Kapok Drive, which will be 13ft. higher than the church grounds.
Secondly, the architect was re- quired to design the church in keeping with the new Roman Catholic liturgy which calls for a closer relationship of priest, congregation and altar. The fan shape makes the interior like an amphitheatre and eliminates the stage and auditorium layout of traditional
naves.
As a further aid to good lighting and acoustics the church is placed at first floor level, raising it above traffic vibration and noise. This gives the church more prominence when viewed from the lower levels of Garden Road and provides more car parking space on the ground floor.
Normally a fan-shaped church with a wide arc and balcony is struc- turally expensive. In St. Joseph's it has been possible economically to re- tain the wide proportions by support- ing the whole of the congregation hall on four large columns, spaced at 45ft. by 40ft. and strategically placed so as not to obstruct the sight lines. Beams supporting the gallery extend a further 45ft. from the columns to bear on the staircase columns at either side of the church.
The church, with its adjoining
meeting hall, offices and accommoda- Church viewed from Garden Road tion for rector and priests, occupies a ground area of 8,772 sq. ft. on the 23,865 sq. ft. site. It is a reinforced concrete frame structure with brick panel exterior walls and galvanised steel windows. The substructure is
spread footings on solid ground and plain concrete filling in some parts to rock at 30ft. depth where the sub-soil was soft and mixed with rubble.
The roof is heat and sound proofed by a 11⁄2 in. layer of rubber foam sheets sandwiched between 2 in. layers of lime concrete and covered with colour cement tiles. All ceilings are
L
Nave showing two of the four mosaic-clad support columns
Far East BUILDER, November 1968.
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