Last week, I invited colleagues of the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) to talk about how the department restores and maintains old buildings with historical, architectural and cultural significance. This week, two other colleagues of the ArchSD will talk in detail about how they are always on standby for the conservation of historic buildings - especially in an emergency, when they need to rush to the scene for emergency inspections to make sure damaged old buildings will not pose a danger to the public.

The oldest operating post office

You might already know that the oldest operating post office in Hong Kong is Stanley Post Office at 2 Wong Ma Kuk Road. Built in 1937, it is a Grade 2 historic building with a history of over 80 years. At 6:30 pm on 5 May this year, a bus going from Cyberport towards Stanley Village Bus Terminus made a right turn on Tung Tau Wan Road into Stanley Village Road, and knocked down a motorcyclist. The bus then rammed into the post office, causing damage to part of the fences, external walls, roof canopy, etc. Fortunately, before hitting the post office, the bus first crashed into a tree nearby, which had significantly reduced the force of impact and prevented even more serious damage. As a result, the post office got to be retained, which was indeed a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

ArchSD activates an emergency co-ordination mechanism

Senior Property Services Manager of the ArchSD, Miss WONG Ka-yi, recalls that after the accident, the ArchSD immediately activated an emergency co-ordination mechanism, with ensuring the safety of the building as the top priority. That night, the maintenance contractor sped to the scene soon after receiving the report, and cordoned off the building with the assistance of the police and firefighters. Meanwhile, the ArchSD colleagues responsible for maintenance of historic buildings in the district, together with those responsible for structural engineering, conducted a preliminary inspection and assessment on the old post office, confirming that the building was not in danger of collapse.

Preliminary structural investigation promptly conducted the same night

Senior Structural Engineer of the ArchSD, Mr LEE Cheuk-hang, Patrick, tells us that two main aspects were considered in the preliminary structural investigation and assessment conducted that night. The first was whether the main structure of the post office, including the four brick walls and the timber trusses supporting the roof of the building, had been damaged. As observed, only a small area of the roof canopy was damaged by the bus. The main structure had no obvious damage. The second aspect was whether the damaged parts would pose public safety concerns. Although no obvious damage was found in its main structure, there was a risk that the loosen components of the damaged canopy would come apart. Therefore, apart from fencing off the building to prevent the public from entering, the maintenance contractor was requested to use temporary props to support the damaged part of the canopy so that it would not pose any danger to the public.

Always ready to work as a team

In this emergency operation, the ArchSD quickly deployed staff to rush to the scene. Various professional teams did their job and worked as a team, completing the task smoothly and speedily around midnight. The incident was properly handled.

Later, with the help of the post office and the Antiquities and Monuments Office, the ArchSD arranged for the necessary restoration works to be conducted at the post office. To minimise inconvenience to the public during renovation, Hongkong Post continued to provide postal service by setting up a temporary posting box and deploying a mobile post office on site.

The Stanley Post Office is highly historic. A single-storey building with a pitched roof, the design is simple and functional. Many original architectural features, such as the original manual stamp vending machine, a cast iron posting box, the original window grilles and the original timber roof structure, are retained. With the joint efforts and co-operation between the department and the contractor, restoration was completed in mid-October. The Stanley Post Office, which is called “the time capsule of postal history”, is presented to the public once again.