Evening star., 1923-04-29
BY F. GREGORY HARrswICk.

a BUILDING without 10unda- |
~ tions! A tubular skyscraper,
~ with practically no height
limit, with its floors suspend |
ed on wires from central column!
An arrangement of walls giving mu-
tual support, so that, no matter how
high you go, the strain is so divided
that the building locks upon itself!
This is the building of the future,
says Thomas Reeve, inventor and de-
signer.
Tho design of the structure or
tower as it might be called, in
wolves many radical features The
basement. which may go as deep as
is desired, is not used as a founda-
tion in the accepted sense Of the
word. The walls are arranged ra-
dating from a common center, sup
porting each other at the place where
they cross. In this way what are
now partitions become actual sup
porting walls, while what are at pres
ent the true walls Of a building-the
outer walls, that is-are merely par
titions, and may be made of light ma
terial, or entirely of glass, IL de-
sired. There will be no windows, as
we understand windows-holes cut
in the wall, forced to take second
place when strength is considered.
The outer walls can be all window, or
covered to any extent the tenant may
desire.
The floors in the circular tower will
be suspended from the central col
umn by wires placed in the walls
This method of support, Mr.. Reeve
claims, is simpler and stronger than
the present one, in which the floors
are supported on columns. Each
floor that is, is slung from the great
central column made by the inter-
section OF the radial walls. In this
column are also the elevators that
serve the building-located by this
method at an equal distance from
every Office on a floor. No longer
need the harried business man charge
the length of a long corridor, yelling.
Down, twenty one" at the top of
his lungs. Each tenant, emerging
from his Office, finds an elevator shaft
directly before him.
4 TYPICAL floor plan would thus pre-
1 sent central column containing
the elevators and the man supporting
elements, with eight walls radiatig from
it. spaced equally around the circle. Mr..
Reeve has, to reduce his idea TO its SIM
plest form, taken the four walls OF
conventional building and crossed them
making eight sectors Of forty-five de-
grees each. These walls have, Of course
doors cut in them, SO that Immediately
outside the elevator column a circular
corridor runs completely around the
building. On the outer circumference
Of this corridor appear the doors of the
offices. AS the space between the walls
grows wider as one gets further from
the center, 50 the Office floor space, COM
paratively narrow at the inner circum-
ference. becomes amply large at the
outer. or window side The space near
the elevators is inteded simply as
reception room; the outer space may be
subdivided to suit the plan of the in.
dividual tenant
In this tower, obviously, no Office will
be any better located than any other
posure. The sunny side may be more
desirable than the shady side, but that
is the only difference that will exist
between offices. OF course. any one may
take as many Offices as he desires, or
whole floor. for that matter.
In the matter of ventilation the great
tower actually breathes-inhales and in !
hales like a living thing. Pure air is
drawn from the very top. farthest from
the dust and CRIME of the street level, !
through pipe which is located in the
central column: this air is distributed to
the various rooms by radial conduits,
and the stale air exhaled through out
lets in each floor. In this way the air
is constantly being changed. but so
gradually that there is no sensation of
draugft or dangerous chill: a system OF
valves will control the volume that il
changed par hour, according to the sea-
son and the temperature Of the outer
air.
The heating plant, power plant, light
ing system, etc. OF the tower Of the
future, will be. as now, in the base
ments. Mr.. Reeve explains that the
sending Of his radial walls into the
ground gives the building ''root ef-
feet
The branching walls support the
structure much as the roots of tree
support the tree. In this sense the
building has no foundation as we at
present understand the term.
= K :; ::
TINE circular plan lends itself ad
i mirably to recreation purposes.
In the basement there will be Turk
isE baths and swimming pool which
will extend completely around the
building, the water to be entered at
any point and left at any point. On
the top there will be a great glass
f,,o &c