July_1966 — Page 43

world news

Ι

Semi-Circular Arches Roof Barbados Hotel

PRECAST concrete semi-circular arches cover the Hilton Hotel, Barbados, now being erected by Token Construc- tion Co., Ltd., London. When completed in September the roofs will have been covered with clay tiles, for heat insulation, asphalt and mosaic.

The structure of the hotel, which is situated at Need- hams Point, two miles from Bridgetown, consists of an in situ ground to first floor frame 200 ft. long by 100 ft. wide. From first floor level the building rises as two blocks 200 ft. by 35 ft. connected by two lift towers 30 ft. in from each end. Construction to the second floor, 20 ft. above, is by precast feature columns weighing 15 tons erected in halves, site welded at mid-points and connected by an in-situ tie at floor level.

The second floor is the first of the bedroom floors and construction changes to precast concrete portals connected by precast beams lengthways and precast floor units span- ning between.

This construction continues to third floor level, where every other bay is omitted to provide "duplex" suites on two levels together with an out-door sun deck.

Built for Barbados Development Board for lease to the Hilton Group, the hotel has 101 bedrooms on its

Barbados Hilton under construction

five floors. Architects are Warner, Burns, Toan and Lunde of New York, and the consulting engineers are David Key and Partners of Trinidad and Barbados. Mechanical service consultants are Consentini Associates Puerto Rico and New York.

Tallest Building in Ireland Completed

IRELAND'S tallest building, the 205 ft. high Government and GPO structure in Victoria Square, Belfast, is due for completion this month.

The £1 million building is T-shaped, with the bar a 220 ft. by 48 ft. screen block and the stem the 170 ft. by 50 ft. tower block. The screen block has four floors ris- ing to a height of 47 ft., and the tower has 19 storeys.

Far East Architect & Builder July, 1966

HUGAZUMUA--------

Victoria Square Building, Belfast

Fully occupied the building will weigh about 28,000 tons. The load is carried on 114 piles from 80 ft. to 100 ft. long and up to 58 in. in diameter. Stability against a wind force of 65 miles per hour is incorporated in the design of lift slab walls, chimney flue and cross walls in the building.

External facings include white patterned concrete walls to the gables of the tower and mosaic aprons below each window run on the elevations. The building is de- signed by the Works Division of the Northern Ireland Ministry of Finance.

Architectural Contest Won by

Christchurch Firm

THE Christchurch architectural firm of Warren and Mahoney, in conjunction with the consulting engineering firm of II. Holmes, has won a competition for the de- sign of the Government offices of the Condominium of the New Hebrides. jointly administered by Britain and France. The building is estimated to cost £112,000.

In their award the judges say that they gave as much attention to ventilation, circulation, and protection features as to aesthetic appeal. The building must withstand very hight humidity, earthquakes and hurricanes. The winners designed a three-storey structure in two long thin blocks of ferro-concrete for the site on the waterfront at Vila.

The competition was restricted to two British archi- tects and two French architects selected by invitation. The judges were the resident British and French commission- ers, the professor of architecture at Auckland University. and the head of public works for the New Hebrides. The winning architects and their consulting engineer have had recent experience of design for the tropics in the first secondary school at Vila, a new hospital at Tanna, and a new Government House and hospital in the Solomon Islands.

British Architects May Visit Far East

A TEAM of British architects, contractors and engineers may visit important building and civil engineering pro- jects in the Far East next year.

The Cement and Concrete Association, London, is

39