Twin Tower

Twin Tower (Chinese: 雙塔型) is a 1970s Hong Kong public housing residential block design. In plan, the blocks look like two hollow squares joined at one corner of each square. Each block comprises two "towers" of different heights, although their shapes are the same. The flat sizes in these 20 to 23-storey towers range from 36 to 46 m2.[1]

Twin Tower blocks at Wo Che Estate in Shatin New Town
Void of a twin tower block of Sun Chui Estate

The units in Twin Tower blocks are self-contained flats, each with a kitchen, toilet, and balcony.[2]

The first Twin Tower blocks appeared at Wah Fu Estate. They were suited to the steeply sloping site, as one of the two "towers" within each block is offset by three storeys from the other, providing ground level entrances at multiple points along the slope. The two central atria in each block measure 50 by 50 feet.[3] Reportedly, the square shape of the twin tower design provided the structural stability necessary to build more floors than the earlier, narrower slab blocks.[4]

The Twin Tower blocks at Wah Fu make use of load-bearing partition walls which make construction faster through standardisation, obviate the need for interior columns within flats, and improve structural wind resistance.[3]

After their introduction at Wah Fu Estate, the Twin Tower design appeared at Oi Man Estate and then many other public estates across Hong Kong in the 1970s.

List of blocks
DistrictName of estateNo. blocksYear of completion
Southern Wah Fu Estate 6 1970
Kowloon City Oi Man Estate 5 1974
Wong Tai Sin Choi Wan Estate 3 1978
Chuk Yuen (South) Estate 3 1983
Kwun Tong Sau Mau Ping Estate 1 1984
Shun Lee Estate 3 1978
Shun Tin Estate 4 1983
Kwai Tsing Cheung Ching Estate 6 1977
Lai Yiu Estate 3 1976
Tsuen Wan Cheung Shan Estate 2 1978
Tuen Mun Wu King Estate 6 1982
Yau Oi Estate 3 1981
Tai Po Kwong Fuk Estate 4 1983
Shatin Lung Hang Estate 3 1983
Sun Chui Estate 3 1983
Wo Che Estate 6 1977
Total 61
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References
  1. "Memories of Home – 50 Years of Public Housing in Hong Kong" Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Housing blocks of new design being built". South China Morning Post. 30 January 1969. p. 7.
  3. Han, Man; Chung, Thomas (2016). "Wah Fu Estate". HKIA Journal (72): 34–35.
  4. "H for happy living in a new style housing block". South China Morning Post. 19 July 1976. p. 1.
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