SOME UNFAIR CONDITIONS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2633, 2 December 1915, Page 8

SOME UNFAIR CONDITIONS

ARCHITECTURAL COMPETITIONS!

"During the two days' meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Institute ot Architects a good deal was said about architectural competitions, and tho unfair conditions that are at times attached to there. In tho coursc of his presidential address, Mr. W. C. X)hatiield said yesterday:— "A great deal has recently heen brought under tho notice of our institute in reference to the gross unfairness of promoters of competition in the framing of one-sided conditions capable of •being used in a dishonest way. A special report upon ono unsatisfactory instance is placed before you. I should like to hring under your notice a very able paper read before tho Capo Institute of Architects by l'\ K. Kendall, F.R.1.8.A., audi published in the journal of the Society ; of Architects, London, issued.in October of this year. The article bears the heading "Unfairness of Architectural Competitions." The writer says' Competitions may be classed broadly under two headings: — " '(a) Large competitions, with welldrawn conditions, professional assessors, and some assurance that the successful competitor shall carry out the work. " '(h) Small competitions/ with loose-ly-drawn conditions, no professional assessors, where the promoters undertake no obligations towards the successsful competitor as to carrying out the work. " 'Aiid we might even add to those two clauses under reference yet another to be called (c):

" '(c) AVheif competitions are invited jn loosely-drawn conditions for tho purpose of enabling promotors to give the work to an already secretly selected competitor who shall have the education and benefit of successfully picking the brains of those competitors foolish enough to send in designs under loosclydraiyn conditions. " 'Such competitors have nobody .but themselves to blame for unsatisfactory results. Members of our institute should stand loyally by its regulations governing architectural competition, severely leaving alone all competitions under conditions which do not comply v/itli tho rules of .tho institute they have undertaken by their membership to honourably' observe.' ;

"The sentiments expressed and the arguments adduced by the author of the paper rftferre dto cannot 1-ut commend alid meet with the approval of our profession, and I would ask the literary gentlemen who edit our own Institute Journal to see that the full article is published in its nest, issue that all nienibors may read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest. Also that promoters of competitions may be t-aught to realise that if they wish good results from competitions they must firsi be honourable, ifair, and just in drawing up their conditions on the lines adopted by, and with tho assistance of, our institute to gain the assured conlklenco of competitors and the success of their competition."