Recessed Frontage To Widen Pavement

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28869, 14 April 1959, Page 12

Recessed Frontage To Widen Pavement

When Hay’s, Ltd., redesigned its Colombo street frontage to include the reconstructed Fletchers Building, the firm decided to set its modern 50ft long island showcase 7ft back from the footpath on Colombo street.

The chairman (Mr J. L. Hay) said his firm had voluntarily set the frontage back from the footpath although there .was no requirement to do so with an existing building.

He felt, however, that this was in the best interests of the shopping area in general, said Mr Hay, as it gave shoppers a chance to view window displays without causing any congestion on the footpath, especially at peak periods.

The decision was made as a voluntary concession in anticipation of the eventual need in the public interest to increase the width of Colombo street.

The main feature of the new frontage is a modern 50ft long showcase, Bft wide. It is flanked by two subsidiary show cases, each about 20ft by sft. Between the showcases are armour-plate

glass doors. ’Each showcase is lit by fluorescent tubes and a row of powerful spot-lights. Stainless steel, terrazzo and vitrolite have been used in the frontage and a slender pillar support is faced with mosaic tiles. *•

Inside the store the reconstruction has provided wider aisles between departments and also space for modern new department bays. Among the new departments are a travel department, an enlarged jewellery section, a rainwear department, and a long cosmetics counter.

A feature of the new, wide entrance is the low sound-proofed ceiling Acoustic tiles have been slung on aluminium extrusions and they are lined above with fibreglass.

Recessed honeycomb lighting squares have been let into the ceiling and the new double-width entrance to the store is also lit by modern suspended light fittings.

The interior is finished predominantly in fibrous plaster and colour is an important feature of the interior decoration.