CIVIC CENTRES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 286, 3 December 1938, Page 13

CIVIC CENTRES.

WIDESPREAD MOVEMENT. IMAGINATION AND FORETHOUGHT. Even some of the smaller towns of New Zealand are considering proposals for civic centres. Some helpful thoughts on this subject are given by Mr. E. Berry Webber in the "Journal" of the Royal Institute of British Architects. "Since the war the term civic centre has become widely adopted," he writes. "It is the amalgamation into one comprehensive scheme of all the various public buildings of a town or city. Such an amalgamation is logical, economical and desirable. It adds to the efficiency of the local administration and it provides the opportunity of an architectural setting worthy of its purpose. "Now the production of a civic centre does not mean the expenditure of an extravagant sum of money upon a , grandiose scheme. It means the expenditure, largely, of imagination and fore- | thought. Such a conception is within the bounds of possibility when one is dealing with a new district where one | has the 'elbow room' to provide somem thing in an ideal setting, but it is quite " a different matter, as I have previously stressed, when one is circumscribed by the many restrictions of our older towns and cities. Nevertheless, I consider that even in these difficult circumstances, attempts should be made to achieve the same ideals and that an acid test could be applied by all local authorities to any new public building they are undertaking: '.Can this new building be absorbed into or become the nucleus of

a comprehensive scheme?' "There is another important factor that affects close intercommunication and that is the need for expansion, and any civic centre plan which ignores the possibility of generous future extensions is bad; to do this is to perpetuate the most glaring error of the past. This problem alone presents many difficulties. I have known provision to be made for the structure to take additional storeys and on first consideration this might seem to 'work,' but it gives the architect very little chance. It is almost impossible to design a building which would be appropriate to its setting, both with and without additional storeys. Moreover, the work involved in the addition turns the original structure into a veritable Bedlam during the building operations. "Each unit of a civic centre has its individual problems of planning. The Town Hall, for instance, is a hall calling for the greatest adaptability. It is required to be used for so many diverse functions and types of entertainment that the most that can be attempted is a reasonable compromise in its design and fitting up. _ "Consider, for instance, the combination of banquetes, political meetings, dances, orchestral and choral entertainments, lectures and films, bazaars, etc., and you will appreciate the necessitv for 'an all-purpose building. The flat floor for dancing precludes the provision of the sight lines desirable in theatre construction. The banquets and bazaars render undesirable the inclusion of much overhanging balcony accommodation. The acoustic qualities for orchestra and choir are quite different from those desirable for the spoken word, although the recent introduction of public address systems helps the latter. "Above all is the necessity for quick change, because public halls, unfortunately, are rarely, if ever, a source of profit and only adaptability can assist them towards a reasonable income."