Issue 20

Piled foundation design and construction for a private development project in Hong Kong should comply with the Buildings Ordinance and related regulations. In October 2004, the Buildings Department in Hong Kong published the Code of Practice for Foundations, though not a statutory document, which states that compliance with the requirements of this new Code in design and construction of piled foundation shall ‘deem-to-satisfy’ the Building (Construction) Regulations. This paper aims to describe how the new Code can be applied in various stages of piling construction including pre-design site investigations, pre-drilling, and pile installation, and execution of proof tests. It also highlights potential impacts to a piling contractor, and suggests practical solutions under typical private development project arrangements. Particular attention is given to the depth of pre-design ground investigation boreholes, interpretation of category of rock mass against total core recovery, pre-drilling for raking piles, driving a pile to final set and modification of acceptance requirements for compression and tension loading tests. Fred Y. W. Koo Director & Construction Manager, Vibro (H.K.) Ltd, Hong Kong Terence C. W. Ng Senior Engineer, Vibro (H.K.) Ltd, Hong Kong

My delight in being a structural engineer has always been driven by a combination of delivering innovative structural solutions and a hands on approach to the design of buildings. I believe that the world of building engineering consists of a people focused, technically driven community, where the blend of communication, clear understanding of building physics and creative thinking come together to provide high levels of excellence. This personal philosophy has been a driving force for me throughout my career, and I believe is illustrated in the projects that I have chosen to present in this paper. I have chosen three recent projects that represent different sectors of the industry. Firstly Millennium Point, Birmingham, a multi-occupancy building with a structure that needed to be simple and quick to build, yet also completely adaptable so that it could meet the changing needs of the occupiers. Secondly, St Catherine’s House in London, a commercial office building with a 90m long, storey high basement that proved to be an exciting engineering challenge, and now houses Mobil Oil’s London headquarters. And finally, the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, The British Museum, London, a space surrounding the famous Reading Room, that until recently was occupied by the British Library and has now been redeveloped as the largest covered courtyard in Europe, forming a modern and versatile hub for the museum. Stephen Brown BE (Civil) CEng MIStructE Partner, Buro Happold

The Buildings Department (BD) in Hong Kong commissioned Jacobs Babtie to carry out two consultancy studies on precast concrete construction in Hong Kong and on the structural use of reinforced concrete using limit state design. The ultimate objective was to prepare a code of practice for Precast Concrete Construction and a new limit state design code for the design of Reinforced Concrete in Hong Kong to replace the current Hong Kong code of practice. This paper briefly outlines the particular requirements of Hong Kong, the areas of research and the structure of the new Codes of Practice. Albert W. K. Leung Director, Jacobs Babtie, 15/F Cornwall House, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong Allen Spring Senior Engineer, Jacobs Babtie, 15/F Cornwall House, 979 King’s Rd, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong

The Code of Practice on Wind Effects in Hong Kong 2004, which was launched in December 2004, introduces several new concepts in the assessment of wind loads for the structural design of buildings or building works in Hong Kong. Along with the promulgation of the Code, the Buildings Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region issued a technical document called Explanatory Materials to the Code of Practice on Wind Effects in Hong Kong 2004 which provides a summary of the background information and considerations reviewed by the Code Drafting Committee during the preparation of the Code. This paper intends to give a brief account of the major changes in the Code as compared with the 1983 version and to discuss the rationale behind the Code in determining the basic design parameters for the assessment of wind loads on a building structure. Stephen K. L. Lo Former Chief Structural Engineer, Buildings Department, Government of HKSAR