THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1092, 3 April 1911, Page 6

THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS.

DESIGNS AND CONDITIONS.. CRITICISED BY ARCHITECTS. A DEPUTATION TO THE HON. E. M'ICENZIE. (By Telegraph .-Press Association.) Christchurch, April 2. A deputation of Christchurch architects waited on the Hor;. E. M'Konzie relative to the designs and conditions regarding the nev Parliamentary Buildings. Mr. S. Hurst Seager said tho deputation was supported by the united action ot the whole of tho New Zealand Institute of Architects, and represented tho institute as much as it could be represented in a. single town, and tho views expressed had been expressed by all branches ot the institute m New Zealand, -lie appreciated tiie lact that the Government nad seen its way to place a wort of ii , t -' oll 'Pe»'-ion. Tiie New Zealand instuute Jiau adopted tne latest coinpetition conditions oi me Institute of British Architects, and tne New Zealand lustiti'lo hoped theso would form tne basis ol the conditions tor competitive designs for tho Parliamentary Buildin«s, as all members of tho Uritish Institute wero in honour l.ound not to compete unless tho conditions conformed'to tuo=e referred to. Tho Minister said he could inform tho deputation at once that tho Government dicl not intend to consult tho British Institute, and was njt concerned about it in tho slightest deg^e. Mr. Seager said unless tho conditions coniorined to some extent to those of the British Institute a great many architects who wero members of the British Institute, now practising in New Zealand, would be shut out.

lho Minister said he did not propose to ioJlo-v the first clause of the British conditions providing for the appointment or ono or more professional assessors. An assessor was not called in till the designs were in.

Mr. feeager said if this course was followed the assessor would be unable to answer questions asked by competitors, and ho would be unablo to express tho views of the promoters. The _ Minister said if the Government had intended that British architects should compete they would have advertised in Great Britain and Australia, but tney had reserved the competition en-' tiroly for New Zealand. Mr Seagar said tho assessors would be unabh to inform the competitors if departures from what was in tho minds of tlio promoters would bo acceptable. In a way he was a referee. 'P lt > Minister said he did not intend to alter Uie provision regarding tho assessor, ihe Government intended bringing a man from outside to make tho award, and not to bring him till tho designs were it. If competitors asked the assessor to answer questions they might as well ask- him to design the building. 110 much preferred to leave tho architects to their own design. Jlr. Seager, in a communication to the Department, had stated that the amount of money allowed was insufficient. The Government pointed put that .£IOO,OOO was allowed for the Wellington Post Office, while only .£IIO,OOO was allowed for this much larger work. B

Ihe Jlimster said he had given the plan of the site, the amount of money, and a certain number of rooms,' and the competitors woull hav> to design the rooms as the mono? allowed them. Tho size of tlio rooms depended on the amount of money allowed for the building. Tho assessor would make an independent reRort, which would be placed" beforo a committee of Parliament. Regarding the size of the Chamber, he said he could ;only give a personal opinion. Allowance would have io bo made for the increase of population and increase of members, lhey could arrango to leavo room between every two members for another member, so that the Chamber ultimately woulci hold 150.. They would have to e.\wciso their, own ingenuity as to tho sizo of thn public gallery. Jlr. Taylor, Jl.p:,. remarked that tho conditions must bo dreadfully vague to leave that to the architects. Mr. Seager said, in reply to a question as to the architects' requirements, that approximate areas were invariably given, also whether certain rooms were to be upstairs or downstairs. Ho also asked that drawings be on a one-sixteenth scale instead of. one-eighth. Tho Minister said ho might bo able to ac if c. "quest re scale drawings. Jlr. Seager asked that the designs should be accompanied by a statement bv tho competitor that the design was his own, and that tht plans had been prepared in his own office by his own staff, otherwise the desire to restrict competition to New Zealand architects might he frustrated. He also considered it unfair that civil servants should be allowed to be competitors, as they knew tho mind of tho Government more fully than other competitors.

The Minister pointed out that there wen Government architects in Auckland nnd AVellington. There was nothing Jlr Campbell (the Government Architect) knew that the Jlinister was unwilling.to tell anyone.

Jfr. Seager said he had inspected the site, and did not consider it" tho most desirable, as the building would have to be erected over a gully, and on this account ■ tho expense would be enormous. A _ long discussion ensued, tho Jlinister stating that no other site than the one selected would hn considered, and there was no chanro nf an alternative scheme being accepted, but there was no objection to such a. scheme being forwarded. As to the rfiqii?Bt fnr extension of (imp, he said ho would place the deputation's representations before the Cabinet and a reply would be given this week.