STATE HOUSES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1939, Page 7

STATE HOUSES

DEPARTURE FROM ORTHODOX TYPE. CRITICISM OF UNUSUAL APPEARANCE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 8. A departure from the orthodox type of State house already built or under construction in many parts of New Zealand has been made in designing five of a block of nine Government homes being erected on properties fronting the Great North Road, New Lynn. Opinion is likely to be sharply divided on the appearance of the homes, which are finished in plaster, with lean-to- roofs, and are box-like in external shape, particularly when viewed from certain angles.

Strong criticism of the houses has been macle by many people who have seen them half-finished, but the completed home is infinitely more pleasing. The supplies used in the construction include sheets of greyish-black material, and as two or three of the houses have reached this stage, their appearance is definitely unaesthetic, to say the least. When plaster has been applied over this material, however, and has thus effectively hidden it, and when decorative finishing touches have been added, the structures have a greater resemblance to a house than to a gaunt shed. Even when finished, however, the unusual appearance of the houses causes comment, not all of it enthusiastic. The dwellings comprise three single-unit homes and two double-unit houses, and in the opinion of many who have seen them they suffer by comparison with four wooden homes of straight-forward design being erected in the same block. The exterior of the houses is reminiscent rather of a shop or an institution building than a private home, as there is a minimum of decoration. Windows provide the main relief from bare walls on two sides, though on the front there is brick facing that improves the appearance. The roofs, of the lean-to type, are not flat, but to the casual observer appear to be so. as little if anything of them can be seen from the road. This feature of design also adds to the unusual look of the homes.

Apart from the fact that some of the rooms are extremely small, little fault can be found with the interior of the houses. There are ample windows, giving a fresh and airy look to the rooms, and the fittings are on the same generous scale as in other State houses. In view of the shortage of homes, it is not expected that prospective tenants are likely to cavil at the unusual appearance of the new houses. One is already occupied, and another practically completed.