Issue No 67 May I, 1958 The Baha'i Faith, a non-priestly, pantheistic sect which seeks to comprise the essence of all true religions, aims to become world wide. Followers of this offspring from Islam claim it to be rationally based & to agree perfectly with science; they include universal peace, tolerations & friendship as main principles. But, to judge the quality of the Faith from the nature of its temples (as architects are naturally prone to do) leads
to the suspicion that irrational pomposity had already replaced rational friendliness when this temple was built in Chicago, some years ago. Now the same sect
is going to build this, their first Australian centre, on a hilltop at Mona Vale, Syd (John R Brogan, arch't).
Many people would prefer the natural beauty of the hill as it is now.
¶ Joern Utzon briefly revisited Sydney, accompanied this time by Ove Arup the struct eng'eer; Utzon performed the draw in an Opera House Funds lottery while he was here. They brought elaborately printed copies of advanced sketch plans, with photos of a full-scale model of part of the shell construction, made for them in Sweden.
This is one portion of an exhibition in an examination hall of Adelaide Univ. It was constructed by archi- tectural students to illustrate their work during Orient- ation Week, at the beginning of term. A great deal of enthusiasm & hard work was evident. Assistance with materials lent & given by local suppliers represented at leas+ £1000.
11 When town-planners meet at the 5th Aust'n Plan- ning Congress, in Syd in August, their theme will be
"Metropolis — the problem of the expanding city".
Guest of honour will be Mr Paul Opperman, Director of City Planning, City of San Francisco. Enquiries to Aust Planning Institute, Syd Div, P O Box 45, King-st Sydney.
¶ Hobart City is advertising throughout Australia for a chief planning officer, to serve Southern Tasmania's 4 main Councils. His work will include preparing a metropolitan master plan, his salary will be £3000.
¶ The Aust'n Inst of Builders began a series of con- ferences in Syd, of builders, architects & engineers, to discuss waste in the building industry.
This new assembly hall at Camberwell Grammar School, Melb, was opened. Here seen from tree-shaded Mont Albert-rd, the Hall looks well among its own , trees.
(John F D Scarborough, arch't; J S Lockhart, bldr)
IT A new 100,000 sq ft, factory, with offices, was opened in the Vict'n country town of Maryborough, for Patience & Nicholson Ltd, twist drills & small tools makers. (Marsh, Bennie & Barry, Melb, arch'ts;
Wm Andell & Assoc'tes, eng'eers; S J Weir Ltd of Ballarat, bldrs)
¶ In Melb a contract was let to Lewis Constr'n Ltd to double the premises of the NZ Loan & Mercantile Agency Ltd, Collins-st. (Buchan, Laird & Buchan, arch'ts)
IT A circular prefab, steel frame, golf club house is being built at Mornington, Vic. (Seabrook, Hunt &
Dale, arch'ts)
This view of the new Nurses' Home for the projected Royal Childrens' Hosp, Melb, shows also the Royal Melb Hosp (1939-43), all designs of Messrs Stephenson
& Turner. The nurses' home neared completion, while alongside it there are large excavations where the main hospital contract is proceeding.
IT The new Advertiser Newspapers Ltd bldg in Adel- aide is being built by Messrs Wilkins & Burnside, who successfully tendered at something more than Elm".
(Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin, arch'ts)
¶ A Town Plan for Mackay, Q'land, was completed
& displayed.
The steel frame of this motor showroom was among photos of Melb bldgs in progress which we published in Sep '56. Now occupied, it belongs to Lanes Motors, is in Queensberry-st Carlton. The deeply framed win- dows face west. (Harry A & Frank Norris, arch'ts;
Morisons Ltd, bldrs)
Gilbert Court, Collins-st Melb, (C-S July '55) has firmly attached to its reputation the title "Melb's first glass box". Its arch't, Mr John La Gerche, designed a 2nd, in Collins-place, illustrated in C-S, December '54.
The Collins-place site remains vacant, but now another Collins-st one is under way: Coates Building, No. 18-22, by the same arch't. (G A Winwood Ltd, bldrs;
£750,000, for 14 floors, 66 ft frontage by 120 ft)
This is the development over the suburban railway station site at Hurstville, Syd (C-S Feb '57) which Bowes Corp'n Ltd propose to finance in two stages.
Constr'n has begun on the first stage, a concourse department store & 2 levels of car parking. Later the 7-storey office block will be added. The NSW Dept of Railways is hoping that similar leases will be taken up at Campsie, Chatswood, & Revesby or Panania. The Hurstville project was the design of Frank R Fox & Associates, who now have Mr Harry Seidler in association for the occasion; struct eng'eers Miller, Milston & Ferris.
¶ Since their first 24 flats on Sth Terrace, Adelaide, met with success & praise (illustrated C-S Sept '57), Orlit Ltd & Rialto Investments Ltd are going ahead with 36 more immediately, 44 more soon. (John Chappel, arch't)
IT In Vic 15 new police stations are under constr'n
& 9 more about to begin (Vic PWD arch'ts)
IT A scientist, formerly chief eng'eer of the guided- weapon division of English Electric Co, has established in Melb a firm called Morag, to build houses of sprayed areated cement, & caravans, boats & houses of fibreglass.
This new factory for Fotek Corp'n a subsidiary of Hanimex Corp'n, was completed at Brookvale, Syd.
• At its opening, one of the firm's partners said "We want people to be more interested in photography than they are at present". Architects could do their bit to help by designing buildings which invite photog- raphy. (Stafford, Moor & Farrington, arch'ts; Fletcher Const'n Co, bldrs; £250,000)
¶ The current building works in Canberra have been evaluated at £18m./The 3 Commissioners created an advisory Committee, whose members will fly to Can- berra whenever required. It has seven members: 3 architects, 2 engineers, +own-planner Dr F W Ledgar (Melb Univ) & Classics Professor, A D Trendall (Nat tonal Univ).
In Canberra, at Forrest, this school was completed.
It takes kindergarten, infant & primary children. (Dept of Works arch'ts; Concrete Constr'ns Ltd, bldrs)
¶ Australia's first major metropolitan parking station, under Sydney's Domain, opened its first section to public use.
¶ The Master Builders' Assoc'n in Vic challenged the Govt to permit it to redevelop a section of North Melb. They undertake to have an improvement plan prepared by architects & to organise all construction, then to bear any losses the project might suffer. The MBA expects profits, however, & promises to plough them back into a fund for further redevelopment./
Sketches were published of a proposal for a section of Carlton, too; these by a research group of the City Development Assoc'n./The RVIA is planning an exhib'n of flats & row-housing designs.
IT
The provisional Com'tee of the embryo Monash University, Melb, is searching for a site. Vict'n Premier Mr BoIte announced that wherever the site may be, it will not take parklands.¶ The Metropolitan Markets in West Perth are not to be moved to Welshpool, as suggested in the Stephen- son Plan for Perth. The Market Trust is now engaged in a building extension programme.
This sculpture, by Mr Victor Greenhalgh, was destroyed, at the University of Melbourne. From 1950 it was par+ of the (New) Arts Building, near the roof, facing west. In 1957 upward extensions made its location unsuitable & it was moved to a position over an eastern exit . . . a relocation decided upon by Mr Greenhalgh & the architect Mr Race Godfrey. But there it offended somebody, & its removal was re- quested. Eventually, the request resulted in an order from the Univ Council to the arch't to remove it.
After protests, hopeful delay, & some attempts to find a new owner, he has complied.
IT
"Ashlar", an old house in St-Kilda-rd Melb, has been replaced by a block of flats, the Mayfair . .. 12 for bachelors, 20 ft by 20 ft, 12 larger ones. (K. Popper, arch't)11 A public enquiry is being conducted by the Vict'n Govt into the future of that State's quarrying (clay, sand, gravel, rock, stone, etc). Metropolitan brickworks fear extinction as a result of Municipal actions.
¶ Tenants of Vict'n Hous'g Com'n houses who want to buy their home, may now, after 3 years tenancy, begin buying for only £I00 deposit.
¶
In Q'land, the PMG expects, this year, to begin an£800,000 exchange in Elizabeth-st, Brisb, & to spend
£4m on additional post office & communications bldgs.
¶ Soon new city bldgs in Melb City will be required to provide off-street car parking, either in the bldg or within a short distance. Probably one car for every 1000-1500 sq ft.
This is the new factory of BA LM Paints Ltd, at Clayton, Vic. On a 34-acre site, 12 miles from Mel- bourne, it cost £Im & produces over a million gallons of paint per year. The production block is planned on 2 levels, & the upper level shown here, has a mezzanine.
Materials are fed from the gallery, are ground and mixed, then the paint flows down into tanks & tins below, at truck exit level. (Hassell & McConnell, arch'ts; Prentice Bldrs, bldrs)
¶ A i£25,000 squash court centre was completed in Gordon-st Glenelg, Adelaide. It is owned by builder
& racehorse-owner Mr Jack Carthy (A H Smerdon, arch't)
¶
A (£15,000 community centre is planned for Seacombe Gardens, SA, by the Hous'g Trust. It will have Hall, Clubroom, Library & Committee Room grouped about s courtyard.In Queen-s+, Melb, at Lit-Bourke-st, this office block was completed, for the Vict'n Automobile Chamber of Commerce. (Gawler, Churcher & Boardman, arch'ts;
Clements Langford, bldrs)
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