Our 47th Competition

Progress, Volume XII, Issue 4, 1 December 1916, Page 825

Our 47th Competition

Country School Two drawings only were sent in for this competition, viz.:—“Star” by Henry C. Critchfield, with Messrs. Anscombe and Smith of Invercargill, and “Yokel,” by Harold L. White, with Mr. A. H. White of Auckland.

As only two drawings were sent in, no prize money is payable under the Conditions of these Competitions, but we illustrate the design considered the better of the two by the judge, Mr. H. Mandeno, who kindly set this subject. His report runs as follows :

teacher's rooms each about 20ft. x 16ft. is rather unnecessary where the total number of teachers would not be above six. On the whole, "Star's" lighting is good, but the 2nd and 3rd Standard Class Room is too wide, about 24ft. or 25ft. being now considered the maximum, also this room would not get any sun at all. Another point to remember about lighting is that it should not be brought up in line with the blackboards but should rather be kept behind the pupils a little. Star's allowance of space is too generous altogether; in the public schools twelve square feet per pupil is about the maximum allowed. Star also proposed electric fans in the exhaust ducts. It is not likely that a small school like this would be able

"It is to be regretted that there is little interest shewn in this Competition, and the two competitors "Star" and "Yokel" have failed rather badly to grasp the problem in a satisfactory manner. Of the two "Star" has shewn that he has studied a good many of the details necessary to School planning, but his scheme is far too ambitious, for a Country School. I purposely gave no indication of cost, but any competitor should know that a small country school must be reasonably inexpensive. If a public school of this description is to cost £5550 our Education will become alarmingly expensive, To provide two

to get any current, otherwise his scheme of ventilation is well indicated. Star is not very happy in his elevations. His roof quite overshadows the remainder of the design and is quite out of place in a small country school. He is also rather unfortunate in his spacing of Public School; he would have been wise to cut this out. His lay out of the grounds is good, but the Sunk Gymnasium is rather unnecessary. Star's drawings are well done on the whole, his drafting is neat and he has gone to a great deal of trouble, the colouring of the elevations is however rather poor, and with pencilled lines and not hard ink to contend

with, his drawings might have been made much more pleasing. Star's is undoubtedly the better design of the two.

The Yokel has gone rather to the other extreme as regards his planning and I think for £3200 he should have been able to provide better accommodation. His rooms are too small, ten square feet, though sometimes in vogue in Public Schools, is too little. Then, too, single desks are fast coining into general use. Yokel has paid no attention to left hand lighting which is the first essential in School planning. Then, too, the proportioning of the num-