October_1970 — Page 10

Radiotherapy centre is planned for expansion

North-west view. Low structure of the right building is the out-patient department. In the forefront is the earth-covering for the Betraton room

RECENTLY COMPLETED as a semi- autonomous part of the redevelop ment of Kuala Lumpur's General Hospital is a new radiotherapy centre and school of nuclear medicine.

Excluding mechanical and elec- trical services, it cost S$1 million to build and it houses modern radio- therapy and isotope equipment worth S$3 million. Construction took almost

two years.

In keeping with the master plan for the hospital, which was awarded first prize in a competition open to ar- chitects in the British Commonwealth, the new building is a relatively low structure. As such it avoids the diffu-

sion of pavilion planning, for which the site was too restricted anyway, and obviates the expense and inconvenien- ce of vertical stacking.

The final effect is intended to be that of a series of buildings of restrain- ed height with many of the fine trees native to the site reaching over it - all combining to avoid strangeness to the patient coming for treatment from a remote district where tall buildings are unknown.

The site available for the centre is approximately square, with a fall from north to south. Advantage has been taken of this slope to dig the megavol- tage rooms, producing high radiation

MINISTRY OF HEALTH, Malaysia

WELLS and JOYCE

QS BRANCH, PWD

OVE ARUP & PARTNERS

THOMAS ANDERSON & PARTNERS

NG GOON HAN CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD.

hazards, into the hill; hence there is a saving on concrete by using the earth as an insulation.

The brief for the centre required flexibility which has been allowed for by planning for extension. Architec- turally, in general terms, this has been achieved by pressing the entrance deeply into the ground floor plan.

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Far East BUILDER, October 1970

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