Deng K Y, Poon S W
Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Philos Trans A Math Phys Eng Sci. 2019 Sep 7;377(2155):20190013. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2019.0013. Epub 2019 Aug 19.
This paper focuses on the Gap Rock lighthouse, a legendary maritime infrastructure built 130 years ago in the Chinese territory and an early example of joint venture among the Qing Dynasty, the British Empire and the Hong Kong Colonial Government over a course of two decades. Based on 4 years of cross-territorial archival and field research as well as in-depth interviews with descendants of two key stakeholders, the origin of this lasting legacy on the sea is traced, followed by a detailed account of its challenging processes of planning, design and construction, and of the considerable damage to the compound by a severe typhoon in 1893. A qualitative analysis of the key contributing factors of the damage was conducted by taking into consideration the Island's unique topography and the historical records of territorial weather reports. A re-construction of the typhoon impact on the Lighthouse is presented to explain the possible mistakes in its siting and design that eventually caused the severe damage. This serves as a reminder of the significance of a thorough geographical investigation for any infrastructure for all construction professionals in the face of climatic change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Environmental loading of heritage structures'.
本文聚焦于峡角灯塔，这座具有传奇色彩的海上基础设施建于130年前的中国领土上，是清朝、大英帝国和香港殖民政府在二十年时间里合资建设的早期范例。基于四年的跨地区档案研究和实地调研，以及对两个关键利益相关方后代的深入访谈，追溯了这座海上不朽遗产的起源，随后详细记述了其具有挑战性的规划、设计和建造过程，以及1893年一场强烈台风对该建筑造成的严重破坏。通过考虑该岛独特的地形以及地区气象报告的历史记录，对造成破坏的关键因素进行了定性分析。呈现了台风对灯塔影响的重建情况，以解释其选址和设计中最终导致严重破坏的可能失误。这提醒着所有建筑专业人士，面对气候变化时，对任何基础设施进行全面地理调查的重要性。本文是主题为“遗产建筑的环境负荷”的一部分。
