BASIC DESIGN FOR SCHOOLS OPPOSED

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28542, 22 March 1958, Page 15

BASIC DESIGN FOR SCHOOLS OPPOSED

The development of a basic de- ■ „ for schools throughout New zSand was suggested by the Minister of Education (Mr SkogCjd), when he met the Canterbury Education Board yesterday. “■•ln our department, and through the education boards, we ““ employing between 50 and 60 architects," he said. “Is it neces--ry to have as many architects as that working on our schools?’! In travelling about the country and looking at schools, he had noticed that they differed to a large extent from one district to another. •‘I wondered if we could have an architectural research division to design prototypes which could he adapted to suit local conditions,’’ he said. He would like to get teachers’ yeas on what they considered to be ideal working conditions, and their suggestions could then be put before school committees and other interested groups to learn their views. When the department sent plans out to ooards the architects said that they were only being used as draughtsmen, said the Minister. If such a scheme as he suggested was adopted there would be a considerable saving in the number of architects and draughtsmen employed on school work—a worthwhile economy.

“Disastrous** “Nothing could be more disastrous than to have all schools of the same design throughout the country,” said Mr R. R. Beauchamp. Districts varied in their weather, and outlook, and allowance should be made for these differences. Variety- was necessary in

sh O U ui a ri tiO a n r Pe ° P u e in in mrfh ayS be experimenting that ‘,h hO< ?j and ’eehniques, and in th^n°i U i d ‘ n . clude experiments m school-building design. W . as a . lon " wa y from North from a he .L e ,hc °ysters come I™™’, and the climate varied <Mr r <? lnS r y ’, Said the chair man shooin' Ir '" ln >- Th e Minister should keep that in mind when eons'dering basic designs. It was one of the pleasures of his life to go to one school and compare the ideas he saw there with those at others.

This proposal was but one of several ideas offered by the whcn h e met the board. Although unfavourable to that particular suggestion, the chairman said he was delighted to find that Mr Skoglund had such a sound grasp of the problems the board was facing. The board went into committee so that members could, in the the chairman, put before the Minister ‘‘the question of our accommodation here.”