N.Z. House ‘Most Exciting New Building In London’

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30213, 19 August 1963, Page 10

N.Z. House ‘Most Exciting New Building In London’

The design of New Zealand House, London, is freely praised as “undoubtedly one of the most exciting new buildings in London,” in the July issue of “De■ign,” the official journal of the British Council of Industrial design. The article, headed “Enlightened Patronage,” says: "New Zealanders are justified in feeling proud of the enlightened attitude of their Government towards the design of their new Haymarket headquarters, opened by the Queen recently. This is undoubtedly one of the most exciting new buildings in London and seems amply to have justified the freedom given by their clients, if not by other bodies, to the architects. Sir Robert Matthew, Johnson. Marshall and Partners. “The building has run the gauntlet of numerous conditions and restrictions by the London County Council, the Royal Fine Arts Commission, the Crown Estate Commission, and others, and as a result has taken longer to complete than almost any other building of comparable size. “It is difficult to believe that it was the first tower block to be planned for central London, bearing in mind all the others that have appeared in the meantime But the end product comes so near perfection that It can hardly have suffered much from these external pressures.

"Two aspects of the design of New Zealand House contribute more than anything else to its outstanding success. The first is the handling of the internal spaces; the second, the single-minded-ness evident in the relationship between the structure of the building and the interior detailing. "The interior spaces have a scale which at times is breathtaking but, because this seems always to be related to a human scale, it never becomes grandiose There is a view from a position in the visitor’s lounge up the central well of the podium to a rectangle of sky three floors above and on the opposite side of the building This and other interior views are exciting in a way that Is rare amongst modern buildings. Interior Details “What is impressive about the interior detailing is the way it grows out of the architecture so that there is never the feeling that a particular office or room is a conscious piece of Interior design. “A standard range of three or four wall treatments and standardised demountable partitioning are used throughout even to the High Commissioner’s office. Every detail has been thought about and many items have specially designed - door handles. lighting fittings, clock faces, lift Indicator panels, and so on. "The furnishing, too, was planned by the architects—but what a pity it is that they felt, after an extensive survey, that no existing British furniture was appropriate to the design standard they bad set. "They finally chose Scandanavian chairs and occasional items, and themselves designed the desks as well as some of the most beautiful library fitments to be seen anywhere."