CANBERRA “CURSE”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 340, 28 April 1928, Page 10

CANBERRA “CURSE”

SCATHING INDICTMENT ARCHITECT’S CRITICISM A. scathing indictment of work carried out at Canberra, the Federal capital of Australia, was made by Mr. Griffin, author of the original plans of town, in a lecture last week at Sydney. The harmony in the plan which he made in 1911, adopted by the Federal Parliament in 1921, had not been recognised, and the administering authorities from the beginning had violated the aesthetic social and economical principles in almost every act. The constructional works carried out had already resulted in almost prohibitive costs to the people. There had been no general realisation of the value and importance of the harmonious grouping of dwellings. The architectural ensemble of Canberra had had as scant 1 consideration as the economics of the town planning of the engineering works. All the temporary public buildings had cost within ten per cent, of the cost of the permanent buildings. The temporary expedient of Parliament House represented an expenditure of £720,000, as against £250,000 estimated for the corresponding stage of the permanent building, and of £1,000,000 total final expenditure, including the embellishments not contemplated within a generation. “This,” Mr. Griffin said, “is a Governmental instance, but the chief curse on Australian practice of architecture as well as engineering is that the overbalanced Governmental power and activities have case-hard-ened the shackles of the mediocrity on individual freedom and scope of opportunity. The particular restrictions are in arbitrary uninformed regulations of Local Governments, Works and Health Departments, and in the political fears of the administrative authorities. The general business restriction is the domination of credits by the State.”