-
9. Noise And Design Of Buildings In Hong Kong
- Hong Kong University Press, HKU
- Chapter
- Additional Information
19 f i i t Noise And DesignOf Buildings In L Hong Kong Stephen Siu-yu Lau and Dariusz Sadowski 1 INTRODUCTIO N Noise is becoming a n increasingly importan t facto r i n the way it affects th e lives of thousands of people. As a result, it is also becoming more permanently imprinted through the physical manifestations i n the building fabric of whole cities an d individua l building s alike . This create s a unique situatio n wher e human activities and their impact on the environment are producing an acutely negative effect o n those using the environment in the first place. This chapter deals with the reactions to one type of such negative effect: noise . While it is recognized tha t th e production o f solutions, especiall y aftermeasures , is not the ultimate answer in the long term, it is beyond the scope of this chapter to delve fully into the machinations and mechanisms of our society and economy , an d th e underlyin g issue s o f this situation . Nevertheles s i t i s precisely those social issues which in the end will provide the ultimate solution, 184 I S.S.Y . Lau and D. Sadowski while technical an d professional advance s will provide onl y temporary relie f at their best. I TH E CAUSE S O F HON G KONG' S ENVIRONMENTA L NOIS E PROBLEMS Hong Kon g i s wel l know n t o th e worl d i n tw o respects : it s economi c achievements over the last few decades, and its high population density. These two phenomena were not realized without an impact on the environment an d the associated quality of living standards, which are rarely taken into accoun t in a country' s economi c figures. Whil e th e tota l lan d are a o f Hon g Kon g is 1 075km2 , onl y a smal l par t — approximatel y 9 % — i s developed . Thi s i s largely due to the mountainous terrain, which is generally not economicall y viable for construction. The resulting density in the metropolitan areas reaches over 4 0 00 0 person s pe r km 2 - amon g th e highes t i n th e world . Th e hig h population densit y an d th e apparen t nee d to accommodat e ofte n conflictin g land use s in a tight are a resul t i n frequent case s o f unacceptably hig h nois e levels for the residents. In fact, Hong Kong has been dubbed the noisiest cit y in the world. Lack o f flat lan d o n whic h t o buil d i s part o f the reaso n fo r suc h hig h density. Another i s the constant influ x o f immigrants, both legal and illegal , from mainland China. This influx is a continual trend, which began in the late 1940s and was marked by several significant, majo r immigration waves in the 1950s an d 1960s . In 1990 , the numbe r o f reporte d illega l immigrant s fro m China arreste d was a s high a s 76 persons per day while the number o f legal immigrants fro m th e Mainland was 28 000 persons per year. The combination of a heavy influx of immigrants with general population growth created an overwhelming demand for jobs, housing and social services. To provide adequate housing for the growing population, the government has set u p th e Housin g Societ y an d th e Housin g Authority , amon g othe r departments, to be responsible for the design and building of new homes. The 1980s prompted the government's decisio n to develop suburban area s due to the unprecedente d overcrowdin g an d constructio n couple d wit h economi c growth within existing metropolitan areas. A vast demand for housing, given Hong Kong' s limite d buildabl e land , le d t o th e emergenc e an d sprea d o f apartment-type residential developments, the average height of which sprang from 1 0 storeys in the 1960 s to 60 storeys in the late 1990s . Keeping in pace with economic growth, large sums of money were spent [18.206.185.68] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 10:54 GMT) Noise...