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outstanding merit and, one of these of special and exceptional significance. Two further schemes had both prac- ticability and merit to a degree which made them scarcely distinguishable save that in one of them banking ar- rangements were slightly inferior.
'One other scheme, not at this stage fully practicable, contained ideas so bold, interesting and radical that it deserved to receive special attention.
'I have no hesitation in recom- mending Design No. 7 for the first award. It alone would fully justify the holding of this competition because without it the chances are heavily against the coming together of such architectural genius and a building programme of this importance. It is a scheme of great power and imagina- tion which I am convinced will meet all the requirements of the Uganda Commercial Bank of Kampala, will confer upon it great and lasting prestige and will be a highly profitable capital investment.
'I believe that it will be a landmark of great significance in the city and that it will in due course lead to im- provements in Salisbury Road with consequent further benefits to trade in the area and thus to the bank. It is of a quality which will cause it to be a last- ing landmark identified always with the name of the bank, not merely a fine building, but a place where people meet and get together in the open as in the cities of Europe. It must inevitably increase the value of this already high- ly valuable site and the value of all that is built upon it.
"The author has chosen to reflect the multiplicity of requirements in a complex of buildings and levels all of great richness and diversity. The result is what one instinctively hopes for in a
country so highly charged as Africa and so evocative of images. Here is a work of art in architecture rather than another large filing cabinet for office workers.
'The scheme provides 60,000 sq. ft. of lettable offices and 10,000 sq. ft. of shop space. At the rents which these may be expected to command they should prove to be a very good invest- ment indeed.
*Accommodation for the bank and for the headquarters have been well worked out and the banking hall is of a good form with excellent public space and humane and sensible work- ing conditions for the employees. The machines are closely related to the machines are closely related to the functions which they serve but well screened and insulated The space pro- vided on the floor above is spacious, airy and should be entirely satisfactory airy and should be entirely satisfactory
to work in.
North and south elevations as seen by the firm that came second, Chudha and Pawa
'The conception of a shopping ar- rangement at the lower part of the site is extremely clever although there may be some difficulty in providing access for storage, etc. at the middle level on the Salisbury Road side. The parking arrangements are particularly good since they make it easily possible for the customer to have simple and direct access to the bank without involve- ment with other long-term parking in an underground situation.
'As in most schemes the arrange- ments for delivery to the bank itself are not as good as they should be and although in this instance the drive-in till has a good position, the use of it might obstruct bullion delivery and give too much opportunity to bandits.
'Provision for general circulation both horizontally and vertically has been well worked out, but in several instances more thought may have to
DOOOOOOO~
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Far East BUILDER, February 1970