NEW SCIENCE BUILDINGS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29219, 1 June 1960, Page 14

NEW SCIENCE BUILDINGS

Architectural Team At Work

With the target of having working drawings and specifications of the new Canterbury Universityscience buildings ready for the calling of tenders by April 1 next year a team of eight members of the Ministry of Works architectural division has started work. This week they are setting up shop in Christchurch so that they can have consultations with the university whenever required They will devote their whole time to this project and also work extended hours. This is believed to be the biggest single architectural project ever, undertaken in this couhtry. The buildings, estimated to cost £2im, will comprise blocks bf eight storeys for chemistry and physics; six storeys for geography and zoology: threie storeys < for, botany and geology; two storeys

for mathematics; psychology and philosophy; and a single-storey science library on "stilts.” In addition there will be a central two-storey lecture theatre which* will accommodate 1350 students at? any one , tinje—looo

on the top floor which Will have four tiered theatres,''the .largest seating 295, * ;. ? ■ S The total floor area will be 385,000 sq. ft.

The District Architect of the Ministry of Works (Mr P. C.Cornish) said yesterday that the team comprised three architects and five draughtsmen and this would be augmented as required and when extra staff was available. Some of the men, including Mr G. D Miskimmin (project architect) were - members of his Christchurch staff, who had been seconded to head office for the sketch-plan stages and thus already knew the job intimately.

Mr Cornish said the team would have a drawing office in Gloucester street, round the corner from the University, so that they would be handy for consultation. Science buildings, involving so many laboratories, required complex plans. The big U-shaped structural members, for instance, would contain up to 26 servicing systems such as electricity, water, compressed air, different. gases, waste extraction and so on. 1716 laboratories would also require many special fittings. Mr Cornish said that progress in such a big and specialised project depended heavily on stability of staffing.