“STANDARDISED HOUSES”

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 21 May 1936, Page 8

“STANDARDISED HOUSES”

AN ARCHITECT’S CRITICISAI

“Houses cannot be built like automobiles. Essential social and spiritual

values are not machine products, but are those of the architect, declares Air Arthur T. North in the “American Architect.”

‘As a result of mass-production obsession, influenced possibly by the so-called ‘international’ style in architecture, some architects have strayed from the path of common sense; a matter perhaps to be expected during these times of great changes,, readjustment and emotional stress.”

iii criticism of the attempts to produce standardised dwelling houses by machinemade mass-production methods Mr North remarks that a common weakness in the manufacturer’s approach is the natural desire to utilise the maximum quantity of materials produced bv the sponsoring concern, regardless of their fitness. Any design or scheme developed for the primary purpose of promoting the maximum use of any one material or proprietary article, regardless of its physical characteristics, is doomed to failure. The designer. naving no choice, is handicapped before he starts. Notwithstanding that particular group of cognoscenti that aims to eradicate the "tailor-made” structure and the “archi-tect-tailor,” the production of dwellings is the job for the capable and experienced architect alone. The engineers’ concept of a noil-aesthetic shelter manufactured according to diagram and schedule ol catalogued products is incomplete. Any approach to this problem that fails to recognise the Into functions of tile architect, that discards the jealously guarded prerogatives of labour and the natural allocation of work to long established trades, or that forgets that bankers lend money only on saleable properties (which seldom include radical departures from accustomed forms) is as futile as the hopeful dreams of the reformer who seeks to create in a lifetime a Utopia in this imperfect world. It is generally agreed that the production of the better and less costly house involves a quite radical departure from present day building methods, in which tile use of new materials and new uses of old materials may be an important factor. Similarly, it is recognised that good architectural design should reflect the materials used and the method of a construction. This does not signify, however, that a radical change must be made in the plan arrangement and the' appearance of the house.