ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2633, 2 December 1915, Page 3

ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

WHERE TRADES OVERLAP. There was a 6tir.in the orderly proceedings of the annual meeting of tho New Zealand Institute of Architects yesterday, consequent upon a deputation from the Master Builders' Federation, represented by Messrs. W. H. Bennett (president) and W. L. Thompson. The complaint of these gentlemen was thatsome architects were taking up the position of guarantors to their clients.'They (the architects) proposed that a certain work should be done, tenders were called, then having the advantage of tenderers' prices, the architects , procoded to do the work themselves on a percentage basis, employing sub-contrac-o's. The Master Builders' Federation avowed that that sort of thing was unprofessional" aud' "unfair practice. It was, Mr. Bennett said, useless for contractors to submit prices to architects who followed such practices. 1 was wrong for any architect, contemplating a work, to get prices and then cut expense out of the design and do the work on alO per cent, basis. There was at least, one architect in Wellington who was a kind of co.'.-.pany promoi n a^su t looking for sites, and then induced gravel and sand contractors to take up shares in the project. Then he got timber and brick , merchants to come in and so a company rj S , an d the architect 1 i it work himself. No one knew what the percentage was that he got: it might be 10, 20, or more, but no one ! knew. He hoped the institute would be able to help the builders in this matter. If they could, he was sure that the relations exiting between architects and! builders at present would be still further cemented. | Mr. W. L. Thompson bore out all that Mr. Bennett lad said. The president (Mr. W. C. Chat-field) j said that the matter would receive most careful consideration. At the same time, 1 whilst the builders were asking the architects not to compete with them, he hoped tho builders . would not compete with the architects. If the Architects' Listitute. took trouble to seo how it could help builders there should he some reciprocity. It must not be fi one-sided arrangement. There was the question of drawing plans by builders for clients, excluding the services of the properly qualified, and professional architect. That practice', he declared, was only too common. 111 fact the master builders might hear from the council of the institute on that and similar matters. In reminding tho council of the sins of its members, Mr. Bennett should not forget the sins of the builders.

'Mr. Bennett said that as far as lie knew 110 member of the Builders', Federation had drawn plans and acted as architects since the conference' between the architects and the Builders' Federation.

Mr. Warren: It was done two months ago.

Mr. Bennett: You cannot well prevent a plan being. considereiH as between builder and client; but the builders were quite clear about not competing with architects.

The president stated, that he had drawn plans for a building in Wellington. His client, however, could not make satisfactory arrangements, and at his request the plans were cut down. The work was not gone on with as far as he was concerned, nevertheless the plans were further cut down arid they were utilised in the erection of a building which stood in Willis Street to-day. There were a good many cases of that sort to bring before the master builders. Mr. Bennett remarked that in that case the plans were paid for. However, every case would be considered on its merits.- He thanked the council for hearing the views of the federation.