Architecture in America and Britain. Favourable Comparison with the Dominion. Beauty and Utility. (By a Returned Architect)

Progress, Volume IV, Issue 8, 1 June 1909, Page 281

Architecture in America and Britain. Favourable Comparison with the Dominion. Beauty and Utility. (By a Returned Architect )

In New Zealand, not only in our public buildings, but also in our business premises, great attention is paid by our architects to securing a good design to the exterior. This leads to various styles of ornamentation that make our buildings more than compare favourably in appearance with the plainer types erected in the U.S.A. and Canada, where in the majority of cases, very little time is spent in what they cons'der useless ornamentation. Their buildings with few exceptions are severely plain, and even where cornices and projections are employed, they are generally made of copper, galvanised iron or zinc, pressed or worked to various moulds and designs, and secured to the front by iron straps or wooden cleats. Whilst this is undoubtedly a cheaper method, one cannot say that it is nearly so substantial or lasting as our methods of working in concrete or plaster. And, further, after they have been up for a few years, the fronts of the buildings become stained by the action of water carrying the acids from the metal down the walls and greatly disfiguring same. In the matter of length of floors, another difference arises. An American building will, in the height which our buildings rise to secure five stories, have at least six or seven floors in the same height, the majority of their floors only rising nine feet. To this general rule, there are of course many exceptions, especially in the banking chambers and public buildings, many of which are carried out in the most elaborate styles and what one may say, simply re-

gardless of expense. The Canadian House of Parliament at Ottawa is a fine instance of this, as a finer block or series of blocks of buildings would be hard to find, and situated as they are on a high bluff overlooking the Ottawa river, they present a very fine sight indeed. In the main streets of the cities, one sees buildings of six and seven stoWes, built of stone and brick, which to the casual observer appear to be in first class condition. pulled right down and removed, and new buildings erected on more modern plans, but really when they are finished, one cannot see sufficient improvement, either in the external appearance ur in the interior convenience, to warrant the large expenditure necessary. A notable instance of this is the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Montreal, which purchased the site adjoining theirs on which stood a seven storey building; this was entirely demolished, and a new six storey one erected in its place at a cost of 450,000 dollars, and really one is tempted to believe that very little extra convenience was gained by this large expenditure. In the question of roofs, where we in New Zealand are so familiar with galvanised iron roofs, abroad they are very seldom

seen. Tiles, shingles, or, in many instances, flat roofs of ruberoid, asphalt or other like material taking its place.

Another method very generally adopted throughout Canada and the States is the brick, stone or veneered building. A rough

frame of woodwork is just erected and then 4y 2 brickwork is built outside of this, and whilst to look at them, they appear solid brick buildings, in reality they are only a shell. They appear to be very satisfactory and are well spoken of, but I hardly think they would answer in this country, what with our earthquakes and driving rains. In the matter of heating the houses, one rarely sees fireplaces, as we know them in this country. The system employed is to erect a furnace in the basement and steam is generated and carried to a system of radiators throughout the building, thus ensuring an equable temperature even in the coldest weather, but even though it keeps one warm, one seems to miss the genial warmth and cheerful appearance of our grates and fireplaces. Of course it is needless to say that in Sew York one is greatly struck with the great height of the buildings ; and with the splendid systems of lifts employed, the inconvenience of living in the top floor is greatly overcome. The method is a series of lifts in some cases as many as 24 lifts being always in operation. To the top floors they run what is called express lifts, which only stop at four floors, at say the 40 and 44, and so on with the others, thus

you can get to the top nearly as soon as you can get to the 10th floor. Of course they travel at a great rate, in fact, it is often said that if the lift should start before you properly get your feet on the floor you never catch up with it or get your footing until it stops at the bottom. In Great Britain, one is struck with the ancient and solid appearance of the majority of buildings which seem to be built to last for ever, and present a notable contrast to the American system, where they believe hi putting up a building for your present requirements, as cheap as possible, and if later you require a better one, well, pull it down and rebuild. In Canada and the U.S.A. great depression has existed in the building trades, in ir.any cities the value of works in course of progress during 1908 being only 30 per cent, of the total of 1907.