May_1965 — Page 27

(e) Finishes: Good workmen are available in France and therefore the finishes are of high quality.

(f) Time and cost:

Since precast-

ing was all done by hands, the speed for construction was slower than that of the Coignet System.

However, it is interesting to note that the cost per square foot for this project is lower than that of the Coignet System and this fact has been very much appreciated by not only the client, but also the French Government.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not easy to judge which of the two approaches has given the better answer to precast concrete construction, or whether there should be a compromise between the two.

In the first example, although aesthetically poor, its virtue lies in its speed and efficiency, and the im- provement in working conditions. The second example, although a bit over-complicated in its detailing. is a much more human approach to an architectural problem.

As an architect, I find it most en- couraging that in the second example, a much higher architectural quality has been achieved at a lower cost. It seems clear that the economy of pre- cast concrete construction does not

Ground floor external wall units in position

depend so much on its system, but more on the method of organizing the work.

In the second example, there is only one supervisor, the architect himself, who is dealing with an ar- chitectural problem. Economy and technique in construction and plan- ning are only subject to this one pro- blem. In other words it is a prefabri- cated system for architecture which

has given a more economical result. It is very interesting to find that precast concrete construction, some- times thought to belong entirely to to engineers and manufacturers, can be successfully handled by an archi- tect. There might be a lot of faults in Paul Bossard's project, but it is indeed a move towards better archi- tecture in industrialization, in which architects must take the lead.

I

In situ cross walls built on foundations

In situ cross walls built for 1st. floor using precast panels as part of shutterings for end-walls

K

B

Precast tie-beam units placed on top of cross-walls

Far East Architect & Builder May, 1965

Precast window panels placed on top of tie-beam units

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