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Art of the Orient
00:00 02 Mar 1995
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What's upside-down, green and totally baffles British roofing
contractors? Easy - the roof of a traditional Chinese pagoda.
What's the problem? Tiles are laid from the ridge downward.
When Wing Yip commissioned the south of England's largest Chinese cash-and-carry in Croydon he wanted a 40ft arch in front of the four-acre pavillion. Architect David Futter of Norwich won the design commission and imported green glazed tiles came winging from Beijing, along with feature dragon heads.
'The main contractor was totally baffled,' Futter reported. 'Every tile had to be mortar bedded and pointed, with capping tiles fitting into adjoining trough tiles.' This earth-shattering departure from 'norm' so threw the mainstream British roofing fraternity that Wing and Futter had to turn detective themselves in order to track down someone who could turn dreams in reality.
The answer was found, after a long search, deep in London's Chinatown. A four-man team, all Chinese. Well, except one Irishman who spoke Chinese.
When Wing Yip commissioned the south of England's largest Chinese cash-and-carry in Croydon he wanted a 40ft arch in front of the four-acre pavillion. Architect David Futter of Norwich won the design commission and imported green glazed tiles came winging from Beijing, along with feature dragon heads.
'The main contractor was totally baffled,' Futter reported. 'Every tile had to be mortar bedded and pointed, with capping tiles fitting into adjoining trough tiles.' This earth-shattering departure from 'norm' so threw the mainstream British roofing fraternity that Wing and Futter had to turn detective themselves in order to track down someone who could turn dreams in reality.
The answer was found, after a long search, deep in London's Chinatown. A four-man team, all Chinese. Well, except one Irishman who spoke Chinese.
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