又多一個意義唔單表態的聯署>>>要求保留灣仔街市具歴史價值部分

The mixed steel-frame and reinforced concrete construction of Wan Chai Market represents probably the most advanced construction technology of the 1930s, and was originally derived from engineering structures. The technology for the steel-frame structure used in the Wan Chai Market was derived from that for shipbuilding and bridge engineering. Different sections of the steel I-beams are bolted or riveted together. The first use of steel-frame construction technology in architecture was in the high-rise commercial buildings in Chicago in the 1880s. ... the application of the technology in architecture had matured to such an extent that it was applied in what is termed today as super high-rise buildings or skyscrapers in US terminology of the early 20th century.
As far as I know, besides the {{{DEMOLISHING}}} 1937 Wan Chai Market, there is only one other pre-W.W.II building that is known to have applied the bolted and/or riveted steel frame construction technology (I stand corrected on this!) it is the {{{DEMOLISHED!}}} 1935 Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Building, designed by the architectural practice Palmer and Turner. The 1935 HSBC Building was considered one of the most technologically advanced buildings in Asia at the time of its completion (1935). This means that the Wan Chai Market, which was completed two years later, was also a technologically advanced building. However, since steel-frame construction was usually applied in high-rise and super high-rise buildings, the use of such a technology on the two-storey Wan Chai Market means that the market building was most probably over-engineered!
After W.W.II, reinforced concrete construction became dominant in construction in Hong Kong. Its cheaper to use reinforced concrete than steel frame in construction for buildings of 20 storeys or less, which was typical of buildings in Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. It wasn't until high-rise building of over 50 storey started to appear in the 1970s, such as the 1973 Jardine House (52 storeys), that steel-frame construction returned to the local construction scene. If I remember correctly, the 1985 Norman Foster-designed HSBC Building was the first post-war steel-frame building in Hong Kong in which the jointing was completely done by welding.
From an architectural heritage point of view, the significance of this finding (Wan Chai Markets steel-frame structure) is that the building carries strong scientific value, as according to Article 2.3.3 of the China Principles, the scientific value of a heritage site refers specifically to the history of scientific and technological development and derives from the following: ii Construction, materials, and techniques and the level of scientific and technological achievement they represented for their time . . . . The Wan Chai Market made use of a construction technology that was advanced in its time (the 1930s), and was generally used in high-rise buildings, and it was an example of the advanced nature of pre-war construction technology in Hong Kong. ...
More significantly, there is still tangible evidence to demonstrate such a scientific value, as the steel-frame structure is revealed in the process of the demolition. ... such evidence should be documented and perhaps have a sample preserved, as a record for future generations. ... the relevant authorities (AMO and CHO, among others) should be urgently informed and a request be made to document the evidence and salvage a sample piece. This is a reasonable request ...
Dr. Lee Ho Yin

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