NATIONAL GALLERY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10732, 1 November 1928, Page 2

NATIONAL GALLERY

WELLINGTON’S NEW INSTITUTION.

MAYOR FAVORS COMPETITIVE

DESIGNS

(Special To The Times). , WELLINGTON. .Oct. 31

The architect who'is successful in obtaining, the task of designing the new £200,000 National Art Gallery, in Wellington, will, hone tit t & the extent 01, over £13,000'. This was the admission made by Mr. G. A. Troup; Mayor of Wellington, in an interview 10-duy.

Mr. Troup was discussing a suggestion that. Sir Edward Lutyens, the famous' British architect, should .08 offered the. work of designing the Gallery; ‘‘lt is. a very fine idea, - / he said, “but would involve some great losses. If competitive designs .arc invited there will be possibly twenty or thirty entries and all those architects will benefit by the- .study which they will perform for the execution of their task. Then it must Oe remembered that the competitive designs may bring forth something very good. Two ol the finest, buildings in England, of recent years, were both built from designs by young men in competition with oilier architects. They are the Liverpool Cathedral (designed by Sir Aldfed Scott) and the London County Council building, opposite the Houses of Barliament (designed by Rnott). • “There are also, practical difficulties m the way of offering . the fyorlc to Sir Edward Lutyens. Me would need to make a trip to N.Z., for no architect could design a building satisfactorily unless ho got the, atmosphere of its site,, and I very much doubt whether the remuneration would be sufficient for him. The successful architect will receive a, small moneyprizu, nossiblv about £SOO, and will get bi'ncr cent, on the construction cost. Lutyens is a man who does much bigger things, than that..,, “Even the successful architect will not make a very big profit from his work, for I should think that the ; plans for the building. will keep his office busy for at. least one year and will leave him little time for any, other work,” . . ;•.*