1) to restore the Victorian building in keeping with its historical
context;
2) the structure had to cope with its new extended business use; and
3) it had to comply with the Building Ordinance and the set requirements.In order to re-erect and add
new life to this 150-year-old building, a professional team was set up to carry out
detailed research and testing. Each piece of stone and pillar was a unique irreplaceable
monument of history, so extreme care was taken in the reconstruction process to ensure all
stone components were pieced together correctly.
During the
construction stage, sensitivity to history was a major concern for the engineering team.
Outlined below are some of the measures taken to preserve the architectural design and
integrity of Murray House.
Precise
computation and placement of the original stones
The uniqueness of the project lay in the re-installation of the dismantled granite stones,
which had all been numbered. It was a case of using the most up-to-date technology to
complement the building plans of the past; computers were used to accurately calculate and
locate where the original positions of more than 3,000-plus stones were. The whole process
was like completing a gigantic 3,000-piece three-dimensional puzzle!
Searching for special construction materials
Since only 95 percent of the stone components of Murray House had been preserved, the
major challenge for the Shui On engineers was to look for the rest of the 5 percent that
could replicate the original stone components. After detailed research and comparison of
materials, granite from Fuzhou was chosen for the purpose. The dimension of each stone was
also controlled carefully so that both the appearance and size match with the original. A
special kind of lime was also imported from Britain instead of using the usual plaster to
seal the stones, so that the new stones would match their 150-year-old counterparts. |
|
A special kind
of lime is used to
seal the stones
|
Adding an
inner concrete structure
An inner concrete structure was built to support the building before the original stones
were re-installed. The project team used wood to build the timber roof truss first.
Concrete was then injected, and then the roof tiles and the granite stones were added
last. This meant the building was far more secure with a strong integral structure, yet
the facade was still historically correct.
The newly restored
Murray House has now become an entertainment and dining landmark in Hong Kong. The whole
area has also become a major tourist attraction and popular destination for Hong Kong
residents as well as visitors. |
