The minutes of the general meeting held on October 23, and the special general meeting held on December 11, 1906, were reviewed by the Hon.
The financial statements and balance sheet for igo6 (introduced in this issue) were presented by Mr.
Election of Officers anb Members of Council for 100708
PRESIDENT'S RETIRING
ADDRESS
We know that villas, if built right, carry a relative cost with each other, but when you find the house with the land thrown in, just for the price of the house, you see that something is wrong. In any case, with most of the work now done, the general character and finish of this class of dwellings justifies the expense of the small addition of architect's fees. As regards the knowledge required of an architect in modern times, a great change has taken place, for although he cannot expect to be thoroughly expert in all the subordinate elements of construction, he should have sufficient experience to be able to give the best advice on the many points which will occur in extensive arrangements—electric light, heat, girders, concrete reinforced in various ways, etc.
Of course, this material will not lend itself to the disadvantage of the older materials for every case, but for special work, where the material forming the matrix is handy, it will possibly be cheaper than brick or stone. We, as an Institute, have heard reports of the wonderful possibilities of the country, but there has been no discovery of a cheap building block of good color. There are some of the best possible varieties, but I doubt their permanence in outdoor work unless carefully cared for and re-polished.
It is to be hoped that the members of the Institute will in every possible way assist in the training of the various artisans on whose work they must rely for the execution of their projects, and as the present scheme of technical education does not cover If we consider sufficiently the practical side of the question, it is, in my opinion, still necessary , that those who learn the higher branches of work enter a certain apprenticeship. I feel that many of the younger workers want very much a personal interest in their work, and this can only be instilled in them by a higher moral tone, which I am sorry to say is largely lacking.
Zenentb International Congress of architects 1l,onaon
It was expected that a bill dealing with this topic would be submitted to parliament this year. It was interesting to know that registration was legalized in Canada and that the law worked successfully. This waste of time had a bad effect on the Congress, and the members, who knew that they would soon have the printed proceedings in their hands, did not come to the meetings, so that the papers were not thoroughly considered.
Impressed by the possibility that Australia might one day entertain the members of an international congress, he wanted to confirm that we too had something worthy of inspection. The most enjoyable part of his trip was his delegation to Congress, that he was asked to spend "weekends" in the houses of his fellow members, and lifelong friendships were formed. He thanked the Institute for the honor of participating in the Congress and for the pleasure he had gained thereby.
TT HE President for the year (Francis j. Smart), after taking the chair, noted that he would deliver his presidential address at the next meeting. He wanted to deal with the aesthetics of architecture, and to outline a policy to work on.
REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1906-7
MEMBERSHIP
114 being an addition of 5 during the year
PUBLIC WORK
We regret to record the death of David Christopher Askews (C.E.), Senior Vice President, last May. The Closer Settlement Board of Lands Department, having sub-divided about 13o blocks for clerks at Glen Huntly, the Minister of Lands (Mr. Mackay) has arranged for members of the Board to submit designs for houses varying in price from £300 to. Your council has set up a committee together with representatives from the Danish Building Agency, which will probably select the most suitable from among the submitted designs.
Cowper has agreed tonight to report orally on his impressions and the conclusions of the Congress. The issue of architect registration has recently been brought to the fore in Britain, both by the Home Institutes and at the Seventh International Congress of Architects, held in London last July. In view of the urgency of the subject, your Council has requested its delegate to the London Congress to support the action of the R.V.I.A.
The sole purpose of the bill was to ensure that none but qualified men would be allowed to practice in Victoria. A deputation from the Clerk of Works Association waited on your Council and explained the aims of the reformed body.
EDUCATIONAL
In the bronze medal subject, "Measuring work of section of front of Assembly Hall, Collins Street, Melbourne," four sets of drawings were submitted.
COMPETITIONS
BY courtesy of the President and Council of the Victorian Institute of Engineers, your Council accepted an invitation to inspect the forts in Port Philip Bay, and a pleasant day was spent on board the "Vulcan" and at the Heads in April last. The old Institute premises were jointly occupied by the R.V.I.A., the Victorian Institute of Engineers and the Victorian Institute of Surveyors. The old joint Space Committee is being dissolved, and the new premises will be under the control of a new body with the same name.
The new President of the Institute (F. J. Smart) will be the chairman of the committee for the first year. Provisions for the admission of architects with experience to Associateship, without passing the qualifying examination; for simpler procedure in the case of a member accused of unprofessional conduct; for dealing with members whose partners may be involved in business, which in the opinion of the Council detracts from the member's status, has been made. In two cases action was taken by your Board, and in the third case action was taken to protect the rights of members of the Institute.
Other reports talk about the organization of members' meetings, the proposal for an exhibition of architecture, arts and crafts, the publication of the "Collection" and the library catalog. The library is being supplemented with all the parts required by the candidates for the examination, and with the improved facilities in the new premises, a great deal of convenience and comfort will be ensured for the members when using the library and reading room.
HON. TREASURER'S REPORT 1906
December, 1906
DURING the past session the following papers were read and discussed at meetings of the Institute. These papers are amply illustrated by lantern slides and examples, and this committee expresses its thanks to those who contributed the papers, and those who assisted with the lantern. The annual discussion was held at the Vienna Cafe on December 13, when a large number of members and friends attended.
A proposal was made to hold an exhibition under the auspices of the Institute of Architectural Drawings, Arts and Crafts, and preliminary meetings were held to discuss the subject.
R EPORT OF THE LITERARY AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 1906-7
EDITOR'S REPORT, 1906-7
SYLLABUS OF MEETINGS FOR 1907-8
R EVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS, ETC
His conclusions prove that the strength of the mortar depends much more on the physical properties of the materials used than has been fully realized until now. If the usual rule of "three to one" is strictly adhered to, the mortar may in some cases have only one-third the strength of that which might be obtained by such widely different proportions as five sand to one. lime; and it seems desirable that strength should be ascertained by crushing rather than by arbitrary proportions as a criterion. If a safety factor of five is sufficient for any work, it is of course superfluous to require one out of ten, since strength on this basis must necessarily increase with increasing load.
Considering that these villas are mainly the creation of the last zo years, and that Victorian architects were largely concerned with their construction, there is little to distinguish them from Victorian villas except that they are usually covered with iron , while in Victoria tiles. or slate is mostly used. It is a pity that such an effective means of removing injured air is so rarely used in the West. The Hotel de Ville of Paris," one of the most opulent buildings ever erected for municipal purposes, and which is in every respect so fine an exponent of the French Renaissance style, the style so eminently characteristic of the nation , and are admirably adapted to the purposes of such buildings.
The description is covered historically from the first building, begun in 1533, to the current structure, which includes floor plans of the main floors, sections and details, along with photographs. charts of the structure and decorations are given, all admirably rendered. The latter is rightly a great pride of the Parisians and is the work of that eminent architect, M. Eugene Rouyer, who took second prize in the competition for the Hotel de Ville in Paris.
1907-1908 Persistent Link
