Architects' satisfaction

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33034, 29 September 1972, Page 22

Architects ' satisfaction

“A very enjoyable project, said Mr Miles Warren, of Messrs Warren and Mahoney, the award-winning architects for the Christchurch Town Hall

“It’s the biggest job we've bad in terms of design complexity; nothing is repeated.

“I'm glad it’s over as a continuing detailed responsibility. but we will miss the challenge and excitement.”

Mr Warren said "What we're waiting for is for the Layman to make his own critical assessment.**

He spoke of the technical problem of seating thousands of people so that they saw and heard not only well but very well. "We are very pleased at the apparent popular acceptance of the Town Halt People have been very generous in their remarks so far, but let's wait and see.”

Mr Warren referred to the appearance of the complex. inside and outside.

“I expected some doubts about the starkness of the exterior—especially on the north side—and its sober colour range, but I have no fears about the interior.” A building had a particular specified use, he said. If a building expressed and symbolised that use it inevitably resulted in having an interesting form. The Christchurch Town Hall had to start from scratch, said Mr Warren; there was very little precedent. For the architectural competition entirely different solutions were produced to express the specifications. "Design is a product of a great number of people; 1 just happened to head up the team,” said Mr Warren “Some problems suit some people better than other problems. "In this case a large group of people was concerned with interrelated problems. And if the detail doesn’t work the whole thing doesn’t work.” There were other buildings of bigger value in Christchurch than the Town Hall, said Mr Warren, but

they were of less complexity and were not likely to invite so much architectural interest. “With some buildings problems are resolved on the site in pouring rain; with the Town Hall they were resolved between the offices concerned,” he said.

“It's been a long timesix years,” said Mr Warren, I reflectively. Throughout there has' been co-ordinated planning.! Each problem as it has. come up has been dealt with. For example, the detail of the curtains was resolved 18 months ago. j