Far East BUILDER, April 1970
וף
structures are surprisingly more numerous than those in reinforced concrete.
Notable among them is the Expo Tower which soars 394 ft. high on a 200 ft. hill in the southern part of the Symbol Area. A new super-strong steel and new design and construction tech- niques have eliminated the supports which would normally be required for the tower to stand as it does on three vertical pillars.
Two unusual examples of suspend- ed structures are the Australian and British pavilions. Australia's is a canti- lever tower which slopes gracefully up to the height of a ten-storey building and curves at the top to form a 'sky hook'. Suspended by cables from the hook is a free-hanging, 260-ton cir- cular roof which appears to float above the ground.
This floating effect is also achieved by the British pavilion which hangs over an open-air concourse. The entire building is suspended under a single roof deck, which itself is suspended by cables from four giant steel masts, 112 ft. high.
―
Unusual architecture abounds at Expo from the interlocking slanted structures of the Italian pavilion to Switzerland's stylized tree with its daz- zling filigree of aluminium branches and the Netherland's metallic cubist sculpture.
While very few make any lasting contribution to future construction, most illustrate that in the age of the computer there is still a place for imaginative men.
17