By TAM Ka Shing, Johnny (Lee Shau Kee Hall)

www.3lian.com

Around 4 million Hong Kong Dollars will be spent in the coming summer on the refurbishment project of Halls 4, 5 and 6 to revitalise some facilities so as to offer a comfy environment for living.

The refurbishment project comes after eight years since the halls of phase two came into use in 2004.

“Many items in the halls have to be repaired or replaced after eight years of use,” said Derek Kwan, Student Residence Life Coordinator from the Student Residence Office, who is in charge of the whole project.

Air conditioners in the rooms will be replaced by new models with higher efficiency to be environmentally friendly to save energy; water heaters in the showers will be changed to temperature-modulated models to provide hot water more steadily. Items like mattresses and shower curtains are also on the replacement list.

Floor coverings and wall paint in public areas will be redecorated to provide students with a brand-new impression of the halls. Selected rooms with especially worn-out conditions will also have the floor and wall renovated.

Kwan said all the proposed changes are feedback in response to students’ complaints and comments on the improvement of the living environment in the residence.

The project will commence in early June for Halls 4 and 6 and in early July for Hall 5. All renovation works are expected to be due for completion in early August. The Student Residence Office will oversee the whole project to make sure that the contractors will finish the works in accordance with the scheduled time.

“We plan to hire several building works assistants, preferably students from the field of building services, to assist monitoring the performance of different contractors,” said Kwan.

During the refurbishment works, students who will reside during the summer in the Halls of phase two will have to move to Halls 1, 11 and 10 according to the arrangement of the Student Residence Office. The move-out period will start as early as from 25 May and usually will only last for no more than four days. The exact period will be announced by the Student Residence Office.

On top of the renovation works in the halls of phase two, Hall 8 – which serves mainly postgraduate students – will also have replacement works of water heaters in the summer. However, further in-depth refurbishment works will not start until 2013 and the exact period and cost of the renovation works for Hall 8 have not been confirmed yet.