July_1967 — Page 21

A TAPERING silhouette of white and

pale grey, topped at a height of 290 ft. with a crown of 16 slender pinnacles, and surmounting a vast cone of reinforced concrete, is the unorthodox outline of Britain's latest cathedral, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool, which was consecrated on May 14.

It rises high above the City of Liverpool on the rocky outcrop of Brownlow Hill, and its colouring and almost geometrical lines form a strik- ing contrast to the dark sandstone form of the more massive Anglican Cathedral, whose 347 ft. tower is only some 800 yd. distant.

aluminium,

"New" materials plastics, sealants, as well as the excit- ing application of the main compon- ent, the concrete itself combine

with age-old marbles and stone, to produce the striking effect. Even the traditional stained glass forms one of the most ambitious feats of its kind

2.000 tons of glass and concrete go to make the lantern tower, the 156 constituent panels being manufactur- ed by a method employed for the first time in Britain.

Most of the glass, "Dalle de Verre", came from France and Germany; the flooring marbles from Sicily; marbles for the high and other altars from Yugoslavia, arriving at the busy con- struction site at pre-planned intervals, with slate from Wales, bells from Whitechapel, London, and stone, granite and other materials from throughout Britain. Some 150 sup- pliers and sub-contractors were con- cerned in all.

Before construction began, extensive

Far East Architect & Builder July, 1967

FREDERICK GIBBERD AND PARTNERS

LOWE AND RODIN

BARLOW LESLIE AND PARTNERS

FRANKLIN AND ANDREWS

TAYLOR WOODROW CONSTRUCTION LTD.

tests were mounted, including the ex- posure of a model to wind pressures at various stages of construction and for the next 500 years after comple- tion.

The design is a functional solution to the planning requirement that the cathedral should enshrine the high altar and that 2,000 people should be accommodated in close association with the sanctuary. In both concep- tion and execution the design is the first in Britain to break completely with the traditions of earlier cathedral builders.

Basically, the body of the building comprises 16 reinforced concrete frames forming the drum-shaped nave and its conical roof. Above this the lantern tower rises over the central sanctuary. From the nave floor to the dome roof of the tower, the cathe-

architects

structural engineers

electrical consultants

quantity surveyors

main contractors

dral is one continuous space, the coloured glass of the lantern provid- ing a halo of light over the sanctuary.

To give stability to the structure the cone members are carried down in the form of flying buttresses founded deep in the bedrock of Brownlow Hill, The frames are linked at the top by the main ring beam, and by the lower ring beam at the angle where the fly- ing buttresses connect. The upper ring beam ties together the tops of the lantern frames.

This design allows the lantern tower be supported by comparatively slender structural members which taper to only a few square feet in sec- tion where they enter the ground.

The chapels, the baptistery and the entrance porches are 16 independent buildings standing between the con- crete frames and separated from them

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