BUILDING IN AUCLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18235, 31 October 1922, Page 5

BUILDING IN AUCLAND.

( J—«s» ■ ■■ f METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION. J SUPERIOR TO AUSTRALIAN. I MATERIAL AND APPLIANCES. s i A comparison of the building methods i I employed in the chief Australian cities E! with, those in vogue in Auckland, accordT ! ing to a local builder, would result . ! greatly in favour of Auckland. Mr. K. fI C. Nichoils, of Mount Eden, who re- > I tamed yesterday by the Niagara after 1 1 E'oeadinjr several weeks in Australia, ex- "* j pressed "the opinion that Auckland I j builders had nothing to learn from Aas- "! tralia. He was greatly surprised to find ! I that methods arid materials considered ': out-of-date in the Etominicn were still I! used in the erection of large buildings in ' i Sydney and Melbourne. I I Reinforced concrete, which was so s' generallv used in modern city buildings >i vn Xew Zealand, -was rarely seen in .! Sydney. Brick oralis and wood floors \ I were still in general use, though the -rains '' of reinforced concrete floors for durability 1 1 and preventing fire was generally admit- | ted. The large new Commonwealth ban£ k i buildings -which was to be erected at a '{cost of £330,000, said Mr. Xichoiis. was ! 1 to be built •with, concrete floors, but this ' ' was an exception to the general rule, 1 \ One reason -why bricks were so largely J | used was that they were comparatively ! j cheap. Bricks were delivered in. Sydney" , i at £3 17» 6d a thousand compared -with '' |£6 lis in Auckland, Shingle for con- ; crete, which was available in such large ! quantities in Auckland, waa not obtain- ' I able in Sydney, and the supply of metal '; also was limited. On the other hand, ' | there weia ample supplies of blaestene at '; Melbourne and it •was rather surprising ' j that it was not mors largely used for j concrete. The use of hods on brick j buildings, which had been' abandoned j long ago in "Sew Zealand in favour of | the more up-to-date gin wheel, was still | a feature of construction work in Aus-, ■ tralia. A large amount of building was ■ in progress in Sydney, much of it con- ' j sistona: of extensive alterations to largo •! buildings. Labour was getting scarce in . j the building line in oonsequence, and to ! i meet the position builders no doubt -would j be obliged to adopt more modern labour ' saving methods. i The architecture of the modern build- . j ings in Auckland. Mr. 2Ticholh» added, : was 'nj&exicr to thai of the modern Ausi j tralian structures. A Sydney architect, \ he said, had mentioned the'maiter to him \ and he quite agreed with the opinion ex- ■ \ pressed.