CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1195, 2 August 1911, Page 8

CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.

BUILDING PKOCKLIH.NO AFACL". To the eye of a layman the new Children's Hospital presents a bewildering confusion of angles, walls, limbers, and concrete, but. already il is evident that II:? building will be of imposing bulk and from the profusion of window aperture-, one can gather that the hn.-pilal will gain i(> full share of ,-tich benefits as sunshine can imparl. Already the work of construction is far advanced. The two single-story wings, which extend from the two-story central binek, are almost finished as i'nr as external wort; is concerned. The roofs are ready for their tiles and upon one of I hem the liles are stacked in readiness, Plastering work upon the verandahs and upon the sunrooms which I rent each ward, is far advanced. The completion of the brickwork on the central block is now a matter of days. Already the walls in many places are as high as the lop of the window-frames, the point at which they are lo slop. The upper pari of the wall will consist of a band of reinforced concrete and upon this the principals of the roof will rest. Another detail practically completed is a basement containing a boiler for the heating and hot water apparatus and apartments for (he storage of coal and so forth. Access to the upper story is gained by a concrete stnircrj.e—frail in appearance, but in fact remarkably strong—which mounts through a tower at the middle of the. central block. This tower will eventually contain a lift. Provision has been made for completely isolating the upper and lower stories, 'each having its own kitchen, bath-room, and various other offices. It can now be seen that Ihcsc offices will in themselves bo isolated for on each floor they are approached by a covered passage-way floored with re'inforced concrete. Most of the smaller rooms and .olliecs have already been titled with concrete floors-, but the. wooden floors of the three large wards have yet to bo laid down. The operating theatre, in the. middle of the central block, is a roomy apartment, as yet in the rough. Eventually it will be lighted by a plate-glass window measuring nine feet by eight, and other big lights in its roof of reinforced concrete.

It if possible, even now to form a fairly good idea of the appearance the building will present when finished, lis lines are pleasantly varied and relieved by many angles anil breaks. The greater part of the lower story will be finished in tuckpointed red brick. The upper story of the central block will be finished" in rough-east of a whitish tint with red brick at the corners and about the windows and openings. The brickwork is everywhere remarkably neat', the pressed bricks with which it is faced being Mnooth and of even make. Great numbers of special bricks have had to be made for the angles and for ornamental sills and plinths. In some instances a mould has had to be. made for a single brick. The roofs, which in themselves present many broken lines and angles, will bo covered with Marseilles tiles. The chimneys will be finished- in rough-cast with corner quoins r.'jcl heads of pressed brick. Koomy balconies, sun-rooms, and verandahs are a conspicuous feature of the building. The tlat' roofs of the verandahs downstairs are supported by massive jarrah posts. J-'rom the playing court between the two wings of the building slopes of easy gradient" ore to be constructed >o that bath chairs and similar vehicles can be readily wheeled up to the sun-rooms.

. A feature, of (ho work that strikes even the layman is. the smooth-working facility with which it proceeds. The contractors', Messrs. Watts Bros., have entrusted the control of operations to Mr. G. 11. Hill, as general foreman, and the latter has made a point of avoiding nil needless lahour. The massive timber root's, for instance, have been built at a. minimum expenditure, of energy. Under the methods followed, every rafter and timber, many of tbem cut. at. curious angles are prepared upon (he ground. Then t.hov are hoisted up one by one and placed in position with lit Up heavy labour. Similar methods are being followed in regard to tho rest of the work and the result is smooth and rapid progress.