No_4_April_1968 — Page 31

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Far East BUILDER, April 1968.

standard except in the case of the 101⁄21⁄2 person flats which have a double balcony.

The basic dimension for reinforced concrete shear wall centres was taken as 13 ft. 4 in. for all blocks except one containing larger flats where lighting requirements could not be met by the smaller dimension.

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The idea of community sense of a “particular place" taken as a basic element in the design and this has had a profound influence on all aspects of the final scheme. This concept was furthered by the grouping of all passenger lifts in a central lobby at the point of entry to the block of the main access steps. Eight shops (six of them with living quarters accessible by way of spiral stairs) and the estate office are located at this point.

The six 26 person x 200 f.p.m. lifts, which are zoned to serve every fourth floor, discharge into large lob- bies, two floors in height. Inter- mediate floors are provided with bad- minton courts. Horizontal circulation from the lifts is by way of central corridors with the flats opening on both sides. These diminish in width away from the lifts.

Walls to the corridors are of clear finished brickwork interrupted by the exposed structural wall ends and by full height entrance doors of different colours. The central corridor itself is punctuated by fully ventilated stairs,

sections of open balcony, by smaller play areas (four per floor) and by changes of direction. There are 116 flats per floor.

An attempt has been made external- ly to provide surfaces which are inex- pensive to maintain and at the same time give an impression of something substantial and robust. The concrete off the formwork has been left ex- posed without any finish while the external wall panels of the toilets are treated with a proprietary mineral chip finish with differing colours for each block. The exposed concrete has also been left without treatment internally in the lobbies and playspaces.

The structural system employed is a system of shear walls, thickened at the corridors, These walls vary in thickness from 12 in. below the lowest domestic floor to 6 in. on the top floors. They are linked at each floor level by a beam and slab diaphragm.

The seven blocks are structurally independent to pile cap level. Support for all blocks except one is by a sys- tem of 30 in. diameter bored piles.

Under Block C a network of semi- collapsed tunnels, built during the Japanese occupation necessitated a complete redesign of the foundation. Finally hand-dug, heavily reinforced caissons, 60 in. in diameter, were pro- vided for this block.

Permanent access to all services

Block A

Northwest elevation

AAA

FITCHEN

LIVING ROOM

CORALETR

Typical unit

3-6

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