BUILDING TRENDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 267, 10 November 1937, Page 11

BUILDING TRENDS.

UNSIGHTLY WALLS.

AUCKLAND DEVELOPMENT.

EFFECT OK PROPERTY VALUES '"Queen Anne in front and Mary Ann behind." I nplastered or unpainted walls, or walls otherwise left unfinished, are a part of the architecture of Auckland which suggests to the observant visitor a city only partially developed. The sides and backs of business premises, warehouses, shops and blocks of fiats are often exposed to view in various stages of incompleteness, conveying the impression that the owners have thought any attempt at architectural adornment unnecessary except on the street front. When the position was referred today to Professor C. R. Knight, professor of architecture at the Auckland University College, and a co-opted member of the Auckland City Council town planning committee, he said that from the viewpoint of the city's appearance there were many features of the buildings which were -unattractive, but in this respect Auckland was no worse than the average city of the United Kingdom, the United States, or elsewhere. It was rare, he added, for owncrr. to sp*'iid milch 011 the elaborate treatment of the sides and backs of l.uildings which might be covered up at any time when blocks were built on adjoining sections. Rising Height in Queen Street. In Queen Street the trend was towards a higher level, explained Professor Knight, but there were still many building** of only three or four storeys. The rating burden would lead to their eventual replacement by higher buildings. up to the maximum city limit of 108 ft, but tliis change would be gradual. There was ft long way the City Council could go. he remarked, in the direction of setting higher standards, but it was questionable whether more restrictions should be imposed at the present time. If public opinion demanded that buildings he finished off to give a better appearance on their raw side no doubt the council would act. but there was no such demand at the moment. He suggested that a temporary means of meeting the position where large nnplastered walls were exposed was to paint them, and this course had been adopted to some extent overseas, but it was unlikely that owners would go to any considerable expense, nor would it be reasonable to force them to do so. Powers of Local Bodies.

The opinion that the position could lie satisfactorily met at small cost by the action of property owners t hern - selves was expressed by Mr. H. L. Massey, chairman of the Auckland branch of the Institute of Architects. Klal>orate treatment of side and rear walls was not necessary, he said, but simplicity and neatness in the design were desirable. In Auckland the appearance of many blocks of flats was spoiled by a failure to carry the front design and colours round to the sides, and he mentioned one suburban block where the pitch of the roof toward* the street was tiled and the other portion of the roof was of corrugated iron. Mr. Massev said that it was in the power of the local authorities to prevent unsightly development, and this could be done without imposing an onerous burden on property owners. It was the responsibility of the citv and borough councils to protect the rights of all ratepayers and to prevent the depreciation of adjoining pronerties which occurred when an inconsiderate person erected an unattractive building. "Rich Man's Adviser?" "Among some memliers of the community the old idea still persists," he said, "that an architect is the rich man's adviser, but in the past two or three years many have come to take a different view. Business firms have realised more the importance of having modern-looking buildings, and recently a considerable amount of remodelling has been going on in various parts of the city, particularly in Albert Street." In the methods employed. Mr. Massev said that the continuation of vertical lines for several storeys, or horizontal lines across the fronts of buildings, combined with the tasteful use of colour, was having a pleasing effect. Wellington had gone somewhat further in this direction than Auckland, having begun earlier, but there were now numerous examples in this citv which showed how older buildings could be made to look like new. Flats and Values. Referring to the extension of flats, Mr. L. S. Piper, who was recently chairman of the Architects' Institute, said there was a real danger in Mount Eden and in some other districts that the residential value of attractive suburban areas might be depreciated. The Mount Eden Borough Council was already taking stricter measures to control the trend and design of flats, and other municipalities would probably have to act in the same way. At the moment, however, the majority of the councils appeared to take the short view. They wanted building to go ahead as rapidly as possible in their districts, and were not very particular as to what class of building was put up. If care was not taken they might be faced in a few years with the position that instead of an advance in the general level of values in their districts depreciation had occurred.