Aerial Metropolis of Future Pictured at Architects’ Show

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6918, 25 May 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

Aerial Metropolis of Future Pictured at Architects’ Show

Polychrome Skyscraper and Beehive Airport

New York, April 20.

dwelling to his office and back, do his noon-day shopping or patronise his favourite tea room without ouce descending to the ground level. To reduce the congestion of pedestrian and vehicular traffic at tho street level, the architect proposes to establish elevated sidewalks on second-story levels for pedestrian use generally. Vehicles would have the exclusive use of the streets and automobiles w-ould be parked in subways beneath the buildings. Electricity for Heating.

Large cities of the future will be chiefly aerial institutions, residents of which may pass’ their entire time many stories above tho earth in an atmosphere free from smoke, spot or other impurities, according to the views of prominent architects expresesd in exhibits at the Architectural and Allied Arts Exposition, which has just opened in Grand Central Palace. These modernistic municipalities which, many architects believe, will be actually in existence within half a century, will not only include extensive modifications to cope with enormous increase in population, but ingenious provisions for general airplane travel. In addition to the fringe of piers, wharf buildings and warehouses which occupies water-front areas of largo cities, there will be erected at a higher level, a system of landing platforms for airplanes which will accommodate small individually owned aircraft and ‘jitney’ airplanes to be used for transporting mail from near-by airports.

Since electricity will bo used exclusively for heating the city of the future, instead of bare stretches of tarred roofs and chimney pots thcro will be extensive roof gardens, beautifully landscapod, with terraced effects and many outdoor recreational features.

And colour schemes will not be confined to the blooms in the flower pots, for the modern architect urges a wide use of colour in the buildings themselves, particularly through the use of many-coloured tiles. Among tho unusual exhibits at the exposition is a polychrome model of a 55-story skyscraper suggesting a colour treatment for tall buildings. An interesting project in original airport design is that for a beehive airport, exhibited by Francis Keally. From the mound-like centre of the airport rises a structure SSO foot in height The sides of the airport provide slopes up which arriving planes would glide, and from, which departing planes would take off. Beneath the central structure are terminal facilities for transcontinental railroads, subways, street car and bus lines.

System of Aerial Terraces,

The skyscraper systems in which citizens of the future will carry on their work, or, perhaps, even Teside, will be surrounded by terraces resulting from tho use of architectural setbacks at uniform heights. In this way a series of promenades w-ould bo worked out many levels above the ground. Restaurants and stores would bo established on the various levels and, by tho use of bridges between upper stories of buildings, the podestrian might travel from his apartment hotel