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Giving housing estates a lift

August 27, 2016

A welcome lift

A welcome lift:  Elevators are being installed in public housing estates to enhance pedestrian access for tenants, particularly the elderly and the disabled.

No nuisance

No nuisance:  Housing Department Chief Manager Management Chung Kwok-chuen said it was a great challenge to build the lifts without disturbing residents.

Special touch

Special touch:  Housing Department Architect Wilfred Lai shows the multisensory maps for the sight-impaired.

Out of the way

Out of the way:  New estates have widened doorways and passageways for users of wheelchairs and walking frames.

User friendly

User friendly:  Traditional taps have been replaced with lever mixers.

No livelihood issue is too trivial, Chief Executive CY Leung says, and the Government is committed to helping the elderly and the disabled to get around town hassle-free.

 

As such, the Housing Authority has spent $1 billion constructing lifts, escalators and footbridges in 32 public housing estates.

 

New estates have been designed to give better access to all residents, including the elderly and the disabled.

 

Barrier free

Hong Kong's old public rental housing estates built on hillsides were usually constructed with only staircases or ramps connecting the development's different levels. Some blocks did not even have elevators.

 

In recent years the Housing Authority has been working to install lifts in these estates to enhance pedestrian access for tenants, particularly the elderly and the disabled.

 

Housing Department Chief Manager Management Chung Kwok-chuen said there are three categories of projects under the lift addition programme.

 

"One is connecting lifts between different levels within an estate. Another is to build a lift adjacent to domestic blocks without existing lift services. The third is to build lifts adjacent to existing footbridges.

 

"For the first category we have projects at Oi Man and Ping Tin estates. For the second category we have the Ping Shek and Kwai Shing West projects. For the last one we have the Choi Wan project which is now under construction."

 

Construction challenge

As these projects are often close to domestic flats, their foundations and superstructures are usually located at the slope's crest or base, and will often involve large scale temporary works and slope improvement work.

 

Mr Chung said this construction work has brought the department a lot of challenges.

 

"We adopted prefabrication technology to make the works as fast as practicable. The steel-framed lift tower and steel-framed footbridge are split into various components for off-site prefabrication.

 

"Every project has its difficulties but we tried to complete the entire project from design to completion within two years."

 

The lift-building programme was launched in 2008. So far 74 lifts, six escalators and 22 footbridges have been added to 29 estates.

 

The department is constructing another nine lifts and five footbridges in five more estates, and the work is scheduled to be completed this year or next.

 

Universal design

The Housing Authority has adopted a universal design strategy for new estates, which works well for tenants of all ages and with different physical conditions.

 

It includes the widening of passageways in common areas for easier access by the elderly and the disabled.

 

Multisensory maps have been installed at strategic locations in the estates along with tactile guide paths that lead to domestic blocks and major estate facilities.

 

Housing Department Architect Wilfred Lai said the upgrades have been included in flat designs as well.

 

"Inside the domestic flats we have also implemented universal design, such as widening doorways and passageways to allow for the use of wheelchairs and walking frames.

 

"We lowered the door threshold and reduced the strength of the door closer. For kitchens and bathrooms we use lever-type water mixers which are much easier to operate."

 

Mr Lai said these helpful design changes can improve living standards for residents, adding the flats will still be suitable for living in should the tenant develop a physical disability or when they grow old.

 

All estates completed since 2008 have incorporated this universal design approach. Forty estates have been completed so far.



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