IN EUROPE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20492, 10 March 1932, Page 4

IN EUROPE.

MODERN BUILDING. USE OF NEW MATERIALS. Mr Keith Cook, A.N.Z.1.A., of Lower Hutt, returned to New Zealand recently after a period of study iu Europe. While in London Mr Cook studied architectural design under Mr Hector Corfiats, at the University of London, and also passed the final examination of the Royal Instituto of British Architects. Mr Cook spent somo time travelling on the Continent, and was greatly impressed with the domestic architecture of. Holland and Sweden, which lie considers might well be adapted to the needs of New Zealand. "I was stfuck most of all by the enormous amount of work which has been done in Germany since the war," said Mr Cook in an interview. "Great 'housing colonies' have sprung up everywhere, particularly in and near Berlin, where they form almost a complete chain round the outskirts of the city. No half-measures have been tolerated in the removal of slum areas, which have simply been demolished as the new work was finished. Simple Style. "The style of architecture used is the simplest possible, plain white plaster surfaces predominating, with ample glass area to admit the sunlight, which all Germans worship. There is practically no ornament, but relief is obtained by the extensive use of balconies and flower-boxes, the latter invariably being well kept and bright, with red gerauiums or other gay flowers. Very often these apartment buildings are cleverly grouped round one or more large garden courtyards, screened from the road and used as playgrounds for the children. "Workmen and their families have been similarly housed in Vienna, and to some extent in Holland, though here brickwork is preferred to concrete, giving greater scope for the Dutch craftsman to display his genius. Amsterdam boasts what is practically a new city, almost entirely in brick, relieved here j and there with stonework. Even the bridges over the numerous canals and the lamps in the streets are designed to conform with the rest of the work in one of the most attractive modern styles in the world. "In Holland, middle-class people are living to a great extent in two, three, and four-family houses designed as one large house, rather than several houses joined together, each entrance having a certain individual character. The small one-family house as we know it in New Zealand seldoms appears on the Continent, except out in the country or in some of the wealthier suburbs, such as Wassenaar, near The Hague, when; there aro many beautiful homes. Beautiful Brickwork. "We come now to Northern Europe, which is far from being backward in architectural development, and find that Stockholm possesses fine housing schemes and much very beautiful brickwork. Indeed, the famous City Hall is a perfect marvel of craftsmanship, and to me the most fascinating modern building in Europe. "It was in Gothenburg', Sweden, that 1 first noticed any extensive use of timber facing, and here whole tows of houses were, very attractively treated with two upper storeys boarded vertically over a ground floor of brick or stoiie. This is a treatment which might well form an interesting variation to the weatherboards generally used in New Zealand. "Copenhagen is about to present tho world with something quite novel in the use of building material. An enormous commercial block is now being constructed in reinforced concrete, tho exterior of which will be entirely faced with sheet copper without any ornament whatever. Fortunately, copper quickly weathers there to a beautiful green, so that a pleasant natural colour effect will be obtained as a foil to the almost stark plainness of the design. Treatment of Shop-Fronts. "The treatment of shop-fronts has lately been given much study by Continental architects, and many fine examples have been produced. Paris, I think, leads the way, though very attractive shops also appear in The Hague, Amsterdam, and Nice, while even in Rome one sometimes stumbles unexpectedly on a very modern shopfront, perhaps cut into the ground floor of a fine old Renaissance town house. More and more metal work is being used, the tendency now being to reduce rather than increase the proportion of plate-glass. One very attractive design, a Parisian shoe store, is treated very simply with polished copper and aluminium sheets heavily studded, a single long narrow opening giving all the required display space. Great care is given to the. placing of advertisements aud tho shopkeepers' names, so that they form an integral part of the scheme, and do not seem thrown on as an after-thought. The letters used are often in metal, thin and very deep, generally brightly painted, while wonderful ingenuity has been displayed in the actual signwriting and in the disposition of Neon signs, <ivhich are greatly favoured. "In conclusion, 1 should like to remark on the pride which the average Continental person takes in his home, his shop, and his national architecture generally. He does not scoff at modern experimental effort, but is enthusiastic about development, and demands a qualified and competent architect to do his work."