OUR NEW COLLEGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 187, 8 August 1921, Page 2

OUR NEW COLLEGE.

COUNCIL APPROVES PUN. GETTING BEADY FO3 TENDERS. DOUBT ABOUT FINANCE. Plane of the arts building of the Auckland University Oollege were approved this morning by the College Council, and the architects (Messrs. R. A. Lippincott and E- F. Billson. of Melbourne) were instructed to go ahead with the working plans. The Hon. George Fowlds, chairman of the council, reported on the interview he and Mt. Lippincott had with the Minister of EdiK-ation (the Hon. C. 3. Parr) in Wellington, and prefaced sis account ■by detailing the steps the council had taken in securing the accepted plan. The. assessors (Professor Wilkinson, professor of architecture at Sydney University, and Messrs. YV. A. Cumminsrs, of Auckland, and Basil Hooper, of Dtinedin, both well-known a-rciitei-ts) estimated tse east lit .t 07.000, as a.ra.inst €100,000 to H 158,000 for the other designs submitted- They highly of the su'ocessful design and said: "The whole is free in treatment, and though it may not maJce immediate appeal, the elevations being suggestive only of late Gothic work adapted to modern methods of construction, and file purpose of the building, if properly detailed will we feel sure, if not at first, eventually, give increasing and 'lasting satisfaction. We have every confidence that the council will, in accepting our recommendation, obtain a bi.'ildimr worthy of the city and nf the important purpose to which it will be devoted." tt would be seen, said Mr. Fowkls, that the council Jiad the authority of the highest professional judgment available for the opinion that it had secured a very fine design, which it seemed proba-bie could be erected for the limited funds that were available for the work. The plans had been submitted to a critica-l examination by the Professorial Board and the members of the council, and Mr. Fowlds contended that surely the opinion of the members of those bodies shoi/ld be of equal vaJue to that of any outside critics who had not liad the same opportunity of examining the [Wans. Mr. Fowids went on to say that he and Mr. Lippincott had two interviews with the Minister in Wellington. The major contention of Mr,Mair (the Departmental architc t) was that as the whole of Government House grounds would probably some dny come into the possession of the council, the best place for the arts building would be on the lower slopes of the site facing the harbour, and not facing Princes Street as now proposed. Mr. Mair Mijijrp.sted calling for a comprehensive scheme, and go on in the meantime with the buildings that fell within the present site secured (the Metropolitan Kroundt. Mr. Fowlds pointed out to the Minister that the ; college had waited forty years, and it was unreasonable to ask them to go on possibly for another forty years using subsidiary buildings in the meantime on the problematical chance of getting the whole block of land in the end. ' The Minister admitted the reasoning and discussion centred round the tower, Mr. Lippincott defending his design, but agreeing that in a resludv of the treatment it might be possible to embody some of the suggestions of the Government architect. On the matter of cost the Government architect was higher than Mr. Lippincott. Mr. Fowlds sugj gested the true test was the calling of i tenders, and the Minister agreed to going on with the preparation of workj ing drawings and (he calling of tenders. ! If the result of the tendering showed i that the cost was greater than the I grant of £100.000 then the council i would have to consider the modification ' of the plans or else consider the question of raising part of the money locally I to carry out thu original design. To j that the Minister agreed, asicing at the I same time that Mr. Lippincott should ] restudy the treatment of the front of J the building, particularly the tower, and submit to the council and to himself the result of his study in about a month's time. In a letter received since the Minister had referred to the matter of finance. That matter was not referred to at the interviews, and Mr. 1 Fowlds hoped it would not involve delay in the work being started. LETTETt FROM HOX. C. J. PARR. The letter from the Minister of Education referred to certain criticism of the elevation, particularly the tower, and an enclosure from the departmental architect also dealt with these points, the tower being called "unßritish" and "Continental." Regarding finance, the' Minister warned the Council that, like his predecessor (Sir Francis Bell), lie could not pledge the Government to provide the £100,000 estimated as necessary to allow the work to 'proceed. Primary education demands were very pressing, and must have preference. CIIITICS ANSWERED. In a special report of the Wellington interview drawn up by Mr. Lippincott, that gentleman said:—"ln his letter, Mr. Parr indicates that Mr. Lippincott readily concurred in 11 criticism that 'the units of the structure lack colicI sion." The lion. Minister must have obtained a mistaken impression from his advisers—Mr. Lippincott could never have admitted any aucli, damning indictment of our work, as the essential part of the design — the one on which most I thought and study have been spent—is the simple unity and coherence of the 1 whole. We would .be exceedingly loath I to entertain Mr. Mail's idea for cross 'gables or turrets sit the end of the long wings, for the very reason that instead of carrying the eye to the centre of the composition, they would prove a distracting /->nd disruptive influence. "With respect to the tower, we find that it is criticised as being un-Britisli and out of harmony with our national character. That it is 'Continental,' although the meaning of that term is not, defined. Here again we must take issue with the Minister and his advisers. If the design could he allotted to any historic style it would be classed as perpendicular, or as the assessors have said, 'Late Gothic,' but as was stated in our meeting the desire of the designers has been to evolve a structure which is not a copy of the detail of any historic style, for just as surely as this kind of trrafting of old details on to modern buildings is attempted all virility of design is lost and the work becomes mere scene painting—dry, hard, meaningless, and uninteresting, like so much of the modern work that we see. What we must do is to subject our building to the most careful and searching tests of the basic principles that underlie all the successful work of all periods, massing, rhythm, harmony, unity, coherences and emphasis. And' if this is carefully done, with due regard for expression of the plan— 'a logical expression of the interior' and the qualities of the materials used. t.heir capabilities and limitations—and if we

turn to Nature as tve find her in this fascinating land for the inspiration of our details, we shall produce a building and a tower —not British, surely, but one that shall belong much more intimately J to us here in Auckland than any imported facade ever could, and by the same token would be of much greater and more lasting interest to New Zealander and visitor alike. "Mr. Lippincott endeavoured to set this point of view before Mr. Parr and liis officers at the conference, and stated that for our own satisfaction we must . of necessity make many careful studies , of the detail of the design at larger i scale, and that we are glad to get all ; points of view to help us in our work. : We shall be most ready to send further studies of the elevations to the Council, i and we feel confident that as the Minis- • tor grasps the scheme his qualme will disnppear; but it must be apparent to ; nil concerned that no one but the del signer of a building can enter fully into : the spirit of it—can know it in all its • many ramifications, and that any at- , tempt on tlio part of others to interfere • with the ultimate decisions of the dei signers will most certainly end in dis- ; aster to all concerned. 1 "We are surprised to find in the Minis- ■ ter's letter the statement that the tower ■ can 'quite easily be left off, and a satis- ' factory building remain,' as this particu- ■ lar point was discussed thoroughly at 1 the conference, and it was agreed by all ; present that the tower is an integral ! " part of the whole and could not be ' omitted." DISCUSSION* BY THE COUNCIL. ! Professor Thomas referring to the conI tpntion of the Government architect for , (i more extended plan, said they had | proof in the Grammar School at Mount i Albert that such a requirement added r (greatly to the cost, and as finance was I the keynote to the position, the council I was justified in going in for the more • compact building it was getting. The • plans were on the whole very satisfactory. Mr. Fowlds said the next plan to that ■ of Messrs. Lippincott and Billson was estimated to cost f 135,000, as against ; the £97,000 of the accepted design. Professor H. W. Segar, speaking of the , criticism that had been levelled at the design, said the Town Hall had been subjected in just the same way to the . same sort of comment. In regard to the , excavating work , that would be necessary , on the site, he hoped the trees would be saved as much as possible. Mr. Lippincott: Most certainly, we won't remove any more trees than absolutely necessary. I Dr. T. W. Leys characterised the ' general attitude of the Government archi- ' teet as surprising. Mr. Massey absoj lutely barred the question of the ultimate acquisition of the whole of the i Government House grounds as a Univeri sky site, and the council gave a pledgo j ' to that effect, but the Government archii tect suggested that they could treat that ( as a scrap of paper. On the site that had > been secured the College had ample room : j! for the next fifty years, and any criticism j based on the assumption that they could j f encroach on Government House grounds J was void and worthless. With r«-gard to , the general plans the councils assessors , were men of the very highest attain- . ments, and whatever the special fads 07 notions of any individual nrchitect the ! council could rest assured they had a ' . plan which was well adapted for the work i , for which the building was intended. . With regard to finance, while admitting ; that the needs of primary education musf. .be met. Dr. Leys pointed out that . university education was just as import tant. For instance, it supplied the , teachers for the primary and secondary . schools. { MUST KEEP THE TOWER. ■ I Mr. Fowlds said it was absolutely un--1 j thinkable that they should have the I building without the tower. The lower 1 - part of the tower was an integral part r1 of the general design, and the amount, , I that would be caved by omitting the . upper or ornamental portion would ba [ j infinitesimal. f j Mr. W. J. Holdsworth thought that I 1 the talk about finance sugseated that f come of the so-called criticism was, 1, merely a ca=e of looking for a loop-hole. . Professor Egerton (to Mr. Lippinr icott): Did you consider that the tower t eonUl be remodelled? j Mr. Lippincott: Not essentially. There' ! might be some modification in detail. I never admitted for a moment in Welling-1 ton that it was incorrectly designed. | Mr. Fowlds: There was no suggestion that the thing should be radically re- ' planned. Things Jook very different I when a large scale drawing is made, and there are come details in the present small plans which it is quite impossible for the -layman to follow. | On the motion of Mr. Fowlds, it was j I resolved:—"That the Council authorises ; the architects to proceed with the preparation of the working drawings and specifications. It agrees to the re-etudy] of the architectural treatment of the tower as desired by the Minister of Education, hut expresses the hope that no radical change will be made in the de-! sign which has been so highly commended by our assessors and accepted by the i Council." THE COMMON ROOMS. Sketch plans were approved for the common rooms, which will be in a separate building. The cost is expected to be! about £13,000. I Professor Segar suggested that as' many students of the College were killed at the war, some sort of memorial should be raised, and in drawing the'plans this! idea might be kept in view. The architects were instructed to pre-' pare drawings showing full details of the' building, and keep in view its possible recognition as a war memorial. The agreement between the Council and the architects was then signed, and a cheque for the first instalment of I L .€1450 was signed. Mr. Fowlds said ten-1 , tiers for the main building would not be! [ in before four months at the earliest.