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A spokesman of the Buidings Department said today (August 7) that curtain walls should be designed and constructed to comply with the Buildings Ordinance. He stressed that curtain walls have to comply with stringent design and construction standards, and as they were under stringent safety controls, the curtain walls of buildings in Hong Kong were structurally safe.
"The structural plans for curtain walls have to be submitted to the Buildings Department for approval before they are constructed. They should be designed and constructed to resist their self-weight, imposed loads, and wind pressure, and should meet required fire resisting and water resisting standards," the spokesman said. "They should also undergo various tests including a full load safety test on a full-size specimen to confirm their performance comes up to these standards."
The Buildings Department has inspected the windows that were blown off in the commercial buildings at Westland Road, Quarry Bay, yesterday. The inspection revealed that the affected windows were openable windows of the curtain wall system, and they were blown off probably because they were not properly closed during the typoon. The cause of the incident therefore should not relate to the design and construction of the curtain wall system. The Buildings Department would follow up with further inspection and investigation to establish the cause of the incident. Appropriate action would be taken depending on the outcome of the investigation. The building owners whose properties were damaged can seek compensation from the liable party.
The spokesman took the opportunity to remind occupiers and management companies to properly use their windows and properly close all windows during typhoons and stray winds, and to keep their curtain walls, windows and window wall system in proper maintenance.
Ends/Thursday, August 7, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:04
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