For discussion PWSC(98-99)20
on 7 October 1998

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS

Education - Primary
245EP - Primary school at West Kowloon reclamation, Tai Kok Tsui
249EP - Primary school in area 1, Tsing Yi
250EP - Primary school in West Kowloon reclamation, Yau Ma Tei
251EP - Primary school at Shek Yam Estate Phase 2, Kwai Chung

    Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 245EP, 249EP, 250EP and 251EP to Category A at an estimated total cost of $468.4 million in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of four primary schools, one in Tai Kok Tsui, one in Tsing Yi, one in Yau Ma Tei and one in Kwai Chung.

PROBLEM

There are not enough primary schools to meet the increase in demand for new school places and to accelerate the implementation of whole-day primary schooling.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Education and Manpower, proposes to upgrade the following projects to Category A at an estimated total cost of $468.4 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices -

Project Estimate$ million(MOD)
(a) 245EP - Primary school at West Kowloon reclamation, Tai Kok Tsui 127.1
(b) 249EP - Primary school in area 1, Tsing Yi 105.2
(c) 250EP - Primary school at West Kowloon reclamation, Yau Ma Tei 130.3
(d) 251EP - Primary school at Shek Yam Estate Phase 2, Kwai Chung 105.8
_____
Total 468.4
______

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The four primary schools will adopt the latest standard and schedule of accommodation for standard primary schools to be completed from the year 2000 (Year 2000 design). Each school will have -

  1. 30 classrooms;

  2. six special rooms, including a computer-assisted learning room and a language room;

  3. four remedial teaching rooms;

  4. a guidance activity/interview room;

  5. two interview rooms;

  6. staff rooms and a staff common room;

  7. a student activity centre;

  8. a conference room;

  9. a library;

  10. an assembly hall;

  11. a multi-purpose area; and

(l) ancillary accommodation including a lift and relevant facilities for the handicapped.

JUSTIFICATION

4. To meet increase in demand for primary school places and to help achieve the policy target of enabling 60% of pupils in public sector schools to study on a whole-day basis by the commencement of the 2002/03 school year, the Director of Education (D of E) has been making plans to build an additional 73 primary schools for completion by August 2002. As at September 1998, 24 of these schools have been upgraded to Category A and three have been completed.

5. Kwai Tsing District now has 27 public sector primary schools providing 650 classrooms. Whilst D of E forecasts that no additional classrooms are required to meet increase in demand for school places by the school year 2002/03, 249EP and 251EP will enable existing bi-sessional primary schools in the district to convert into whole-day operation.

6. Yau Tsim Mong District now has 24 public sector primary schools providing 461 classrooms. Whilst D of E forecasts that no additional classrooms are required to meet increase in demand for school places by the school year 2002/03, 245EP and 250EP, together with one 30-classroom primary school project already upgraded to Category A and planned for completion in the school year 1999/2000, will enable existing bi-sessional primary schools in the district to convert into whole-day operation.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

7. We estimate the capital costs of 245EP, 249EP, 250EP and 251EP to be $127.1 million, $105.2 million, $130.3 million and $105.8 million respectively in MOD prices (see paragraph 8 below), made up as follows -

245EP 249EP 250EP 251EP
$ million
(a) Site formation - - - 1.9
(b) Piling 22.2 6.7 22.6 4.0
(c) Building 49.1 49.0 49.3 49.2
(d) Building services 11.1 10.8 13.6 12.5
(e) Drainage and external works 8.6 8.6 7.6 8.0
(f) Furniture and equipment 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2
(g) Contingencies 9.1
_____		 7.5
_____		 9.3
_____		 7.6
_____
Sub-total 104.3 86.8 106.6 87.4 (at December
1997 prices)
(h) Inflation allowance 22.8
_____		 18.4
_____		 23.7
_____		 18.4
_____
Total 127.1
_____		 105.2
_____		 130.3
_____		 105.8
_____		 (in MOD prices)

The construction floor areas of the four projects are 10 526 square metres. The respective construction unit costs are shown at the Enclosure. D Arch S considers the estimated construction unit costs reasonable. A comparison of the standard cost of a primary school with the project estimates for these projects is also at the Enclosure.

8. Subject to approval, we will phase the expenditure for 245EP, 249EP, 250EP and 251EP as follows -

Year $ million
(Dec 1997) 		Price
adjustment
factor 		$ million
(MOD)
245EP 249EP 250EP 251EP 245EP 249EP 250EP 251EP
1998 - 99 0.5 0.5 0.5 - 1.06000 0.5 0.5 0.5 -
1999 - 2000 43.9 41.7 42.5 40.8 1.14878 50.4 47.9 48.8 46.9
2000 - 01 45.3 33.9 48.1 38.7 1.24642 56.5 42.3 60.0 48.2
2001 - 02 14.6
____		 10.7
____		 15.5
____		 7.9
____		 1.35237
 19.7
____		 14.5
____		 21.0
____		 10.7
_____
104.3
____		 86.8
____		 106.6
____		 87.4
____		 127.1
____		 105.2
____		 130.3
____		 105.8
____


9. We derived the MOD estimates on the basis of Government's forecast of trend labour and construction prices for the period 1998 to 2002. We will tender the works under fixed price lump-sum contracts because we can clearly define the scope of works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty.

10. We estimate the additional annually recurrent expenditure for each school to be $17.9 million.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

11. We consulted the Community Building Committee of the Yau Tsim Mong Provisional District Board on 245EP and 250EP in August 1998 and the Kwai Tsing Provisional District Board on 249EP and 251EP in August 1998. Members supported the projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

12. The consultants engaged by the D Arch S completed the Preliminary Environmental Reviews (PERs) on 245EP in April 1998, 249EP in December 1997, 250EP in February 1998 and 251EP in June 1998. The Director of Environmental Protection vetted the PERs and recommended the following environmental mitigation measures to keep the road traffic noise impact on the proposed schools within the limits stipulated in the Hong Kong Planning Standard and Guidelines -

Project No. Mitigation Measures Estimated Cost
$ million
(at Dec 1997
prices)
245EP provision of insulated windows and air-conditioning to two special rooms on the 2/F at the eastern facade of the special room block. 0.4
249EP construction of a 3-metre high solid boundary wall at the western side of the site boundary facing Tsing Luk Street. 0.2
250EP provision of insulated windows and air-conditioning to 20 classrooms and two remedial teaching rooms on the 1/F to the 6/F at the northern and southern facades of the classroom block and five special rooms on the 2/F and 3/F at the eastern and western facade of the special room block. 3.1
251EP provision of insulated windows and air conditioning to 15 classrooms on the 2/F to the 6/F at the south-eastern facade of the classroom block as well as two special rooms on the 2/F and 3/F at the south-western and north-eastern facades of the Assembly Hall wing. 1.9

We have included the costs of these mitigation measures in the project estimates.

13. We will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during construction through the implementation of appropriate mitigation measures under the relevant contracts.

LAND ACQUISITION

14. None of the four projects require land acquisition.

Background INFORMATION

15. We upgraded 245EP and 251EP to Category B in July 1998 and 249EP and 250EP in September 1998. D Arch S has completed site investigations for the four projects and is preparing the detailed working drawings and tender documents using in-house staff resources. We plan to start the construction works for the projects in January 1999 for completion in August 2000.

--------------------------------------

Education and Manpower Bureau
September 1998

(PWSC0009/WIN1)

Enclosure to PWSC(98-99)20

A comparison of the standard cost of a 30-classroom primary school project
with the estimated costs of the proposed school projects

Standard*
cost		 245EP 249EP 250EP 251EP
($ million at Dec 1997 prices)
(a) Site formation - - - - 1.9 (See note A)
(b) Piling 9.7 22.2 6.7 22.6 4.0 (See note B)
(c) Building 49.0 49.1 49.0 49.3 49.2 (See note C)
(d) Building services 10.8 11.1 10.8 13.6 12.5 (See note D)
(e) Drainage
and external
works		 8.0 8.6 8.6 7.6 8.0 (See note E)
(f) Furniture and
equipment 		- 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.2 (See note F)
(g) Contingencies 7.8
_____		 9.1
_____		 7.5
_____		 9.3
_____		 7.6
_____
Total 85.3
_____		 104.3
_____		 86.8
_____		 106.6
_____		 87.4
____
(h) Construction floor area 10 526m2 10 526m2 10 526m2 10 526m2 10 526m2
(i) Construction unit cost
[(c)+(d)]÷		 $5,681/m2 $5,719/m2 $5,681/m2 $5,976/m2 $5,862/m2

*Assumptions for standard cost

1. The estimation is based on the assumption that the school site is uncomplicated and without abnormal environmental restrictions. No allowance is reserved for specific environmental restrictions such as the provision of insulated windows, air-conditioning and solid boundary walls to mitigate noise impacts on the school.

2. No site formation works/geotechnical works are required as they are normally carried out by other government departments under a separate engineering vote before handing-over of the project site for school construction.

3. Piling cost is based on the use of 112 numbers of steel H-piles at an average depth of 30 metres, on the assumption that percussive piling is permissible. It also includes costs for pile caps, strap beams and testing. No allowance is reserved for the effect of negative skin friction due to fill on reclaimed land.

4. Cost for drainage and external works is for a standard 30-classroom primary school built on an average level site of 6 200 square metres without complicated geotechnical conditions, utility diversions, etc. (i.e. a greenfield site).

5. No consultancy services are required.

6. Furniture and equipment costs are excluded as they are usually borne by the sponsoring body of an aided school.

7. The standard cost for comparison purpose is subject to review regularly. We will review, and revise if necessary, the standard cost which should be adopted for future projects.

Notes

  1. For 251EP, the cost for site formation is necessary for leveling of the site to required level.

  2. Piling costs for the proposed schools are adjusted to suit individual site conditions and are based on the use of the following -

    245EP249EP250EP251EP
    TypeSteelH-pileSteelCH-pileSteelH-pileSteelH-pile
    Number160129135138
    Depth (metres)48185810

  3. For 245EP, 250EP and 251EP the building costs are higher because of the provision of insulated windows as a noise mitigation measure.

  4. For 245EP, 250EP, and 251EP the building services costs are higher because of the provision of air-conditioning as a noise mitigation measure.

  5. (i) For 249EP, the cost for drainage and external works is higher because the site area (6 350m2) is larger than that of the standard school and the provision of a 3-metre high solid boundary wall at the western side of the site boundary facing Tsing Luk Street as a noise mitigation measure.

    (ii) For 245EP, the cost for drainage and external works is higher because of the provision of ductile iron pipes and superflex joints in reclamation. Due to anticipated settlement of recently reclaimed site, provision of ductile iron pipes and superflex joints are required so as to avoid damages to the future laid pipes in case any settlement of the external area occurs.

    (iii) For 250EP, cost of drainage and external works is lower because the site area (5 370m2) is smaller than that of the standard school, despite the use of ductile iron drain pipes and drainage superflex joints in reclamation.

  6. The cost of furniture and equipment, estimated to be $4.2 million for each school, will be borne by Government as the schools will be allocated to existing bi-sessional schools for conversion to whole-day operation.

    (PWSC0009/WIN1)