offices to the more openly planned Passport and Immigration Sections and to the classroom requirements of the British Council. The amenities and the staff flats, of course, have their own specified requirements. The development may, therefore, need to be a complex building, but it is important to design it with a simple a plan as possible. The brief reflects the present and foreseen requirements, but internal flexibility of use over time needs to be catered for, particularly in respect of the possible contraction of the Passport and Immigration sections, and of the British Council's activities. In the event of this occuring

fable the vacated spaces should be case of trasformation into lettable space.

9. The locations of the entrances to the development will be of crucial importance to the successful operation of the Consulate - General. There is a need for one entrance / exit to the car parking, and for four seperate pedestrian entrances: for the Consulate - General offices; the Consular, Passport and Immigration

х

Sections; the British Council; and the staff accommodation. The intensity of use of each entrance will, of course, suggest its location and the nature of its access route.

Planning Requirements.

10. Planning requirements are:

Geology.

11. A geological survey is yet to be prepared. The designer is to assume the following conditions for preliminary design and cost plan

purposes:

Services.

12. Mains electricity, telephones, mains water and out-going storm and foul sewerage services are all available as indicated on the Services Plans accompanying this document.