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ST. LOUIS INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
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SAINT LOVIS INDUST
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Architect's Perspective Drawing of the New Structure.
HE design and the layout of the
building is influenced by the lo- cation of the site, the purpose for which it is to be used, and the tastes of the owners. In this particular case, since the owners are the Salesian Fa- thers and the building is required for a school, as would naturally be expect- ed, dignity of appearance and conveni- ence of arrangement are the prime considerations in the design. As a school building the three main factors. which influenced the architect's design are (1) convenient size and arrangement of the
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classroom purposes, (2) convenient internal circulation, and (3) provision of ample light and air ventilation. With these considerations in view the architect produced a long narrow building, the main elevations of which are almost entirely of glass.
Third Street, on which the site stands, turns at right angles at this point and in consequence the new building is almost L-shaped. The entrance hall and staircase is in the centre of the building, with the two wings almost at right angles to each other. The site being at a much lower level than Third Street, the main elevation is not the side facing the street. The view however of the building from this side will be very imposing. The corridors lead- ing to the various classrooms will be
placed on this side of the building and since they will be entirely glass enclosed the external appearance of the building will not be spoilt. From the courtyard side the full five- storey height of the building will be visible, rising in tiered glass from the first to the third floor and surmounted by the setback wall of the top floor with its conventional window openings.
The length of the building is divided on this elevation by the lift hall which rises well ab ve the roof level of the rest of the building and by the columns which are purposely designed to project from the walls in order to give vertical emphasis.
The glassed-in section of the building starts from the first floor as the whole of the ground floor is devoted to an open covered play- ground in which there is ample space for the children to play in during inclement weather.
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The entire east side of the first floor is devoted to classrooms of which there are five, but the west side contains, in addition to classroom, a masters' common room, the school office, and a reception parlour. There are eight classrooms on the second floor which occupy the entire space on both wings. The east wing on the third floor is also devoted to the five classrooms
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while the west wing contains a boys' study hall which stretches the full length and breadth of this wing providing an exceptionally large bright area with windows on both sides. On the top floor are the community quarters which comprise nineteen individual bedrooms, each with a clothes cupboard and wash- basin. As on the other floors, the showers and lavatories are grouped in the centre of the building adjacent to the stair hall. Another feature common to all floors is the trunk and store-room at the extreme west
end, and the staircase lift well on the extreme east side of the building.
The new building will join onto existing buildings at either end and will form with them a compact complete unit where all the school
work of the Salesian Fathers for this area can be carried out.
The architect for this splendid building is Mr. A. H. Basto, F.R.I. B.A., and the General Contractors are Messrs. Cheong Hing. Another interesting feature of this building is the fact that, in order to provide extra sound insulation between the class-rooms, all internal and external walls are being built of VI-CON Blocks manufactured and supplied by the Hong Kong Building Service Ltd.