UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
CROSS-SECTION
Issue No 56 • June I, 1957
The proposed University training for builders (C-S Aug '55) was commended & urged by the federal president of the Aust'n Inst of Builders, Mr G A Winwood, during speeches in Perth & in Canberra.
Joern Utzon decided to delay his projected visit to Aust until the air is cleared about the future of Syd's Opera House. Prem'er Cahill's suggestion of using lotteries to raise the money was added to the many other ideas, & the cry of "houses before thea- tres" was modified sensibly by a conference of ALP women-members who vofed "homes as well as the OnP•a ".
Since Mr Walter Bunning was awarded £1000 prize in 1946 for Anzac House, Syd the site has been changed (Martin place to College.st) & many modi- fications of design occurred. But this, the completed
£370 000 b'dq was opened, on Anzac Day, after 2 yrs
of building. The murals in the lobbies are the work of Mr Douglas Annand, of glass, gold paint & alum'n mesh. The bldg consists of basement meeting hall &
cloakrms, grd fir auditorium & memorial hall, 4 firs of official suites & offices, a roof garden & above it a lunch room. The exposed frame is expensively clad in buff travertine, & behind it balconies run. Spandrels are of black tiles. The interior is rich in elegant materials: marble, Bavarian glass, maple, walnut &
silver ash, mosaic tiles. Furniture was specially de- signed. Yet with all the lavish finish, restraint reigns.
Only the side tower (aiming to exclude a view of a neighbour) is an unwelcome cliche. (Bunning &
Madden, arch'ts; Crooks, Michell & Peacock, struct eng'eers; Julius Poole & Gibson, meth eng'eers; H W Thompson Ltd, bldrs)
1Í Melb Univ Arch'ture School welcomed a guest professor for 1957, Prof Zdenko Striz'c, of Zagreb, Yugoslavia. He will assist senior students in design work, & in town planning. He is German-trained, winner of several arch.] competitions.
This is the new Elim bldg to accommodate 750 under- graduate nurses of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Syd.
Each bedrm is for I nurse, there is a ballroom, theatre & lounges. (Stephenson & Turner, arch'ts; S T Eastment & Sons, bldrs)
IT In his just published book, "Sydney's Great Experi- ment", Prof Denis Winston provides both explanations
& criticism of the Cumberland County Plan. In ex- plaining it, he argues that Sydney is such a magnet by virtue of its attractiveness, that pop'n is bound to grow & grow, but that if it grows without a plan its attractiveness will be lost. While criticising it he em- phasises the need for much greater attention to areas beyond the Green Belt. The book is handsome and persuasive. As Prof Winston says, it should have been written earlier, because the affections of the people involved are so vital, & not to be gained by charts
& ordinances. (Angus & Robertson, Syd, 37/6) jj Melb City C moved to make softer conditions of lease for several industries (& a Com'Ith Gov+ dept) which occupy a 37-acre site earmarked as parkland.
It is known as Debney's Paddock, near Flemington- rd. Then, embarrassed at the violence of local public protest & an immense press publicity, the Council agreed to a Govt inquiry. The terms of the inquiry ask the investigator (Dr E G Coppel, Q C) to sug- gest the land's proper future use. (already specified once by the Council & once by the Melb Master Plan).
IT Prof Wm Holford, town planner from London Univ visits Canberra this month. He has been appointed to advise on the future of Canberra's layout. Even some of Prof Holford's friends (he has many in this country) wonder why no Aust'n could be found for this task.
This new city terminal bldg for Aust'n Nat'l Airways was opened in Canberra. It includes garage space for travellers' cars. (H Garnet Alsop & partners, arch'ts; S D C Kennedy & Bird, bldrs)
Syd arch't Mr Harry Seidler held an exhib'n of photographs of his work, at the Macquarie Galleries.
This event highlights how rare it is in Aust for an arch't to exhibit his own work. Perhaps this is the first time it has been done. One fine outcome was that newspaper critics wrote analytically about the work on show, whereas the normal building pages of our press are (like their motoring counterparts) little but reporting & free advertising. From the Syd Morn'g Herald: "clear thinking, unencumbered by tradi- tions ... now and again the strong forms become lost in cliches ... the main value of Seidler's work is the impact on local authorities, who tend to become so inflexible". If exhib'ns are to become popular it will be essential lo have a body of architectural critics, however, & not let arch'ture be treated as art alone. Also, visits to bldgs are superior to photo- graphic shows, though not always practicable.
IT As part of a public protest against zoning for industral uses McMahon's Pt, Nth Syd, 5 arch'ts are designing a project to show how splendidly it could be developed with housing. They are Messrs Harry Seidler, Lyall Dunlap, H Howard, P Jackson & R Fitzhardinge.
1st section of a 10 classrm Christian Brothers College at Toowoomba, Q'land, this bldg was completed, for
£35,000. Besides 5 classrms, it contains a chapel, 2 science-rms & a tuck shop. The roof is a steel decking exposed to the interior, covered with asbestos felt, the top one impregnated with alum'n powder. (Durack
& Brammer, arch'ts; P J Gabbett, bldr)
This model of an all-plastic house was on show at Melb's annual Ideal Homes Exhib'n (Monsanto Chemicals Ltd )/A demonstration house using CSR products was opened, on the Princes-highway, Kirrawee, NSW. (Mack & Leary, arch'ts)/In Hamilton, New Zealand, a Parade of houses was opened. Each by a d;fferent builder to demonstrate his ideas, on land allotted for this purpose by the City's Council. A similar Parade is open in Auckland, NZ./ A demonstra- tion house built of James Hardie asbestos cement products was designed by Syd arch'ts Messrs Bald- winson, Booth & Peters, for exhibition at Syd's annual Royal Show.
jj Syd Tech College's 1st school higher than 2 storeys is being built. It has 5 storeys, faces Harris-st Ultimo.
(NSW Govt arch't; FCW Powell & Son Ltd, bldrs)
This Anglican church of St Matthew in Townsville, Q'land, was opened.
It is pointedly independent of irrelevant influence, old or overseas. The design had the enthusiastic sup- port of North gland's Bishop, & generous praise from Archbishop Halse, so it should not remain an isolated example. The church seats 200; its 83-ft spire is aluminium. (Ford, Hutton & Newell, Brisb, arch'ts).
A steep roof pitch was also used for this Roman Catholic church at Parndana, Kangaroo Island, SA.
(Muirhead, Thompson & Assoc"ates, arch'ts), & this curiously similar design is being used in Tamaki, New
Zealand. It is a new church alongside a ruined Church of St Thomas built in 1840. (Markbrown & Fairhead, arch'ts)
Cr Hope, of Kew Council, Melb, is a giant of a man. Debating a proposal to permit 8-ft ceiling heights in houses he said "This is ridiculously low.
The next thing they'll come down to 7-ft, & we'll be walking about with round shoulders."/ In Syd an RAIA com'tee sought reduction of the permissible minimum from 9-ft to 8 ft. They quoted the Com'Ith Exp'tal Bldg St'n's conclusion that +here is no evidence to suggest harm to health in a low ceiling, & several points in favour. They also quoted other states &
countries where lower ceilings are used. But in reply the Dept of Local Govt refused the proposal because the Health Dept "expressed the view that the gen- erally temperate climate of NSW seemed to be best suited to the existing min height of 9-ft." Such mat- ters should not be at the mercy of expressions of opinion. If there is good reason to permit low ceilings then those who desire to have low ceilings must be told how health could be affected (or shoulders rounded). The CEBS was created as public adviser on bldg matters, costs us money to run, & its con- clusions have hitherto been reliable.
If Mr E R Gallop, Chairman, NSW Hous'g Com'n publicly stated "Although the Government has ex- perimental stations we have seen very little result from them but we have had tremendous help from interests like the C S.R." It is little wonder that Colonial Sugar Refining Co Ltd include this statement in a publicity pamphlet reporting the opening of the C S R demonstration house.
If 4 months of earth-moving began at Wes+ Beach, SA, for the Housing Trust. From 15 acres of a recreation reserve 300,000 cub yds of sand will be moved, to fill housing estate land at Henley Beach Sth.
This is the completed Begot House, Adelaide. It is on North-terr, the gracious frontal fringe of Adelaide's tidy centre, a frontier against the brave new world beyond & a mask to hide the world of business in behind. (Wood, Bagot, Laybourne Smith & Irwin, arch'ts; Hansen & Yuncken, bldrs)
Despite localised atrophies WA is sharing in the general Austr'n building rush. Nineteen important city bldgs in progress will cost £7m. This, the first com- pleted, is the offices of the State Gov't Insurance.
It has I I firs & basement, on a 50 ft front, 10,000 sq ft car parking. Concrete encased steel frame.
(Hobbs, Winning & Leighton, arch'ts; PWD con- structed; £450,000)
T1 Mr R J Nurse, described in May C-S as the Master B!dr's Fed'n new executive director, is in fact its President. The Executive Director is Mr L R Dudley.
Our apologies to the gentlemen.
¶ Mt Isa Mines Ltd cancelled major contracts worth
£2m with Utah Constr'n Ltd & is having the jobs (300 houses, a 10,000,000 gal dam & others) done under its own organisation. Some works are being curtailed, but not housing; public tenders were called for 152 more (Ford, Hutton & Newell, arch'ts, Townsville).
IT There have been many who announced that they would be firs+ to use lift slab constr'n method in Aust. The honours have now gone to a 3-storey office block at Lidcombe, NSW, for Messrs Behr-Manning Ltd, where the 3 floors each 5,800 sq ft, were poured
& lifted in 6 weeks. Walls were poured continuously in forms rising 10 inches per hour. (Lemont, Niblett
& Daubney, arch'ts; K A Bond, struct eng'eer) if SA's Small Homes Service awarded prizes in a small- house competition among arch'ts. To Mr V Tolcher went the 1st prize, a prize for the best brick house,
& a prize for the best kitchen.
This floor's a
GOOD SAILOR!
It's a modern ship, the
"Koojarra," air - conditioned throughout and a credit to our own thriving ship building in- dustry. Built in Newcastle for service on our North-west coast, she's the last word in shipboard comfort, right down to the floor — and sea-going floors are a knotty problem.
Rivets, rust, shoes and salt, take their toll, and the fact that Dunlop floors were laid throughout, 1,197 yards of it, is evidence of the high standard of materials demanded.
Dunlop manufactured and installed quite a variety.
Fleximer underlay was used throughout to provide a level, resilient base for the decorative floorings. Of these Rubber Tiles were used in Public Rooms, Passageways and Cabins to provide luxurious quiet- ness and beauty, whilst in all Crew Quarters, Dunlop Vinyl Tiles were installed for practical hard wear, easy maintenance and most attractive appearance.
All of which goes to show that you don't have to be on terra-firma to get good floors. Whether your floors float, fly or stay at home, they'll stay good for longer if they are Dunlop.
Dunlop rubber stair treads and raisers add beauty and practical charm to this stairway on the " Koojarra. "
The " Koojarra " dining saloon shines gaily with Dunlop Rubber tiles. (Right)
MELBOURNE: DUNLOP FLOORINGS PTY. LIMITED. 96 FLINDERS STREET. PHONE MF0371.
SYDNEY: DUNLOP RUBBER AUSTRALIA LIMITED, 27-33 WENTWORTH AVENUE. PHONE B 0969. ADELAIDE: THE DUNLOP FLOORING CENTRE. 131-133 PIRIE STREET. PHONE W 1647.
BRISBANE: DUNLOP RUBBER AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CENTENARY PLACE. PHONE FA 0271
PERTH: DUNLOP RUBBER AUSTRALIA LIMITED. 424 MURRAY STREET. PHONE BA 8141.
HOBART: DUNLOP RUBBER AUSTRALIA LIMITED, 27 ARGYLE STREET PHONE B 6581. LAUNCESTON: 19 PATERSON STREET. PHONE 8 2067.
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