several well-known members of the profession in Sydney, and should therefore be fairly satisfactory. Unfortunately, however, they contain one clause which seems likely to form a ground for dissension, in the future; and that is the constitution of the Board of Advisers : the clause referred to runs thus :
“ The drawings will be placed before the Board of Advisers consisting of: —
(a) The Government-architect;
(i) An officer from the Department for which the special building is intended: to be appointed by the Ministeral head of that Department ;
(e) One non-official and non-competing architect: to be chosen by the Minister for Public Works.”
The great objection to this arrangement, is, that the non-official architect, will be practically the Government-architect’s nominee, and as the officer mentioned in section “b,” is not likely to have much knowledge of the designs placed before him, he will, naturally, be greatly influenced in his decision, by the opinions of his coadvisers.
In making these remarks, I do not for one moment question the integrity of the present Governmentarchitect, but I think it is clear, that this clause is open to a serious objection; for it is absolutely imperative that such a Board as this should be beyond all suspicion, as it is this very question of awarding the premiums which makes most competitions so generally unsatisfactory. The building for which designs are now invited, is a gaol, which is not to cost more than £16,000, but it is understood that the general conditions, will be practically the same for all future competitions. The committee who drew up these conditions recommended, that no architect should be allowed to compete unless he had been in practice in New South Wales, for at least three years; but the Ministers very properly refused to consider any such recommendation.
The competitions therefore, are open to all the world — at least, the conditions say nothing to the contrary. So, we may perhaps see American
drawings competing, shortly, for our Houses-of-Parliament and our new Law-Courts.
The newly-formed Sydney Architectural Association was successfully inaugurated a few weeks ago, with a large list of members, all animated with a considerable amount of enthusiasm: this society seems to have every prospect of success. The Institute of Architects, too, under its energetic president, is making good progress; and its
Code of Professional Practice and Charges ” has been most highly commended by Mr. Arthur Cates, in the R. I. B. A. Journal, and by the English building papers generally.
It has already been mentioned in these letters that the Equitable Life Assurance Co., of the United States, were bringing their architect here, to design the great office-buildings, which they are about to erect in Svdney and Melbourne. The gentleman in question, Mr. Edward Raht, duly arrived here some two months ago, and has I believe, completed his drawings for the Sydney building. It is currently reported, that the work of supervision, will be entrusted to some local firm of architects to be selected by Mr. Raht. The site which has been secured, on the eastern side of George Street, is in the very heart of the town, within a stone’s-throw of the Post-office, and directly opposite the fine buildings recently erected for the
Mutual Life Association of Australia. A considerable amount of interest has been aroused by rumors set afloat — no doubt, by the astute local manager of the Equitable, as to the size and magnificence of the new building, and the wonderful arrangement of the offices.
In the meantime, Mr. Raht must be smiling in his sleeve at the amount of deference paid him by some of his professional confreres here. One of these gentlemen, it is said, met him on his arrival, and since that time has shadowed him everywhere.
Concerning his arrival, by the way, a good story is told. When the daily papers announced that he had left for Australia (the Equitable never loses the chance for a cheap advertisement) it occurred simultaneously to four or five prominent Victorian architects, that it would be only common courtesy for them to greet him when he landed. Accordingly— of course, no thought of securing the supervision of the Melbourne offices had entered their heads, — when the departure of the incoming American mail was cabled from New Zealand, each of them,
without confiding his resolve to any one, determined to take train for Sydney and extend the hand of professional friendship to the stranger. It was perhaps, somewhat annoying to find when they met at the railway station, that
“ By a coincidence few
Could ever have reckoned upon,”
as Mr. Gilbert sings, the same thought had occured to so many of them. However, they made the best of it: the three hundred miles between the two capitals were safely traversed, and they reached Sydney before t lie mail steamer. When the latter was signalled at the Heads, a little band of eager architects might have been observed, hanging about the wharf, each planning how to outwit the others, and be the first up the gangway.
When the steamer did come alongside, they promptly boarded her, but only to discover that Mr. Raht’s name was not on the passenger-list. This was very disappointing, of course, but when they had returned home as quietly as might be, and found that the man they had gone so far to. see had landed in Melbourne during their absence, and was then on his way to Sydney, their indignation was boundless and beyond the power of language to depict. The “ Equitable” architect had come, via England, and so touched at Melbourne first, instead of at Sydney, as he would have done, had he come by the more direct San Francisco route.
They had wasted a week and travelled 600 miles, to find, that they had actually been running away from the object of their errand !
Pennsylvania Lien Law. — Pennsylvania has a new lien law which provides that no contract made with an owner of a lot on which a building is to be erected shall operate to interfere with or defeat the right of a sub-contractor, who performs work or furnishes materials under agreement with the original contractor in aid of such erection, to file a mechanic’s lien for the value of such work or materials furnished, unless the sub-contractor shall have consented in writing to be bound by the provisions of the contract with the original contractor. All who contract with an oivner are constituted his agents in erecting a building and entitled to file liens. — Northwestern Lumberman.
New Offices of the Mutual Life Association of Australia, Sydney, N. S. W.
“ The drawings will be placed before the Board of Advisers consisting of: —
(a) The Government-architect;
(i) An officer from the Department for which the special building is intended: to be appointed by the Ministeral head of that Department ;
(e) One non-official and non-competing architect: to be chosen by the Minister for Public Works.”
The great objection to this arrangement, is, that the non-official architect, will be practically the Government-architect’s nominee, and as the officer mentioned in section “b,” is not likely to have much knowledge of the designs placed before him, he will, naturally, be greatly influenced in his decision, by the opinions of his coadvisers.
In making these remarks, I do not for one moment question the integrity of the present Governmentarchitect, but I think it is clear, that this clause is open to a serious objection; for it is absolutely imperative that such a Board as this should be beyond all suspicion, as it is this very question of awarding the premiums which makes most competitions so generally unsatisfactory. The building for which designs are now invited, is a gaol, which is not to cost more than £16,000, but it is understood that the general conditions, will be practically the same for all future competitions. The committee who drew up these conditions recommended, that no architect should be allowed to compete unless he had been in practice in New South Wales, for at least three years; but the Ministers very properly refused to consider any such recommendation.
The competitions therefore, are open to all the world — at least, the conditions say nothing to the contrary. So, we may perhaps see American
drawings competing, shortly, for our Houses-of-Parliament and our new Law-Courts.
The newly-formed Sydney Architectural Association was successfully inaugurated a few weeks ago, with a large list of members, all animated with a considerable amount of enthusiasm: this society seems to have every prospect of success. The Institute of Architects, too, under its energetic president, is making good progress; and its
Code of Professional Practice and Charges ” has been most highly commended by Mr. Arthur Cates, in the R. I. B. A. Journal, and by the English building papers generally.
It has already been mentioned in these letters that the Equitable Life Assurance Co., of the United States, were bringing their architect here, to design the great office-buildings, which they are about to erect in Svdney and Melbourne. The gentleman in question, Mr. Edward Raht, duly arrived here some two months ago, and has I believe, completed his drawings for the Sydney building. It is currently reported, that the work of supervision, will be entrusted to some local firm of architects to be selected by Mr. Raht. The site which has been secured, on the eastern side of George Street, is in the very heart of the town, within a stone’s-throw of the Post-office, and directly opposite the fine buildings recently erected for the
Mutual Life Association of Australia. A considerable amount of interest has been aroused by rumors set afloat — no doubt, by the astute local manager of the Equitable, as to the size and magnificence of the new building, and the wonderful arrangement of the offices.
In the meantime, Mr. Raht must be smiling in his sleeve at the amount of deference paid him by some of his professional confreres here. One of these gentlemen, it is said, met him on his arrival, and since that time has shadowed him everywhere.
Concerning his arrival, by the way, a good story is told. When the daily papers announced that he had left for Australia (the Equitable never loses the chance for a cheap advertisement) it occurred simultaneously to four or five prominent Victorian architects, that it would be only common courtesy for them to greet him when he landed. Accordingly— of course, no thought of securing the supervision of the Melbourne offices had entered their heads, — when the departure of the incoming American mail was cabled from New Zealand, each of them,
without confiding his resolve to any one, determined to take train for Sydney and extend the hand of professional friendship to the stranger. It was perhaps, somewhat annoying to find when they met at the railway station, that
“ By a coincidence few
Could ever have reckoned upon,”
as Mr. Gilbert sings, the same thought had occured to so many of them. However, they made the best of it: the three hundred miles between the two capitals were safely traversed, and they reached Sydney before t lie mail steamer. When the latter was signalled at the Heads, a little band of eager architects might have been observed, hanging about the wharf, each planning how to outwit the others, and be the first up the gangway.
When the steamer did come alongside, they promptly boarded her, but only to discover that Mr. Raht’s name was not on the passenger-list. This was very disappointing, of course, but when they had returned home as quietly as might be, and found that the man they had gone so far to. see had landed in Melbourne during their absence, and was then on his way to Sydney, their indignation was boundless and beyond the power of language to depict. The “ Equitable” architect had come, via England, and so touched at Melbourne first, instead of at Sydney, as he would have done, had he come by the more direct San Francisco route.
They had wasted a week and travelled 600 miles, to find, that they had actually been running away from the object of their errand !
Pennsylvania Lien Law. — Pennsylvania has a new lien law which provides that no contract made with an owner of a lot on which a building is to be erected shall operate to interfere with or defeat the right of a sub-contractor, who performs work or furnishes materials under agreement with the original contractor in aid of such erection, to file a mechanic’s lien for the value of such work or materials furnished, unless the sub-contractor shall have consented in writing to be bound by the provisions of the contract with the original contractor. All who contract with an oivner are constituted his agents in erecting a building and entitled to file liens. — Northwestern Lumberman.
New Offices of the Mutual Life Association of Australia, Sydney, N. S. W.