THE HOUSING PROBLEM

Evening Star, Issue 21620, 16 January 1934, Page 2

THE HOUSING PROBLEM

HOW IT IS SOLVED ABROAD THE BEST ARTISTS ENGAGED It is probably not generally realised, Mr F. R, Yerbery said recently, in the fourth of the series of public lectures on , the housing problem-organised by the English Architectural Association, what stupendous efforts have been made all over' Europe to improve housing conditions since the war. Having described how Great Britain has led the way, he remarked that one result of the war has been the recognition of the right of the ordinary man in the street to the amenities which in the past were created by great artists and architects for the use of the few. In Holland the tackling of the housing problem has done more, he said, towards the advancement of modern architecture in the country than anything else. In Vienna, too, evidence can be seen everywhere of the utilisation of the services of some of the best artists of the day to embellish housing centres- with courtyards, statuary, fountains, and pergolas. In Hamburg and in other German schemes one saw bathing pools and sand pits filled with children in the summer months, but often the actual accommodation in the blocks of flats surrounding these gardens is poor. The provision of small individual houses in the solution of the housing problem abroad is not often found. Oslo at first built a number of small houses on the outskirts of the city, but since then the housing-block idea- has predominated, and provision has been made for hundreds of families in attractive but simple buildings. Warsaw has adopted a similar plan, and the architects- have produced some really charming results. IN RUSSIA.. In Russia, where housing conditions are the worst in Europe, small one-story buildings are being put up in the rural areas and great blocks in .the cities. But the workmanship is often shockingly bad, and the system of housing workers in one particular industry in a vast block offers a rather depressing prospect. As far as one could see, the besthoused persons in Rnssiii are the Government workers, and the lecturer spoke well of an enormous block in Moscow which accommodates 555 families and has a reasonable number ol bathrooms, bedrooms, and living rooms. There is also a theatre, a cinema, a communal dining room, and a co-opera-tive shop all in the same building. In Italy housing blocks are bein' built in almost every city giving excellent accommodation and all sorts ol amenities.

Finally Mr Yerbury described an interesting experiment which he saw on the outskirts of Paris. It consists of a number of blocks up to five stories, with five great towers running up to fifteen stories, there being four flats to each story. The adoption of this system of housing virtually' in skyscrapers is extremely significant, he remarked, and many think it offers the most practical solution for the future.