THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY. Memorandum for the Building Committee. Review of Harmony Block Designs

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1 BC 11/99 THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY Memorandum for the Building Committee Review of Harmony Block Designs PURPOSE This is to seek Members endorsement to revised designs for the Harmony 1 and Harmony 3 Blocks and Harmony New Annex Blocks. BACKGROUND 2. The Harmony Block and the Harmony Annex Block designs were first approved by the Building Committee (BC) by way of Papers Nos. BC 76/88 and BC 147/94 in 1988 and 1994 respectively. Throughout the years, these standard blocks have been under continuous review to meet the changing needs of tenants, purchasers and the industry. 3. A summary of major design improvements to Harmony Blocks endorsed by the Building Committee are shown in Annex Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) endorsed the revised flat mixes and flat sizes on 26 November 1998 by way of Paper No. SPC 56/98. The new mixes address reduced household sizes and the current CRP and waiting list demands and flat sizes have been reviewed to more closely match allocation standards, reduce costs and set a hierarchy of Rental (PRH) flats when compared to Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats.

2 - 2 - CURRENT HARMONY BLOCK & HARMONY ANNEX BLOCK DESIGN 5. There are currently three types of Harmony Block that have been used in estate designs since they were introduced in The block configurations were developed to suit particular types of site and the options for each block have allowed for a variety of flat mixes to suit project needs. Harmony 1 and Harmony 3 blocks are now most commonly used. Table 1 Existing Harmony Blocks Block Types No. of Flats No. of Options Harmony Harmony Harmony There are currently four types of Harmony Annex Block which are 21 storey blocks of small flats designed to be linked to the Harmony Blocks and to take their main building services from them. 7. The configurations of the existing block types, flat mixes and flat sizes are shown at Annex 2. PROPOSAL FOR NEW HARMONY BLOCKS (NHB) 8. The Harmony Block has been reviewed to - (a) (b) produce more 1P and 2P flats, with an emphasis on 2P flats; to provide flexibility in the production of 1B and 2B flats;

3 - 3 - (c) (d) to reduce the production of 3B flats in rental blocks but allow flexibility for 3B options for any HOS programme needs; and to review flat sizes to more clsoely match the allocation standards, reduce costs, and set a hierarchy of flats when compared to HOS. Block Configuration 9. Four structural configurations of the New Harmony 1 (NH1) Options 1 to 6 (Annex 3) are proposed. These make use of variations to the end bays of the four wings of the blocks, by providing either 1 Bedroom (1B), 2 Bedroom (2B) or 2P/3P flats. 10. In Options 1 to 5, flexibility in flat mix may be provided by different arrangements of 1P/2P flats and 3B flats, with consequent adjustments to 1B and 2B flat numbers. Options 4 and 5 may be used either where there is a high district demand for larger PRH flats or where flexibility for HOS is required. Option 6 provides small flats in lieu of family flats at the end bays to cater for 2P households. Flats numbers are shown below in Table 2. Table 2 Proposed flat numbers in the New Harmony 1 Options 1 to 6 New Harmony 1 Options 1P/2P 2P/3P 1B 2B 3B Total

4 The efficiency ratio of the blocks has been maintained at approximately 74% with the reduction in flat sizes and some adjustments to the common areas as a result of rationalisation of structure and revisions to thicknesses of corridor walls. The efficiency ratio of the Option 6 is 70.94% because of the higher proportion of small flats. 12. Due to the reduced ground floor area in the new Harmony Block, the transformer rooms need to be rearranged and there are minor implications on Emergency Vehicle Access (EVA) arrangements but these should not pose major problems in site planning. 13. One structural configuration of the New Harmony 3 is proposed with two flat mixes (Annex 4). There is a continuing need for this block type in narrow sites but a reduced number of options is proposed at this stage to meet the immediate project needs. Further options using the same configuration of block may be prepared in the future if the demand arises. Flat numbers are as follows - Table 3 Harmony 3 Flat mixes New Harmony 3 Options 1P/2P (% mix) 1B (% mix) 2B (% mix) 3B (% mix) Total No. of Flats Harmony 1 Option 6-2P/3P Flats 14. The proposed new Harmony 1 Option 6, with 2P/3P flats will retain the existing Harmony 1 arrangement with 1P/2P flats at the central core. When compared to the current Harmony 1 blocks, though the number of flats per block will be retained, there is a loss of family flats since the 2P/3P flats are provided in lieu of 1B flats at the ends of the wings.

5 This block may be used in lieu of the current standard Harmony Blocks where there is a high demand for small flats and it is not possible to accommodate Annex blocks. Flat Sizes and Layout 16. New modular 1B, 2B and 3B flats are proposed with reduced width and depth to produce smaller flats to a more compact and efficient design (Annex 5 ) and the new 2P/3P flat in the Option 6 (Annex 6) to cater for 2P families with the potential for family growth. A comparison with the current modular flat sizes is listed below in Table 4 - Table 4 - Comparison of Harmony Block Flat Sizes CFA(m 2 ) SA(m 2 ) IFA(m 2 ) Harmony 1& 1P/2P Harmony 3 1-Bedroom Bedroom Bedroom New Harmony 1 1P/2P (Option 1-6) 2P/3P & New 1-Bedroom Harmony 3 2-Bedroom Bedroom In line with the approaches adopted in the current Harmony Blocks (approved by way of Paper no. BC 134/98), the access to the kitchen and bathroom have been adjusted to allow more wall space facing the living room and the potential dining area has also been enlarged.

6 Improvements have been made to the 1P/2P flats at the central core in the Harmony 1 Blocks. The internal floor area has been slightly increased from the previous 16.32m 2 to 17.09m 2 to suit 2 single beds and the width of the bathroom has been increased to improve access. 19. With the addition of bay windows for the 1-Bedroom and 2P/3P units at the end bay, tenants may partition their flat to provide an additional bedroom when required. This gives a flexibility of flat allocation to suit the demand for households with family growth potential. PROPOSALS FOR HARMONY ANNEX BLOCK 20. To meet the demand for small flats, a new Harmony Annex Block with an increased height from 20 domestic floors to 35 domestic floors with 11 flats per floor is proposed. Flat production will be increased from the current maximum of 180 flats, to 385 flats per block. (Annex 7 refers). 21. Two options of the New Annex 5 are proposed, with either 1P/2P or 2P/3P flats. Each block will have 11 flats per floor. A new flat type for 1P/2P flats is proposed, based on the 2P/3P flat. Details of the proposals are - (i) No. of flats increased to 385 per block. (ii) More compact flat layouts consistent with the NHB Option 6 2P/3P flat. 22. The efficiency ratio of the blocks has been marginally improved to between 70.07% to 74.38% depending upon the option used, from the original range of 69.91% to 75.94%.

7 The Blocks may be linked to the new Harmony 1 Block Options 1 to 4. New Harmony 1 Options 5 and 6 are less suitable because of structural and prescribed window difficulties with the 2B flats and 2P/3P flats at the end bays of all wings. 24. The Blocks will have a separate lift to comply with the requirements of Code of Practice of Means of Access due to the larger footprint of the block and longer travel distance from the main lift lobby. Additional plant rooms such as transformer room, switch room will be located at ground floor with generator room and pump room on the roof. EXISTING ANNEX 3 & 4 DESIGNS 25. The existing 21 storey Annex Block types 3 and 4 will continue to be available for use where required since these have a smaller footprint. Consideration will be given in due course to revise these designs to include the new Annex 5 flat types, subject to demand. FINISHING STANDARDS 26. The Harmony blocks will adopt a common standard of finishes and fitting out, whether used for Public Rental Housing (PRH) or Home Ownership Scheme (HOS). The common flat designs and finishes of public areas are proposed to give flexibility in the designation of housing type to suit programme needs. 27. Common standards include - (a) (b) (c) replacing bathtubs with shower areas as PRH; the provision of clothes drying sockets as PRH; the provision of stainless steel cooking benches and sink units as PRH;

8 - 8 - (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) coloured glazed tiles in bathrooms and kitchens as HOS; deleting the wall and ceiling plaster in living rooms and bedrooms replacing with a skim coat as PRH; providing 600 mm x 600 mm granite tiles in ground floor lobbies in lieu of 400 mm x 400 mm non-slip homogenous floor tiles and 400 mm x 400 mm homogenous wall tiles, as HOS; modifying the security installation to PRH standards; and revising the G/F lobby layout to HOS standards with a single entrance. 28. A comparison of the current PRH and HOS standards and the proposed unified standard to be adopted in future projects is at Annex 8. IMPLEMENTATION 29. All Harmony Block projects with piling tender invitation in or after February 1999 have been examined and the new designs may be adopted to replace the current Harmony designs. COST IMPLICATIONS Harmony Estimates show that with the reduced footprint, construction floor areas and average flat sizes, the construction costs of the new options will be lower when compared to the current Harmony 1 Block although the unit costs per m 2 CFA will be marginally higher. The costs are shown as Annex 9.

9 In the case of the proposed new Option 6 with 2P/3P flats, the costs per flat for family flats are proportionately higher due to the reduced efficiency of the blocks arising out of the smaller average flat size. The cost of small flats however is less than the cost of Annex Block flats and less than those in small household developments because of economies of scale. 32 The cost of one new Harmony 1 Block, Options 1 to 5, when compared to the current PRH Harmony 1 Block, is lower by between $15M and $27M depending upon the option. Harmony The cost of a new Harmony 3 block, when compared to the current PRH Harmony 3 Block is lower by approximately $8M. Harmony Annex Type 5 Block 34. The cost of one Harmony Annex 5 block is higher by about $55M depending on options due to increase in the number of flats. 35. The Standard Development Cost for the new Blocks shown at Annex 10 have been prepared in accordance with the methodology set out in Paper No. BC 159/98 and compares with the current Block designs as follows - Unit Cost Block Type Current* $/m 2 CFA Proposed $/m 2 CFA Harmony 1 PRH HOS Opts 1-3 (average) Opts 4-5 (average) Opt 6 8,149 8,346 8,389 7,972 8,580 Harmony 3 8,215 8,575 Harmony Annex 12,628 10,621

10 Flat Cost Current* ($/Flat) Proposed ($/Flat) Block Type Flat Type PRH HOS Opts 1-3 (average) Opts 4-5 (average) Opt 6 Harmony 1 1P/2P 146, , ,183 2P/3P ,432 1B 294, , , , ,814 2B 368, , , , ,338 3B 410, , , ,603 - Harmony 3 1P/2P 151, ,296 1B 306, ,466 2B 385, ,136 3B 452, ,239 Harmony 1P/2P 266, ,656 Annex 2P 283,100-2P/3P - 263,746 Block Cost Current* ($/Block) Proposed ($/Block) Block Type PRH HOS Opts 1-3 (average) Opts 4-5 (average) Opt 6 Harmony 1 240,403, ,308, ,665, ,817, ,192,258 Harmony 3 170,555, ,890,150 Harmony Annex 43,351,666 97,674,983 * Costs are at June 98 yardstick price level

11 The reduced construction costs are expected to lead to an overall reduction in expenditure of $368M in the forthcoming five years at June 1998 prices. The revised costs will be reflected in the Capital Budget review to be carried out in mid 1999 which will then be endorsed by the Finance Committee in late FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 37. The likely financial implications on projects arising out of the revised development costs have been reported to SPC by way of Paper No. SPC 56/98. The development costs have been tested on a typical PRH project and show that in general the financial performance is improved with reduced deficits in the project under consideration. For HOS developments, financial viability depends upon a number of variables but surplus/deficit ratios are generally maintained under prevailing market conditions. CONSULTATION 38. The Hong Kong Construction Association has been consulted on the proposals and they have no adverse comments. The designs are broadly similar to the existing Harmony designs but contractors will need to provide new formwork systems. PUBLIC RELATIONS 39. It is expected that these proposals will generate some public interest in view of the redesign of flats and the increased supply of small flats. A press release will be made following BC discussion subject to endorsement of the proposals.

12 RECOMMENDATIONS 40. Members are recommended to approve - (a) The New Harmony 1 Block Options 1 to 6 shown at Annex 3; (b) The New Harmony 3 Block Options 1 to 2 shown at Annex 4; (c) the New Harmony Block modular flat plans shown at Annexes 5 and 6; (d) the layout plans of the New Harmony Annex 5 Block Options 1 and 2 and the 1P/2P and 2P/3P flat plans, shown at Annex 7; and (e) the adoption of a common Standard of Finishing and Fittings in Harmony Blocks as shown at Annex 8. DISCUSSION 41. At the Building Committee meeting on 21 January 1999, Members will be invited to approve the recommendations in paragraph 40 above Fiel Ref. : HD(DS) 301/G Date : 15 January 1999

13 ANNEXES Annex 1 - Summary of major improvements to Harmony Blocks Annex 2 - Existing Harmony Block Types Annex 3 - Layout Plans of New Harmony 1 Block Options 1 to 6 Annex 4 - Layout plans of New Harmony 3 Block Options 1 to 2 Annex 5 - Layout Plans Proposed New Harmony Modular Flats Compared with Existing Harmony Modular Flats and Annex 6 - Layout Plan of 2P/3P Modular Flat used in New Harmony 1 Block Option 6 and New Harmony Annex 5 Block Option 2 Annex 7 - Layout Plans of New Harmony Annex 5 Block (Options 1 and 2) and 1P/2P and 2P/3P Modular Flat. Annex 8 - Schedule of Alignment of Finishes and Fittings in Harmony Blocks Annex 9 - Cost Comparisons between Current and New Harmony Blocks / New Harmony Annex 5 Blocks Annex 10 - Standard Development Costs for the New Harmony Blocks

THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY. Memorandum for the Rental Housing Committee. Fixing of Domestic Rents for New Estates

PAPER NO. RHC 49/2002 THE HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY Memorandum for the Rental Housing Committee Fixing of Domestic Rents for New Estates PURPOSE To propose to maintain the best rents (i.e. rents of newly