The soon to be opened Hong Kong Centre for Youth Development (HKCYD) is the result of the Government of the HKSAR’s desire to create a focal point for territory-wide youth development activities in Hong Kong.
In year 2000 the Home Affairs Bureau and the Hong Kong Institute of Architects held an international design competition which sought to project an image for the young generation whilst developing a centre which would stimulate the innate creativity of developing minds. The competition was won by four young architects who then formed a new company to see the project through its development.
Situated on the corner of Chai Wan Road and Wan Tsui Roads in Chai Wan, Hong Kong Island the project has been brought to life by the Architectural Services Department (ASD). Ronacrete has long held a productive working relationship with ASD due to their competitive pricing, quality products and technical service support that is second to none from tender through to completion.
Ronacrete’s technical staff were also able to provide a comprehensive solution to the main contractor China State Construction Engineering Ltd. to relieve a problem of insufficient concrete cover to some reinforcement. This problem was alleviated with the use of Ronacrete’s Unidri 100N.
The client also chose to use Ronacrete’s tile adhesive system for bonding tiles combined with Ronacrete’s broad range of coloured epoxy tile grout, Ronagrout EPG, which was selected to ensure durable and attractive finishes for an extensive area of concrete used throughout the lower building, courtyard areas and wide promenade.
The promenade at 16.5 meters wide is one of the building’s unique and most prominent design elements. In order to welcome people to the building the walking experience has been designed to provide a smooth pedestrian flow linking an exhibition platform to a ground level garden which unfolds into a sunken garden and auditorium.
A sloping ground plane has also been integrated seamlessly with elevated footbridges which connect to the promenade from the adjacent housing estates.
Great effort has been made with this exceptional new centre to move away from the conventional prototype of rigid, square forms and repetitive rooms which do not encourage any sort of creative thinking from those housed within and instead to deliver to the community a new concept in building form which plays to the very function of the intended use of the building’s tenants.
Given that such creative attention has been applied to HKCYD we can only assume that Hong Kong’s younger generations will themselves be inspired to hitherto unknown levels of creative thinking and
Ronacrete Far East is proud to be associated with this new, landmark building.
Ronacrete products incorporated in HKCYD include;
1) Ronafix – as a waterproofing and bonding agent for render
2) Ronabond Super Tile Adhesive – as tile adhesive for tiles used in bathroom, toilets and changing rooms, etc.
3) Ronagrout EPG – as a colourful epoxy tile grout to fill-up the tile joints
4) Unidri 100N – an impregnating sealer for concrete to increase the effective concrete cover for reinforcement steel protection.