ENG-1982 — Page 224

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PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Major community projects under way at the end of the year included cultural complexes at Sha Tin and Tuen Mun new towns, each comprising a theatre, concert hall, gallery and library.. Piling was also nearing completion for the Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Centre, which will provide the territory's main cultural venue. To ensure that the auditoria are built to the highest international standards, specialist consultants have been appointed for acoustics, stage lighting and equipment design. Numerous other community buildings progressed through the year, including schools, police, fire and ambulance stations, and recreational facilities such as games halls, swimming pools and active sports centres.

There was also a noticeable increase in the construction of government offices, with work commencing at sites in Queensway, Central and Wan Chai. Several other regional offices were also being planned, or were on site, a surge which can be partly ascribed to the rise of commercial office rents in preceding years. Fitting out works also increased considerably and amounted to approximately 62 000 square metres throughout the year, brought about by the completion of the new government buildings, as well as purchased and leased accommodation; maintenance responsibilities expanded correspondingly. Under the land- slip prevention programme for the 1982-3 financial year, an increase in expenditure of 600 per cent over the previous year was committed to monitoring and stabilising slopes around government premises.

Moves to achieve greater energy conservation in government buildings continued in 1982. Studies on Queen Elizabeth Hospital and government offices in Kowloon resulted in the implementation of appropriate conservation measures. A specialist energy consultant was commissioned to investigate opportunities for conservation at Hong Kong International Airport, and a similar appointment was being considered for the study of abbatoirs.

The government is also keeping abreast of the latest developments in solar technology, and contracts were awarded during the year for the supply of hot water systems for Hei Ling Chau Drug Addiction Treatment Centre and Shek Pik Maximum Security Prison, which are due for completion in 1984.

Geotechnical Control

In late 1982, the Geotechnical Control Branch (formerly in the Building Development Department) was amalgamated with the Geotechnical Control Office in the Engineering Development Department. This will improve the overall efficiency of the enlarged Geo- technical Control Office and allow regionalisation of its control elements.

Studies implemented in 1981 into the factors controlling the stability of man-made slopes continued during 1982, and a special project to examine the field behaviour of soil suction in slopes commenced in September. A major revision of the Geological Survey of Hong Kong was also started in September, in conjunction with the Institute of Geological Sciences in London.

Five major geotechnical area studies relating to land usage were completed during the year by the Engineering Geology and Aerial Photograph Interpretation Unit, bringing the number of studies completed to date to nine. The unit also undertook 350 appraisals of sites for projects proposed by the town planners and engineering offices. In addition, they added 400 site investigation reports into the geotechnical data bank and responded to numerous requests for supply of data bank information for government projects.

The routine activities of the Geotechnical Control Office continued, with the checking of over 300 government engineering projects and the provision of geotechnical advice on about 100 town planning proposals and engineering projects. During the exceptionally