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Link DetailsBuilding cracks explained The Housing Authority today clarified that a crack found in an external wall of a Home Ownership Scheme court in Cheung Sha Wan was caused by some soil loss under the structural beam and not by settlement.
In response to reporters' enquiries about a media report which suspected the crack was caused by settlement, the authority said its team of professionals inspected the site and found a crack of about 3cm wide which is not a measurement of the settlement extent of the building structure.
It found that some soil loss had also caused a gap of about 1.7cm wide to appear between the external wall and the gate valve chamber of the underground water supply pipes.
The authority said the location of the crack found between Hoi Pik House's external wall and the pavement mentioned in the media report is where the gate valve chamber of the underground water supply pipes is located.
Its investigation revealed that the several cracks mentioned in the media report were related to soil loss nearby rather than settlement.
The authority said it always attaches great importance to the quality of public housing construction, adding that it carries out settlement monitoring for the residential blocks of all public housing developments during the construction stage and after completion until the end of the defects liability period.
The cumulative settlement readings of Hoi Lok Court's residential blocks recorded so far are from about 0.3cm to 2.5cm, which comply with the Buildings Department's relevant requirements.
The residential blocks are structurally safe and they do not pose any danger, it noted.
?In the second half of March this year when we conducted initial visual inspections in the area, we noticed some mild unevenness at external ground outside the residential blocks of Hoi Lok Court along Lai Ying Street, and some minor cracks at part of an external wall of Hoi Lok Court and at some outdoor facilities like planters. But these cracks do not affect the structure of the building and also do not constitute a danger," it added.
Regarding allegations of settlement at the shopping centre's first floor podium roof and external ground unevenness at nearby Hoi Ying Estate, the authority said it also noticed in March a differential settlement between a one-storey shop at Hoi Ying Estate and the residential blocks.
It suspects that it is related to the unevenness found along the Lai Ying Street pavement.
?The Housing Authority has also installed settlement monitoring points at two residential blocks of Hoi Ying Estate. So far, the cumulative settlement readings of the two blocks are from about 0.2cm to 1.1cm which comply with the relevant requirements of the Buildings Department.
?We are also aware that the excavation works of a private development project are being carried out at the construction sites on the other side of Lai Ying Street and there is similar unevenness found at the pavement on both sides of Lai Ying Street. We have referred these observations to the Buildings Department for follow up actions.?
The authority will confirm who is responsible for the repair work after the Buildings Department's investigation is completed.
It will continue to monitor closely the conditions at Hoi Lok Court and Hoi Ying Estate. |
