PWSC(97-98)113
For discussion
on 11 February 1998

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS
SUBCOMMITTEE OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS
Education - Primary
235EP - Primary school in Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment phase 6, Sau Mau Ping
241EP - Primary school in Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment phase 7, Sau Mau Ping

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 235EP and 241EP to Category A at an estimated total cost of $207.5 million in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of two primary schools in the Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment.

PROBLEM

The Director of Education (D of E) forecasts that there will be a shortfall of 83 primary whole-day classes in school zone 217 (Sau Mau Ping) by the year 2000.

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 $207.5 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices -

	Project Estimate $ million (MOD)
(a) 235EP Primary school in Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment phase 6, Sau Mau Ping	104.7
(b) 241EP Primary school in Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment phase 7, Sau Mau Ping	102.8 _____
Total	207.5 _____

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The two proposed primary schools will adopt the latest schedule of accommodation. Each school will have -

1. 30 classrooms;

2. six special rooms;

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

12. ancillary accommodation including a lift and relevant facilities for the handicapped.

JUSTIFICATION

4. School zone 217 (Sau Mau Ping) will have no provision of primary whole-day classes by the year 2000 as the present (last remaining) primary school in the Sau Mau Ping Estate will be redeveloped together with the public housing estate itself. D of E forecasts that there will be a shortfall of 83 primary whole-day classes by 2000 in this school zone. To implement the policy on whole-day schooling and to alleviate the projected shortfall, we propose to construct two primary schools in school zone 217 (Sau Mau Ping).

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

5. We estimate the capital cost of 235EP and 241EP to be $104.7 million and $102.8 million respectively in MOD prices (see paragraph 7 below), made up as follows -

	235EP	241EP
	$ million
(a) Site formation	4.2	-
(b) Piling	9.3	10.0
(c) Building	40.7	40.7
(d) Building services	10.0	10.0
(e) Drainage and external works	8.4	10.7
(f) Contingencies	7.3	7.1
(g) 2% Housing Authority on-cost	1.6	1.6
	______	_____
Sub-total	81.5	80.1	(at December 1996 prices)
(h) Inflation allowance	23.2	22.7
Total	104.7	102.8	(in MOD prices

The construction floor areas of 235EP and 241EP are both 9 630 square metres. The construction unit costs of 235EP and 241EP, excluding "Housing Authority (HA) on-cost" but including "Contingencies", are $8,297 per square metreand $8,152 per square metre at December 1996 prices respectively.

6. A comparison of the standard cost of a primary school with the project estimates of these two schools is at the Enclosure.

7. Subject to approval, we will phase the expenditure as follows -

Year	$ million (Dec 1996)		Price adjustment factor	$ million (MOD)
	235EP	241EP		235EP
1998 - 99	7.5	7.4	1.16358	8.7	8.6
1999 - 2000	55.8	54.8	1.26830	70.8	69.5
2000 - 01	18.2	17.9	1.38244	25.2	24.7
	_____	_____		_____	_____
	81.5	80.1		104.7	102.8
	_____	_____		_____	_____

8. We derived the MOD estimates on the basis of Government's forecast of trend labour and construction prices for the period 1998 to 2001. In order to tie in with the overall public housing redevelopment programme in Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment phases 6 and 7, we will entrust the construction of the two schools to the Housing Authority which will incorporate the piling contracts and building contracts for the schools into the respective housing estates redevelopment contracts. The respective housing estate contracts will be on a lump-sum basis with provision for price fluctuation because the contract period will be longer than 21 months.

9. We estimate the annually recurrent expenditure for each school to be $16.3 million. As the new schools will be operated as aided schools, the individual sponsoring bodies will bear the costs of furniture and equipment, estimated to be $4.1 million for each school.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. We consulted the Social Services Committee of the Kwun Tong Provisional District Board on 235EP and 241EP in November 1997. Members supported the two projects.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. The Director of Housing (D of H) completed Preliminary Environmental Reviews (PERs) on 235EP and 241EP in March 1997. The PERs concluded and the Director of Environmental Protection agreed that no Environmental Impact Assessment was necessary in view of the scale and nature of the projects. D Arch S will implement the following mitigation measures to reduce the road traffic noise impacts on the two schools to within the criteria of the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines -

Project No.	Mitigation Measures
235EP	(a) construction of a 2-metre high solid boundary wall noise barrier along the north-eastern site boundary facing Sau Mau Ping Road;

	(b) provision of openable Type I1 well gasketted windows and air-conditioning to 15 classrooms of the classroom block as well as to art and craft room and music room of the special room block; and
	(c) provision of sound seals to windows on the corridor side of all classrooms and acoustic plaster to the corridor ceiling from the 4/F to the 6/F of the classroom block.
241EP	(a) construction of a 2-metre high solid boundary wall noise barrier along the eastern site boundary facing Sau Mau Ping Road;
	(b) provision of openable Type I well gasketted windows and air-conditioning to 30 classrooms, guidance activity room, library, staff room near Sau Mau Ping Road and remedial teaching rooms of the classroom block as well as to the art and crafts room, music room and general purpose room of the special room block; and
	(c) provision of sound seals to windows on the corridor side of all classrooms and acoustic plaster to the corridor ceiling from the 3/F to the 6/F of the classroom block.

We have included $2.2 million and $1.7 million in the project estimates of 235EP and 241EP respectively to implement the above mitigation measures.

12. We will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during construction to comply with the established standard through the implementation of mitigation measures in the relevant contracts.

LAND ACQUISITION

13. The two projects do not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

14. We upgraded 235EP and 241EP to Category B in August 1997. D of H has completed site investigations for the two projects and is finalising the working drawings and tender documents using in-house staff resources. D of H plans to start the construction works for the two projects in March 1999 for completion in October 2000 to tie in with the overall housing redevelopment of the Sau Mau Ping redevelopment phases 6 and 7.

Education and Manpower Bureau
February 1998

(EE1161)

1.Type I windows provide additional noise insulation through the use of well-gasketted windows and 6-millimetre thick glass pane.

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Enclosure to PWSC(97-98)113

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

	Standard cost*	235EP	241EP
	$ million (at Dec 1996 prices)
(a) Site formation	-	4.2	-	(See note A)
(b) Piling	9.3	9.3	10.0	(See note B)
(c) Building	40.5	40.7	40.7	(See note C)
(d) Building services	9.0	10.0	10.0	(See note D)
(e) Drainage and external works	7.5	8.4	10.7	(See note E)
(f) Contingencies	6.6	7.3	7.1
(g) 2% Housing Authority on-cost	-	1.6	1.6	(See note F)
	_____	_____	_____
Total	72.9	81.5	80.1
	_____	_____	_____

* Assumptions for standard cost

1. This is the standard cost for the new design of primary schools with the full schedule of accommodation as set out in paragraph 3 of the paper. It is $13.9 million higher than the old standard cost at $59 million.

2. No site formation work/geotechnical work is required as it is normally carried out by other government departments under a separate engineering vote before the handing-over of the project site.

3. Piling cost is based on 128 nos. of steel H-piles at an average depth of 30 metres.

4. Provisions for site safety of 2% of the estimated contract sum (excluding contingencies) are included in the building cost.

5. Cost for drainage and external works are for a standard school site area of 6 200 square metres built on a flat site. No diversion of existing utilities or noise mitigation measures are required.

6. No consultancy services are required.

7. Furniture and equipment cost is excluded as it is usually borne by the sponsoring body.

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

Notes

1. For 235EP, cost for site formation and geotechnical works is necessary as the site for housing development which includes the proposed school is sloping and a platform has to be formed.

2. The piling cost for 241EP is adjusted to suit the individual site condition and is based on the use of the following -

	241EP
Type	Hydraulic piling system
Number	143
Depth (metres)	23

3. The building costs for both schools are higher because of the provision of insulated windows as a noise mitigation measure.

4. The building services costs for both schools are higher because of the provision of air-conditioning as a noise mitigation measure.

5. (i) For both schools, the drainage and external works are higher because of the provision of a solid boundary wall facing Sau Mau Ping Road as a noise abatement measure. In addition, the two schools are to be built as part of the respective phases of the Sau Mau Ping Estate redevelopment. The costs of drainage and external works are estimated on the basis of the gross floor area (GFA) of the school buildings as a proportion of the total GFA for the subject phases of the estate.

   (ii) For 241EP, slope stabilisation works and construction of a retaining wall are also required at the eastern boundary of the school.

6. There is a standard arrangement to reserve 2% on-cost, for administrative and supervisory works, for projects entrusted to the Housing Authority.

(EE1161)