THE BRITISH DESIGNS AT GENEVA
It would be unprofitable to discuss the circumstances leading to the peculiar result that, of the 27 competitors whose designs for the League of Nations Assembly Hall and Secretariat at Geneva were premiated by the assessors, not one was a citizen of the British Empire. The fact that only ten architects of British nationality submitted schemes for a competition which held out not only great monetary prizes, but a prospect of considerable architectural renown is, in itself, remarkable, and suggests, to say the least of it, that the confidence felt in the judgment of the assessors and in their ability to conduct a great competition in a proper manner was not excessive. No useful object would be served by comparing one or more of the English designs to those submitted by the more fortunate architects belonging to foreign countries with a view to contending that the merits of some of the English designs were, in certain respects, superior to those of the ones premiated. There can be no doubt, however, that members of the architectural profession at home were unanimous in their desire to have an opportunity of inspecting these designs themselves. It is with the object, therefore, of satisfying this legitimate curiosity that the Royal Institute of British Architects recently held an exhibition of them in their own galleries. As, however, it has been possible for only a small proportion of the total number of architects to visit the exhibition, we are publishing in this issue one of the drawings submitted by each of the English competitors.
It will perhaps be remembered that on the occasion when the award was promulgated there appeared in this journal not only the twenty-seven premiated designs, but a long critique extending over three issues in which the general problems of style and character suggested by so novel an architectural project as the building of an international or super-national parliament building were fully canvassed; hence it is unnecessary to repeat in the present context the arguments there set forth.
The plans of the Assembly Hall and Secretariat here exhibited may be grouped in the same categories as those in the premiated designs. This is natural, of course, as there are but few different relative positions in which these two units of the design could be placed. The Assembly Hall and Secretariat could be either one building or two buildings. If one building, the Assembly Hall could either be swathed round by the Secretariat as by a blanket, or else it could stand out occupying an important part of the main frontage of the building; if two buildings, these could be made into a symmetrical formation of which the Assembly Hall still occupied the central point, or else the administrative wings might be allowed to overflow in a direction which compromised the symmetry of the whole. Again, the designs could be divided into those which had their principal aspect at the approach to the building from the land and those in which an attempt has been made to make the front towards the Lake the most important. Of the designs so shown the one deserving of first mention is that submitted by Professor Nobbs, of the University of Toronto. He has adopted the original solution of placing the Assembly Hall as an isolated unit, with its main frontage facing the Lake, while the Secretariat is conveniently disposed around a large courtyard behind the Hall, the dimensions of this courtyard being carefully chosen in relation to that of the Hall. In order that the requisite accommodation should be provided in the Secretariat, it was necessary to add a wing, thus extending the length of the façade visible from the Lake, the shore of which at this point turns almost at right angles. One great practical advantage of this arrangement is that all the office rooms have the maximum of light and ventilation which cannot so easily be the case when the Secretariat is immediately contiguous to the Assembly Hall. This latter is designed especially for its interior effect, and without doubt the very wide decorative panel, bounded at its upper extremity by the sweep of such a vast curve,
LEAGUE OP NATIONS COMPETITION.
DESIGN SUBMITTED BY JAMES BURFORD, A. R. I. B. A., Architect.
It would be unprofitable to discuss the circumstances leading to the peculiar result that, of the 27 competitors whose designs for the League of Nations Assembly Hall and Secretariat at Geneva were premiated by the assessors, not one was a citizen of the British Empire. The fact that only ten architects of British nationality submitted schemes for a competition which held out not only great monetary prizes, but a prospect of considerable architectural renown is, in itself, remarkable, and suggests, to say the least of it, that the confidence felt in the judgment of the assessors and in their ability to conduct a great competition in a proper manner was not excessive. No useful object would be served by comparing one or more of the English designs to those submitted by the more fortunate architects belonging to foreign countries with a view to contending that the merits of some of the English designs were, in certain respects, superior to those of the ones premiated. There can be no doubt, however, that members of the architectural profession at home were unanimous in their desire to have an opportunity of inspecting these designs themselves. It is with the object, therefore, of satisfying this legitimate curiosity that the Royal Institute of British Architects recently held an exhibition of them in their own galleries. As, however, it has been possible for only a small proportion of the total number of architects to visit the exhibition, we are publishing in this issue one of the drawings submitted by each of the English competitors.
It will perhaps be remembered that on the occasion when the award was promulgated there appeared in this journal not only the twenty-seven premiated designs, but a long critique extending over three issues in which the general problems of style and character suggested by so novel an architectural project as the building of an international or super-national parliament building were fully canvassed; hence it is unnecessary to repeat in the present context the arguments there set forth.
The plans of the Assembly Hall and Secretariat here exhibited may be grouped in the same categories as those in the premiated designs. This is natural, of course, as there are but few different relative positions in which these two units of the design could be placed. The Assembly Hall and Secretariat could be either one building or two buildings. If one building, the Assembly Hall could either be swathed round by the Secretariat as by a blanket, or else it could stand out occupying an important part of the main frontage of the building; if two buildings, these could be made into a symmetrical formation of which the Assembly Hall still occupied the central point, or else the administrative wings might be allowed to overflow in a direction which compromised the symmetry of the whole. Again, the designs could be divided into those which had their principal aspect at the approach to the building from the land and those in which an attempt has been made to make the front towards the Lake the most important. Of the designs so shown the one deserving of first mention is that submitted by Professor Nobbs, of the University of Toronto. He has adopted the original solution of placing the Assembly Hall as an isolated unit, with its main frontage facing the Lake, while the Secretariat is conveniently disposed around a large courtyard behind the Hall, the dimensions of this courtyard being carefully chosen in relation to that of the Hall. In order that the requisite accommodation should be provided in the Secretariat, it was necessary to add a wing, thus extending the length of the façade visible from the Lake, the shore of which at this point turns almost at right angles. One great practical advantage of this arrangement is that all the office rooms have the maximum of light and ventilation which cannot so easily be the case when the Secretariat is immediately contiguous to the Assembly Hall. This latter is designed especially for its interior effect, and without doubt the very wide decorative panel, bounded at its upper extremity by the sweep of such a vast curve,
LEAGUE OP NATIONS COMPETITION.
DESIGN SUBMITTED BY JAMES BURFORD, A. R. I. B. A., Architect.