657553-1889-Bill-Buildings- — Page 4

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND FEBRUARY, 1889.

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except with the special approval of the Surveyor General as aforesaid, the remaining or lower portion shall be built of sound stone cut to flat beds or of red brick.

11. When built to a length of fifty feet or any length not exceeding fifty feet, the external walls, and party walls of all buildings shall be of the thickness of not less than thirteen inches for the upper portion to the extent of twenty feet and for the remaining or lower portion the thickness shall increase not less than four inches for each depth of twenty feet.

12. When built to any length exceeding fifty feet, clear of any return-wall or cross-wall, the external walls or party walls of all buildings shall be of the thickness of not less than thirteen inches for the upper portion to the extent of fifteen feet and for the remaining or lower portion the thick- ness shall increase at least four inches in each depth of fifteen feet.

13. The cross-walls and the chimney-walls of all build- ings shall be of the thickness of not less than nine inches for the upper portion to the extent of twenty feet and for the remaining or lower portion the thickness shall increase at least four inches in each depth of twenty feet. No wall sub- dividing any building shall be deemed to be a cross-wall unless it is carried up the full height of the external or party walls, and unless the recesses and openings therein are less than one half of the vertical surface of the cross-wall in each story.

14. Every wall of brick or stone shall have in it, at the basement floor a damp proof course extending the full thickness of the wall, and placed at least six inches above the level of the ground line, and such damp proof course shall be of slates laid in good cement mortar, lead, pure Portland cement, Portland cement-mortar at least two inches thick or of such other thoroughly impermeable material as may be approved by the Surveyor General.

15. Partitions shall be of brick nogging, lath and plaster, or of boards, and when unsupported by any cross wall from the story next beneath, shall not rest solely upon the floor, but shall be properly framed and trussed and be sup- ported at both ends by being let into the walls and made to rest upon at least nine inches of solid brick or stone work.

16. The foundations of every wall of a building shall be of footings of sound stone, briek, or other equally hard substance carried down to the depth of not less than twice the thickness of the wall at the lowest story of the said building; and the lowest course of every such foundation shall be of not less than twice the thickness of the wall at the said lowest story, and the thickness of such found- ation shall diminish gradually towards the upper surface thereof in regular steps or offsets, provided that on rock conglomerate or other hard ground of an incompressible. nature, or in sandy, unstable or soft ground the Surveyor General may permit or require the foundations of all works and buildings to be of such special depth and width, and of such materials as being in each particular case applicable to such ground shall be approved by him.

17. Every party wall shall be carried up above the roof of every building to a height of at least eighteen inches, measured at right angles to the slope of the roof, and every such party wall shall be properly coped or otherwise protected, in order to prevent water from soaking into such wall.

18. No opening shall be made into or through any party wall separating any two buildings, unless such buildings are wholly and in every story in the occupation of the same person. When such buildings shall have ceased to be in the occupation of the same person any openings previously made through the party wall shall be solidly stopped up with brick or stone-work of the full thickness of the party wall and properly bonded therewith. Recesses may be made in party walls and in external walls, provided that every recess is arched over, that the aggregate area of such recesses does not exceed one half the whole area of the wall of the story in which they are made, and that the backs of such recesses are of not less thickness than thirteen inches in party walls, and nine inches in external walls. In the case of shop fronts left open to the street the side walls or party walls shall be returned for at least twelve inches along such front, and such return walls shall be properly bonded into the side walls or party walls.

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