2.1
Introduction
In accordance with the requirements of Section 3.3 of
the EIA Study Brief, this Section describes the need of the Project and the consideration
of different design options. The
consideration of alternatives also includes alternative construction methods
and work sequences.
2.2
Site Description
The location of the Project Site is shown in Figure 2.1. The
Site is bounded by
The Site comprises three Declared Monuments
designated under the Antiquities and
Monuments Ordinance in 1995. They
are:
·
Central
Police Station;
·
Former
Central Magistracy; and
·
Victoria
Prison Compound.
They are collectively named the Central Police
Station (CPS). Figure 2.2 shows the
location of the Declared Monuments within CPS and the buildings of the Declared
Monuments.
2.3
Site History
The
In 1864, the first barrack block was built and, between 1910 and 1925,
other blocks were added to accommodate the swelling numbers of policemen
stationed there. However, after World
War II, a new Police Headquarters was constructed in Wan Chai
and, as a result, the reliance on the
2.4
Need For the Project
The Chief Executive (CE)’s 2007-2008 Policy Address
highlighted revitalisation as the guiding principle
of heritage conservation and the Project was among one of the specific
proposals put forward by the CE in the same Policy Address. At the meeting of the Executive Council (ExCo) on 15 July 2008, the ExCo
advised and the CE ordered that Government should enter into a partnership with
the HKJC in the form of an agreement (or agreements) to take forward the
conservation and revitalisation of the
2.4.1
Contemporary
Arts Needs in
Throughout the design and planning of the Project,
the need for providing a contemporary art hub at the
Contemporary art plays an increasingly recognised and important role in the
development of Hong Kong as a vibrant '
Justification for an Art Hub at
With its myriad small
galleries and antique shops, the
The
The revitalised
The
This unique opportunity
for creating synergy on the
However, due to the architectural limitations of
most of the buildings on the Site, to accommodate a medium-sized art space, the
possibility of a new building or creative, even significant, renovation of an
existing building that respects the integrity of the Site have been explored.
2.4.2
Vision of the
Project
The vision of the Project embraces three major
principles:
1.
Heritage:
·
to
set the
·
to be
the focal attraction in the Government’s Conserving Central project.
2.
Visual Arts:
·
to establish
an international reputation for organising art exhibitions;
·
to
attract a high quality cluster of arts organisations;
·
to
create a programme and arts facility that will appeal to a wide cross section
of the people of
·
to
complement the visual arts with a lively and varied performing arts schedule;
·
to
provide an international platform for
·
to
attract international talent to
·
to
provide a practical training base for Hong Kong and
3.
History:
·
to
provide a unique and informative interpretative experience;
·
to
relay the history and stories of the Site to students, local visitors and
tourists; and
·
to explain
the role of law and order in the context of
The Project
aims to transform a cluster of Declared Monuments into a thriving cultural and
historic centre which is financially supported by suitably compatible
commercial activities.
2.4.3
Scenario Without the Project
Without the
Project, the
2.5
Consideration of Alternative Design Options
2.5.1
Overall
Design
To bring the CPS to life and
to achieve the vision set out in Section
2.4.1 for revitalising the CPS as an arts hub in the centre of the city, a
new medium-sized exhibition space that can house international high value loans
and similarly scaled multi-purpose space, complemented by supporting
educational and commercial facilities will have to be provided. With reference to established international
examples, the exhibition space should have a c.6m clearance from floor to
ceiling with a minimum floor space of c.1,500 m2. The clearance of c.6m means that
significantly sized paintings and three dimensional objects can be displayed
well in the space without a sense of constriction or confinement. Ever since the 1950s, the international trend
has been for artists to create increasingly large paintings. This has been born out by the recent wave of
Chinese Cynical Realists such as Fang Lijun or Yue Minjun. Examples include: Hayward Gallery,
A number of different design options have
been identified and examined. The option
of only utilising the existing buildings for adaptive use was initially
examined. There are a number of larger
spaces within the existing buildings (the Old Gymnasium in the Police
Headquarters; the two courtrooms in the Magistracy; some of the upper floor
The Old Gymnasium is
double-height with an area of approximately 200m2. This will be opened up and used as an
intimate dance/performance space. It is,
however, too small to serve as the medium-sized multi-purpose space and there
are considerable difficulties in providing suitable access for deliveries to
this space. Similarly, the two
courtrooms are also too small for this purpose.
The large courtroom could only seat 80/100 people for a lecture or a
recital – half the size needed. The
second courtroom is smaller and will also be used for historical interpretation
of the Site and teaching.
The larger open spaces in the Barrack Block were
considered for a variety of uses, particularly as to whether this could fulfil
the function of the art gallery.
Requirements for security, fully controllable lighting with blackout,
stable environmental conditions and code requirements for floor loadings and
escape ruled this out. In addition, the
floor area and height of the space were simply too restricted for a public arts
amenity on the professional scale envisaged.
If this block were to be used for this purpose, the interiors would have
to be completely stripped out in order to provide the necessary security,
climate and display conditions. While
this approach would not require the construction of any new buildings, and has
been adopted by art museum developments in a number of heritage sites around
the world, it was rejected because it could only be achieved at the expense of
demolishing all the interiors and retaining only the facades, thereby deviating
from the prime aim of retaining, conserving and adapting the interiors of the
heritage buildings for suitable reuse.
The CPS Ltd is mindful that there is a need to strike
a balance to achieving both the “heritage” and “visual arts” aims in its vision
of the Project and felt that limited new building was the best way of providing
accommodation for international quality exhibitions and conferences/ events/
performance/education space as well as for the necessary machinery and plant to
service the whole site. The modestly
dimensioned new buildings will enrich the CPS immeasurably by providing added
flexibility, function and cultural use to the site while preserving the
existing heritage buildings and making them accessible to the public. This is in line with many other examples of
heritage buildings worldwide that have been converted for
modern/contemporary visual arts use but that need new buildings added to them
to adequately fulfil their role ([1]).
The only open spaces within the CPS that would allow
the construction of new buildings are the lower courtyard (the Parade Ground) between
the Police Headquarters and the Barrack Blocks, and the upper courtyard (the
Prison Yard) within the Victoria Prison Compound (see Figure 2.2). However, both the courtyards are significant
spaces in terms of cultural heritage and it was decided not to compromise these
spaces by building within them.
A Conservation Management Plan ([2])
(CMP) for the CPS was
prepared in 2008, which concluded that there were only two potential sites
where new buildings could be inserted.
These sites were on the west side of the Prison Yard where the General
Office is located (consisting of some modern single storey office buildings,
some small brick single storey stores and the modern single story asbestos
roofed extension on the west end of ‘D’ Hall) and on the east side of the
Prison Yard (consisting of the Laundry Yard, the single storey work shed and
adjacent lavatories) (see Figure 2.2). Both these sites have very limited heritage
value. The structure of the Laundry Yard has been
substantially altered in the past and is not viable for modern loadings and
none of the proposed structures to be removed constitute a significant loss in
heritage terms. The benefit to the rest
of the whole Site by replacing them with purpose built new facilities far
outweighs the benefits of any possible adaptive re-use.
Therefore, the conclusion was reached that in order
to provide museum-quality exhibition space and a flexible venue for
performances/concerts/lectures and events at the CPS, and minimising
intervention in the existing historic buildings by housing the cooling plant at
a new centralised location, as well as to make it both culturally and
financially viable, new buildings would be needed, potentially taking the
footprint of the General Office and the Laundry Yard.
2.5.2
Design
of the New Building
Scale of the New Building
The height of the new buildings conforms to the
imposed height limit of 80 mPD for any new buildings
on the upper platform area in the Draft Sai Ying Pun and Sheung Wan
Outline Zoning Plan (OZP) S/H3/24.
The new buildings are intended to house facilities such as gallery,
multi-purpose space, as well as food and beverage (F&B) outlets. Two design schemes have been identified:
Scheme A – Under this scheme the F Hall is used
for gallery space, gallery support and the new building to the north of F Hall
contains gallery space and the support facilities, including part of the
central plant rooms, (such as cooling towers and chiller
plant, which provide chilled water to the whole Site (see Figure 2.3). This scheme envisaged the retention but
modification to the Laundry Yard steel structure with the yard used as a
multi-purpose space and the upper open deck at the level of the Prison Yard
used as a sculpture exhibition area.
Scheme B – Under this scheme, the F Hall is used
for gallery space, gallery support and some portions would be retained for
interpretation of its former role as a reception area of the Prison. The new building to the north of F Hall (the
Old-Bailey Wing) provides the main gallery spaces and a new art themed
restaurant (see Figure 2.4). The old Laundry Yard is used as a site for
another new building (the Arbuthnot Wing) to be used as a new multipurpose
space/hall, which acts as a proper introduction/linkage to the arts
educational/ arts related facilities in D/E Halls. The top floor of Arbuthnot Wing also
accommodates the major space for central plant rooms to serve the overall
Site.
These schemes were evaluated taking into account
their ability to satisfy the demand for the cultural and mechanical plant
spaces needed, the level of intervention at the existing historic buildings,
integration with other buildings at the upper courtyard, engineering
constraints and the potential environmental impacts. Although the scale and building mass of
Scheme A is smaller than that of Scheme B, Scheme A is shortcoming in the
following aspects:
·
The
new gallery space to be provided, by modifying but respecting the existing
configuration of F Hall was very limited in size and clear headroom to function
as a top international gallery space.
From precedent cases, the minimum clear headroom in the major gallery
space should be about 6m; whereas the F Hall will only be able to provide 4.25m
under the downstand beams. Technically, such space would demand a high
standard of security; environmental control; structural; and logistics. All these criteria imply that if F Hall is to
be taken alone to function as a top international gallery, drastic alterations
that would compromise its heritage value would be needed.
·
The Laundry
Yard would again require extensive architectural and structural alterations and
strengthening to make it a minimally workable multi-purpose space; that little
would be left of the original structure.
Even with major alterations it would be a compromise in terms of height
and column-free areas.
·
The
space on top of the new building in this scheme was found to be insufficient
for the necessary cooling towers and chillers to provide the chilled water for
the whole Site, noting that there is no sensible location for cooling towers,
which require a clear headroom of 7m, in or on any of the existing buildings
and no desirable place in either the Prison Yard or the Police Parade Ground.
On the other hand,
Scheme B offers the following merits:
·
The
new building along
·
The
Arbuthnot Wing provides an excellent multi-purpose space.
·
The
Arbuthnot Wing allows a complete deck of plant space for cooling towers and
chillers. This provides an adequate facility for the whole Site and puts the
cooling towers in the optimal position to minimise nuisance to neighbouring
existing buildings.
·
The
Arbuthnot Wing will work well with the D and E Halls. The new stair and lift core in this new wing
will be shared with E Hall. By providing
this necessary alternative escape route in the new structure, the degree of
intervention to the E Hall could be minimised.
The scheme also integrates with D Hall allowing the spaces in the upper
floors of D Hall to work in conjunction with the new multi-purpose space. Under this scheme, both D and E Halls would
benefit from its integration and close complementary relationship with the uses
in Arbuthnot Wing.
With regard to the
cultural heritage impact of the new buildings on the existing buildings, the
design of the new buildings under both schemes will set back from the existing
buildings to ensure least impact to the existing buildings and no building of
heritage significance will be demolished.
The insufficient space for accommodating all cooling towers and chillers
under Scheme A means that some of these plants have to be provided at the
existing buildings, meaning more intervention at the existing buildings and
thus more significant impact on cultural heritage point of view. Although Scheme B will require the demolition
of the Laundry Yard, as discussed above, all associated alteration for
upgrading the Laundry Yard structures (as in Scheme A) to current safety and
services standard would also already be a compromise against its heritage
value. Moreover, the structures to be
removed are not considered as a significant loss in heritage terms. Hence, in terms of minimising potential
heritage impact, both schemes perform similarly.
In terms of
potential environmental impacts associated with both schemes, both schemes
require the same extent of demolition to existing structure but Scheme A being
in smaller scale will cause less nuisance in terms of dust and noise impact
during superstructure work construction.
Having said that, both dust and noise impact can be mitigated to
compliance level for both schemes. As
Scheme A involves the construction of one building only, the visual impact
would be less than Scheme B. From the
landscape point of view, the footprint identified for the construction of new
buildings is currently occupied by buildings and structures and will not
encroached into the Prison Yard. Hence,
there will be no net loss of open space under both schemes. Depending on the design of the buildings,
both schemes could perform equally in terms of providing more open space
extending from the Prison Yard.
In terms of
potential glare interference, the extent of impact will depend on the mass of the
building as well as the façade material to be chosen. While Scheme B will involve the erection of
one more building, the design intention of using non-reflective material for
the façade will help to minimise potential glare interference (see discussion
below).
Hence, having
considered and balanced the demand for the cultural space needed, the level of
intervention within the existing historic buildings, integration with other
buildings at the upper courtyard, engineering constraints and the potential
environmental impacts while achieving the vision of the Project, the
implementation of Scheme B is more preferable.
The design philosophy of Scheme B (including the discussion of refining
the massing, configuration and façade treatment to minimise heritage and visual
impact) is further elaborated in Section
2.6.
Architectural Style and Massing of the New Building
The architectural
style to be adopted could broadly take either a historical or a modern
approach. The use of a modern approach
over a historical approach has been recommended for the following two key
considerations:
·
Firstly,
it is a well-established concept in conservation,that
new interventions, whether they are internal alterations in an historical
building, or whole new buildings on an historical site, should be “of their
time”. This is because all generations
of people have expressed their culture through their buildings (among other
things), and to copy a style of the past would be to devalue it, and indeed the
culture of today. By constructing new
buildings that speak of today, another chapter in the biography of the site is
added. This then can be viewed by later
generations and understood within the context of the site and its history.
·
Secondly,
it follows from Section 2.5.1, that if the existing buildings cannot
accommodate the new uses, any new building cannot be made to look like an
historical one within the current footprint.
The forms of historical building would require more ground area than is
available at the CPS Site unless one was to build on the Parade Ground or
Prison Yard.
The massing and style of the new buildings was
dictated by the zoning envelope and height restriction set for potential new
buildings under the OZP and the internal space (floor area and ceiling height)
needed for the proposed uses. The design
takes the approach to set back from the maximum building envelope so as to
minimise disturbance to the adjacent historic buildings and leave them intact. All facades of the new buildings have allowed
approximately 1.5m setback from all the adjacent historic buildings. Hence, in terms of the massing of the
building, it is compatible in terms of both visual and cultural heritage
perspective. The design philosophy of
the new buildings is further elaborated in Section
2.6.
Façade Treatment of the New Building
Different façade treatments have been considered for
the new building. These include a fully
glazed façade, a corten metal panel façade, a
polished aluminium metal panel façade and a cast aluminium unitized façade. A fully glazed façade was considered but
rejected because of the apparent lack of association with the immediate
building material fabric as well as the potential to pose glare impact. A corten metal
panel façade was also considered but rejected because of concerns
weather-related premature aging. A
polished aluminium metal panel façade was also considered but rejected over the
potential for glare impact. A cast
aluminium unitized façade system has been considered suitable for the new
building. Such proposal was the results
from a study of existing site material textures and scales, such as porous
masonry, traditional brick and granite wall constructions (see Figure 2.5). The
versatility of aluminium in terms of texture, malleability, light weight,
lifecycle and general aesthetic makes it the preferred material for the
distinctive integration of new construction within the historical heritage
compound. The composition of the new
building façades will register their respective interior layout and general
façade technical requirements. Further
elaboration on compatibility of the recommended façade design is contained in Section 2.6.
2.5.3
Adaptive
Reuse in the Existing Buildings
It is the aim of the Project to bring all the
buildings on the Site back into beneficial use.
The general experience is that, with very few exceptions, buildings need
to have a use to ensure their long term future.
This inevitably means that alterations must be made to make the
buildings safe and to comply with current building codes.
In the CPS, all the buildings will need to be fitted
with some modern services and with improved fire compartmentation
and fire escape provisions. Many will
need floors strengthening to accommodate greater floor loads than they were
designed for. With these overall
concerns in mind, the attempt has been made to find uses that can be
accommodated in the existing buildings with the minimum of disturbance and
alteration. Generally the uses attempt
to work with the existing room sizes and circulation patterns. Where walls or other features are proposed
for removal, these are later additions of lesser significance.
The range of uses chosen (cafes, shops, restaurants,
education and interpretation spaces) strives to balance the need for the Site
to be financially sustainable with the need to find spaces to interpret the
historic site to visitors. There are
interpretation spaces in every significant building and two of the blocks of
prison cells are being left untouched.
Apart from providing space for cultural and
commercial facilities, space is also needed to house the E&M equipment to
support the functioning of all facilities and activities on Site. In particular two options have been
considered for locating the chillers and cooling towers:
·
Option
1: to locate the chillers and cooling towers in individual building;
·
Option
2: to locate the chillers and cooling towers in centralised locations in the
new building adjacent to the upper courtyard.
Comparing the two options, Option 1 will require more
modification works within the existing buildings to ensure that the building
structure is capable to handle the extra loading of the plant. Option 2 has the merits in terms of minimising
the modification works at many of the existing buildings. In terms of efficiency, the use of
centralised plant for cooling will be more energy efficient and environmentally
friendly, although the cost of distributing the energy within the Site from a
central location will be higher. Hence,
Option 2 offers a more sustainable solution and has incorporated into the
design of the Project.
In terms of cooling technology, the use of forced air
cooled chillers was considered for the Site but was rejected on the grounds
that wet cooling towers are much more efficient and therefore more
environmentally sustainable.
2.5.4
Site
Circulation
Site Circulation To/From the Project Site
The revitalised
To improve accessibility to the Site, new openings and
a footbridge extension linking between mid-levels escalator and the
Footbridge Design
From the existing junction of where the escalator-bridge
turns the corner at
Site Circulation within the Project Site
The Site is divided into several terraces and
variously interrupted by barriers such as walls, gates and stairs. The success of revitalising the CPS will also
rely on convenient access to the Site and good circulation within the
Site. To improve the site circulation
within the Site, it will require modification and new addition of stairs and
walkways between buildings. Within the
CPS, a stairway passage provided with disabled access will be constructed to link
up the lower courtyard and the upper courtyard, via A Hall and B Hall. The stairway passage is complemented with a
historical path, which winds through the side and back of the Barrack Blocks
and the prison halls. The stairway
passage provides direct access to all the main public spaces of the Site
(exterior and interior, old and new).
Although modification to the interior and part of the exterior of B Hall
will be required, the construction of the stairway passage will minimise the
need of adding new staircases and walkway between the buildings thus minimising
exterior building modification works at the CPS.
The key pedestrian circulation corridor is shown in Figure 2.7.
2.5.5
Construction
Methods and Sequence of Works
In order to understand the structural form and present
condition of various construction materials of the existing buildings, a
structural survey was conducted on site between April 2009 and September
2009. Information such as material
strengths and degree of deterioration obtained from the survey has been used in
the justification for adaptive reuse of these buildings and determined the
necessary modification and refurbishment works required.
Modification/Refurbishment Works at the Existing
Buildings
In general, the existing buildings will be repaired or
strengthened where necessary to ensure that they will meet current health and
safety standards for the proposed uses.
Some of the existing building features, such as staircases, do not
satisfy current prescriptive fire safety code requirements and would need to be
altered if these requirements are to be strictly followed. To minimize intervention to the existing
buildings, a fire engineering approach has therefore been
adopted to assess the fire safety level of the existing buildings and to
propose alteration only in cases where the assessment result fails to meet the
fire engineering standard. By adopting
this approach, special features with great heritage values can be preserved as
much as possible.
Other Construction Works
Non-percussive piling methods will be adopted for the
construction of the foundation for the new buildings and a lateral support
system will be used to minimise the potential
vibration impact to adjacent historic buildings during construction.
A stringent and comprehensive monitoring scheme will
also be proposed within and around perimeter of the
The sequence of work has been designed to minimise concurrent activities as far as
practicable. This will minimise the potential noise and air impacts during the
construction phase. The sequence of work
is reflected in the construction programme as shown
in Figure 2.8.
2.5.6
Selection
of Preferred Design Option
As discussed above, the various design elements of
the Project have considered different environmental factors in conjunction with
a range of other aspects of the implementation of the Project. Protection of the heritage resources is the
key factor considered during the development of the Project design. Visual impact is another important factor
that has been considered, especially in the design of the new buildings.
Based on the discussion above, to meet the Project’s
vision while balancing different consideration aspects, including minimising
potential environmental impacts (particular to the historic buildings), Scheme
B was chosen as the preferred design of the new buildings at the CPS. Scheme B is more preferable from the
conservation point of view as it can minimise intervention at the existing
historic buildings by providing sufficient space for the cultural facilities as
well as the necessary plant and machinery for the whole site, where Scheme A
cannot achieve. It comprises the
construction of the Old Bailey Wing and the Arbuthnot Wing, which will be
located in the current position of the General Office and Laundry Yard, respectively. The construction of the new buildings will
require the demolition of the General Office and the Laundry Yard. The massing of the new buildings respect the
height limit imposed by the OZP and their scale is considered to be compatible
with the existing historical buildings.
In fact, the new buildings approach but do not
impinge on the surrounding historic buildings.
As a result of thoughtful design and a careful choice of materials the
new buildings will clearly stand out as modern interventions without taking
away any of the interest or visual impact of the historic buildings and without
affecting the Upper Courtyard, ie compatible from the
visual and cultural heritage angles. The
new buildings will only really be seen from the upper part of the Site and from
the adjoining roads. They will be more
or less invisible from the Lower Courtyard and will have no impact whatsoever
on any of the buildings around this part of the Site. Whilst there is some visual impact on the
buildings around the upper (southern) part of the Site there is nothing that
will diminish the cultural heritage significance of this area of the Site as a
whole.
Regarding the proposed adaptive reuses in the
existing buildings, a concerted approach has been taken to find uses that can
be accommodated in the existing buildings with the minimum of disturbance and
alterations. For example, the option of
centralising the E&M facilities in a few locations is preferred as this
will minimise modification works at many of the existing buildings as well as
being more energy efficient.
The preferred scheme will keep modification of the
existing fabric to a minimum by limiting the openings at the boundary wall.
The modification/refurbishment works at the existing
buildings are kept to a minimum by carefully assigning appropriate uses to fit
in the spaces and adopting a fire engineering approach to minimise alteration
while complying with fire safety requirements.
For the construction of the new buildings, non-percussive piling method
will be adopted to minimise the potential environmental impacts and in
particular vibration impact on the historic buildings.
Hence, the preferred design has environmental
benefits in most of the key aspects of the design. Where environmental impacts are unavoidable,
especially during the construction stage, these impacts will be localised and
transient and can be mitigated by the implementation of appropriate control
measures. The environmental benefits and
dis-benefits of the key design aspects are summarised
in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1 Environmental
Benefits and Dis-Benefits of Key Design Aspects
|
Design Aspect |
Options Considered |
Environmental Benefits |
Environmental Dis-benefits |
Other Factors Considered |
Conclusions |
|
Overall Design |
Without new buildings |
· Less modifications at the Victoria
Prison Compound · Minimise nuisance associated with the
construction of the new buildings · Avoid landscape and visual impact due to
erection of new buildings |
· Significant modifications in the
historic buildings to create adequate space to house the multi-purpose and
exhibition space, as well as the cooling plants, yet still cannot fully achieve
the space required |
·
No
space to accommodate a medium sized multi-purpose space and exhibition space
up to international standard |
· This option was not preferred because it
cannot achieve the vision of the Project by providing a medium sized multi-purpose
space and exhibition space up to international standard, even with the need
for significant intervention at the existing buildings. |
|
|
With new
buildings |
·
The
new buildings can accommodate the multipurpose and exhibition space needed and
strategic location for site cooling plants, hence avoid significant
alteration at the existing historic buildings |
·
Generate
nuisance during the construction of the new buildings, but this should be
transient and mitigatable (see Sections 3,5 and 6
for mitigation on heritage resources, noise and air quality impacts) ·
Additional
structure will create landscape and visual impact, but the massing of the
building has already taken into account the building height restriction and
zoning envelop for potential new buildings imposed by the OZP and set back
from the existing buildings to minimise disturbance, hence compatible from
visual and cultural heritage point of view |
· · Improved communications across the Site
between |
·
This
option was preferred since it has the merits of providing adequate space for the
new medium sized multi-purpose space and exhibition space and improves the
site circulation within the ·
Minimising
intervention at the existing historic buildings so that the interior heritage
aspects can be conserved. ·
Nuisance
associated with the works of the new buildings will be transient and can be
mitigated by good site practices. ·
Compatible
from visual and cultural heritage point of view as the new buildings will
respect the OZP requirement and set back from existing buildings |
|
New Buildings |
Scheme A |
·
Smaller
scale construction work and hence will minimise environmental nuisance (in
particular dust and noise) ·
Less
landscape and visual (including glare) impact since only one building will be
constructed ·
Building
set back from existing buildings and demolition of existing buildings of
heritage significance is avoided |
·
The
location of the chillers and cooling towers are surrounded by the residential
sensitive receivers and thus may cause noise impact |
· The quality of the exhibition space will
not be able to house top international exhibitions · Not enough space to house the chillers
and cooling towers meaning that some of these facilities will have to be
housed at the existing buildings, which means more intervention at the
existing buildings. |
·
This
option was not preferred due to the space constraint to provide international
exhibition space and site cooling equipment. ·
More
intervention at the existing buildings to create space for the cultural uses (yet
still not enough) and the cooling equipment |
|
|
Scheme B |
·
The
location of the chillers and cooling towers are surrounded by less
residential sensitive receivers and thus minimising the noise impact ·
Building
set back from existing buildings and demolition of existing buildings of
heritage significance is avoided |
·
Slightly
more landscape and visual (including glare) impact since two buildings will
be constructed ·
Slightly
larger scale construction work compared with Scheme A but yet the overall
scale of work is small and the potential environmental impact can be
mitigated and hence will not generate significant environmental nuisance (see
respective technical sections for environmental impacts and mitigation measures) |
· Adequate exhibition and multi-purpose
space that can meet international standards · Adequate space to house the chillers and
cooling towers avoiding the need for further intervention for space at the
existing buildings |
·
This
option was preferred because the requirements for adequate multi-purpose and
exhibition space for art educational facility can be met. It also provides equipment space for
central cooling towers of the whole Site avoiding the need for further
intervention for space at the existing buildings. |
|
Adaptive Reuse |
Full
utilisation of all spaces |
- |
·
More
modification works will be required |
· The adaptive reuse should also ensure
the operation of the |
·
This
option was not preferred as modification works will be more extensive. |
|
|
Partial
utilisation of spaces |
· Minimise modification works required · Leave space for interpretation of the Site |
- |
· The adaptive reuse should also ensure
that the operation of the |
·
This
option was preferred since it can balance the need for modification works and
interpretation space. |
|
Chillers and
Cooling Towers |
Located in
individual buildings |
- |
·
Modification
works required in individual building and will affect more historic buildings |
· Less energy efficient · Lower cost for distributing energy
within the Site |
·
This
option was not preferred due to the extensive modification works required for
the historic buildings and yet being less energy efficient |
|
|
Located in
centralised locations |
· The facilities are centralised in the new
building and hence minimise the potential impacts on the historic buildings |
- |
· More energy efficient · Longer distance for distributing energy
within the Site |
·
This
option was preferred as it will minimise the impacts to existing historic buildings
and yet being more energy efficient |
|
Site
Circulation |
Without
stairway passage |
· Minimise internal modification to
historic buildings |
·
Greater
visual impact since there will be a need to construct additional exterior pathways
or stairs, if without the passage through the interior of the building. |
· Connection between the lower and upper
courtyards will be indirect · Lower construction cost |
·
This
option was not preferred due to the indirect connection between the lower and
upper courtyards and the potential visual impacts with more staircases
outside the historic buildings |
|
|
With stairway
passage |
· Minimise visual impact as the stairway passage
will go through the interior of the building |
·
More
modification works required in A Hall and B Hall due to the construction of
the stairway passage structure. Please
refer to Table 2.3
for details. |
· Enhance site circulation by providing
convenient connection between the lower and upper courtyards · The
distinctions between new intervention and old building fabric are made very
clear · Higher construction cost |
·
This
option was preferred since it will be visually less intrusive and can
effectively enhance site circulation |
|
Modification/Refurbishment
Works |
Adhere to
prescriptive fire safety code requirements |
- |
·
Significant
modification works will be required |
- |
·
This
option was not preferred since significant modification works to the historic
buildings will be required |
|
|
Adopt fire
engineering approach |
· Less modification works will be required
yet achieving the required fire safety standard |
- |
- |
·
This
option was preferred since less modification works to the historic buildings
will be required. The fire engineering
approach will allow for better integration of fire protection in the historic
buildings. |
|
Other
Construction Work |
Percussive piling |
- |
·
More
noise and vibration impacts |
- |
·
This
option was not preferred due to the generation of more noise and vibration
impacts |
|
|
Non-percussive
piling |
· Less noise and vibration impacts |
- |
- |
·
This
option was preferred since there will be less noise and vibration impacts |
2.6
Project Description
2.6.1
Design
Philosophy of the Project
New Build
The intention is to use the new buildings as a magnet
to draw people to the more enclosed and remote southern part of the Site – the
old Prison area. The Old Bailey Wing
needs to be large enough to accommodate international touring exhibitions and
the Arbuthnot Wing not only has to accommodate a major multi-purpose
performance space but is also being used as the location for the cooling
systems that will serve the whole Site – this makes it essential to use the
space available to the best effect.
Another major concern is to ensure that there is circulation across the
Site.
The two new buildings have been designed to suit the
scale of the Site, and to make maximum use of the available space without
dominating the surrounding buildings nor the open space of the Upper
Courtyard. The new buildings will have
a clear and close relationship with the existing historic structures and this
is necessary as the new buildings share staircases, lifts and other facilities
with the adjacent historic buildings.
The new buildings will bring the existing buildings to life and make
them accessible in a way that would be difficult with no new structure.
Design Style and Massing
The new buildings will be assertive in their
difference to the historic buildings.
There is no intention to take any of the existing finishes (granite,
brick, and painted render) in an attempt to work with them. Rather the proposed cladding of textured
metal will pick up the rhythm and scale of the granite walls and will offer a
dialogue with the adjacent buildings whilst remaining entirely distinct. This is a well recognised approach to the
insertion of new buildings on significant heritage sites. It is generally regarded as a poor solution
to have buildings which are a simple pastiche of the adjacent historic buildings. This can lead to confusion in interpretation
and tends to diminish rather than enhance the character and quality of the
original buildings. Well designed new
buildings which are thoughtful in their scale and relationship to the existing
buildings and yet have their own contribution as architecture of their own time
are widely accepted as the ideal solution to this sort of intervention. The new buildings can be exciting and act as
a focus for the visitor without detracting in any way from the significance of
the historic buildings, and very importantly in this case, without encroaching
on the Prison Yard.
Each new building’s basic massing begins as a full
measure of the zoning regulations. They
are created as offsets from the historical buildings and rise to +80.0 mPD in height. Distinctive
spaces are carved out of the new volumes at the ground level, resulting in
generous protected places for gathering.
At the same time, these voids shape the direction of pedestrian flow
connecting
Façade – Pattern and Expression
The proposed cast aluminum unit
system is the result of several primary considerations:
§
The
unit system references existing masonry block elements on site in terms of scale
and proportion (eg: the bordering granite
revetment wall), thus establishing a certain contextual relationship (See Figure 2.5).
§
The
use of aluminum as a material provides a distinctive
architectural expression and materiality, setting the new buildings apart as
new and modern insertions amongst the collection of historical masonry blocks.
§
A
unitized system allows for a certain level of homogenous surface expression in
terms of scale and proportion while differences in each unit block can still
accommodate specific functional requirements.
The more specific patterning and expression of the
façade units are informed by programmatic and environmental requirements of the
uses within:
§
A
fully solid façade covers areas where no direct light and views are
required. These would include certain
gallery, mechanical and support spaces.
§
A
semi-perforated façade covers areas where some light and views are
desired. These would include public
circulation and foyer areas and select zones within the galleries.
§
A
fully open façade covers primarily the main plant space which requires at least
50% in porosity and no weather enclosure.
Visually, the roofs of both Old Bailey Wing and
Arbuthnot Wing will also be extremely prominent to those in surrounding taller
buildings. As such, the roof of each
building will be treated as a fifth façade, covered similarly by the system of aluminum façade units. In Old Bailey Wing, the façade units
serve as a significant layer within the gallery skylight diffusing direct
sunlight as it enters the building. In
Arbuthnot Wing, the units will help to provide an even façade surface while
accommodating the need for a porous screen that will allow air to circulate
through to the plant room equipment below.
Façade – Materiality and Texture
As a material, aluminum is
malleable, light weight, recyclable and easy to control in manufacturing
processes. This versatility allows the unit to be optimally engineering to
address issues such as structural support, sun shading, and rain protection in
The design of the new buildings and the Upper Courtyard is illustrated in Figure 2.10.
The Courtyards
One of the main components of the design intention is
to preserve the openness of both the Upper and Lower Courtyards and re-activate
them for public use as a new type of urban found space. They will define the Site both physically and
programmatically as places of gathering, leisure and respite. The Lower Courtyard will be surrounded on
each side by several of the Site’s most historic buildings, resulting in a
formal open space with generous room for public recreation, organised events,
direct access to restaurant and retail attractions as well as smaller scale
cultural and educational spaces. The
Upper Courtyard will be more thoroughly transformed from a rough and forbidding
area to a new open public space with an emphasis on cultural venues. It will be less formal than the Lower
Courtyard, with significant existing trees preserved and the rear prison wall
enhanced with new green planting.
Site Connections
With three different ground levels and a prison wall
around, the Site is currently hard to navigate and access. The main entrance will remain at the extension
of
To link the new pedestrian network of public spaces within the Site, two main circulation paths running North-South are proposed. A meandering historical path will include re-opened doors and passages, supplemented by a few carefully-crafted new incisions and insertions through existing buildings and walls. New stairs and lifts will provide a more direct path to link the Parade Ground and the Old Prison Yard.
The connectivity of the Site is illustrated in Figure 2.7.
Footbridge
With the opening up of the
2.6.2
Site
Layout and Proposed Uses
The Site Plan is shown in Figure 2.11.
Public access to the Site will be via the existing
and new gates along
A combination of cultural and commercial uses is
proposed within the
The courtyards within the
Cross-sectional plans of the upper courtyard showing
the new buildings and the stairway passage are presented in Figures 2.22 to 2.24.
Table 2.2 Proposed
Uses in CPS
|
Location |
Proposed Uses |
|
Police
Headquarters |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Multipurpose
(b) and ancillary support ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
Management Office and Store Room |
|
Armoury and
Store |
·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Toilet |
|
Barrack Block |
·
Interpretation
room ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet |
|
Married
Inspectors Quarters and Deputy Superintendent’s House |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Arts
related support space (a) ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet |
|
Married
Sergeants Quarters |
·
Arts
related support space (a) ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet |
|
Single
inspectors Quarters |
·
Police
reporting office ·
Toilet |
|
Ablutions Block |
·
Plant
rooms ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
Central
Magistracy |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Multipurpose
(b) and ancillary support ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
Superintendents
House |
·
Arts
related support space (a) ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet
|
|
A Hall |
·
Education
centre ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
B Hall |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Public
circulation ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
C Hall |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Art
related support space (a) ·
Retail
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
D Hall |
·
Interpretation
room ·
Arts
related organisation archives and record centre ·
Art
related support space (a) ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Site
management office and store room |
|
E Hall |
·
Multipurpose
(b) and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Interpretation
rooms |
|
F Hall |
·
Interpretation
rooms ·
Art
gallery and ancillary support ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet |
|
Bauhinia House |
·
Public
circulation |
|
New Building
(Old-Bailey Wing) |
·
Art
gallery and ancillary support ·
F&B
and ancillary support ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet ·
Loading/unloading
bay and two truck stops |
|
New Building
(Arbuthnot-Wing) |
·
Multipurpose
(b) and ancillary support ·
Plant
Rooms ·
Public
circulation ·
Toilet |
Notes:
(a) Arts-related support spaces
refers to the spaces for art and cultural programmes such as:
§
museum quality exhibition spaces, galleries, video/film
projection space, events, exhibition, performances, concerts, discussions and
poetry reading space for classic, modern or contemporary art, design, film,
video, photography, drawings, cartoons, architecture, monographic,
performance art, fashion, sculpture;
§
library/archive/study area/video/reading/viewing spaces;
§
small working spaces for arts use;
§
spaces for sound pieces art works;
§
heritage interpretation spaces;
§
display spaces.
(b) Multipurpose spaces refers to the
spaces potentially serving the following functions:
§
Lecture/ viewing Room/Conference Centre
§
Venue for medium and small sized musical performances
§
Venue for literary/poetry readings
§
Venue for small scale theatrical/dance performances
§
Private functions (e.g. corporate gatherings and small scale
weddings)
2.6.3
Construction
and Modification/ Refurbishment Works
The construction and modification/refurbishment works
are designed to match the requirements of the proposed uses and enhance the
spaces and connections between the buildings and improve circulation throughout
the Site. The key
modification/refurbishment works will include repairs to internal finishes and
necessary alterations, repair of facades, electrical and mechanical upgrading,
improve the paving and site circulation between buildings and opening up part
of the existing boundary wall to facilitate access to the Site.
General
Much of the works are to remove later accretions and
to bring the buildings back into a good state of repair. The works common to all buildings include:
·
Windows – they will be carefully repaired where original
fabric remains or will be replaced with high quality copies of the original
windows to bring the elevations of the buildings back to the original design
intention.
·
External façade - the scope of the work on the external
skin of the buildings will be re-roofing with traditional Chinese tiled roofs,
repairs to masonry walls and redecorations, removal of later service pipes and
cables that are no longer needed and similar work.
·
Internal work - the works will be more significant as modern
partitions and false ceilings are generally to be removed and fire compartmentation is to be added to the buildings along with
improved insulation to cut down on heat gain.
There will also be some disruption to finishes to allow the
strengthening of floors and to allow the floors to be brought up to an
appropriate standard of fire compartmentation. This
will generally be achieved by adding to the existing structure and
strengthening it, rather than by removal and replacement. There will also be disruption to install new
services, electrics, fire detection and alarms, telephones, computer cabling,
hot and cold water and ventilation works.
Care will be taken to ensure that these services are fitted with the
minimum disruption to original finishes or structures.
·
Lift - all the buildings will be provided with lifts
(either platform lifts or full passenger lifts) to accommodate accessibility.
Specific Modification Works
For more comprehensive details of the proposed
modification to the existing historic buildings please refer to Section 3. Table 2.3 outlines the specific
modification/refurbishment works for individual building and structure within
the CPS.
Table 2.3 Proposed
Modification/Refurbishment Works in CPS
|
Location |
Modification/Refurbishment
Works |
|
Police Headquarters |
All four floors of the building will be brought
fully back into use, and provided with new lifts. The old double height gymnasium, latterly
used as a traffic control centre, will have its inserted floor removed and
will be reclaimed for multipurpose performance activities, and others areas
in the building will be used mainly for retail. Modern partitions and
suspended ceilings will be removed on each floor level. The upper floor where the original |
|
Armoury and Store |
The blocked in Veranda on the east side of the building
will be opened up to regain the original design, and the flat roofed first
floor addition over the veranda will be removed to provide a balcony.
Internally the modern partitions will be removed to create open areas on both
floors for the new retail use, and the existing stair will be replaced to
allow direct escape to the exterior. A
second stair has to be added to provide an alternative means of escape which
will be necessary to allow public access to the first floor. A small lift
will be provided. |
|
Barrack Block |
All four floors will be brought back into full use,
and provided with new lifts, with three floors of retail and an upper floor
containing two restaurants. There will
also be a small Museum and interpretation room on the ground floor. The work
will require the removal of modern suspended ceilings and some modern
partitions. The floors will be
strengthened by the addition of steel beams underneath the existing timber
joist structure with minimal loss of original fabric. The clutter of modern extensions and the
security fence at ground floor level to the south of the Barracks will all be
removed to reveal the original form of the building. The wide open porch on the north elevation
on the east side of the Barrack Block will be removed to regain the
impressive original building appearance.
The intention is to reuse the existing staircases (which are
significant historic features) despite the presence of winders. The Barrack
Block is attached to the blocks to the south by a set of three bridges and to
the Magistracy on the east by a single bridge. There have been more of these in the
past. To avoid putting new staircases
within the Barrack Block it is intended to put in five new bridges to
facilitate alternative means of escape. |
|
Deputy
Superintendent’s House and Married Inspectors’ Quarters |
The ground
floor rooms of this relatively fragile building will be used for
interpretation purposes and for retail.
The upper timber floors will be used arts-related support spaces. The house has the original steep stairs and
relatively slender floor construction.
The proposed uses should ensure that minimal alterations and
strengthening are necessary. The main
alterations to the building will be the reopening of the original verandas on
the north and east sides. It will also
be necessary to alter one room on each floor to allow the two verandas to be
joined to allow an alternative means of escape down the existing staircases.
A small lift will be provided. |
|
Garage |
This timber framed
building from the 1930’s will be demolished to create a new courtyard in
front of the Deputy Superintendent’s House. |
|
Married
Sergeants’ Quarters |
This small
relatively fragile house will remain unaltered except for the insertion of a
new platform lift and new toilets, and minimal alterations to widen a number
of doorways to provide full wheelchair access. The lower floor will be used for retail and
a small café, and the upper floor for arts-related support spaces. |
|
Single
Inspectors’ Quarters |
This house will
also remain unaltered except for the insertion of a platform lift to give
access to the upper floor and two new toilets. The house will be used as a police post. |
|
Ablutions Block |
The Ablutions block is the most significantly altered
building on the Site. A large amount
of electrical load will be needed in the existing buildings for their new
uses, as well as for the new cultural buildings containing art galleries and
multipurpose spaces. It has been
decided that the Ablutions block represents the best option for a centralised
location for the transformers and switchgear and emergency generator needed
for the Site with a direct road access.
The building will remain relatively unaltered as far as its exterior
is concerned, including the balconies on the north side. Internally, however, the existing floors
will be removed and new concrete floors will be inserted to allow for the
adjusted heights needed for the transformers and for the necessary ductwork
for high voltage cables. |
|
Central
Magistracy |
The Magistracy
will have mixed uses. New lifts will
be provided. The lowest floor will
largely be used for specialist retail (a book shop seems to be the most
appropriate). The middle two floors
with the double height court rooms will be used as multipurpose entertainment
spaces and the upper floor will be used as a restaurant. The only area where major alterations are
proposed is in the lowest floor.
Because of the slope of the ground the south end of the lowest floor
is a basement below the surrounding ground level (this will be used for plant
and storage space) whereas the north end of this floor is slightly above the
adjacent ground level opening out onto the new yard in front of the Deputy
Superintendent’s House. This north
side will be used as the bookshop. At
the higher levels there is relatively little alteration to the
structure. Some modern accretions,
such as the lobbies to the court rooms will be removed. The courts will be restored to their
original appearance by removing the blocking to the balconies to allow these
to be reopened as balconies and the full extent of the decorated ceiling to
be seen once again. On the top floor,
the bulk of the modern partitioning is to be removed along with the inserted
modern suspended ceilings. Escape will
be via the existing staircases, justified by a fire engineering approach,
although some work is needed to introduce fire doors and create new escape
routes. It is not anticipated that
significant work will be needed to the existing structure. |
|
Superintendent’s
House |
The major work
to the relatively fragile Superintendent’s House is the reopening of the
central archway on the east side, part of the earlier entrance to the prison,
to provide public circulation access from the Magistracy Terrace directly
through the Superintendent’s House and adjacent C Hall into the yards around
A Hall and B Hall – thus avoiding the long route around to the Ablutions
block which is the only access to the Prison at present. It is also proposed to demolish the single
storey extension at the east side of the house which opens into the yard
north of D Hall’s east wing.
Demolition of this cell will allow access from the Magistracy Terrace
directly into D Hall east at its lowest level. The Superintendent’s House will be used in
conjunction with C Hall to provide retail outlets and some public toilet
space on the ground floor, and arts-related support spaces on the floors
above. The more robust C Hall will
house the new lift and alternative fire escape stairs. There will be minimal changes to the
planning of the Superintendent’s house itself and only limited work to
restore the interior, strengthen and provide fire compartmentation
to the floors, and provide a new lift and a small change of level lift for
disabled access. |
|
A Hall |
A Hall is to be
used as the primary education centre of the Site with provision for
classrooms on the ground floor and offices and storage above. New stairs and lifts will be provided at the
east end, shared with C Hall, for access to the upper floor, and at the west
end which will also provide access and escape for the Ablutions block and the
Barrack Block, via the proposed bridge links.
There will be no significant change to the external appearance or
construction of the building and the internal floors, walls and partitions
will generally be maintained and adapted where necessary. The proposal to create a new tunnel for
public circulation access from the lane at the south side of the Barrack
Block under A Hall, with a stairway rising into B Hall will be tunnelled in
horizontally as described in more detail in Section 3. The intention
is that there will be no adverse impact at all on the fabric of A Hall during
both tunnel construction and operation phases (see Sections 3.6.2 and 3.7.3
for mitigation measures). The presence
of a stairway passage will not affect the structural integrity of the
building. |
|
B Hall |
B Hall is to be
generally left in its current state with no work other than weathering
repairs and health and safety work.
For the public to safely use the upper floors would require a lift for
equal access and two new staircases for access and escape. This would do a great deal of damage to the
fabric of the building, and the intention is to leave it untouched. As such it will provide a primary
interpretation area of a cell block, but the public will only be allowed into
the ground floor. External work will
be limited to repairs to the asphalt roof and the clerestory rooflight, overhauling and repainting gutters and
downpipes, repairing and repainting windows and external gates. Internally
the work will be limited to electrics for fire alarms and smoke detection and
emergency lighting. As noted for A
Hall above there will be a new tunnel under B Hall with a stairway, and also
a lift, rising up through the ground floor to provide public circulation
access from the lower site to the upper site levels. The intention is that there will be no
adverse impact at all on the fabric of B Hall during both tunnel construction
and operation phases (see Section 3.7.3 for mitigation measures to avoid
damage to B Hall during tunnel construction).
The presence of a stairway passage will not affect the structural
integrity of the building. The
passageway will be located within the width of three cells to be removed
across the building. An opening of three cells wide will be formed in the
south elevation at the ground floor landing of the new stairway and lift
suitable for safe circulation of the public out into B Hall Yard. The ground floor cells to the east of the
new stairway will be left intact for interpretation purposes, and the cells
to the west will provide stores. The upper floors cannot be made accessible
for the public without two new staircases which would destroy a considerable
amount of the interior. It is hoped to
be able to take very small groups of the public under supervision to see the
upper floors but only for interpretation purposes. |
|
C Hall |
The work in C
Hall needs to be seen in conjunction with the Superintendent’s House as the
two buildings are interconnected. The
major intervention is a new stair and lift core on the north side providing
service access and escape stairs for both C Hall and for the Superintendent’s
House. This stair will also, via bridge links, provide the alternative means
of escape from the upper floors of the Barrack Block. The structure of C Hall is robust with
minimal finishes. Little needs to be
done to this area to accommodate the new proposed uses, which are public
circulation and toilets on the ground floor and site management offices and
plant space on the upper floors. The
old Prison Kitchen is being retained as an interpretation space. |
|
D Hall |
The use of the upper two floors of
D Hall for an Arts-related Organization Archive and Record Centre is seen as
a most suitable function for this long prison building in this part of the
Site. The location is adjacent to the
new buildings which will help bring the planned arts-related revitalization
to the former bleak Prison site. Pairs of the existing cells will be opened
together for the archive rooms, and rooms which have been formerly altered
will be further adapted to form the library space. A set of the impressive range of cells on
the ground floor of the West Wing will be retained for interpretation of the
original Prison. The other cells will also be retained and used for
arts-related purposes. As well as
providing entrance lobbies at lower ground and ground floor levels for the Arts-related
Organization accommodation on the upper floors, the uses of the lower floors
of the East Wing for public accessible toilets and storage are related to the
new entrance into the site from Arbuthnot Road, and the cultural,
interpretation and leisure activities planned in the adjacent areas of the
Prison Yard and the Laundry Yard. The original stair in West Wing will be
retained and refurbished. Two new
staircases will be required in East Wing to make the whole of D Hall suitable
for reuse. One of these stairs will
also provide the alternative means of escape for the new building in the
Laundry Yard via a bridging link.
Three lifts will be provided for this long building, two including a
fireman’s lift in the East Wing, and one in the West Wing. |
|
E Hall |
The lower ground floor of E Hall
with the existing walls removed, is seen as being most useful in providing
visitors entering the Site from the new
|
|
Workshops &
Laundry |
The Workshops and
Laundry Yard structure will all be demolished to reopen the lower yard. There would need to be significant work to
the existing structures to adapt and strengthen them for new uses, and their
removal will allow more of the elevations of D Hall and E Hall to be
seen. A new wide external staircase
will be provided between the Laundry and Prison Yards, under the canopy of a
new arts-related building to be built overhead between D and E Halls. This new building will also provide the
centralised chilled water cooling towers for the whole Site. The space under the new staircase adjacent
to the revetment wall to the Prison Yard will be a passageway across the
Laundry Yard with public accessible toilets serving this area of the Site. |
|
F Hall |
F Hall will be
retained and refurbished for uses in conjunction with the arts –related
revitalization of the Prison site. A
new building will be located adjacent to F Hall, currently on the site of the
existing General Offices. Between F
Hall and the new building there will be a new entrance into the Site from a
new opening in the revetment wall on |
|
General Office |
The modern
office and other buildings will all be demolished to make a site for the new
arts-related building to be used in conjunction with F Hall. All the modern offices and the separate
stores in the office yards will be removed. |
|
Bauhinia House |
Bauhinia House
will be repaired and have the modern finishes and fittings removed. It is intended to open up the doorway to
the |
|
External and
Revetment Walls |
There are a
number of significant walls around and across the Site which are seen as
highly significant structures. The
intention is to keep the external walls to the whole Site very much as they
are at present. The internal revetment
walls will also all be retained though some more modifications will be
undertaken here to provide entrances and exits. Modifications will include: o
The
opening of a new pedestrian gateway in the revetment wall on o
A
new gateway opening will be formed into the Prison site in the revetment wall
on o
The
taking down and rebuilding of a section of high revetment wall onto o
The
red brick single storey extension adjacent to the south side of the Ablutions
building on o
The
retaining wall to the south of the new service yard is currently heavily
buttressed with steelwork. A new
service entrance is to be cut in this wall for access to the back of house spaces
of the new arts-related building. As
the wall is already in poor condition and new basements are to be excavated
on its south side, it will more practical to take it down and rebuild it
rather than stabilizing it in situ. o
A
new gateway will be made in the wall on o
The
curved modern concrete wall, which has been built to allow the sweep of o
The
wall which run east west across the Site to the south of the Barrack Block is
an early retaining wall. This is to be
repaired but there will be three new openings created in it (two of these
will be about 1.5m wide to accommodate escape routes from the new stairs
through A and C Halls. The third will
be wider to accommodate the new public circulation access tunnel stairway and
lift to the upper site levels. o
The
new footbridge from the mid-levels escalator to the Site will require the
existing balustrade between the Police Headquarters and the Armoury buildings
on The findings of
the cultural heritage impact assessment (refer to Section 3 and Annex A1) is
that the overall impact of these openings is not highly significant.
The bulk of the wall remains and the sense of this being an enclosed
site will not be significantly diminished.
The new openings will not detract from any interpretation of the
Site. The new openings do play a
critical part in making the Site work well for all visitors in the future. |
The construction programme is shown in Figure 2.8. The
construction works are tentatively scheduled to commence in early 2012 and
complete during 2014. The modification
works at the existing buildings are divided into four phases. The major demolition and excavation work will
be conducted in Phase 1 while Phases 2 to 4 will involve renovation work
carried out mainly by the use of handheld/light equipment. The construction work for the new building
will be undertaken in parallel to the modification works at the existing
buildings.
2.7
Concurrent Project
There are no major construction projects identified
during the construction phase of this Project.
However, the former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road at about
250m to the west of the Project Site will be revitalized and brought into
operation in early 2014 (See Figure 2.25). The planning of the revitalisation work is
on-going and detail information regarding its environmental impact is not
available yet. Hence, the cumulative
impact cannot be assessed at this stage.
However, it is envisaged that the revitalisation work would be relatively
small scale. Given that the former
Police Married Quarters site is located at about 250m away from the CPS and
with dense high rise buildings in between, it is not expected that there will
be any adverse cumulative impact arising from the construction of the former
Police Married Quarters project and the CPS project.