TOWN PLANNING.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20232, 16 February 1934, Page 7

TOWN PLANNING.

Fine Exhibition of Models at the D.I.C. PROGRESS OF BUILDING. There are attractions for all tastes at the town planning and housing exhibition which opened at the D.I.C. this morning. The exhibition, which has a particular appeal for housewives, reflects great credit on the organisers, the Canterbury branch of the Town Planning Institute in conjunction with the New Zealand Institute of Architects, the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors and the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers. Every phase of town planning in New Zealand and overseas, civil engineering, surveying. garden lay-outs, architecture and furniture is covered and the organisers have succeeded in their object of showing the-people the work that is being carried out and the progress that has been made within recent years. The section devoted to models contains the Carlton Bridge and two models of the city of Christchurch showing where improvements could be effected by town planning in its truest sense. Models of Bishopscourt, the new nurses’ home, and a design for Cathedral Square, in which a collonaded effect has been given, also attract the eye. For the Housewife. The housewife’s dream is shown in a section featuring the modern town house and garden. The two-storeyed house is shown standing well back from the road. The drive is on the right and in front of the house is a large lawn complete with a sundial. In front of the lawn and on the sides are flower beds artistically laid out, and a “ crazy ” pavement leading to the garden pond. The tennis court is on the right-hand side. The vegetable garden is at the back, and the garage, which is also there, is carefully hidden behind a clump of trees. This exhibit drew praise from many people and one prominent Christchurch gardener characterised it as the finest example of a design for a modern home that he had ever seen. Another fine piece of work was the Japanese garden constructed by Mr C. H. Reece. Mr Reece said that all Japanese gardens were based on the principles of Confucius. Everything contained in them was symbolical. The tree of the upright spirit was depleted by a straight standing model, and the perfecting tree was on **n island; the tree of the setting sun cast a shadow over the lake, ■while the tree of solitude was in the quietest part of the garden. The guardian rode overlooked the garden, and also included were the visitors’ viewing rock and the finest viewing rock. A number of hooded wells and a winding bridge leading to the temple added to the quaintness of the lay-out. Pink and white lotus flowers were growing in the sheltered part of the lake. There were no lawns but plenty of moss which Mr Reece said the Japanese spent much care and time in cultivating. Mr Reece also said that the Japanese, who did not have flower gardens, were dependent on form, colour and the arrangement of rocks and trees for effect. Smatterings of colour were introduced by the water iris, wisteria and flowering cherries. School Children’s Work. A model of a house made by the composite class of the Fendalton School last year was another notable exhibit. The place has water laid on. electric light, furniture, books, pictures and people, the whole giving a very realistic effect. The latest in labour-saving houses in reinforced concrete and wood show the great strides that have been made in this direction during recent years. A student’s idea of the modern street layout showing the use made of trees, and widened streets, with the houses standing well back in the sections, made a pleasing showing. Another interesting exhibit for the women was a display of furniture by the D.1.C., showing a modern drawingroom in which furniture of differing periods was artistically arranged. The latest in automatic traffic signals was demonstrated by a small model. The system is in use in many American cities, England and Sydney. The device is electrically controlled and the bulb system in use showed how to make any city traffic control problem easy. Many of the interesting models of well-known public buildings and houses are the work of Mr W. E. Bateman. Mr Bateman builds his models from architects’ plans and no little detail escapes him. The nurses’ home and a’ model of the Nelson Cathedral are striking tributes to his standard of workmanship. There was a representative attendance at the opening of the exhibition this afternoon, the ceremony being performed by the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M-P ). The chairman of the institute (Sir Heaton Rhodes) welcomed the Mayor, who later addressed the gathering, paying a tribute to the ideals of the members of the institute.