S O U T H A F R I C A N A R C H I T E C T U R A L RE CORD
THE JOURNAL OF THE CAPE, NATAL. ORANGE FREE STATE AND TRANSVAAL PROVINCIAL INSTITUTES

OF SOUTH AFRICAN ARCHITECTS AND THE CHAPTER OF SOUTH AFRICAN QUANTITY SURVEYORS

C O NT E N TS FOR MARCH 1948

ED ITO RIA L ........................................ 52

H EA D Q UA RTERS FO R A C O A L D ISTR IBUTIN G AG ENCY IN
JO H A N N ESBU RG . Harold Porter and Partners, Architects 53

REC EN T TO W N PLAN NING IN H O LLA N D — 2. Rebuilding of
the centre of Middleburg, by J. J. van Voorst, M.I.A. 58

TH E STU D EN TS ' FO RUM 60

C O N TEM PO RA RY JO U RN A LS 65

N O TES AND N EW S 67

BOOK REVIEW 69

EDITO R: W . DUNCAN H O W IE

A SSISTA N T EDITO RS:

AN G US STEW A R T

UGO TO M ASELLI

DONALD PILCHER

VO LUM E TH IR TY -TH REE, NO.

BUSINESS M ANAG EM ENT: G. J. M r.HARRY (PTY.)

The Editor will be glad to consider any MSS., photographs or sketches submitted to

him, but they should be accompanied by stamped addressed envelopes for return if
unsuitable. In case of loss or injury he cannot hold himself responsible for MSS.,
photographs or sketches, and publication in the Journal can alone be taken as evidence

of acceptance. The name and address of the owner should be placed on the back of
all pictures and MSS. The Institute does not hold itself responsible for the opinions

expressed by contributors. Annual subscription £l I Os. direct to the Secretary,
612, KELVIN H O USE, 75, M A RSH A LL STREET, JO H A N N ESB URG . PH O N E 34-2921.

LTD., 43, BEC KETT'S BU ILp IN G S, JO H A N N ESBURG . P.O. BOX 1409. PH O N E 33-7505-

E D I T O R I A L
Very rarely is th is journal able to present a building

project designed fo r those who are in the lowest bracket o f
the South A frican living scale. The project illustrated, in
providing housing fo r the non-European is not unique; how
ever, in the manner in which it has been provided, it is d istinc
tive. I f in European housing architecture of d istinction is
rare, in non-European architecture is rarer st ill. Herein lies the
m erit o f the MacPhail scheme. It is architecture. The archi
tects, in seeing more than ju st solid enclosure as a solution
to the problem, are to be congratulated.

The attitude evidenced in th is solution is not, we think,
an extraordinary one in the profession to-day. Increasingly
architects are becoming aware of the problem of housing
the non-European. A desire to help, and even a conviction
that architectural help is needed, w ill not give architects the
necessary sk ill to make an adequate contribution to a solution
o f the problem in its broader aspects. Th is almost untouched
fie ld fo r architects has its p itfa lls. It would be possible to
repeat many of the critic ism s that have been levelled against
those institutions on whom the burden of providing non-
European housing has largely fallen, the municipalities; but
litt le purpose would be served in doing so. It would be possible
through a consideration of the MacPhail scheme to find a point
o f departure fo r a wider survey; but that would hardly be right.
It provides a specific solution fo r a specific problem. None
the less, in being a work o f architecture, it carries its own
overtones o f value. It induces us to consider more widely the
means used to obtain an adequate completion of its design.
The question to be considered is that o f architectural

character.
The character of South African buildings was critically

commented on by Hugh Casson in "Th e Architectural Review"
some years ago. He found no influence of Bantu art in the
architecture of the Transvaal. H is stricture made on archi
tecture fo r the European would presumably be doubly applic
able to that fo r the non-European. However, there is another
side to the question. W e give th is extract from the Rand
Daily M ail: "M r. F. Ho p f (U.P. Pretoria W est) said that . . .
the Pretoria C ity Council . . . had now taken the retrograde
step o f experimenting with the building o f huts not acceptable
to natives." W e assume that M r. H o p f was referring to
the Native township that was recently illustrated in "Public
W o rks of South A fric a ." The huts, being thatched rondavels,
follow Bantu trad ition. Although it is improbable that M r.
Casson would advocate such a close copying o f vernacular
work, the several c ritic ism s made on th is township, and
especially one that contains the words: "the building of
huts not acceptable to natives," do indicate that an un
questioned answer is not to be found in architectural reminis
cence. A native location must function fo r urban living.

" In laying out the modern location the authorities have
almost always adopted the pattern <?f domestic development

seen in European areas of our towns." The words, which are
taken from an address on " Native Housing and its A rc h i
tectural Aspects," are M r. P. H . Connell's. He proves him
se lf to be critical of a rig id application of " th e basic
characteristics o f the European pattern" to Native housing.
A s M r. Connell was once a member of a group who thoroughly
investigated the possib ility o f housing Natives not by- any
means in im itation of an accepted and mostly indifferent
European pattern, but in conformity with the most advanced
pre-war principles o f community housing, his opinion merits
attention. There has been, we think, a development, a change
at least, in his attitude to the problem. There is, by inference
from M r. H o p f's statement, the attitude of the Natives to be
considered.

Undoubtedly there are Natives who only desire to
imitate Europeans in all the ir ways, even to the extent of
living in debased im itations o f European townships. There are
others who would prefer to be housed more in accordance with
Bantu trad ition. Possibly the former, containing more of the
literate, is the more vocal; and the latter, though less articu
late, the larger. Th is, however, is surmise. Non-Europeans
recently have had less reason to speculate on what kind of
housing than on what housing, if any, they would obtain.
Architects, though from a d ifferent point o f view, have also
had hardly any practical reason fo r speculating on non-
European housing.

The M in iste r of Health's announcement that the National
Housing and Planning Commission is to build houses fo r the
non-European has altered the position. One field of specu
lation has been narrowed. The non-European will in time be
housed. There remains the question of who actually is to take
part in th is national effort? W e have, to quote the Rand
Daily M ail again, the M in iste r's words: "Th e partners in th is
great undertaking remain the same— private enterprise, local
authorities and the Government itse lf— " Unless they are
assumed to be included in the f ir s t group, there is no mention
of those other partners, the architectural and quantity surveying
professions. W e think, the economic factor being what it is,
that there is a strong case fo r the continued inclusion of
quantity surveyors among the partners, and, moreover, that it
would be tragic i f architects were eliminated. Only from the
latter can the non-European hope fo r purposeful economy
in planning, and the abolishment o f the drab monotony that
at present characterizes his townships.

Architectural character is one aspect o f Native housing
that has been considered in th is commentary. It is obviously
not the only consideration. It is one, nevertheless, in which,
if the National Housing and Planning Commission so ordains *
it, architects will be severely tested. I f the chance comes
the ir way, as well i t might, they will immediately be confronted
with the question asked by M r. Hanson at last year's Con
gress: " — how to create architecture in an architectural
setting fo r the minimum structure that constitutes the Native
family dwelling?" A , S.

The Office Block seen from the south-west, across the generous lawn area which separates the buildings from the arterial road.

H eadquarters for a Goal D istrib u tin g Agency in Johann esbu rg
HAROLD PORTER AND PARTNERS, ARCHITECTS

The architects o f th is work were faced with an interesting and
unusual series of requirements — interesting on account o f
the variety in the building types included in a relatively small

complex, and unusual in the pro
visions made fo r the comfort and
accommodation of the Native em
ployees. The enlightened attitude
which coloured the c lient's statement
of requirements was extended to in
clude a close co-operation with the
architects in arriv ing at the fresh
contemporary solution which is here
presented. The broad garden strip
separating the buildings from the
arterial road on the west will give
them an attractive green setting
when the landscaping has matured.

TH E S ITE PLAN, showing the grouping of
the buildings making up the complex. The
generous provision of Native employees'
accommodation is seen on the right. All
buildings are set well back from the main
Durban road on the west.

The client's requirements were a group of build ings o f diverse
kind planned on one site to constitute the headquarters of
his business. The build ings include the main offices and office
staff rest room, a fla t fo r the manager, a large hostel fo r
single Native employees, a maintenance workshop and park
ing garage fo r his fleet o f lo rrie s. The layout required a
degree of inter-communication fo r the essential co-ordination
and administration, without interference with the privacy re
quired by the domestic elements o f fla t and hostel. The site
plan overleaf illustrates the d isposition of the various buildings
and the manner in which the requirements have been satisfied.
The site is zoned broadly fo r the various functions, having a
main entry fo r vehicular tra ffic to the North of the O ffice
Block and an exit between the Flat and the Hostel. The
orig inal intention was that all buildings on the site should
be of the same character, but d ifficu lties encountered in the
issue of build ing permits resulted in the workshop and garage
premises being constructed of structural steel units with corru
gated asbestos cement covering.

The O ffice Block is entered off the projecting entrance
porch. The office accommodation has been simply zoned by
means of walls and glazed partitions with a view to creating

R IG H T, ABOVE: The west elevation of the Office Block showing the
main entrance porch. The Venetian blinds provide sun control for the
main office windows. BELO W : Interior of the general office seen from
the public space at the entrance,

5 \

ABOVE, LEFT: View of the main entrance porch,
details of which are shown in the drawings. Note
the fish pond in the foreground. LEFT: Interiors
of the client's private office, panelled in Kiaat
with yellow wood joints recessed. The built-in
fittings are in matching Kiaat. Venetian blinds
cover all windows.

the necessary space sub-divisions, privacy and the reduction
of noise. Cubicles in the general office space are provided
fo r d rive rs’ checks and the payment of staff wages respectively,
without in any way interfering with the general office routine.
The Flat is provided with a private entrance and is so planned
on the ground floor that plumbing installations are economic
ally grouped and that the staff rest room may be served from
the Flat kitchen. On the upper floor all bedrooms have a
northern aspect and all plumbing is collected into a vertical
pipe duct.
The planning o f the Native employees' hostel was to some
considerable extent influenced by anti-riot provisions, although,
to-date, no such disturbance has taken place, and it would

seem that the inhabitants do now appreciate the somewhat
unique provisions made fo r them. The Hostel is approached
and controlled by a single large doorway located between
the dorm itory and kitchen wings.
For a small payment these employees are fed at a cost which
requires a considerable subsidy, but at a cost which they
themselves could not achieve if they attempted to attain the
same diet. The result is that the Natives are well fed and
hot meals are available whenever a lo rry crew completes a
tour o f duty. The beneficial results o f th is policy are to be
seen in the satisfactory health standard maintained and the
considerably increased labour output.
Th is policy, which is o f considerable significance in a centre

ABOVE: General view of the Hostel: kitchen block on the left, dormitories on the right.
BELO W : Interiors showing the kitchen with steam cooking installation and the dining room,
a'so used for educational and entertainment purposes.

like Johannesburg where urban concentration is taking place
more rapidly than living accommodation can be provided, has
been commented on elsewhere in th is issue. It has created
wide interest among employers of labour as much on account
of its social implications as on the obvious benefits accruing
from a contented labour force.

The Hostel accommodation includes a well equipped kitchen
with steam heated cookers as well as provisions fo r the Natives
g rilling the ir own meat on occasion, a dining hall which is
also used fo r cinema shows, educational talks and elementary
night school. The sleeping accommodation comprises ten
dorm itories, a sick bay, "boss-boys room " and generous
ablution facilities designed to include a shower and changing
room to permit the employees to rid themselves of coal dust
as they come off duty. Trough W .C 's and the "water bath"
urinal based on those developed in the large mine compounds
have proved most successful.

The Hoste l has been finished in durable materials — face-
brick, quarry tile and cement tile dados — in view of the
heavy demands accessible surfaces must withstand. The k it
chen and dining room have asphalte floors as these have
proved most durable fo r the purpose. The walls of the kitchen,
vegetable room and butchery have glazed tile dados with
o il paint fin ish above.
The central boiler room supplies the entire group of build ings
with steam and hot water fo r heating and ablution purposes.
Heating in the Office Block is effected by means of baseboard
units, in the Flat by recessed radiators, and in the dining room,

The Hostel group seen from the upper landing of the Manager's Flat.

kitchen and dorm itories of the Hostel by means of exposed
steam coils. Cooking in the Hostel kitchen is by steam
while an "A rg u s " stove is used in the Flat. H o t water is
supplied by a calo rifie r at all points required, while the tem
perature of the water in the Native showers is controlled
by a mixing valve.

Monopitch and double pitch roof elements were incorporated
in the scheme not only with the prim ary consideration of
economy and efficiency in view but also in order to effect
an integration of architectural character throughout the
complex.

R E G E N T T O W N P L A N N I N G
2. REBUILDING OF THE CENTRE OF MIDDELBURG, ZEELAND

I N H O L L A N D
By J. J. van Voorst, M.I.A.

Th is plan was designed by Ir . Verhagen, the Principal
Supervisor o f Architecture in the Netherlands. It is typical
o f the line of thought followed fo r Rebuilding Plans o f the
m ajority o f towns and villages.

The plan of the old town, which was laid out in Gothic
times, was confined approximately within a circle. The main
street was a diagonal of th is circle.

Ir . Verhagen has changed th is plan and has very cleverly
taken advantage o f the position of the Town Ha ll, the Church
and the Abbey, an extensive complex of buildings with many
fine facades.

The new streets do not follow the diagonal, but are laid

out so that each street has a view towards an interesting

part o f one of the important buildings. The buildings lining

the streets have been designed in historical style with much

variation in their facades.

Th is plan, part of which has already been built, has been

much attacked by Dutch architects; the main line of attack
has been that the buildings are in an historical style whilst
the streets have been laid out on a free pattern, unknown
in Gothic Town planning. Has Ir. Verhagen gone too fa r in
trying to improve on the old layout? O r has he seen that,
w hilst the new facades of the buildings will follow historical

precedent, they will be designed by contemporary architects

LEFT: Plan of the old town centre showing the characteristic
circular and diagonal roads with the irregular market space.
(Reproduced with acknowledgements to " FO RUM ," April
1946). ABOVE: An impression of the replanned town seen
from viewpoint 10 looking along Nieuwe Burg towards the
New Church.

An impression looking from the market towards Lange Delft (Viewpoint 6).

who, thus, w ill not design them exactly in the old sp irit, and

has he, therefore, tried to offset th is factor by giving more

interest to the layout of the streets? Has he attached too

much importance to the closing o ff o f the vistas of the streets,

disregarding the cultural standard of the m ajority in this

town? H is plan certainly is very decorative and yet practical;

the only fear is that the inhabitants will be slightly overwhelmed

by the everlasting presence o f the facades of the Abbey and

the Town Ha ll.

The plans also show an improvement in the shape of the

market square and the site o f the Church, and are certainly

worth a detailed study.

R IG H T: The plan of the new layout for the centre of
Middelburg shows the departure from the diagonal with
new streets focussing attention on the important buildings.
ABOVE: A view of the Town Hall seen from the view
point I, looking along the Lange Delft $cro$$ th$ market
place>

THE STUDENTS' FORUM
THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF JOHANNESBURG - 19
T H E M A R K E T S Q U A R E By Cyril A. Stoloff, Dip. Arch. V

South African trad itions had placed in the centre of
the Johannesburg M ining Camp, a vast Market Square, 1,300
feet long by 300 feet wide. In 1886, after the proclamation
of the W itwatersrand Diggings, the " square " was a great
expanse of coarse grass, but in 1887, after hundreds of wagons
and oxen had passed over, i t was described as " a howling
waste of red sand." But it was fo r all that, a venue where
people camped and formed happy fam ily parties. "Eve ry
wagon had its own m is-fire , over which simmered the coffee
kettle everlasting ly." Around th is vast open space stood a
medley of single storey houses, stores and canteens, facing
streets that were only tracks worn in the veld. ^

The h istory o f the Market Square is essentially bound up
with the h istory o f the early mining camp. Among the diggers
in the feverish gold rush days was Colonel Ignatius Ferreira,
who outspanned his wagon near the spot o f the present Stock
Exchange, and other pioneers settled down near him, so that
the place became known as " Fe rre ira 's Camp." It was the
beginning of Johannesburg, and that part of the c ity is s t ill
named Ferreirastown. There, M r. A . B. Edgson opened the
f i r s t store and bar. Johannes Meyer was the M ining Commis
sioner fo r the K lip River W ard, when the f ir s t discovery of
gold was made, and acted in a business capacity fo r some of
the farm ers. He had a tent between the areas subsequently
known as the C ity and Suburban and Jeppe Townships fo r
the transaction of State and private affa irs, and figured much
in the early documents relating to the Rand. The orig in of
Johannesburg's name has never yet been satisfactorily ex-
plained. The authentic story, however, appears to be that in
December, 1886, President Paul Kruger came to Turffontein,
and proclaimed it a township, calling it Johannesburg after
three men, namely Johann Rissik, a surveyor o f the old South
A frican Republic (who later became A dm inistrator o f the
Transvaal), General Johannes Joubert, the f ir s t Government
mining official, and Johannes Meyer, fo rm erly a fie ld cornet.

A contract fo r laying out a township was entered into
with M r. J . E. de V illie rs, at a price of I Os. per stand. He
intended at f ir s t to place the township at Langlaagte, but
found that there was a more general wish to settle nearer

I, H A RRISO N AND M ARKET STREETS, 1889. In the foreground is
the old Standard Bank. In this illustration is embodied the character of
the mining camp. A great agglomaration of corrugated iron glistening
in the midday sun. 2, M ARKET SQ UARE, 1890. "A howling waste of
red sand . . . every wagon had its own mis-fire, over which the coffee
kettle simmered everlastingly . . . " 3, TH E M ARKET H A LL BU ILD ING S,
adjoining Simmonds Street, on the site now occupied by the Municipal
Tram Shelter. 0

■ - k JM*- i

^ . _ w ^ - Hv
' ■' ■' '■ t i

51 Sl|

41
J

4, TH E N A TIO N A L BANK, Market Street. This was the first
National Bank building, demolished about 1906 when the new
bank was built in the same style as the adjoining Corner
House block. 5, C O LO NIAL TR U S T BU ILD IN G , corner of
Market and Simmonds Streets. Th is was.formerly the Robinson
Bank founded by S ir J. B. Robinson. Adjoining is the African
City Property Tru st Building which later became the Volkskas
Bank.

6, TH E F IR ST N ATA L BANK, 1884, situated in Market Street
facing the Market Square. On the left is portion of Birch’s
Building still standing to-day while on the right is the premises
of C. H. Simpson, the Chemist on the site of the present
Meischke's Buildings. 7, "BETW EEN TH E C H A IN S ,” off Market
Square in Simmonds Street. On the left is the National Bank
and opposite is the Colonial Trust Building. In the middle dis
tance, on the right, is the Stock Exchange Building. 8, S TEY TLER 'S
BU ILD IN G , facing Market Square on the corner of Market and
Loveday Streets.

" Fe rre ira ’s Camp." Johannesburg was then laid out in two
narrow strip s, one from Commissioner to President Streets, and
the other from Bree to Noord Street. In the centre was a
mine owned by the Oranjeslaagte syndicate,' with its shaft
where the Law Courts now stand. The central area of
Johannesburg contained th is mining property, and was laid
out by M r. W . A uret Pritchard, who found that the streets
in the two sections already laid out did not synchronise; he
subsequently laid out the centre strip to coincide with the
southern side. The " kinks " in the streets running from north
to south at the ir intersection with Bree Street, remain as a
memorial to him. M r. Pritchard was given the option of g
taking payment fo r his work in stands o r in cash. M r. De
V illie rs, who had laid out the other sections took his payment
in stands, and later resold at a handsome p ro fit. M r. Pritchard,
however, had litt le fa ith in the future of the town at the time,
and accepted cash. Although he did not acquire his f ir s t
property until 1891, he changed his mind about the future of
the Rand, and a few years ago he discounted stories that
the Reef would be worked out, and the Rand would become
deserted. He said that he believed that the Rand was good
fo r another 100 years.

M r. Simmonds, a draughtsman, laid out various portions
of Johannesburg, and Simmonds Street was named after him.
M r. H a rry Marshall was greatly interested in the early develop
ment o f the city, and Marshall’s Town and Marshall Street
were named after him. Th is naming of streets showed a little
later, how quickly the story o f the beginning o f the town was
forgotten even by the early population. In the " S t a r " of
February I, 1890, a w rite r remarked: "W h o was Simmonds
that he should have been immortalised by having his name
given to the thoroughfare that will soon be of world-wide
repute? . . . W as there ever such a man?" A fte r a lapse
o f only 40 months, there were people in Johannesburg who had
never heard of the draughtsman who laid out so much of

th e ir c ity.
A township having been marked out, the stands were sold

by auction on December 8, 1886, at the M ining Commissioner's
office in Market Square, on the site now occupied by W evell
Brothers, the pioneer firm of wagon builders. A s usual the
stands on the side of the Market Square fetched the best
prices. They were sold at figures ranging from £100 to £280.
The rest went at bargain prices, and stands in the best part
of E lo ff Street, now worth tens of thousands o f pounds, could
be picked up fo r £5, while in the wilds of Noord Street, they ^
could be had fo r a few sh illings apiece. F ifty stands remained
unsold even at that figure. The f ir s t sale of stands disposed
of practically the whole of central Johannesburg, fo r under
£13,000, and the same plots to-day could not be bought fo r
several million sterling. In 1900. a plot at the corner o f R issik
and Pritchard Streets was sold fo r £40,000, an increase of
about a thousand per cent, o r about 66 per cent, per year.
In 1901, corner stands on Market Square changed hands at
£45,000, while the corner stand occupied by the Central News

9, GO VERNM ENT BU ILD ING S, 1887, were built in Rissik Street,
forming the aastern...e*tremity of Market Square. Th is structure later
became the f irs t Post Office. 10, R ISS IK STREET, M ARKET SQUARE,
1890. On the right are the Government Buildings, now the Post
Office, while on the left is the silhouette of the famous Palace
Buildings. One of the early horse trams, characteristic of the period
is shown in the foreground. I I , TH E G O LD SM ITH S ' A LLIA NC E
BU ILD ING S, corner of Market and Rissik Streets. The Alliance
Building Society is on the left, in the middle distance are MacDonald
Adams Building, Steytler's Building and Sauer's Buildings.

Agency to-day, was held to be worth £30,000. A M r. W . A .
M artin, a Johannesburg pioneer, was offered the Carlton Hotel
stand fo r £1,500.

It is interesting to note at th is stage, that the f ir s t street
lamps in Johannesburg were erected in Market Square. The
f ir s t gas lamp was erected in fro nt of the Landdrost's Court
on November 17, 1892, by the Johannesburg Lighting Com
pany, to give "some idea o f what can be done in the way
of street lighting ." The f ir s t electric lamp was erected at the
corner of R issik and President Streets in October, 1895.

The Market Hall was situated at the W estern end of the
Square adjoining Simmonds Street. The Municipal Tram
Shelter now occupies th is site, while the entire block from
R issik to Harrison Street is now the site o f the C ity Hall,
which is the culmination of a long and stormy development in
civic administration. On the 8th September, 1886, Kruger
proclaimed as public diggings certain portions of farms on
which Johannesburg now stands. The population then con
sisted of 50 persons. On the establishment of the township,
local Government was invested in an official known as M ining
Commissioner, responsible only to the then Republican
Government, while in December 1887, he had associated with
him a Sanitary Board, also nominated by the Government. In
1890 the f ir s t semblance of local government appeared. The
community was given the priv ilege of electing certain mem
bers to the Sanitary Board.

12
12, M ARKET SQ UARE, 1900. A view looking south-west from the
Post Office. On the extreme right is the Market Hall. 13, A view
across the square looking north. On the extreme left is Henwood's
Building with Harvey, Sreenacre & Company in the centre and Arcade
Buildings on the right.

14, JO HA NN ESBURG TO W N H A LL, I 9 I I . Market
Squa re, from the original drawing by the Architects,
Messrs. Hawke and McKinley. 15, TH E CENOTAPH,
Market Square, facing Harrison Street, designed by S ir
Edwin Lutyens as a memorial to those who fell in the
Great War, I9 I4 - I9 I9 . In the right background is
portion of the Town Hall. 16, TH E CENO TAPH IN ITS
M ARKET SQ UA RE SETT IN G . Buildings in the back
ground in Market Street are from left to right: Ziman's
Buildings, New Court Buildings, old Chamber of Mines
Building, Barclay's Bank (formerly National Bank) and
the Colonial Tru st Building.

A ck n o w led g em en ts fo r p h o to g ra p h ic i l lu s tra t io n s : 7 and
8. T h e A fr ic a n a M u seu m ; 11, Jo h n B acon ; 13, P e lican
Im p o rt C o m p an y ; 16. B eanes P h o to g ra p h ic Serv ices.

W ith the elected members there sat the Government
Commissioner, who was chairman, and two other nominees
of the Government, one o f whom was the D istric t Surgeon.
Control o f finance was entire ly in the hands o f the Commis
sioner. Th is system continued until 1897, when the "Stads-
raad " was constituted under Law No. 9 o f that year. The
Stadsraad consisted of a Burgomaster, appointed by the
Government and 12 other members. During the South
African W a r, from May 1900 to May 1901, the affairs of
the town were administered under M artia l Law by a M ilita ry
Governor. Under Lord M ilne r's proclamation No. 16 of 1901,
the nominated Town Council was selected entire ly from those
prominent Johannesburg men who were then in the town.
The f i r s t civic elections in Johannesburg were held in Decem
ber, 1903.

The face of the Market Square has not changed greatly

since 1900, as only about four new buildings have been erected

in the past 50 years, fronting onto the square, o r what is now

the C ity Ha ll, Cenotaph, Public Lib ra ry and Gardens. The

only block that has seen real change, is that between Loveday

and R issik Streets, on the North side of the Square. The

famous " Henwood's A rcad e" has disappeared, and the

double-stoyered premises of Harvey, Greenacre and Co. has

also gone. A small Flemish-gabled red brick building known

as "Arcade Build ings" has given place to Barbican Buildings.

In the early days o f the century the Market Square gave

to Johannesburg a special character, which although not of

great significance, is something that the Johannesburg of
to-day sadly lacks.

C O N T E M P O R A R Y J O U R N A L S
A RC H ITEC TU RE
"Architectural Record,"— September, 1947, pp. 81— 88.

Mies van der Rohe. A short study of some of the works of Mies
van der Rohe, the well-known Architect, who has recently become
an American citizen. Illustrated.

"Architectural Review,"— November, 1947. pp. 147-150.
The Space Machine — An evaluation of the recent work of
Le Corbusier, by Lionel Brett.

C O M M ERC IAL
'Architectural Forum,"— October, 1947. pp. 96-103.

The following projects are illustrated:—
( 1) Showroom for children's dresses employes open planning and

bright colours. William Lescaze, Architect.
(2) Brokerage Office, illustrating space-saving design for du Pont,

Hornsey Company. Victorine & Hornsey, Architects.
(3) Offices for Aluminium Co., of America, illustrating a three-

source lighting system. George Daub, Architect.
(4) Display room for Robert Gair Co.. N.Y., for the display of

large and small boxes. Robin & Vogel, Architects.
"Progressive Architecture,"— October. 1947. pp. 70-75.

( 1) Office for Ralph Flewelling and Associates, Architects. Los
Angeles, California, designed on an inside site.

(2) Office for Parkinson, Powelson, Briney, Bernard & Woodford,
Architects, Los Angeles, California. Built on an interior site
the plan is stepped back to provide a landscaped entrance
court and a long rear court that allows unhindered light to
enter the draughting office.

(3) Office for D. Williams, Architect. Th is scheme combines Mr.
Williams' profession Architectural offices and Mrs. W illiams'
dress manufacture and sales business.

"Architectural Record,"— October, 1947. pp. I 12-1 18.
( 1) Keith's Home Store, Kansas City, by Antonin Raymond and

L. Rado, Architects. A straightforward solution showing a re
freshing absence of cliches and diseased kidney and related
shapes. Illustrated.

(2) By, O f and For Architects. A club and office building in
Sao Paulo, Brazil, by Forte, Ruchti & Ciampaglia, Architects. This
building has been planned as a combined club, exhibition hall
and office building.

"Architectural Record,"— October, 1947. pp. 119-146.
Building types Study No. 130 on Office Building.
The following projects are illustrated:—
(1) Office Building fo r Seaboard Finance Co., Los Angeles. E.

Weston, Architect.
(2) Illino is Tool Works Co., Chicago. The Austin Co., Engineers and

Builders.
(3) Office Building for an Industrial Plant. Wurster, Bernard! &

Emmons, Architects.
(4) General Petroleum Buildings, Los Angeles. Wurdeman & Becket,

Architects.
(5) Insurance Offices, Skidmore, Owings & M errill, Architects.
(6) City National Bank Building, Houston, Texas. Finn & Cummins,

Architects.
(7) Wyoming Valley Veterans' Building. Lacey, Atherton, Wilson &

Davis, Architects.
(8) Rexall Drug Headquarters, Los Angeles. A. Roller, Architect.
(9) Loft Building. C. and S. Whinston, Architects.

"The Architects' Journal,"— December 4, 1947. pp. 293-295.
Temporary showroom for H . Dunn & Sons, Ltd., by Bertram Carter.

The scheme illustrates the conversion of a derelict brick shell into a
temporary furniture showroom.

"The Architects' Journal,"— December 18. 1947. pp. 537-540.
New Drawing Office for the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage &

Wagon Co., Ltd., Birmingham. C. Tee & Gale, Architects.
"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. p. 89, I 10-112.

( 1) Federal Office Building. A. Reidy, Architect. Th is ten-storey
building at Rio de Janeiro is supported on stilts.

(2) Office Building in Porto Alegre. Reidy & Moreira, Architects.

DOMESTIC
"Architectural Record,"— September, 1947. pp. 66-73.

The Tomkins House, Hewlett Harbour, Long Island, by Marcel

Breuer. Architect. An ingeniously designed house showing skilful use
of material and sureness in scale and proportion.

"Architectural Review,"— October, 1947. pp. I 15-1 18.
Two houses by Marcel Breuer are illustrated:—
( 1) The Geller House, Long Island.
(2) The Tomkins House, Long Island.

“Architectural Forum,"— October, 1947. pp. 105-113.
A group of country houses appear in this issue:—
( 1) Country house in the Midwest. Schweikher & Elting, Architects.
(2) Dexterous handling of steel framing results in a finely articulated

house. R. Soriano, Architect.
(3) Hillside house built to a sp lit level plan. C. Goodman,

Architect.
"Architectural Record,"— October, 1947. pp. 106-1I I .

An experimental house-system developed by Holden, Mclaughlin &
Associates, Architects. The major objects were to give the maximum
apparent spaciousness, plus efficient room arrangement, using a mini
mum of materials, equipment and labour.

"Architectural Review,"— November, 1947. pp. 151-154.
House in the Colorado Desert by Richard Neutra, Architect. Planned

below the foothills of the San Jacinto mountains to enjoy all the
advantages of the desert without suffering any of its pronounced
discomforts.

"The Architects' Journal,"— November 6, 1947. pp. 412-413.
The Wilson House designed by Foyle and W right. Illustrated with

large scale details.
"Architectural Record,”— November, 1947. pp. 89-1 14.

Architectural Records Building Types Study No. 131 on Houses.
Th is issue illustrates the following schemes:----

( 1) House for D. Irish, Midland, Mich. Alden Dow, Architect.
(2) House on Cape Cod for T . Estes. C. Koch, Architect &

Associates.
(3) House for R. V. Pound, Mass. C. Koch, Architect & Associates.
(4) House in Cazenova, N.Y. Sherwood, Miles & Smith, Architects.
(5) House for Howard Bald in the Ojai Valley. R. Neutra, Architect.
(6) House for P. C. Beckett, A riz. Kaufmann, Lippincott & Eggers,

Architects.
(7) House for Ross Beatty, Jnr. Schweikher & Elting, Architects.
(8) House for D. Berg. Glen Ellyn. Schweikher & Elting, Architects.
(9) House in Seattle, Wash. P. Thiry, Architect.

(10) House for A. Anderson, Calif. H . Moise, Architect.
(11) House fo r W . R. Scott, Portland, Ore. H. Brookman, Architect.
(12) House for Gerald Wright, Calif. F. Langhorst, Architect.
(13) House for H . Dean, Mich. G. Brigham, Architect.
(14) House in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ruchti & Forte. Architects.

"Progressive Architecture,"— November, 1947. pp. 87-89.
House at Minneapolis, Minnesota. E. and W . Close, Architects.

Designed for a professor and his wife this house is built on a wooded
hillside site on two levels.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 92-98.
Amongst various domestic work illustrated are to be found the

following Brazilian projects:—
( 1) Court Yard House. D. Calabi, Architect.
(2) Three-storey house at Sao Paulo. J. Artigas, Architect.
(3) Prize-winning house at Rio-de-Janeiro. C. Ferreira, Architect.
(4) Thirteen-room house at Rio-de-Janeiro. Soreiro, Mesquita,

Estrela & Ferreira, Architects.
(5) Seashore residence. G. Warchavchik, Architect.
(6) House for narrow lot, Sao Paulo. Forte, Ruchti & Ciampaglia,

Architects.

EXHIBITIO N BUILDIN G S
"The Architects' Journal,"— November 13, 1947. pp. 433-435.

( 1) Exhibition stand to display at the recent Brewers' Exhibition at
Olympia, the beer engines, bars and accessories for licensed
houses. Designed by Clive Entwistle.

(2) Atom Train. A travelling exhibition on Atomic Energy, designed
by Moro & Day.

'The Architects' Journal,"— November 29, 1947. pp. 451-453.
Stands at the Building Exhibition:—
( 1) The English Joinery Manufacturers' Association, by F. MacManus.
(2) Boulton & Paul, Ltd., by A. W . Cox.

(3) Ewart & Son, by Roy Fowkes.
(4) I.C.I., Ltd., by Arcon.
(5) Fiberglass Ltd, by Brian Peake.
(6) Celotex Ltd., and B. Finch & Co., Ltd., by Arcon.
(7) Ascot Gas Water Heaters; Williams & W illiams, Ltd., both

by Arcon.
"The Architects' Journal,"— November 27, 1947. pp. 471-477.

Stands at the Building Exhibition:—
f I ) Aluminium Department, by Lynn Chadwick.
(2) Rubberoid Co., Ltd., by Eric Brown & S. Buzas.
(3) J. Thompson Beacon Windows, Ltd., by Lyons & Israel.

FA C TO RIES
"The Architects' Journal." — October 23, 1947. pp. 361-366.

Factory for the National Cash Register Company at Dundee.
Designed by J. Beard, Bennett & Partners.

"The Architects' Journal,"— November 6, 1947. bp. 405-408.
Factory at Dundee for U.K. Time Branch of the U.S. Time Cor

poration. J. S. Beard, Bennett & Partners, Architects. The building
provides: (a) a main assembly area with subsidiary manufacturing
and storage areas: (b) Administrative offices and (c) Canteen and
Welfare Department.

"The Architects’ Journal,"— November 13, 1947. pp. 427-430.
An Industrial Building on the Great West Road, Brentford, designed

by W allis, G ilbert & Partners. The factory consists of aero-engineers'
workshop, offices, canteens, welfare and air-raid shelters.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 106-109.
(1) Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Plant at Rio-de-Janeiro. A. Reidy,

Architect.
(2) Warehouse and Coffee Processing Plant. R. Levi, Architect.

FLA TS
"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 99-101.

( I ) Apartment Building in Sao Paulo. H. Mindlin, Architect.
|2) Architects apartments in Rio-de-Janeiro. Marcelo, Milton &

Roberto, Architects.

G O VERN M EN T BUILD ING S, IN TERN A TIO N A L, ETC.
"Architectural Record,"— November, 1947. pp. 68-73.

U .N. Headquarters Revised fo r Economy. The original scheme has
been modified to f it within an estimated figure of approximately
65,000,000 dollars.

H O SPITA LS, W ELFA RE, ETC.
“Architectural Record,"— October, 1947. pp. 100-105.

Perspectives of 15 hospital projects are illustrated.
"Architectural Review,"— November, 1947. pp. 171-172.

Spring House at Araxa, Brazil. F. Bolonha, Architect. This building
is designed as a place where patients at the Spa of Araxa in Brazil
may drink the sulphur waters.

"Progressive Architecture,"— November, 1947. pp. 58-86.
Health Facilities. A critique covering the following schemes:—
( 1) Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, Connecticut. Skidmore, Owings

& M errill, Architects. The problem was to design a 222-bed
hospital to be joined with the present structure, which will
become the Outpatients Department and a Nursery School and
residence.

(2) Southern Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. A municipal 1,200-bed
central hospital, including every diagnostic and therapeutic
facility known to Medical Science. H. Cederstrom, Architect.

(3) Dormitory, Keeley Institute, Dwight, Illinois. Schweikher & Elting,
Architects, design an institution for the treatment and care
of alcoholic pafients which would serve efficiently as a health
care facility yet would have a character that would be more
residential than institutional.

(4) Wayne County Health Centre, Michigan. Problem: To supply
dental, maternal, X-ray, tuberculosis and venereal disease treat
ment and control, plus a headquarters for the Wayne County
Board of Health, County Sanitary Engineers and County Nurses.

(5) King County Central Blood Bank, Seattle, Washington.
Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson and J. Wohleb design a
centre for the convenience and comfort of Blood Donors and
fo r the efficient handling and processing of the plasma.

(6) Nurses' Home, Memorial Hospital, Anniston, Alabama. This
scheme provides a nurses' residence and training school in a
building separate from, but related to the existing hospital.
C. McCauley, Architect.

(7) Nurses' Home, St. Benedict's Hospital, St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The problem: To provide a nurses' residence and training school.
Long and Thorsbov, Inc., Architects.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 68-69, 84-88, 106-107.
(1) Sulphur Springs Pavilion at Araxa.
(2) Foreigners' Hospital. P. Ribeiro, Architect. This project ai

Rio-de-Janeiro will largely cater for Rio’s American colony.
(3) Maternity home for University Hospital. R. Levi, Architect.

Located on a steeply sloping site this prize-winning design takes
advantage of the drop in elevation to help solve the complex
circulation problem encountered in the planning of any hospital.

(4) Social Centre, Rio-de-Janeiro. O. R. de Campos, Architect.
(5) Laboratory For Snake-Bite Serum in Brazil. A. V. Brazil, Architect.

H O TELS
"Architectural Review,"— October, 1947. pp. 127-130.

Hotel Grand Gooiland at Hilversum. Th is hotel was originally
designed by J. Duiker, and after his death in 1935, was completed by
his friend and collaborator, B. Bijvoet. The building combines hotel,
cafe, restaurant and theatre into a single complex.

"Architectural Forum,"— October, 1947. pp. 81-87.
Royal Hawaiian Hotel. The island's famous hotel has been enlarged,

redecorated and opened to its ideal climate. Gardner Dailey,
Architect. Illustrated.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 71-75.
( 1) Tourist Hotel, Ouro Preto. O. Niemeyer, Architect.
(2) Small Resort Hotel at Tijuca. Marcelo, Milton & Roberto,

Architects.
(3) Luxury Beach Hotel at Praia Vermelha, Rio-de-Janeiro. Planned

to accommodate 600 persons, the design places public rooms in
two-storey wings encircling a central patio. H. Mindlin, Architect.
Burle-Marx, Landscape Architect.

HO U SIN G
"The Architects' Journal,"— November 20, 1947. pp. 454-456.

Ministry of Health three-storey terrace housing scheme.
"The Architects' Journal,"— November 27, 1947. p. 470.

Maisonettes by the M inistry of Health.
"Architectural Record,"— November, 1947. p. 80.

(a) A plan for Middle Income Rental Housing, by C. Vollmer,
associated with Fellheimer & Wagner, Architects. The pentagonal
apartment plan is here developed as a way of providing large-
scale rental housing for tenants in higher income brackets.

(b) Duplex Apartments in Economy Role. Corbett & Sacks,
Architects.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 102-105.
(1) Varzea do Carmo Housing Project. Lima, Cavalcanti & Silva,

Architects.
(2) 14,000 Family Public Housing Project at Ric-de-Janeiro.

Ferreira, Leal & Torres, Architects.
(3) Proposed 600-Family Project at Rio-de-Janeiro. A. Reidy,

Architect.

RECREATIO N
"Progressive Architecture,”— November, 1947. pp. 53-57.

Tennis Club, Palm Springs, California. Built into rock; it overlooks
a serene view of the colourful near-by community and miles of desert
valley beyond. P. W illiams and A. Jones, Jr., Architects.

“Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. p. 70.
(1) Recreational Centre at Araxa. F. Bolonha, Architect.
(2) Suburban Soorts Club, Rio-de-Janeiro. Silva, Architect.

RELIG IO US BUILDING S
"Architectural Record,”— September, 1947. pp. 89-112.

The "Architectural Record” presents Building Types Study No. 129,
on Religious Buildings, covering the following articles:—

(a) Realistic Planning for Religious Buildings, by E. M. Conover.
(b) Towards a New Architecture of Worship, by Barry Byrne.
The following plans are illustrated:—

(1) Children's Chapel, Brooklyn. J. Salerno, Architect.
(2) Crypt Chapel, Latrobe. E. Frei, Designer.
(3) Synagogue Proposals. P. Goodman, Architect.
14) St. Ann's Church, St. Louis. J. D. Murphy, Architect.
(5) Church of la Purisima, Monterry. E. de la Mora, Architect.
(6) Project Study for Oklahoma. Study by R. B. M iller.

RESTA URA N TS
"Progressive Architecture,"— October, 1947. pp. 53-58.

Dewey Showroom and Restaurant, Quechee. E. and M. Hunter,
Architects. A winner of one of the f irs t annual Progressive Architecture
Awards, for Non-Residential Work, Illustrated with plans, detail?
and photographs.

SCHOOLS
"The Architects’ Journal,"— October 16, 1947. pp. 339-347.

The design of Primary Schools is analysed by the Hertfordshire
County Council Architect's Department. Mr. Aslin, with his assistants,
have devised a flexible system of building with factory-produced
components. Illustrated.

"The Architects' Journal,"—October 30, 1947. pp. 383-386.
School at Folkestone. Designed by E. Lewis. Th is Elementary School

is for 320 senior g irls and 388 mixed juniors and infants.
"The Architects' Journal,"— December 25, 1947. pp. 559-561.

Florida Southern College. Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect.
"Architectural Forum,”— November, 1947. pp. 80-83.

( 1) Vocational High School, Rio-de-Janeiro, designed to accommo
date 1,400 students in two daily shifts. Marcelo, Milton &
Roberto, Architects.

(3) Small Primary School on a hillside site. A. Miranda, Architect.
(2) School for Industrial Town Santo Andre. C. Ferreira, Architect.
(4) Urban Primary School, in Bara Mansa. A. Toledo, Architect.

STREET FU RN ITU RE, BRIDGES, ETC.
"The Architects' Journal.”— October 2, 1947. pp. 302-303.

Viaduct at Ariccia, Italy, by Guidi & PScanowski.
STUDIO S
"Architectural Forum,"— October, 1947. pp. I 14-1 19.

Photographic and A rt Studio. A plan for the production of fine
commercial photography and artwork and a sales room for both,
the new Kling Studios in Chicago is designed to operate with the
efficiency of a modern factory.

"Progressive Architecture,"— October, 1947. pp. 67-69.
Studio workshop for E. Peterson, Architect, Mass. The studio, an

addition to his house, is placed on a hillside with a view out across
the water.

TO W N PLANNING
"Journal, R.A.I. of Canada,"— September, 1947. pp. 297-328.

Town Planning in Vancouver. Vancouver revises its town plan for
future growth. The elements of the newly revised plan are: Economic
Background and Population Growth — Major Street Plan — Transit —

The Downtown business {District — The (Grouping of Public Buildings —*•
Parks and Recreation, including schools — Transportation: Railways
and Harbours — A Metropolitan Airport Plan — Zoning — Decentraliza
tion and Regional Planning — The Appearance of the City and the
Administration of the Plan. Accompanying the articles are many
large-scale Plans indicating the proposed new work.

"The Architects' Journal,"— October 9, 1947. pp. 317-320.
Hemel Hempstead New Town by G. A. Jellicoe, Consultant to the

Development Corporation. The problem was "To plan to increase
the existing town within the designated area from a population of
21,120 to one having a balanced population of 60,000.

"Architectural Review,"— November, 1947. pp. 159-170.
Westminster Regained. Proposals for the Replanning of the West

minster Precinct.
"The Architects' Journal,"— December 18, 1947. pp. 541-545.

(a) Preliminary Outline Plan for Crawley, by A. Minoprio.
(b) Village Planning Competition for the Central Landowners'

Association.
TRA N SPO RT BUILDING S
"Architectural Record,"— October, 1947. pp. 90-99.

Establishing an A irport Planning Programme, by Smith, Hinchman &
Grylls, Inc., Architects and Engineers.

"Journal, R.A.I. of Canada,"— November, 1947. pp. 385-413.
Th is issue of the Journal is devoted to design and transportation and

covers the following articles and illustrations:—
(1) Design and Transportation. Article by R. Bolton.
(2) Rapid Transit in Toronto. Article by W . H. Patterson.
(3) Rapid Transit in Toronto. Article by A. G. Keith.
(4) Rio-de-Janeiro Airport, Brazil. Marcelo, Milton & Roberto,

Architects. Plan and photographs of building.
(5) Railway Stations in Italy. Article by E. G. Faludi, illustrating

the following Railway Stations: Florence, Rome, Viareggio and
Ostia.

"Architectural Forum,"— November, 1947. pp. 76-79.
( 1) New Town for Brazilian Aeronautical Centre. Oscar Niemeyer.

Architect.
(2) A ir Terminal Building, Rio-de-Janeiro. Marcelo, Milton &

Roberto, Architects.

NOTES AND NEWS

S IXTH CONGRESS OF C.I.A.M.
The sixth congress of C .I.A .M . (Congress Internationaux

d'Architecture Moderne) held at Bridgewater, England, last
September, was an event from which architects all over the
world may well take heart. Here were assembled delegates
from eighteen countries who, during a succession of lively
discussions arrived at substantial agreement, established a
common set of aims and produced constructive proposals fo r
realising them. The delegates le ft obviously heartened
by the discussions and stimulated by the renewing of personal
contacts, a state o f affairs so remarkable to-day in the sphere
of international relations that it inspires considerable respect
in itse lf fo r the principles to which these men subscribe. So
Far removed in fact was the sp ir it o f the C .I.A .M . congress
from the wrangling and face-saving of its political counter
parts that one may perhaps be permitted to wonder whether
in such associations o f men of professional good-will (The
association of Atomic Sc ientists would seem to be another
such) there does not resi.de the only hope of a peaceful and
sanely ordered future.

Twenty years is a long time, in these days, fo r an artistic
Movement to maintain its cohesion and driving force and

the fact that C .I.A .M . has done so suggests that its approach
to architectural problems remains su b sta n tia lly a valid one
fo r the present time. By linking architectural aesthetics above
all with technical and sociological questions C .I.A .M . has in
fact anchored itse lf firm ly in reality and so managed to remain
afloat among the social uncertainties and catastrophies which
have capsized other Movements. Above all it has established
an architecture which remains the champion of the Common
Man, that one-time hero of the headlines who no longer
seems even to figure in the calculations o f international politics.

It is, however, only that this, most recent, congress that the
Common Man has appeared in all his dimensions. It is worth
recalling, fo r instance, the original statement made in 1928
of the aims of the Congress. These were summarized as being

(a) To formulate the architectural problems of to-day.
(b) To exhibit the idea of modern architecture.
(c) To in stil th is idea into technical, social and economic

thought.
(d) To promote the development of architecture.

These aims, themselves formulated in abstract terms, were
as such applied to an abstract view of humanity. Considera
tion fo r the Common Man certainly underlay th is abstraction
but in fact he was litt le more than a symbol, the clear-cut
Isotype silhouette who became so fam ilia r a unit in the dia
grams produced by C .I.A .M . study groups. W ith the aim
of fu lfillin g the needs o f th is human symbol there was carried

out a programme of research which at the f ir s t congress
examined the problem of the minimum flat, from there extend
ing its researches to cover wider fie lds, and before the war
culminated the splendid study of town planning problems
which was published in the form of S e rf s "Can O ur C itie s
Su rv ive ?" In carrying out th is programme C .I.A .M . was,
however, doing much more than merely formulating approaches
to contemporary architectural problems. It was also training
a cardre of young architects to apply a particular line of
thought in whatever situations they might find themselves,
and many of these architects to-day hold positions of re
sponsib ility in the ir respective countries.

But now, just when the triumph of C .I.A .M . ideas would
seem to be assured, there seems to have crept in an element
of doubt. Confronted with an architecture which enables him
to live a fu lle r life both in the material and in the imaginative
sense, the Common Man appears (to put it mildly) to be re
luctant to claim his heritage. W ith commendable courage and
a welcome realisation of its importance C .I.A .M . has resolved
to tackle th is problem of Public Opinion, in other words to take
stock of the Common Man not as a symbolical silhouette but
as a three dimensional figure, complete with all his attendant
paraphenalia of emotions, associations, inhibitions and the
personal idiosyncracies which colour his view of architecture.
In his recent book "C a stles on the G round," J. M. Richards
has undertaken a study o f the London Suburb from th is point
o f view, endeavouring to determine just what the man who
lives in it finds satisfying about its architecture, and at the
congress, M r. Richards raised many important questions in
volving th is so rt of relationship between architects and the
public which he suggested might form the basis fo r a pro
gramme of study at the next congress. Just what form this
study w ill take is not yet clear, but parallel considerations
fo r which a programme has been accepted are a Restatement
of the A im s of the congress and an examination of architectural
education.

In view of the sh ift o f emphasis which appears to have
taken place within the framework of C .I.A .M . th is Restatement
o f A im s would seems to be particularly important. So far the

public too often seems to assume that Modern Architecture
is at worst deliberately iconoclastic, at best a piece of ex
hib itionism on the part o f architects who want only to reg i
ment the individual into a life less geometrical environment.

The modern architect may so fa r have fallen fa r short of the com
plete harmony of form and technique which characterises the
great architecture of the past. Its practitioners, and C .I.A .M .
who speaks fo r them, should nevertheless make it clear that
this harmony remains the ir goal and that, fa r from regimenta
tion, they aim essentially at creating a less restricted environ
ment fo r the individual.

On the question of architectural education C .I.A .M .'s
researches shou'd also prove important. There are few schools
o f architecture in the world to-day which, during the lifetime
of C .I.A .M . have not radically altered their systems of teach
ing in conformity with present-day needs but, in doing so, they
have necessarily proceeded empyrically, each along individual
lines and with little or no contact with developments in
academic circles other than the ir own. In many cases con
spicuous successes have been achieved, but, in others there
have been signs that insistance on the "Three Ps" of modern
architecture (Pilotis, Pan de Verre and Plan Libre) can prove
no less ste rile than insistence on the Three O rders unless it
is related to a clearly defined approach to all the innumerable
ramifications of technics and aesthetics in which architecture
is to-day involved: and th is so rt o f definition C .I.A .M .'s re
searches can supply. In th is country the introduction of new
methods has perhaps been more fundamental and appeared
earlier than it did in others, while it has already been reflected
in solid achievements in contemporary practice. It is also
notable that an almost complete transformation was achieved,
not only by a revolutionary sweep, such as is represented by
the Bauhaus method, but by changes which took place within
an established academic framework. From these points of
view at least South African experiences should prove valuable
ones in the ir international context while, in reverse, we may
hope to learn much from the tabulation of the experiences
o f other countries in architectural education.

D. E. P.

A news item of considerable importance to the architec
tural profession appeared in the "East London Daily Dispatch"
of the 9th January, 1948, in the report of a hearing in the
East London Magistrate's Court dealing with implications of
the use of the term "Architectural."

" N O T AN A RC H ITEC T. G U ILTY O F AN O FFEN CE "

"Fredericus van Seumeren, of the Netherlands Buildings,
was fined £2 I Os. Od. o r seven days hard labour in what the
magistrate described as in the nature of a test case when he
again appeared before M r. A . Brink in the East London
M agistrate's Court yesterday. The charge was that, between
September I, 1947, and November 27, 1947, Van Seumeren,

not being registered as an architect, unlawfully used, by
advertisement, description or other means, such a name, title ,
addition, description or letters as to indicate that he was an
architect by displaying: ( I) on a sign board at Killarney Flats
extension, the words " F. van Seumeren, architectural office
at C .N .A . Buildings, East London"; (2) On a renter's board
at the entrance to the Netherlands Buildings the words "F .
van Seumeren, architectural office" and (3) on the door of
room 33 the words "F . van Seumeren, B.B.U., Architectural

office."

A t Wednesday's hearing, M r. F. H . W aldron (for Van
Seumeren) argued that the words "architectural office" did

not convey that Van Seumeren was an architect and the
magistrate reserved his decision until yesterday. In passing
sentence, the magistrate said van Smeuren had drawn up
plans which was work peculiar to an architect and had put
up these advertisements at his office and at th is building under
construction. The word "architectura l" conveyed to him only
one meaning, said M r. Brink, and that was that in the office
there must be an architect. Van Seumeren was not an archi
tect and was therefore guilty o f an offence."

C H A PTER O F S.A. Q U A N TITY SURVEYO RS

T R A N S F E R T O C O L O N IA L F E L L O W S H IP — R.I.C .S.
The application of M r. D. J. Beveridge has been approved

by the Council o f the Institution.

A P P L IC A T IO N FO R P R O FE S S IO N A L A S S O C IA T E S H IP -
R .I.C .S.
The application of M r. F. C. Moore has been sim ila rly

approved.

M E M B ER SH IP
M r. W . D. Rae, of Durban, has been enrolled as a salaried
member of the Chapter.

M r. N. A . Fraser, of 103/4 A ires Buildings, R issik Street,
Johannesburg, has been enrolled as a practising member, and
has entered practice under the style o f MacConville and Fraser,
Chartered Quantity Surveyors.

T R A N S F E R S
M r. J . Veitch has been transferred from "Sa la rie d " to

"P ra c tis in g " Membership.

M r. A . 0 . Coltman has been transferred to "R e tire d "
Membership.

M r. E. Hustwick has tendered his resignation from the
Chapter as from January, 1948.

P A R TN E R S H IP S
M r. F. C. H a rris has entered into partnership with Messrs.

Babbs, Labdon and Partners at 313, Permanent Buildings, 8,
Darling Street, Cape Town. The name of the firm is unaltered.

The partnership between Messrs. W . Murdoch, T . A.
Bannerman and W . Laurie at Barclay's Bank Buildings, Adderley
Street, Cape Town, has been dissolved from 1st January, 1948.
M r. Bannerman is practising on his own account. Messrs.
Murdoch and Laurie are in partnership, both firm s practising
at the above address.

J O U R N A L O F R .I.C .S., Vol. X C V II, Pt.VL. Dec. 1947.
A rtic le s o f interest: "U se of the T itt le 'Q uantity Surveyor'

in the Dominion of South A fric a ," p. 321; "Present-Day
Problems of the Bu ild er," p. 322; "Bu ild ing W ag es," p. 331.

S ITU A TIO N W A N TED
C H ARTERED A RC H ITEC T, A.R.I.B.A., British, age 31 years, married,
requires progressive post with responsibilities in South Africa. Fourteen
years architectural experience Public Buildings, Schools, Housing, Estate
Development and General. Salary required £750 per annum. Passages
booked and becoming available approximately six months. Arrangement
desired for assistance with passages. W rite : Mr. G. S. K. Locke, A.R.I.B.A.,
3, Hollinwell Avenue, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, England.

A M ALG AM ATIO N
London firm of Chartered Quantity Surveyors, having some staff available,
would like to discuss association or amalgamation with Johannesburg firm
of quantity surveyors. Replies to Editor.

B O O K R E V I E W
ON TR U S T FO R TH E NA TIO N

By Clough Williams-Ellis.
London. Paul Elek Ltd. 25/-

An excellent team has been picked by Paul Elek Ltd . to
present the story of Brita in 's 'National T ru st.' A most imagi
native jacket by Kenneth Rowntree and drawings by Barbara
Jones contribute materially to the liveliness o f the presentation:
the layout and typography of Peter Ray is particularly success
ful in the case of the well-designed maps; the photographs
have been selected by Trevo r Dannatt and the story o f the
T ru st told by Clough W illia m s-E llis , whose long association
with that body qualifies him particularly well fo r recording
its history.

The introductory chapters outline the scope and aims of
the National T ru st, emphasizing particularly how it aims at
preserving its holdings as fa r as possible as 'integral b its of
the authentic England'; preferring fo r example, to administer
an estate which continues to be occupied by its hereditary

R U F F O R D O LD H A L L , L A N C H A S H IR E . A d ra w in g
b y B a rb a ra Jo n e s fro m "O n T r u s t fo r th e N a tio n ,"
b y C lo u g h W illiam s-E llis .

Owner rather than to acquire buildings as mere museum
pieces. W e are shown too the nature of the battle waged by
the T ru s t more as a delaying action against the forces of
advancing philistin ism (M r. W illia m s-E llis appropriately
describes these tactics as the holding of 'amenity hedge
hogs') until such time as a policy can be worked out fo r
incorporating them in positively planned recreation areas.
Th is has involved the establishing of liaison with other bodies
concerned with preserving public 'amenities' and a significant
step has been the voting of a pound fo r pound Parliamentary
grant to the T ru s t which, until th is was finalised in 1946, re
mained a purely voluntary body. Awareness of the im port
ance of preserving England's astonishing heritage of scenic
and architectural beauty may thus ultimately inspire the con
tinuance of that tradition in worthy contemporary build ing;
and that not only in its English context. " I t may well be,"
suggests M r. W illia m s-E llis , "th a t the importance of preserving
Bath lies not so much in that fact that we o f Somerset will
benefit, as that a township in W estern Australia or Vancouver
or Rhodesia or in New Zealand or where you w ill, may become
lovely because o f it . "

The greater part o f the book is taken up with illustrations
and a most human account of the major holdings of the Tru st.
The illustrations are perhaps a little uneven in quality, being
collected as they are from a variety of sources, but th is is
more than offset by the drawings of Barbara Jones, which
show topographical draughtsmanship of a very high order.
A most solid sense of architectural quality appears in all ol
these drawings. Compare, fo r example, the drawing of the
George Inn, where emphasis on the solid craftsmanship of the
balustrade suggests the whole architectural essense of the
subject to the im pressionistic rendering of the balusters in the
Cliveden Tower. Here craftsmanship is, rightly, only sketchily
recorded and the eye is led to the silhouette in which resides
whatever of architectural quality the subject may be thought
to possess. And, in the cases in which it is introduced, colour
adds appreciably to th is architectural quality. In the detail
o f Swakelys, fo r instance, the peculiar ham-and-eggs mixture
of pink Queen Anne brickwork with sandstone quoins produces
the actual sense of v ita lity which it does produce in th is type
of architecture instead of the mere pictorial discord which
generally results in the hands of lesser a rtists. It is in fact the
litt le extra of architectural quality which Barbara Jones sug
gests so much better than the most competent photograph
that the unique importance of the holdings of the National
T ru s t resides. D. E. P.

" PLA N N IN G : The Architect's Handbook," by E. and O. E.
Published for "The Architect and Building News" by Gilbert
Wood and Co., Ltd., and distributed by lliffe and Sons, Ltd.
21s. net.

The fiif th edition of th is well-known publication— and the
f i r s t post-war edition— which was published late last year will
be welcomed by Architects and Students of Architecture alike.

The publication has been revised throughout to bring it into
line with present conditions and many of the th irty sections
have been entirely rewritten in view of the emphasis being
given to such essentials as houses, schools and factories in
England to-day. New sections have been added and that on
farm build ings has been brougght up-to-date by its original
author, M r. Edwin Gunn, in view with the new outlook on
agriculture.

W ith its 436 pages including over 600 diagrams th is book
is one of the most invaluable reference books fo r the planner
to-day. For with the ramification o f an average practice
few architects can memorise or have the time to collate into
a concise and convenient form the mass of general and
detailed planning information that they may be called upon
to use at some time or another and then usually at short
notice.

Many will be fam iliar with the previous editions o f this
book; but those who have not had the occasion to use it
w ill find Planning a convenient and straightforward reference
which contains those essentials o f planning and gives clearly
the most important details which must effect the planning
of the many categories o f buildings covered by the th irty
sections o f the book. Designed, as it is, fo r the use of archi
tects it does not attempt to cover the theory or basic principles
of planning, but it should find a ready place on the design
tables o f practitioners and students o f Architecture.

W . D. H .
C RYSTA LLIZED TH O U G H T

Some time ago I remember being unnecessarily irritated
while reading an article on aesthetics by Benedetto Groce,
because he, in devoting a great deal of space to a considera
tion of what beauty was not, never seemed to be coming to
a definition of what beauty might be. I have since come to
realize that a wise man does not lightly commit himself to
a definition of beauty. Trystan Edwards in a new and en
larged edition of an early work* purports to give "A
Philosophy of Beauty." He also, as his preface states, only
committed himself to paper after some years of study
and thought; and, moreover, o f thinking to such purpose that,
except fo r slight re-arrangements, th irty years after he has
found no reason fo r altering either the original text or illu s
trations. A theory that needs no revision, but only an addi
tional chapter to point out its wider applications, would seem,
after so many years, to have withstood the test o f time, and
to m erit a review under a heading such as D istilled W isdom .

That it is a wise book in the author's opinion is to be
inferred from his substituting "A Philosophy of Beauty" in
the new edition fo r the original sub-title o f " A Revaluation
of the Visual A rt s ." Furthermore, in the revised format he
has presented his arguments in an Euclidian form, which gives
each proposition as a heading to be followed so fa r as possible
by its proof. He attaches some importance to th is method,

-» The Things Which Are Seen, A Philosophy of Beauty, by Trystan
Edwards. Tiranti, 12/6.

f irs t ly because he considers that it "best su its a treatise com

prising, as does Th e Things Which Are Seen', a long sequence

of inter-related arguments," and secondly because he main

tains that it is "good manners" to excuse the reader the labour

o f following his thought processes. Now, Mathematics, fo r

all I know, may be entirely axiomatic in principle; though

mathematicians in their Writings fo r the layman leave me with

the impression that in its higher realms it is more than that.

C erta in ly a book purporting to contain a philosophy has no

business with propositions that receive no proof " . . . because
the theme is too complex . . . " Philosophy is chary of pro
positions and axioms; hence its bother with metaphysics, a
subject that Trystan Edwards would consign to the dustbin.
It is th is very lack of a basis in metaphysics that probably
accounts fo r some o f the dogmatic and surprising conclusions
propounded in his philosophy.

He gives, fo r example, a "G ram m er of Design," which
is based on rules o f "Number, Punctuation and Inflexion."
To establish these rules he goes to living and animate
Nature, and, finding that certain general principles hold good,
immediately applies them as "canons" to an inanimate art
such as architecture. Kropotkin in his book, "M utua l A id ,"
followed a sim ilar course. Observation established to his
satisfaction that insects, birds, and animals, practised "mutual
a id ;" and he immediately concluded that it was incumbent
on human beings to do so also. It is ; but Kropotkin's obser
vations have done nothing to establish it as an obligatory
principle. In giving his empirical find ings an application wider
than to the creatures observed, he was guilty o f the same
fallacy as Trystan Edwards is. A principle obtaining in one
order o f being cannot be applied indiscrim inately to a different
and, in the case of the human being, a higher order. Before
a principle can be held to be universal, its underlying appli
cation to all things must be considered; it must, in fact, be an
abstract or ontological principle. That Trystan Edwards has
inadequately considered his principles or "canons" becomes
evident in many o f his architectural comments and illustrations.
He reaches incongruous heights, appropriately enough, in his
remarks on an illustrated skyscraper. The skyscraper in having
an emphasized base and attic is properly "punctuated" top
and bottom, he avers, but not in its unemphasized sides. H is
complementary diagram attempts to "supply the deficiency"
by the addition o f two mighty pilasters. He ends th is para
graph with the comment: "Y e t even in th is instance, by means
of sk ilfu l planning (sic), the loss of accommodation (caused by
the pilasters on the street frontage) may be reduced to a
minimum; fo r the corners of such a building may often be
used profitably fo r lifts and store-room s." In the author's

system of "punctuation," there would seem to be only one
stop, the fu ll stop.

It is not the end of the matter contained in th is book.
Another paragraph begins thus: "W om en must be free to
attain a condition of perfect physical development. G ird lines,
tight waists, or heels so high that they make it impossible fo r
women to walk gracefully, are, of course, most objectionable."
The importance of these sentences lies not in Trystan Edwards's
objection to women's caprice, but in that dress, which he
places third in "the hierarchy of The a rts ," more mature than,
and senior to, architecture, painting and sculpture, should take
such form s. An adequate philosophy must not only explain the
harmonies in a civilisation, but also the discords, aberrations
and all. H is philosophy must account fo r the revival o f the
euphemistically called "N e w Look." It does partly, and the
clue is to be found in the question: "H o w does architecture
serve the art of the cultivation of human beauty? How does
it serve the a rt of manners?" It can be deduced that a
fashion which fosters a deform ity does not serve the f ir s t of
the visual arts in his "o rd er of precedence," human beauty.
None the less, women seek beauty, human beauty, with an
intentness rare in men. The author has a proposition to cover
th is fact. It reads: "Th e prestige o f the f ir s t o f the visual
arts will never be fu lly restored until the proposition is estab
lished that there is no such thing as 'A Fa ir Sex’ but that
both men and women have the ir characteristic beauty of
fo rm ." However, his philosophy is s t ill called upon to ex
plain why the "p ro p o sitio n " has not already been "established,"
why, in fact, human beings are subject to capriciousness? Again
his philosophy, being based on inadequately considered p rin
ciples, cannot do th is. He, it is true, in a reference to "p ride
and conceit" touches on an explanation. Had he paid more
attention to the fra ilty in the make-up of the human being,
he might have seen the way to deepening his own philosophy.
However, had he done so, he might have been left without
his "o rd e r o f precedence." He leaves one reader very
sceptical.

Th is scepticism is increased by such statements as: "F o r
music and literature are only justified in so far as they increase
the sum of the sp iritu a lity which is enshrined in Th e Things
Which are Seen,." Trystan Edwards in placing his ultimate
values in human beauty, in the cult o f the face and body,
pays scant regard to the "sp ir itu a lity " to be found in other
aspects o f the human being. An ill considered principle, if
pushed too far, becomes a glaring anomaly. It is not that
th is book contains nothing that is worth considering; it is that
its author theorizes too briskly, and claims too much fo r the
ensuing aesthetic: his thought seems to have crystallized too
soon. A . S.

The S .A . Architectural Record, March, 19^8xx

FEATURES OF
THE

SHOWROOMS
OF

MODERN APPLIANCES LTD.

SUITE OF OFFICES,

AUDITION ROOM AND RECORD CABINET;

DISPLAY FEATURES AND WALL TREATMENT

IN CITRON YELLOW AND GREY;

BRONZE GRILL TO CASH OFFICE,

METAL RIBBON TYPE LETTERING, FINISHED RED.

DESIGNED, FABRICA TED AND IN STA LLED

FREDK. SAGE
& CO. (S.A.) (PTY.) LTD.

SHOPFITTING SPECIALISTS
ARCHITECTURAL METAL CRAFTSMEN

P.O. Box 777

Phone 22-7555

10 HEIDELBERG RD.
V I L L A G E M A I N

JOHANNESBURG

A R C H ITEC T: J. A. Hoogterp, F.R.I.B.A., M.I.A.

Journal of the SA Architectural Institute

PUBLISHER:

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

LEGAL NOTICE:

Disclaimer and Terms of Use: Provided that you maintain all copyright and other notices contained therein, you
may download material (one machine readable copy and one print copy per page) for your personal and/or
educational non-commercial use only.

The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, is not responsible for any errors or omissions and excludes any
and all liability for any errors in or omissions from the information on the Library website.