Rebuild with Innovation Demolition of Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building
“iAM Smart”— Safe and swift gateway to online services
Adopting occupational safety and health measures
Helping firefighters maintain healthy operational work-rest schedules
Highways Department
Undergoing demolition works in a busy district is a very challenging task in its own right. The need to maintain normal traffic on the Gascoigne Road Flyover just one wall away from the part of the building to be demolished tremendously increased the complexity and safety requirements of the works. Apart from detailed planning, the team implemented a number of safety measures during the demolition stage and applied innovative technologies to enhance the quality of works and site safety, while reducing the impact on the environment.
To ensure uninterrupted provision of public services, the team had to ensure timely reprovisioning of the public facilities inside the building before the commencement of the demolition works. At the same time, it also had to take into account the surrounding hawker stalls which operated at night in the vicinity so as to minimise the impacts of the demolition works on their operations. During the process, the team fully demonstrated collaborative team spirit and innovative thinking as well as adopting a people-oriented approach. They went the extra mile to listen carefully to the concerns of various stakeholders and address their needs proactively in the project details.
The team made special arrangement to close the car park progressively in three phases to allow time for car park users to look for alternative parking locations. Moreover, before the construction of the temporary covered walkway, the team purposefully consulted the hawkers operating in the vicinity of the building with a view to preserving local characteristics by allowing them to continue their business at a provisional location during the demolition works. In addition, the team engaged an artist who was born and raised in Yau Ma Tei district to create a long painting imbued with local characteristics for integration into the hoarding design, adding colour to the temporary covered walkway.
The team managed to complete the first phase of the demolition works in a busy district on schedule and achieved the goal of “zero accidents”. The building has already served its historical mission, and the original site will serve as the site for an underground tunnel of the Central Kowloon Route to meet the demand for transport infrastructure arising from the future development of society.
