THE ARCHITECT’S TASKS.

Waikato Times, Volume 116, Issue 19460, 27 December 1934, Page 3

THE ARCHITECT’S TASKS.

VALUE TO COMMUNITY. LITTLE-KNOWN PROFESSION. The profession of the trained architect, a work that has long remained in the shadow of ignorance, received an enlightening eulogy in “Building In New Zealand," a booklet -which has been produced by the New Zealand Institute of Architects under the editorship of Mr Alan Mulgan. In Mr Mulgan, the Institute could have struck no better champion of their cause. In the readable style that has made his “home” such a delight to New. Zealanders, he turns what might easily be a very technical and uninteresting treatise into an entertaining and essentially valuable booklet. i The value of the architect to the community is stressed. The architect is a professional man who cannot advertise his ability and his worth other than by his accomplishments. Therefore the public is Inclined to regard him as a superfluity. Mr Mulgan’s booklet heartily dispels this illusion.. It is a stressed fact that the the architect is a highly trained “practical" man.

Mr Mulgan shows how the architect is not a mere planner. Tie must know how to construct and his services are revealed to cover the whole of the planning and erection of a building. Among his many requirements are such matters as the drawing up of a proper contract, the compliance with by-laws, the protection of his client by ■ adequate agreements with the contractors and the taking out of complete insurance 1 'policies. He advises on every aspect 1 of the home while it remains in its genesis. •With each chapter embellished by a host of photographs of modern homes, the booklet proceeds to analyse the functions of the architect. The design, from both the utilitarian and aesthetic standpoints, is discussed and it is emphasised that a good design costs no more. The value of sound planning is sti’essed and several instances are given where the services of an architect have rpeant much to clients oh the score of economy alone. Other phases" of the architect’s work such as tendering, supervision and settlement are dealt with in full. In conclusion Mr 'Mulgan advances the contention that the remedy fox the housing problems that are experienced in New 'Zealand lies in efficient planning and supervision and sound business method in the contract for erection. *