November_1965 — Page 9

Taiwan

Twenty-fold Increase in Urban Construction Work

ac-

D

URING the last 15 years Taiwan has moved quickly from social stability to prosperity and an celerated development programme. Local contractors have contributed greatly to this incredible economic progress.

In the field of industrial develop- ment, the number of large reinforc ed concrete factories being erected has increased year by year.

The total area of factory construction has quadrupled in the last ten years. The sight of many towering factory chim- neys in the industrial districts of the island reflects the drastic increase in Taiwan's industrial production.

Where municipal development is concerned many multi-storey com- mercial buildings, tourists' hotels, schools, public housing projects, de- partment stores and shops have been completed and are planned in such cities as Taipei, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.

The total area of construction in these cities in now almost 20 times

that of ten years ago. Most of the city streets have been resurfaced and beautification programmes are being carried out.

In rural reconstruction the major

South Vietnam

by

Loo Keng-chuan

Chief Delegate of

Chinese National Association of

General Contractors

contribution of local contractors is building hydraulic engineering projects for flood control and irrigation. The biggest of these schemes is the multi- purpose Shihmen Dam and reservoir which provides for farm irrigation, flood control. water supply, power generation and tourism in northern Taiwan.

To further aid farm irrigation, deep wells are being sunk in southern and central Taiwan, and another big project under construction is the Tseng Wen dam and reservoir.

Several large-scale highway and bridge projects have been finished in recent years. The East-West Cross- Island Highway, which was carved and blasted through the Central Mountain range, was started in 1958 and completed in 1960. Other ma- jor roads on which work is under way are the Central Highway and the Northern Through Highway.

Foreign Investment is Needed

HE political strife which disrupts

THE

The

community life in our country makes technical and economic pro- gress in any sphere difficult. Vietnamese Contractors' Association, like all other trade and professional organisations is necessarily curtailed in its activities and must wait for the country's affairs to become more stable before it can consolidate the advances it has made over the past 16 years.

Formation of a body such as ours was not possible 20 years ago, but with the transfer of the sovereignty of the two French and Vietnamese Governments in 1949, the Vietnamese Contractors' Association was set up by a small group of builders with the improvement of Vietnamese construc- tion technology as one of its first aims. A headquarters was established in Saigon and although little achieved in the early years of forma- tion, membership increased through-

was

Far East Architect & Builder November, 1965

by

Nguyen-linh-Chieu

President

Vietnamese Contractors'

Association

out the country and a regular ex- change of ideas and technical know- how was implemented.

of

One of the most advantageous steps taken by the new association was to become મ member IFAWPCA. Now information on modern building methods is readily available to members of our asso- ciation who may benefit from the ex- perience and skills of other more ad- vanced nations.

We must admit that the progress of our association has been slow, but this is due to outside influences which are beyond our control and our facili-

Military fortifications, wharves and harbour expansion projects are also being developed at a rapid pace.

From this it will be seen that con- tractors in Taiwan are tackling an intensive construction programme. They are proud of what they have al- ready achieved and plan for an even greater expansion and technological advancement.

As an aid to this advancement our association welcomes the opportuni- ties for international co-operation of- fered by IFAWPCA.

ties for technical improvement are still lacking. Especially where heavy construction equipment is concerned.

In any large-scale work we need the co-operation of our overseas friends, and we need too foreign in- vestment and financial assistance.

We look forward to the time when a peaceful Vietnam is the home of a virile construction industry represent- ed by a strong professional association which takes its place as a contri- butory member of the international body.

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