No_1_June_1962 — Page 56

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MANILA'S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, which has been under construction for the past five years, is now 40 per cent completed at

a cost of Pesos 7,258,000 and has been fully operational for the past six months.

The completed portion is sufficient to rank the airport as one of the most efficient and finest terminal buildings in Asia. Remainder

of this far-sighted piece of planning will be undertaken as funds become available.

This account of its history and cons- truction is made possible by the courtesy of the Philippine Architec- ture, Engineering and Construction Record to whom we are also indebted for the drawings and photographs.

COM

OMPLETION of the Manila In- ternational Airport terminal building is a tribute to the architect, Senor Federico Ilustre, consulting architect of the Bureau of Public Works, who spearheaded and supervised its design.

While the building was under construction he and his staff came under a heavy barrage of criticism from airline representatives as wel! as from restaurant operators. But he stood his ground that the terminal building when completed would be functional to suit the needs of the increasing international air traffic in the Philippines.

The construction of the building is the product of the combined minds and skills of the Bureau of Public Works architects and mechanical and electrical engineers; the staff of the Bureau of Public Highways for the road system and the apron; the Civil Aviation Administration; and the international airline companies.

Shown above is the 40 per cent-

MANIL

AIR

The terminal building occupies a total floor area of 22,065 square metres (79,000 square feet), and stands magnificantly on a wide roll- ing terrain of 528 hectares (1,300 acres) of which 25 hectares (61 acres) have been allotted to the MIA terminal building and its subsidi aries within the Nichols Field Com pound, Paranaque, Rizal.

The finished portion is only 40 per cent of the whole structure; and. if completed, will have a total floor area of 90.454 square metres (320,- 000 square feet).

It has a wide span of tempered glass facing the apron, giving a full view of the terminal activities from the main waiting lobby. It is pro vided with an overhanging control tower with ample view of the two runways, affording efficient ground control of incoming and departing flights.

Heliport service atop the roof-deck is an attempt to keep up with pro

THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER-VOLUME 17, NUMBER 1