STATE BUILDINGS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 305, 18 September 1908, Page 8

STATE BUILDINGS.

- -—-4 COMMITTEE SCHEME. VARIOUS ALTERNATIVE PLANS. ARCHITECTS'VIEWS. The report of the Committee on the new Parliament Buildings scheme, published in Wednesday's issue of The Dominion, has beon freely discussed in town, especially by architects and builders. SQUARING THE GOVERNMENT HOUSE BLOCK. "Looking woll ahead," said Mr. W. Turnbiill, " I don't think the Government could do better than place-the now Parliamentary Buildings on the Government House site. It is undoubtedly the best situation for a' national building, and should not be kept as a residence and grounds. I was having a look at tho block the other day, and was rather struck with tho limited frontage the Government Houso block has to Lambton Quay. It has a big one to Charlotte Street, - but tho building should front Lambton Quay, and I was casting round for. an idea to improve the frontage. The lay of Bowen Streot makes a very acute angle at Quinton's Corner) and I was wondering whother the Government House block could not be squared up by taking in a triangular piece of land, including Bowen Street, and. running another street between Lambton Quay and the Terrace a little farther to the south —say in a line with Whitmore Street. If that were done it would give the block a fine frontage to Lambton Quay, instead of the severely limited one it has at present. It would be costly, but would not'mean the resumption of so. much land as ono would think. - "With the other proposal—to put Government Buildings on tho present Parliamentary Building site —I don't agree. I think the new Dominion Museum building should be allied to the present structure or take its place, but I do not thirlk it would be wise-to part with the present Government Buildings site. It is far too valuable a site to let go. Assuming that the Parliamentary Buildings will be erected opposite, it would hardly do to part with the land and allow any sort of building to be erected cn the" block. The Gqvernment would not be doing right to part with the land at any price." A NOTE OF APPROVAL. Ml think tho proposal of the Parliamentary Committee an. excellent one," said Mr. J. Chariesworth. "The Government offices are at present scattered all over the town; they should form one complete system of offices, in one block. There is plenty of room' on the Molesworth»Street site, and the present Government Buildings block would bo readily leased. It is a valuable and accessible piece of land, and we have very little of that at present. Business people do not want >to go up on the hills, do _tney?_ The commercial development of the city is.in the direction of the Government Buildings; that is evident by what is taking place beyond Johnston Street." AN ALTERNATIVE SCHEME. Mr. E. M. Blake, of the [firm' of Penty and Blake, expressed the opinion that the committee's proposal was a good one, but was doubtful whether it was the best. One fea- ■ ture of its recommendations could be criticised, and that was the proposal to lease, the block on which tho Government Buildings now stand. Wliat 'class of businesses was the land suitable for? ,The trend of commercial Wellington was ,all the other way—towards Te Aro and Courtenay Place. * Shop premises on that side of Lambton Quay to tho north of Kirkcaldie and Stains's were not so valuable as on the other side, on account of the breaks that occurred, and these would always exist. in tho Public Trust office and the Police Courts. The block would always' be practically surrounded by Government buildings, which did not tend to raise values for commercial purposes. For that reason he doubted whether a return could be got on the amount of the Government valuation ' (£264,000). He had wondered why a proposal had never been put forward to build a huge structure that would cover the whole of the block now occupied by tho Government Buildings and grounds, a structure that would combino . Departmental offices, a House of Parliament, and library. It was admirably situated for the purpose, with frontages on every side to wide streets._ If necessary the buildings could be divided into two by a light well in the centro (but still maintaining a connection) with a main entrance to the House of Parliament from, Lambton Quay, and one to the Departmental offices from Featherston Street. An. objection could be raised on the score of cost of foundations, as the land was reclaimed land, but that could be minimised by providing a sub-basement (which could be used'for storage), and so shortening the piles used,-hut really, lie did not know whether the extra foundation work would cost more than the excavations that would bo necessary on tho site of Government House, where the ground sloped in three directions. If the Government were to consider tKe suggestion they Would 'still have the other two sides to play with. Tho present site of Parliamentary Buildings would make an excellent ono for 'tho neiv Dominion Museum, for' instance. Tho above idea had struck him as a very feasible one, owing to the Government Buildings block being perfectly level ground, as against the' Uneven land of the other sites, and it seemed somewhat incongruous to sandwich a block, of commercial buildings in tho centre of a lot "of public buildings. STILL ANOTHER SUGGESTION. "I don't agree," said 'Mr. P. Penty, "with the proposal to place the Departmental buildings on the site of the present Parliamentary Buildings.' That part of-the build--ing not touched by tho fire 1 is a fine solid structure, but it is not adapted for offices, and it would be a pity to demolish such a structure'. For tho life of me, I can't imagine why they cannot build the new Parliamentary Buildings on the old site, and utilise that part which is intact. .! There is plenty of room'for extension at tho back, and the fine piece of lawri in front-would set the building off capitally. Theiij if tho Government determines to realise on the Government Buildings block by leasing it to business people, the Departmental building could bo placed on the Government House site, and connected with the Parliamentary Buildings by a permanent bridge over Sydney Street." Mr. Penty did |not think the Government wor.ld be wise in leasing the Government Buildings block. A site would be needed for the new central railway station, and what better ono could bo had than the one 111 question. Ho also advocated a separate lire-proof building altogether for State records. There wero important records and documonts or the greatest value that might not bo looked ' at once a year, or once in five years for that matter. These should be kept in a muniment building, as the big oonipanies do at Homo. itr. Hoggard, of Hoggard and Prouse, architccts, stated that tho scheme as brought down by tho committee was a good one if ••I'" intention was to realise on one of the ■r>?rties as an off-set to the cost of the ' scheme. The greatest care should ?l;en in considering tlie mode of construc- .; for the new buildings. He pointed out "A there was more than one building beerected in Wellington that was popularly supposed to bo erected on the-steel-frame plan. These buildings had steel frames, in somo cases more steel than was necessary, which wore merely enclosed with brick. In the case of a sovore earthquake the frame' would give and loosen the bricks which would topple in all directions. The proper steel-frame building was the ono where the frame carried the building—each floor carried its own weight, and the brickwork for any floor was independent of the brickwork, of other floors. Mr, Hoggard

was also of opinion that tlio architects of tho Dominion should bo given the opportunity to design tho buildings in competition. CONTRACT OR DAY LABOUR? A prominent builder and contractor stated that ho saw that Mr. John Campbell (Government Architect) had stated that if the work was done by tender ho could get a start in six months, but if it was decided to do it by day labour, a start could he made in three months. Tho builder rosented the suggestion that such .a national work should bo done by day labour, and he defied tho reporter to instanco a building that had been erected in such a manner which had given satisfaction." Besides, by doing tho workby tender, the Government know how it stood regarding tho cost, but when a job was done by day labour there was usually a difficulty in casting it up. BAD FOR THE MUSEUM. . Mr. C. F. B. Livesay, secretary to the Association of Architects, views tho proposition from tho-standpoint of ono who has not lived very long in Now Zealand—he sees with tho eyes of an Englishman. Ho noted with somo regret that it was proposed to find accommodation for the museum on the tennis court at the rear of tho old Parliament Buildings. "It is too dark there," he said, "and our museums, not only here, but at Home, are ill-lit enough in all conscience." The site .proposed suffered, so.far as light was concerned, he thought, from the proximity of tho high bank on the Hill Street side. The British Museum, one of. our finest possessions, was a' musty, dingy, labyrinthic structure, and the priceless collection was practically shrouded in gloom. There was no reason for this. So far as the proposal to convert the block whereon stands the big wooden building into building allotments for public rental was concerned, he thought that it was too far from tho General Post Office, • which , was the radiating centre of the commerciarcomniunity,'to attract tenants. There were'too many'offices already in existence, and he instanced certain now and up-to-dato buildings in which suites of offices were tenantless. The supply of offices was greater than the demand, although the rents were being kept up. Legal' firms might no doubt take advantage of the proximity of the block to the Court! Buildings, and take up their quarters there,' establishing an "Inns of Court," so to speak.