Issue No. 174 - digitised-collections.unimelb.edu.au

Issue No. 174

Photo: David Moore.

This is a model of the N.S.W. Institute of Technology, for which tenders will be called in August this year. Sited along Broadway, between Harris Street and Jones Street, this complex should be a fine contribution both to the skyline and at ground level. In a sleazy area of inconsistent scale and chaotic forms, this massive statement will carry weight for many years. N.S.W. Govt Archt (Michael Dysart, design); working drawings by Gordon Jenkins & Associates. ¶ C-S has not refrained from commenting on the Syd-ney Opera (?) House through any sense of intimidation or error but simply for the fact that between writing and publication is a time lag, during which the situa-tion always seems to change, and at the time of writ-ing, it was still undecided what the Opera House is for! Pinter could perhaps write a play about it all, to be performed on opening night.

The cunning hexagonal plan of this house for a middle-aged couple at Bendigo (Vic.) accommodates two polygonal wedges of living rooms (one winter aspect, one summer), two bedrooms, a central bath-room and W.C., and a kitchen which faces north and to a view over the top to the carport. Construction: clinker brick with charcoal mortar, bagged internally. Floors carpet and cork tiles. Timber roof framing and secondhand slate roof. Area 17 squares, cost $24,000. Whitford & Peck, archts. Irwin Johnston & Breedon, engrs. Sherman and Holland, bldrs.

April 1, 1967

Two houses in Brisbane whose form stems from re-search carried out at Qid. University's Dept. of Archi-tecture. The need for cross ventilation and warm air egress at roof level in Brisbane's hot humid climate prompted the "section" of these two houses. The marked roof accent on the Southern aspect provides the housing for 'Colt' ventilators which evacuate warm air from the major rooms orientated as they are to the North and the prevailing breeze. This example of co-operation between the University and practising archi-tects is something that should be encouraged. Perhaps a regular report to the profession re University re-search and developments by way of "Architecture in Australia" could be implemented. This could remove the 'Ivory Tower' image which some quite wrongly attach to University Architectural Schools. House at Gower Street, Taringa (top photo). House at Jimba Street, Indooroopilly (lower photo). Architect for both houses was John Dalton. ¶ The 4th International Congress of the International Council for Building Research Studies and Documen-tation (CIB) will be held in North America (Ottawa, Canada & Washington U.S.A.) from 7 October to 16 October 1968. Theme "World Building '68—Cost and Quality". Enquiries: The Secretary, 4th CIB Congress, c/- National Research Council, Ottawa, Canada.

Photos: David Moore.

Warringah Shire Library, Dee Why, N.S.W., is the be-ginnings of a civic centre on the rocky plateau above Dee Why. Steps and ramps connect the three levels internally and externally provide approaches which make the most of the special qualities of the site. The choice of materials too; manganese bricks, exposed aggregate panels and bronze decking; harmonises with the great sandstone rocks of this locality. Internally, the structure seems complicated, especially at roof lights, but the external forms produced are simple and vigorous. Obviously, the building has been designed with tender and loving care, although occasionally the careful detailing falls foul of itself where steel and plaster finish flush into one another. The steep sky-lights are over the book stack areas and the "wrap-around" concrete panel wall encloses the main read-ing space. Cost $160,000. (inc. archt designed furnish-ings). Edwards Madigan & Torzillo, archts. Consul-tants: Miller, Milston & Ferris, structural; Norman & Addicoat, elec. and mech. W. A. Grant & Son Pty Ltd, bldr. If Erratum: Mechanical & electrical engineers for the new Union, U of Melb (C-S No. 173, March '67) are W. E. Bassett & Partners, not Kuttner, Collins, Bligh & Partners. If Edward Paul Hopkins, a U of M Arch. graduate, has been granted a Japanese Government scholarship to study Japanese architecture at post-graduate Univer-sity level in Kyoto. ¶ Mr. McMahon, Federal Treasurer, at his opening a new office block in Sydney: "I don't know any place in the world where there are substantially better buildings than in Australia, except perhaps in Washington". The Australians ate the fruit of the cherry tree, and it was good. if A scheme to landscape 100 acres beside the Yarra-Yarra has been undertaken by Heidelberg City Coun-cil. The project will include a model boat pond, caravan park, picnic areas, canoe creek, oval and swimming holes. Children in an "adventure play-ground" will be permitted to give free reign to imagina-tive recreation — build something, dig, climb the trees. With so many "Keep off the Grass" parks and grounds equipped for predetermined games such as footie, clawing over a resurrected steamroller and Jungle Jimming this scheme commends itself to our memory of inventive play. Architect and town planner—Grahame Shaw of Earle, Shaw & Partners.

¶ 1966 Census figures are available and most Aus-tralian dailies have argued decentralisation as a rem-edy to what they see as crushed cities being positively squashed by 1990 or 2000 or 2001. Melbourne and Sydney may have 5 million populations by that time. Given that the scale of possible development is under-stood (C-S Feb. 1967: J. Bayly's A.N.Z.A.A.S. address) the challenge of the statistics is exciting. 60% of the population lives in nine cities. On present trends, 66% will, within 25 years. Ten years ago 5% of new dwellings were flats; now, about 25-30% and probably 40% in Melbourne and Sydney. In five years Mel-bourne has extended its developed area 12.29%, Sydney 10.25%. Additional sewerage services for Melbourne at this rate of spread will cost about $100 million to the year 2000, additional water storage ser-vices about the same. Assuming that this sort of money should be spent in another place, and that the status quo of an enormous village existence (as Robin Boyd has labelled Melbourne) be retained, decentral-ised new towns is perhaps the answer. Alternatively, if the escalation of big-city life and values is accepted, more and more analysis and solution confront the planner, architect and builder. The defined area and nature of performance of these professions may even be in jeopardy. ¶ The A.N.T.A. and B.O.A.C. dangled the Pacific before British and U.S.A. travel writers in March. They were particularly contemptuous of "Little Miamis" like the Gold Coast. "Knock the Gold Coast off your must-see list—every country has its American facsimile like that. Tourism equals people — and fauna and flora and unique sights. We want comfort, sure, but we want discovery, too. Give us camera safaris. Give us koalas we can surprise in their natural settings. Get moving with national parks like Kruger and Yellowstone, and let us meet open, frank people in comfortable resorts outback and in Central Australia". Man, like air-conditioned Pioneers. But apart from a beautiful har-bour, "garden city" and sometimes discovered charm or brashness, what uniqueness in appearance or quality of life do cities here offer the stranger or the inhabitant? The A.N.T.A. recently commissioned a re-port which, amongst other things, said that what we really needed was a floating, Chinese Junk restaurant on Sydney Harbour.

Photo: John Simpson.

The paved forecourt, with walls and fountain, the definitely exposed concrete structure, and the strong horizontally emphasised balconies give the Govern-ment offices at Albury, N.S.W., an architectural quality akin to some recent Japanese work, but thankfully avoids the worst excesses of hectic form-grasping that too often characterise the "Metabolist" school. Ma-terials: in-situ and pre-cast concrete. Cost $400,000. N.S.W. Govt. Architect (David Turner, design archt.); working drawings: Edwards Madigan, Torzillo & Part-ners. Consultants: Miller Milston & Ferris, structural. McDougall Ireland P/L, bldrs.

¶ Joseph Auto-Hot Pty Ltd has commenced a ten-year programme of $600 prizes to the best final year student in architecture at both the U of Sydney and U of N.S.W. First recipients were Miss E. Harris of Sydney and Mr. L. Hegvold of N.S.W. Mr Davis Hughes pre-sented the prizes on behalf of Joseph. ¶ Victorian Premier, Sir Henry Bolte: We could start the underground railway in Melbourne (mooted 42 years ago) by allocating $2 or $3 million and start digging a few holes. My Government would not start anything like that. We don't want any opera house here. We want to know we can finish it". $70 million is the present estimated cost. ("Der Rosen Kavalier" below Bourke St, Metro, then?) ¶ Adelaide C.C. has approved a fountain design for Victoria Square commemorating the Royal Visit of 1963. Designer John Dowie will depict three rivers of S.A. with an aboriginal figure with ibis representing the Murray, the Torrens by a woman and a black swan, and the Onkaparinga by another woman with another bird, a heron. ¶ The 9th Conference of the Building Science Forum (Northern Division) will be held at the New Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, on 6th-7th June, 1967, on "Regulations for Building". Further details from Mrs. J. Stafford, Building Science Forum of Australia, 1 King Street, Newtown, N.S.W. ¶ Australian Architecture Students' Association Con-vention in Brisbane from May 20-27 this year has as its theme "City Synthesis" and is concerned generally with the city — its nature, development and redevelop-ment, and in particular, the effect of the city on the sociological structure of both the community and the individuals within the community. While aspects of the theme will no doubt be treated generally by the principal lectures of the convention, the subject matter will have particular relevance to the piecemeal, hap-hazard development Brisbane is experiencing at the present time. Registrations for the Convention: John Davis, Commonwealth Dept. of Works, 30 Creek St., Brisbane. Visiting speakers will include: Tony Gwilliam — an architect from Great Britain who has written a great deal of "Design Decade" material with which Buckminster Fuller is closely connected. He is ex-tremely active in convention and seminar activities amongst architects and students in Great Britain. He has written many articles for overseas magazines in-cluding "The Evolution of Human Settlement", an article which reveals his basic understanding of socio-logical patterns. Gio Ponti from Italy—author of "In Praise of Architecture" and amongst a million other things, designer of the Pirelli Building in Milan and editor of "Domus". Stefan Wewerka from West Ger-many who, in the words of Alison and Peter Smithson, "knows all about cities". Paul Ritter, from Western Australia, will also be present. An invitation has been sent to Professor Marshal McLuhan, Professor of Sociology at Toronto University, whose book, "Under-standing Media; the Extensions of Man" is a must for all architects and students concerned with tomorrow's designed environment. Work sessions for the conven-tion will be held in the morning, followed by informal seminars (combined with lunch) at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Public lectures will be held on two nights at the beginning of the week. A feature of the social programme for the week will be the Interstate "Archie's" Revue which will be for one night only. The Australian Gas Association has again generously sponsored a Design Competition in conjunction with the convention. The aim of the competition will be "To design a variable system of high density accom-modation for a subneighbourhood of 25 people in a number of families within a large housing project. The project will be of mixed high rise, low rise and ground level development". Since the R.A.I.A. convention "Facing Facts" follows the A.A.S.A. convention, many architects from all States attending the Institute con-vention should make their trip a week earlier. The students must be credited with superb preliminary organisation. How many speakers of international calibre will the R.A.I.A. convention "Facing Facts" have?

Photo: David Moore.

Bega Valley Country Council Admin. Bldg, Bega, N.S.W. The architects, Edwards Madigan Torzillo & Partners, were instructed to design a building which "should be restrained and dignified and enhance the town's de-velopment", and this requirement seems well achieved. Only the inclined sunbreaker at the head of set-back windows seems to have marginal justification for its presence as a separate element. Construction: r. conc. on conc. piles on the originally swampy site. Precast conc. exposed aggregate panels, plastic coated steel windows and doors. Aluminium roof deck. Cost $400,000. Air conditioned. Interior finishes — carpets, ceilings, partitions, built-in steel furniture were sub-contracted to a single firm — Co-ordinated Design & Supply. Consultants: Miller Milston & Ferris, structural; D. S. Thomas & Partners, elec. & mech. J. P. Cor-dukes P/L, bldr.

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Library Digitised Collections

Title:

Cross-Section [1967]

Date:

1967

Persistent Link:

http://hdl.handle.net/11343/24061

File Description:

Cross-Section, Apr 1967 (no. 174)