BUILDING IN SYDNEY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 800, 22 October 1929, Page 11

BUILDING IN SYDNEY

AMERICAN IDEAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED HUGE BLOCKS OF FLATS Buildings to the total value of between £5,000,000 and £6,000,000 are being built iu the city of- Sydney. Huge blocks of flats, and numbers of factories, are springing up in the suburbs. “Throughout the whole of Australia today there is a definite building programme,” said Mr. Harold W. Mclver, a prominent Sydney architect, who arrived by the Marama this morning to inspect the Temperance and General Mutual Life Association’s new building in Auckland. He said that the Auckland building was one of a chain of modern buildings which the T. and G. Association was erecting throughout Australia and New Zealand. Sydney was following closely American ideas regarding construction and equipment—probably closer than any other country In the world, said Mr. Mclver, in discussing modern buildings in Sydney. Special consideration was now given to the reconditioning of air for ventilation in the new buildings. This had a direct hearing on construction because of the humidity of Sydney’s climate. PRECEDENT ESTABLISHED The New South Wales capital had established a precedent in the use of stone, which was very costly, but made for permanence and a fine appearance. Terracotta and a synthetic stone were also largely used. These three materials were considered the most permanent by builders and architects.

Open light spaces to street fronts was another development in the construction of large modern buildings. This gave the street front an uneven appearance, allowed more window space on the street, and was altogether more attractive in the finished building. Flats were like second-hand motorears in Sydney, said Mr. Mclver. There were so many of them that any which had been built for a year or two became obsolete. However, in Sydney, there was always a demand for blocks of flats with the most modern and efficient equipment. Architects and contractors were having a busy time in other cities throughout Australia. The new town hall in Brisbane was costing £1,000,000, and another large town hall was being built at Newcastle. In Melbourne a scheme for the recommencement of a big building programme was in hand, and there were big developments In Perth. Mr. Mclver mentioned that the new T. and G. building in Auckland would be ready in’-about six months’ time.