A New Competition?
The jury unanimously” decided that the results of the competition did not justify it in recommending any one of the plans for execution. The question which immediately occurs to the reader is, “What is to happen next? ’’ Does the authority dealing with this matter, a sub-committee presumably, appointed by the Council of the League of Nations and ultimately responsible to the Assembly of that body, intend to pursue the subject further? Are a new Assembly Hall and Secretariat destined to be built in the near future, and, if so, how are the designs for these buildings to be obtained. The difficulties in the way of holding another competition are considerable, not merely on account of the failure of the first one, but because the report of the jury has not vouchsafed to the architectural profession the slightest inkling of the reasons why the various schemes submitted were rejected by them. To say that these schemes did not comply with the conditions is to say nothing, unless they specify the particular conditions which were violated. Moreover, it is presumed that at least the twenty-seven premiated designs did not violate the conditions. On what grounds, then, was none of them thought suitable for execution? Until these questions have been properly answered, it is unlikely that any new competition would attract a sufficient number of candidates to make the holding of it worth while. If, however, a new competition is contemplated by the League of Nations Building
Committee, we may recommend to its notice two conditions which should govern the conduct of such a competition if it is to inspire the confidence of architects. In the first place, it should be a two-round competition, in which sketch designs only are first submitted; and, secondly, the programme must be drawn up and the award promulgated by a body from which each and all of the jury for the competition just assessed have been excluded.
Critique of the First Nine Premiated Designs.
Twenty-seven designs were premiated, and these were arranged in three groups of nine. The first group were awarded prizes of 12, 000 francs, the second group received 3, 800 francs each, and the third 2, 500 francs each. The two latter groups were “Honourable Mentions. ”
The nine designs placed in the first group are here illustrated.
The competitors were asked to provide an Assembly Hall for the League of Nations, and also a Secretariat, and they were left free to decide whether these buildings should be in one block or in two main portions joined together. In addition to the assembly hall, a council room, certain committee rooms, and a library were to be provided. The Secretariat naturally comprised a large number of office rooms which required to be arranged in a certain order so as to facilitate their inter-communication. The competitors had a choice of making the Assembly Hall block a dominant
league of nations competition, first group award. No. 273. — Messrs. Le Corbusier and P. Jeanneret, Architects, Paris.
The jury unanimously” decided that the results of the competition did not justify it in recommending any one of the plans for execution. The question which immediately occurs to the reader is, “What is to happen next? ’’ Does the authority dealing with this matter, a sub-committee presumably, appointed by the Council of the League of Nations and ultimately responsible to the Assembly of that body, intend to pursue the subject further? Are a new Assembly Hall and Secretariat destined to be built in the near future, and, if so, how are the designs for these buildings to be obtained. The difficulties in the way of holding another competition are considerable, not merely on account of the failure of the first one, but because the report of the jury has not vouchsafed to the architectural profession the slightest inkling of the reasons why the various schemes submitted were rejected by them. To say that these schemes did not comply with the conditions is to say nothing, unless they specify the particular conditions which were violated. Moreover, it is presumed that at least the twenty-seven premiated designs did not violate the conditions. On what grounds, then, was none of them thought suitable for execution? Until these questions have been properly answered, it is unlikely that any new competition would attract a sufficient number of candidates to make the holding of it worth while. If, however, a new competition is contemplated by the League of Nations Building
Committee, we may recommend to its notice two conditions which should govern the conduct of such a competition if it is to inspire the confidence of architects. In the first place, it should be a two-round competition, in which sketch designs only are first submitted; and, secondly, the programme must be drawn up and the award promulgated by a body from which each and all of the jury for the competition just assessed have been excluded.
Critique of the First Nine Premiated Designs.
Twenty-seven designs were premiated, and these were arranged in three groups of nine. The first group were awarded prizes of 12, 000 francs, the second group received 3, 800 francs each, and the third 2, 500 francs each. The two latter groups were “Honourable Mentions. ”
The nine designs placed in the first group are here illustrated.
The competitors were asked to provide an Assembly Hall for the League of Nations, and also a Secretariat, and they were left free to decide whether these buildings should be in one block or in two main portions joined together. In addition to the assembly hall, a council room, certain committee rooms, and a library were to be provided. The Secretariat naturally comprised a large number of office rooms which required to be arranged in a certain order so as to facilitate their inter-communication. The competitors had a choice of making the Assembly Hall block a dominant
league of nations competition, first group award. No. 273. — Messrs. Le Corbusier and P. Jeanneret, Architects, Paris.