Discovery College building damaged by storm

The new building that will soon house Discovery College at Discovery Bay suffered water damage during Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen on Wednesday, but it was 'very minor', according to a spokeswoman yesterday.

'It's nothing substantial,' Discovery College communications manager Simone Turner said of damage to the hi-tech roof, a series of plastic inflated 'pillows' that reportedly cost HK$24 million. 'Water got in when the roof deflated.'

This was contrary to the Web reports that made it seem as if the Discovery Bay school, scheduled to open in August, had suffered a devastating setback at the hands of the storm.

'The roof was just flapping around in the wind and it looked like water was coming through the roof in many places,' said one blogger.

Ms Turner said the roof canopy - touted as 'the first of its kind in Asia' - lost air pressure during the storm and a sensor alert went unnoticed because the school was not fully staffed.

It was thought an air compressor coincidentally 'malfunctioned' as the storm struck, said K.C. Kwong, project manager for the facility development department of the English Schools Foundation.

Ms Turner said the incident would not interfere will school plans.