No_3_October_1964 — Page 78

the VIP reception room and the secretariat.

The decoration for the suite and the VIP room is Chinese in style but the secretariat will be fitted with modern furniture. The entrance hall and the grand staircase leading to the Assembly Hall on the first floor

is covered with marble. Bronze bal- lustrades add a final touch to the total grandeur of the structure.

a

On

The first floor accommodates conference room for 100 seats. the same floor are also an exhibition room and the Assembly Hall which is 80 feet long and 60 feet wide,

▲ Detail of decoration on wall adjoining the main gate.

was

This without intermediate supports. large span

one of the major problems presented to the designers; for above this are five more floors of lettable offices.

A library, a lecture room, a sub- committee room, and the balcony to the Assembly Hall are located on the second floor. From the third to the eighth floor are lettable of- fices. The office area of each floor is about 8,500 square feet

The ninth floor, which occupies only about 2,00 square feet, is situat- ed in the front of the central axis of the building. This will provide a place of recreation for chamber members. Behind this is the spacious roof garden.

On top of the recreation room is a rest suite for visiting VIP's. Fur- ther up is a viewing gallery. From here one can obtain a magnificient panoramic view of the Singapore city. The water tanks are also hous- ed here.

The whole building will be served by two high-speed lifts and will be fully air-conditioned by a central plant. Local products were employed as far as possible, but most of the decorative materials were imported from China.

The structure of the Assembly Hall was designed in steel work. The 74-inch deep girders were fabricated locally, and placing them was a time consuming job called for the utmost care and precision.

The girders weigh 24 tons each with the exception of one, which is 30 tons. At first every mechanical device available was used without success to try and lift these girders 40 feet high but was futile. Finally, the most primitive method, in gin posts and winches, proved successful.

The job of fixing the girders caus- caused a delay of two months on the schedule and the contractor's workmen are now working overtime to get the building completed within this year

ARCHITECTS: Ee Hoong Chwee

& Co.

CONSULTING ENGINEER:

G. C. Chou.

QUANTITY SURVEYORS: Langdon & Every (F.E.) GENERAL CONTRACTOR:

Nanyang Structural Co. Ltd.

The building before detailing began.

LE

1.