Building & Architecture.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 6, 1 April 1907, Page 229

Building & Architecture.

The Architectural Editor will be glad to receive suggestions or matter from those interested in this section. Address : Architectural Editor, Progress, Progress Buildings, Cuba Street, Wellington.

The additions to Profesbor Haslam's bungalow near Rangiora are m hand. Architects, S. & A Luttrell. ****** A ten-roomed residence at Kaituna valley is in course of erection for S. Nutt, Esq. Architects, S & A. Luttrell ; contractors, Rickards & Rose. ****** The new Mission School in connection with St Michael's Church, Lower Riccarton, is in course of erection. This building will seat 200 scholars. Architects, S. & A. Luttrell ; contractor, W. Jacques. The freehold of premises in High street, Christchurch, occupied by Fail's restaurant, has been purchased by Messrs. Wallace and Co. The premises are being remodelled and made an up-to-date chemist's shop. Architects, S &A. Luttrell ****** Our New Plymouth correspondent advises that there are no new buildings of any importance being commenced in the district, though as a whole the building trade is fairly active, owing to the work m connection with the large buildings of Messrs. Macky, Logan & Co., L. D. Nathan & Co , and E. Griffiths & Co., which are vigorously being proceeded with, the second stories now being up The new Technical School and Post Office are practically completed Considerable activity has been shown in the last month in the erection of cottages, and also in the building of oil derricks for the various companies about to start boring ****** The objection is often taken to the sky scraping architecture of the Americans — that it is ugly and uninteresting to a high degree. As that style of building is getting near to this country, the opinion of a distinguished architect on the subject is of special interest. Sir Aston Webb, who was over in the "Empire City" lately said without hesitation that he was delighted with what he had seen " There seems," he said, " to be so much life and energy infused into architecture by the profession. Its many-sided activities are evident, and its prospects among the sister arts m America are of the brightest. The public buildings in course of erection are most interesting " ****** A remarkable statement was made the other day by Canon Horseley, to the effect that the east end of London was a district in which nobody was ever known to take a bath. This statement has been statistically if partially corroborated to a certain extent. Speaking of the Peabody buildings a contemporary, Daily Mirror, remarks that they are certainly not a model to be followed by presentday builders. Here, for instance, is one matter showing, according to modern standards, a lamentable deficiency. At the Blackfnars-road buildings, there is accommodation for 367 families, the actual population being about 1,200. These people reside in nineteen blocks, and there is only one bath provided in each block. The use of each bath is, therefore, divided among sixty- three people ****** On the subject which the legislature of this country took a great deal of interest in last session of Parliament, the all important subject of scaffolding, the remarks published in a recent issue of the Carpenter and Builder, deserve attention. Scaffolding is one of the subjects least known by general foremen. They engage a man especially to do the work of this nature and often beyond telling them " where "and " when " they want it they leave the " how " to the scaffolders. But it is very necessary that foremen should know this particular part of their business, and the responsibility being theirs, they are advised most strongly to look more thoroughly to this subject. A good scaffold, erected by good men, gives a good appearance to a building and is a credit to the foreman and builder. It also leads to an increased quantity of work being executed m the same space of time, for the reason that a good scaffold can more easily be served with materials than a poor one, and possibly those working on it do so with a much better will, too.

" The Matron versus the Architect " is the heading of a note in the Nursing Times lamenting the disregard of architects to little practical considerations affecting the comfort of sisters and nurses. It is suggested that when new structural improvements or new hospitals are to be built the matrons should be consulted. We quite agree, but we think it will generally be found that, when the arrangements of a new hospital are defective the committee of the institution, rather than the architect, are to blame. The right sort of architect is not — as many suppose — primarily concerned with producing an imposing elevation , his first and chief concern is to meet m the best possible way the reasonable requirements of those who will occupy the building. Mr. Norman Shaw once said that what gave him most satisfaction about Scotland Yard (one of the most artistically successful of modem buildings) was that there was not a smoky chimney m the place. The architect would readily meet the hospital matron's requirements as to the disposition of rooms, &c , if these were reported to him In one respect the earthquake at Kingston seems to have been a blessing in disguise. One gathers as much from an unsavoury letter addressed by Sir J. C Browne to The Times Here is the picture he drew of the slummier parts of the big Jamaican city — " The wretched shanties tenanted by negroes of the poorest class were in the most dilapidated state, and looked as if they might topple over at any moment -without the assistance of an earthquake. They were, moreover, unsavoury and filthy to an indescribable degree Many of them were without sanitary conveniences of any kind, and from some of them the water had been cut off for non-payment of rates, a terrible deprivation in a hot climate. Under such circumstances cleanliness was impossible, and the poor people had to borrow water from their neighbours, which I saw them doing m cups and small pitcherfulls ; or to steal it, and I heard of prosecutions and penalties for the theft of this primary necessity of existence." To cut off water in a city peculiarly liable to diseases of the worst tropical kind is a thing unthinkable Apparently the only thing able to make it endurable is a damaging earthquake warranted to recur at stated intervals not too long