world news
Cast-on-site construction record in Melbourne
A NOVEL method of construction termed "Flying Form" has enabled the completion of a large twin- tower project straddling part of one of the world's busiest railway stations in Melbourne, Australia, in record time.
The complex, the Prince's Gate Building, contains a station for suburban trains, a primary deck housing shops, restaurant, car park, a civic plaza and twin towers each of 18 storeys. The total cost of the pro- ject was A$12 million.
With the Flying Form system, each floor is pour- ed on the site within a light frame and the frames are raised into place by a self-climbing crane. As each floor is positioned, the crane rises with it ready to lift the frames to each succeeding level into place.
The system has been used in the United States and Britain. It replaces the usual maze of steel props, timber bearers and centres used in normal con- struction and allows the structure to be built from the inside.
One Prince's Gate tower rose at the rate of a floor a week while the other tower went up one floor every four days.
Developed in partnership between Lend Lease Corporation Ltd., and Oddenino's of London, the pro- ject became the responsibility of Civil and Civic Pty. Ltd. which co-ordinated the design and construction,
Twin towers over Melbourne railway station
This 26-storey tower block is part of phase 1 of the Greater Lon- don Council's housing development at Rowlett Street, Tower Hamlets, and is the tallest in East London. With some varia- tion, its design is to be repeated on another estate in West London.
Architect, Mr. Erno Goldfinger, took the unusual course of living for a few weeks in the Rowlett Street block to discover whether his architectural ideas were sociologically soundly based.
Computer designed air system for Swedish hospital
COMPUTER technology has been used to design the air conditioning system for the Huddinge Hospital to be built on Stockholm's southern periphery. The system will supply a complex with a building volume of 1.7 million cu.m.
The US$8,000,000 contract for air conditioning was awarded to Svenska Fläktfabriken (SF), which claim to be the only manufacturers in the world to apply computer technology for this kind of installation.
The EDP programmes for determining correct temperatures and climate in the wards and operating theatres to provide maximum comfort and avoid air- borne infections covered such factors as sun radiation, moving shadows, lighting and staff concentration. Exhaustive function tests on full-scale model room units were also carried out.
Japanese hotel opened in San Francisco
A 14-STOREY hotel has been completed in San Francisco as part of the city's new Japanese Cultural and Trade Centre. It will be operated by Western In- ternational Hotels on behalf of the developers, Kintetsu Enterprises of Japan.
The entire centre, including the 172-room hotel, is designed by Minoru Yamasaki, in association with Van Bourg, Nakamura and Associates.
Suites throughout the hotel have tokonomas, the
Far East BUILDER, June 1968.
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