WORK OF ARCHITECTS

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 132, 1 December 1945, Page 9

WORK OF ARCHITECTS

INTERESTS PRESERVED

Fears expressed by the New Zealand Institute of Architects that a subsection of the Engineers' Registration. Amendment Act, 1944, might be interpreted in a manner that could be detrimental to the interests of architects were commented upon by the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple) in a statement last night. The statement has the concurrence of the Engineers' Registration Board and of the New Zealand Institute of* Architects. "In connection with the requirements of section 8 (4) of the Engineers Registration Amendment Act, which requires that the person responsible for the design and construction of any engineering work involving expenditure of loan money under the Local Bodies Loans Act must be a registered engineer, it is intended that when such work is essentially of an engineering nature the registered engineer shall be engaged directly by and be responsible to the local authority concerned," said Mr. Semple. "Where the proposals involve engineering services within a proposed building, the architect so employed will still retain his place and function as a co-ordinator and person responsible for the building as a whole, but to meet the requirements of section 8 (4) of the Act he must retain the services of a registered engineer for such engineering work as structural, mechanical, or electrical, unless exemption may be granted in accordance with section 9 of the Act. The Registration Board has set up an advisory committee consisting of representatives of architects and engineers to advise in cases where exemption has been applied for and it is considered the amount of engineering work is so small as not to warrant the employment of the services of an engineer.

"It is a Govei-nment requirement that the engineer be competent and skilled in the class of work involved; and also that he exercise such general supervision with- the architect over the execution of the engineering work as maybe required to ensure that such work is being executed in accordance with sound engineering practice, and that the basis and details of the design are being correctly ■ interpreted." .