Issue No 64 February, 1958 In 1959 a World Trade Fair, Melb, will be housed in the Exhibition Buildings, built for a similar purpose 78 years ago.
¶ One of the places to be visited by the Queen Mother, during her Aust'n tour this month, is the War Memorial at Canberra. There she will see the 13,000 sq ft of glass mosaic which has been applied to walls & dome during the post-war years. Just now completed, this vast design exceeds in size the glass mosaics of St Mark's, Venice, & is the largest in the world. (Napier Waller, artist)
¶ In Geelong, Vic, a mural by Melb artist Charles Bush covers the rear wall of the banking chamber in the new 5-storey, premises of the State Savings Bank.
¶ Using revenue from parking meters, Brisbane City C will hav3 a £--m, 860-car, 5-level parking station built in Wickham Park.
Messrs Bates, Smart & McCutcheon (in reality, by the way, Messrs McCutcheon, Ralton, Pearce, Gardiner, Bates & Associates) moved into this their own new premises, No 366 St-Kilda-rd, Melb. There are a few Australian arch'ts who occupy their own exclusive building, & a very few who have a purpose-built building, but there is none other with such a lavish building, for here is 14,650 sq ft of fully air-con- ditioned, brightly-lit, quiet & supremely orderly floor- space, with a caretaker's flat & with parking, under- neath, for 36 cars.
This factory is that of Charles McDonald Ltd (manu- facturing chemists) & is at Caringbah, suburb of Sydney. (Louis S Robertson & Son, arch'ts; F E Hardy, bldr; £46,000, taking 6 months to build.)
¶ 5000 Aust'n women were measured & their average height is 5ft 3 f ins. Should arch'ts or builders be interested in statistics other than height they should contact Dr H O Lancaster at Syd Univ's School of Public Health.
This office building is for Townson & Mercer Holdings Ltd, distributors of scientific apparatus & chemicals,
& is at Lane Cove, Syd. The west side seen here, is an all glass wall screened by external louvres, & this has resulted in satisfactory heat-protection & very pleasant light. The bldg took 16 weeks to complete.
(Edwards, Madigan & Torzillo, arch'ts; Macdonald, Wagner & Priddle, struct eng'eers; Ashman & Hart Ltd, bldrs)
One of the few other new, arch't-owned offices is this in Adelaide, the premises of Mr Bevan Ruft.
It is in Wakefield-st, a few doors from the parkland ring, replacing a dilapidated cottage. In an effort to keep cool without expensive egip't Mr Ruff has insulated all ceilings, painted the roof white & in- stalled water sprays at the ridge. It is 14 squares, cost
£4000. (Marshall & Brougham Ltd, bldrs)
¶ Mr. Harcourt Long, Melb arch't & town planner, was appointed Acting Deputy Commissioner of Planning for Western Australia & will take up his position in Perth next month. His wife was, until recently, librarian at Melb Univ architecture school.
¶ A bridge neared completion across the Manning river, NSW, which spans 570-ft with 6 spans of con- tinuous prestressed girders. Each span was poured in situ on a temporary truss, into formwork of plastic coated plywood, and stressed. The cables of each span were joined with threaded stubs as the bridge grew. (E S Clementson Ltd successfully tendered on a design - constr'n basis, with Crooks, Michell &
Peacock as consulting engineers)
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In Townsville, Q'land, these premises for Bearing Service Co were completed. (Ford, Hutton & Newe:l, arch'ts)
91 A 6-months option over the right to roof the railway yards at Jolimont, next to MeIb's city centre, was granted to a group of Aust'n businessmen. This could be just another in a line of potential developers who sought & later side-stepped such a privilege (see C-S Feb '55 and March '57)./The option for the Eastern Market site (PAA etc, C-S May '57) was forfeited./At last a tender was accepted by Melb C C for developing the Western Mar+ ... from a group of Me'b & Syd businessmen, incl Mr E S Clementson, builder.
At Artarmon, NSW, this factory was occupied by Interstate Rubber Co: 20,000 sq ft costing 2200 per square, completed over 6 months. Willoughby Council insisted upon the brick front, 'returns' & a parapet,
& on bricks everywhere else below sill height. (Ed- wards, Madigan & Torzillo, arch'ts; S E Sanders, bldrs)
¶
Two companies were formed in Melb aiming to finance big building projects near the airport at Essendon. One is hoping to cater for airport users:Hotel International Ltd, a 2285,000 hotel on a 12-acre site which is planned to have also a drive-in shopping centre (Clive V Tyers, arch'+). The other has its eye on a slice of the green belt, 5 miles beyond Essendon,
& proposes to build a satellite town with 10,000 houses; it is Stanhill Holdings Ltd... . it has not yet gained permission from M&MBW town planners.
¶ Syd arch't Wm Chapple proposed reclaiming Cir.
cular Quay for city expansion.
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Recognisable as a close architectural relative of the George Wills & Co bldg (C-S July '57), also designed by Messrs Summerhayes & Assoc'tes, this new office block is on Stirling-highway North Fre- mantle. An adjacent factory will now be built. For
£25,700 Stewarts & Lloyds Ltd have gained a very neat, 4,205 sq ft office space, a small car park &
some landscaping. (Hartnett & Horner, bldrs)
¶
The idea of architectural design being sought by competition is increasing in popularity, but still does not appeal to Australians as often as it well could.The most recently announced: for the Council of Redcliffe, Q'land, a £75,000 community hall, details available this month or next.
¶ Increasingly self-conscious about their city's future role as a brother business centre, North Sydney Council plans a Civic Centre. An architectural comp'n was con- sidered, but the Council's own staff seems likely to tackle the task.
IT
A Town Plan is being prepared for Woollahra Council, Syd, whose area includes the well-known suburbs of Vaucluse, Rose Bay, Bellevue Hill, Point Piper, Darling Point & Double Bay. Consultant planner is Mr Harold Smith.¶ Melb's "Peninsular" area is also coming substantially under interim control . Flinders shire appointed as planners Messrs Haskin & Davy, Melb eng'eers, &
applied for an IDO, both Frankston-Hastings & Morn ington are using it already.
¶ In the Supreme Court, Melb, a migrant failed in an appeal against the Architects' Registration Board, which had refused to recognise his particular, German, diploma. Mr Justice Pape ruled that the Board had made its ruling in a proper manner and that the question of whether the particular diploma is recog- nisable should not be considered by a judge.
¶
The 2nd case before an Adelaide court of an un- registered man using the word arch't (C-S Oct '57) re- sulted in his conviction & a fine of £5 plus £31-19 costs.It was rumoured that this house (in Moonga-rd, Toorak, Melb) might someday be nominated for preservation by the National Trust. But by then its age, if not its quality, might be obscure. So here is a photo of it, currently under constr'n, with the archi- tects' names displayed: Yuncken, Freeman Bros, Griffiths
& Simpson.
¶ The pop'n of Bundaberg, Q'land's 8th-largest cify, is increasing above its 22,000 by 1000 a year. Melb arch'ts Leith, Bartlett & partners, have designed a civic centre, with council chambers, hall & welfare centre.
It also is spending: £107,000 for an abattoir, £30,000 for a fire station, 1£25,000 for a swimming pool.
This is the elaborate Infant Welfare Centre being built in South Perth for the Alexandra Home Com- mittee (C-S Dec '57: Duncan, Stephen & Mercer, arch'ts; P T Murphy Ltd, bldrs)
¶ The W A Hous'g Com'n let a £126,000 contract to Messrs Sloan Constr'n Ltd, for 7 3-storey blocks of flats in Hay-st, West Perth.
In November 1954 (C-S No 25) we surveyed major power production works under constr'n. In NSW the following four now join them:
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vUlan Power Station, brought into operation in 1957 and officially opened by the Premier on November 8.
The station is 25 miles from Mudgee and was designed by Messrs Donoghue and Carter, Consulting Engineers.
Synchronous condenser building at the Electricity Commission's Carlingford Substation Sydney. It will house four synchronous condenser units (one of which is in operation) for the stabilization of voltage in the Sydney-Metropolitan area. Designed by the Com- mission.
Hume Power Station, on the Murray River near Albury NSW, where two hydro electricgenerating units were brought into operation in 1957. The com- plete building and civil works were designed by Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners, UK; construction by the NSW Dept of Public Works.
Architects frequently contact the editors of Cross- Section about cost figures quoted for new buildings, anxious for more details. I+ is usually true that the round-figure, supposedly-all-inclusive sum which we quote is merely a pointer to size and quality. But because it is plain to us that many readers need more information, we are particularly pleased to pub- lish here an analysis released exclusively to Cross- Section, made by Bates Smart & McCutcheon & based upon their recent wide experience in large office buildings:
We have made a study of various structural methods in order to ascertain the economics of particular systems in relation to each other and also in relation to the ultimate building envisaged.
The investigation has borne out and accentuated economic pitfalls which may follow the selection of apparently cheaper basic structures without due regard being paid to necessary finishes and services . factors which cannot be truly expressed in this brief summary.
Other factors, not readily assessed but nevertheless of great importance, are speed of erection, availability of reliable industrial capacity, pre-contract supply agreements, main con- tract form and timing of tendering procedures for main and sub-contracts.
During the course of these studies some interesting unit costs were compiled and are set out below. They apply generally to multi-storied office structures and allied works of a large nature. They are indicative only and should only be taken as applicable in specific instances.
A. Cost of Structural columns: designed for 800 kips load, 2 storey lengths.
If should especially be noted that these columns have been allowed as strictly comparable in loading only. In actu-
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_il s •""'Wallerawang Power Station near Lithgow, NSW which came into initial operation in 1957 and which will become the major power station for the western region. John Thompson Australia Pty Ltd are con- tractors for the building and civil work. F T Eastment
& Sons, as sub-contractor to John Thompson, are re- sponsible for the construction of the main building.
ality and dependent on bay size and design, it is most unlikely that they would be similarly loaded. Factors of allied costs of finishes, floor space loss, general speed of erection, etc. have not been allowed.
I. Spirally reinforced concrete column . £192 2. Concrete encased structural steel H column . £212 3. Combination billet steel and concrete column £338 B. Suspended floors: cost per 100 sq. ft. floor area.
Including 3' 0" cantilever in standard external bay beyond column centres, screed finish, beams and beam casings.
Excluding floor thickness considerations and finishes, etc.
(Bay size 486 square feet.)
I. 101" deep precast concrete floor units, 3" precast concrete cantilever, 2â" floor screed and mesh reinforcement, structural steel in beams, reinforcing steel rods, precast gypsum block beam encasing
(25.0 span concrete unit) .. .. .. . £132 15 0 2. 7" deep precast concrete floor units, 3"
precast concrete cantilever, 3" floor screed and mesh reinforcement, struc- tural steel in beams, reinforcing steel rods, precast gypsum block beam encas- ing (12.6 span concrete unit wifh inter-
mediate secondary beam) . £133 7 0 3. 5" reinforced concrete in-situ floor slab
and shuttering, 3" in-situ concrete canti- lever, 1" floor screed (not reinforced), structural steel in beams, floor reinforc- ing steel rods, precast gypsum block beam encasing (slab single span with no
intermediate secondary beam) £132 2 0 4. 4" reinforced concrete in-situ floor slab
and shuttering, 3" in-situ concrete canti- lever, I" floor screed (not reinforced) structural steel in beams, floor reinforc- ing steel rods, precast gypsum block beam encasing. (Slab with intermediate
secondary beam) .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £141 11 0 Melbourne-16/1/58.
THE EXERCISE ROOM where patients are helped to regain activity and care for themselves.
Australia's first Geriatric Clinic set 2-way problem
• How to design the building to assist in the rehabilitation of the aged.
• How to incorporate existing steel trusses into construction.
Architects Plotell, Bunnett and Partners faced unique problems in the construction of Australia's first Geriatric Clinic at Mount Royal Hospital in Melbourne.
As part of the geriatric treatment, patients are taught to move about unaided, therefore every main room had to be readily accessible.
In addition, existing steel truss frames had to be used in construction.
The solution was to join the frames together forming a long building on one level, with a basement at the rear because of the steep slope. This meant that patients could reach all main rooms without having to climb stairs. The basement was joined to the main rooms by means of gently sloping ramps.
A 328 ft. passageway running the length of the building is virtually an exercising area. Naturally, a non-slip floor was essential. Attractive and hard-wearing Dunlop Vinyl tiles were the answer. The many well-designed floor patterns in these tiles enhance the gay walls and add to the bright atmosphere of the Clinic.
In the passageways the Dunlop tiles are used in coving and in some rooms form a coved skirting ensuring ease of maintenance.
The Dunlop Flooring Service also installed Rubber Flooring and Linoleum in specialised areas such as the Chiropody and X-ray Departments.
Congratulations to Plotell, Bunnett & Partners for the design and W. C. Burne & Sons Pty. Ltd. for the structural work on this, Australia's first Geriatric Clinic.
The full range of Dunlop Flooring includes:
VINYL TILES LINK MATS
RUBBER SHEET AND TILES STAIR TREADS
FLEXIMERS LINOLEUM AND LINO TILES
* GERIATRICS: Branch of science dealing with old age and its diseases.
PHOTO SHOWS portion of the 328 ft.
long pasageway which uses DUNLOP VINYL TILES.
MELBOURNE: Dunlop Floorings
P/L., 96
Flinders St., MF 0371.SYDNEY: Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd., 27-33 Wentworth Ave., B 0969.
ADELAIDE: The Dunlop Flooring Centre, 131-133 Pirie St., W 1647.
BRISBANE: Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd., Centenary Place, FA 0271.
PERTH: Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd., 424 Murray St., BA 8141.
HOBART: Dunlop Rubber Aust. Ltd., 27 Argyle St., B 6581.
LAUNCESTON: 18 Paterson St., B 2067.
^,DVER: EMEN i I
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