Housing Authority maximises potential of public housing sites irrespective of development constraints (with photos)

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) always strives to maximise the potential of its public housing sites to provide affordable public rental housing (PRH) for qualified low-income families with housing needs, irrespective development constraints amid the scarcity of land resources in Hong Kong. Long Ching Estate in Yuen Long is a good recent example.
 
     "With a small site area of only 0.43 hectares, Long Ching Estate has heavy traffic on three sides, causing significant road traffic and railway noise. Its proximity to adjacent private developments posed further constraint," a spokesman for the HA said today (August 26).
 
     "Thanks to the ingenious layout designed by the HA's architects, a noise shield was created to reduce the noise impact from road traffic and a railway on the residential flats and the inner court by adopting the stepped height of the two domestic blocks, namely Yat Long House and Ching Long House. In addition, the potential of the small site was optimised in terms of plot ratio and height limit," the spokesman said. 
 
     Located close to the railway, Yat Long House has a single-aspect block design, with all units facing the inner court so as to be oriented away from the noise sources. This 19-storey building also acts as a noise barrier for the 30-storey Ching Long House. To further mitigate noise nuisance, the architect installed noise barriers and architectural fins on the exterior walls facing On Ning Road and Wang Chau Road.
 
     "Due to the site's proximity to the adjacent private developments, the architect had to plan the positioning of the residential blocks carefully. The distance between the two domestic blocks is maintained at a minimum of 20 metres. We have also aligned the blocks with the wind corridors. This allows better overall air ventilation in the locality and minimises window-to-window views," the spokesman said.
 
     Though the estate is small in size, its facilities are comprehensive, including sitting-out areas, a playground, a tai chi court, a community farm, a multi-purpose room, chess tables and table-tennis tables. The estate also provides a car park, an eatery, a clinic and shops to cater for the daily needs of residents.
 
     Completed in 2016, Long Ching Estate provides a total of 438 PRH units. It was awarded the BEAM Plus Final Platinum rating in 2017 because of its various green initiatives.

     A video on Long Ching Estate can be viewed at the following link: d1b4exdg080h6k.cloudfront.net/news/LCE_20131106.mp4.