
<*>
1 1 

BUILDING-
1 I

THE JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF TRANSVAAL ARCHITECTS 
AND OF THE NATAL INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS.

N o .  2 1 .  Y o l . V I .  M A R C H ,  1 9 2 1 .  [ q u a r t e r l y ]  P r i c e  1 / -

e d it o r —

e . M. p o w e r s , f .r .i.b a

a s s is t a n t  Ed it o r s —

E. H. W A U G H . A R.I.B.A., M,S.A 

R. H O W D E N . A.R.V I.A. M.S.A.

b u s in e s s  M a n a g e r —

MURRAY K. CARPENTER,
67, EXPLORATION BUILDINGS.

Co m m is s io n e r  s t r e e t ,

R o . BOX 2 2 6 6 ,  J O H A N N E S B U R G .

PHONE 5821,

E D I T O R I A L  N O T I C E
The E d ito r  w ill be glad to consider any  M S S , P hotographs or Sketches subm itted  to him  but they shou ld  

be accom panied by stam ped addressed envelopes f o r  re tu rn  i f  unsuitable, in  case o f loss or in ju ry  he cannot 
hold h im self responsible fo r  M SS-, P hotographs or Sketches, and  publication  in the Jo u rn a l can alone be taken  as  
evidence o f  acceptance. The nam e and  address o f  the owner shou ld  be placed on the back o f  all P ictures and  M S S m 

The Association does not hold i ts e lf  responsible fo r  the opinions expressed  by in d iv idua l co n tn b u to is . 
A n n u a l Subscrip tion  per post 5\-. T h is J o u rn a l m ay be obtained from  the p rin c ip a l B ailw ay  

B ooksta lls th roughou t the Union, or d irect from  the B u sin ess  M anager-

CONTENTS.
Central Housing Board ... ... ... 429
Members of Council and Committees for the Current Year 430 
Annual General Meeting ... ... ... 43 1
Assessors Report ... ... ■ 437
Students’ Competitions ... ... ... 43^
Chair of Architecture ... . .. ... ••• 438
Hospitals ... . .. ... ... 438
The beginning of Freedom ... ... ... 439

CENTRAL HOUSING BOARD

H O U SIN G  M EM ORANDUM  No. 2.

(Published by au thority .)

Fees payable to Architects and Quantity Surveyors in 
connection with Housing Schemes carried out under 

the Housing Act No. 35 of 1920.

The scales set out below have been fram ed on the 
assum ption th a t qualified m em bers of the respective 
professions will be employed.

In  the  case ,of a scheme for over 250 houses for 
which it  is proposed t,o employ a single architect or 
firm  of architects, the  C entral H ousing B oard should 
be consulted before any arrangem ent as to  fees is m ade.

Reinforced Concrete Design and Construction 443
Competitions ... ... . . . 444
Association of Transvaal Architects 446
Review 447
Louis M. Thibault, Architect 447
Our President 45o
Association Notes and News 4S«
T w o Good Things 456

Save in exceptional circum stances, it is not desir­
able th a t any one arch itect or firm of architects should 
be en trusted  w ith m pre th an  250 houses in any one 
scheme.

The scale of fees cover the ordinary variations in 
type of house and such modifications as are m ade to 
avoid monotony in appearance, and are intended to  
include all necessary duties of an arch itect and su r­
veyor incidental to  the carrying out of the work, includ­
ing such duties as are involved in  complying w ith the 
requirem ents of the C entral H ousing Board.

The conditions of engagem ents of architects and 
surveyors shall be those w hich are custom ary in  th e  
respective professions.


“ B u i l d i n g . 430

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES

[March, 1921.11

SCALE OF F E E S . 1. ARCH ITECTS.
A.—Preparation of Lay-out Plans.

For the preparation  of a plan or scheme from 
existing m aps, showing roads, builders plots and 
buildings in  block, including:—

(.1) Conferences w ith local authorities and the ir 
officials;

(2) Surveying, levelling, and preparation of cpn-
tour p la n ;

(3) General lay-out p la n ;
(4) D etailed lay-out p lans; bu t exclusive of the

preparation  of detailed plans of buildings ;
For 25 h o u s e s ......................  £1 per house.
For a fu rther 75 houses ... 10/- ,,
For the r e m a in d e r ............... 7/6 ,,

W here a fully contoured plan of the site is provided 
by the local authority , a deduction shall be m ade in 
respect thereof, from  the fees above stated , of £1 per 
acre.

B.—Roads and Sewers.
For preparing working drawings, specifications and 

quantities for roads and sewers in accordance w ith the 
lay-out plans prepared under Section A., advising on 
the sam e and ,on the  preparation  of contract furn ish­
ing t,o the contractor one copy of the drawings, specifi­
cations and quantities, general supervision, issuing 
certificates, m easuring up, passing and certifying
a cco u n ts :—

For 25 houses ................... £2 per house.
F or a fu rth er 75 houses ... £1 ,,
For the re m a in d e r ...............  15/- ,,

This: work will usually be perform ed by the 
officials of the local authority .

C.—Houses.
For taking instructions, preparing sketch designs, 

m aking approxim ate estim ate of cost, preparing 
drawings and specifications, obtaining tenders, advis­
ing on tenders and on preparation  of contract, selecting 
and instructing  consultants, furnishing to the con­
tractor one copy of the drawings and specifications, and 
such other details as are necessary for the proper carry­
ing out of the works, general supervision, issuing 
certificates for paym ents, and passing and certifying 
acco u n ts :—

For schemes com prising any num ber of houses up 
to  250:—

5 per cent, upon 12 houses.
2^ per cent, upon a fu rther 60 houses.
1J per cent, upon a fu rther 178 houses.

M ETH O D  OF CALCULATING F E E S .
For th e  purpose of arriving at the cost upon which 

the  fees are to  be calculated, the average cost of the 
houses over the  whole scheme is to  be taken.

A Scale ,of Fees for Q uantity  Surveyors will be 
subm itted  later.

FOR THE CURRENT YEAR.

President: E rn est M. Powers.

Senior Vice-President: John S. Donaldson. 

Junior Vice-President: F. L. H . Flem ing.

Members of Council: Andrews, G. S. B u r t . ;  
B urton, D uncan M .; Cowin, Norris T . ; Eagle, P ie rc y ; 
Howden, R o b ert; Pearse, G. E . ; Sinclair, D. M ac­
donald; Veale, H arry  G. ; W ilson, Allen.

Finance Committee: Mr. J .  S. Donaldson (Chair­
m an ), M essrs. G. S. B u rt Andrews, D. M. B urton, 
D. M. Sinclair, N. T. Cowin.

Practise Committee: Mr. H . G. Veale (Chair­
m an ), M essrs. P . Eagle, Allen W ilson, G. S. B u rt 
Andrews, R . Howden, D. M. Sinclair, N. T. Cowin, 
G. E . Pearse.

Draft Act Committee: Mr. M. J . H arris  (Chair­
m an), M essrs.H . G. Veale, R. Howden, E . M. Powers.

Journal Committee: M r. E . M. Powers (Chair­
m an and E d ito r), Mr. R. Howden (A ssistant E d ito r), 
Mr. E . H . W augh (A ssistant E d ito r), M essrs. Gordon 
L eith , J . W. Small, M. J . H arris, E . J . W ellm an, D. 
M. Sinclair, G. E . Pearse, H . W . Spicer, G. W. 
Nicolay.

Art and Education Committee: Mr. D. M. B urton, 
M essrs. E. L . H . Flem ing, (Chairm an), G. E . 
Pearse, G. Moerdijk, Gordon L eith , E . H . W augh, 
V. S. Rees poole, H . G. Veale, H . W. Spicer, Allen 
Wilson, T. Gordon Ellis.

Board of Examiners: M essrs. G. FI. Pearse, R. 
Howden, E . H . W augh, P . J . Hill, S. C. Dowsett, E . 
M. Powers, H . G. Veale.

Semour Memorial Library Committee: Mr. E . M.
Powers.

Visiters to the Architectural Classes: M essrs. E. 
M. Powers, J . S, Donaldson, F . L. H . Flem ing

Pretoria Practise Committee : M r. W. .1. de Zwaan, 
(C hairm an), Messrs. V. S. Rees Poole, F . S'ofi, P. 
W estm aas, P . Gordon M cIntosh, J . B . W yers, J . G. 
K raan, F . Roberts.

East Rand Advisory Board: M r. J . F . M acken­
zie (C hairm an), Messrs. J .  S. Bowie, John Gibb, C. 
J . W ickee, W . .J. Sloan, P . Rogers Cooke, J . L. 
H enderson, W. H . Mason.

The P resident and V ice-Presidents are Ex-officio 
m em bers of all Committees.


“ Buildng . 431 [March, 1321.

Annual General Meeting.
The E leven th  A nnual M eeting of the  Association 

of Transvaal Architects was held in the L ecture Boom 
of the Associated Scientific and Technical Societies 
Building, Fox S treet, .Johannesburg, on Saturday, 26th 
February, 1921, a t 8 p.m .

There were present the m em bers of Council 1920 
and some 30 m em bers of the Association.

The m eeting being declared duly constitu ted , the 
President, Mr. I). M. Sinclair, called upon the Regis- 
tra r to  read the notice convening the m eeting and the 
m inutes pf the last A nnual M eeting, which were taken 
as read  and confirmed.

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS AND BALANCE S H E E T .

On the m otion of M r. D. M. Sinclair, Chairm an of 
Finance Com m ittee, seconded by M r. D. M. B urton, 
these were adopted.

M r. M cCubbin, rising to a point of order, asked for 
the  m otion standing in his nam e to  be taken  before the 
A nnual R eport., as it  had particu lar bearing on the 
Beport, which if passed would m ake his m otion out of 
place and consequently he would be obliged to vote 
against the Report. I t  was agreed upon Mr. B u rto n ’s 
suggestion to take the Council’s report, leaving th a t 
portion referring to the proposed New Railway Station, 
the subject of Mr. M cCubbin’s m otion, to be discussed 
while the votes of the ballot for the incoming Council 
were being counted by the Scrutineers.

CO U N CIL’S REPO RT.
On the proposition of M r. P orter seconded by Mr. 

H ill, the  Council’s: report w ith the exception of th a t 
portion in connection with the Proposed Railway S ta ­
tion was unanim ously adopted.

B E N E V O L E N T  FU N D .

Mr. B urton : At this stage I  would call for an 
expression of thanks to  the Trustees of the Benevolent 
Fund, and I  am sure pur best thanks are due to  them , 
and to those who have during the year subscribed to 
th a t Fund. Since the last Annual General M eeting we 
have had donations from a gentlem an in Port E liza ­
beth and he is henceforth likely to  be a perm anent sub­
scriber. I  would like an expression of thanks to those 
who have supported it  in the past and hope it will 
receive continued support in  the fu ture. We know 
th a t a t the m om ent there are no architects in dire 
stra its, but we have to protect those who at some 
future date m ay require assistance. Although we had 
not to pay out during the past year, we feel th a t we

should build up th is fund so th a t any calls can be m et 
out of the  in te rest on the fixed deposit. (Applause.)

The P re s id e n t: There is one item  I  would like to 
m ention, and which was m issed from  the  Council’s 
report. T hat is, th a t your Council took Counsel’s 
advice regarding the M unicipal bye-law th a t building 
plans be received from  Registered A rchitects only. 
Your Council considered it necessary to take Counsel’s 
advice as to  w hether this bye-law was “ u ltra  
v ires” or not. W e have continually heard it 
s ta ted  th a t it was “ u ltra  viris”  and against the 
in terests of architects. We now have, however, th e  
definite opinion of Counsel th a t the bye-law is abso­
lu tely  valid and not “ u ltra  v ires .”

P R E S ID E N T ’S VALEDICTORY A D D R ESS. 
G entlem en,

I t  has been custom ary in the  past a t  our 
Annual General M eeting for the retiring  President 
to  give a valedictory address. W e have had excellent 
papers from P ast Presidents upon some subject closely 
Connected w ith our profession, but this evening I  pro­
pose to  depart a little from this practice, owing to  the 
length of the agenda and the  im portance of the item s 
thereon, and to  confine m yself to  a few rem arks upon 
the y e a r’s work.

During the last few years your Councils have 
worked continually to  bring our profession to the fore, 
and to the position it richly deserves, and it is very 
gratifying th a t success has a t last been obtained in 
the establishm ent of a Chair of A rchitecture, The South 
African Academy, and the passing of by-law re building 
plans being prepared by qualified architects only. You 
will appreciate, gentlem en, th a t  these reform s bring 
great responsibility w ith th e m ; as. it m ust be th o r­
oughly understood, th a t the granting  of tire Chair of 
A rchitecture by the  U niversity authorities and passing 
of the by-law lias been only done to  bring about be tter 
architecture and conditions in the building world. 
M em bers of our Association will have to, in the 
fu ture, as far as possible, try  and get away from purely 
the m ateria l side, and help in every way in the scientific 
and technical portion of our art.

I  would like to  suggest to  you, gentlem en, th a t 
now, as we have the righ t to  use this room, which is 
so suitable, th a t quarterly  m eetings of our m em bers 
and students be held, when papers can be read and 
general discussion take place on all matters, dealing 
with our profession ; th is will not only, to  m y opinion” 
be beneficial to us intellectually, bu t help in bringing


“ B uilding . 482 [Mach, 1921.

about a m ore brotherly spirit, which is absolutely 
essential for th e  true  progress of our profession.

I  m ust say, gen tlem en, th a t I  endorse th e  rem arks 
of Mr. Donaldson in his P residential address to the 
South African B ranch  of the Society of A rchitects, re 
the  fu tu re  of Johannesburg ; like him , I  have been in 
South Arica a good m any years, first arriving in P ort 
E lizabeth  in 1880; and have continually heard th a t 
th is  place or th a t is on its last legs, especially the W it- 
w atersrand. W e all know the gold m ines are the m ain 
factor in the Transvaal a t present, but even when they 
cease we have a greater asset in coal. I  would also 
like to  refer you to  the  rem arks made some tim e back 
by one of our P ast P residents, M r. B urton, requesting 
the Johannesburg  M unicipality to  encourage industries. 
I t  is in  m y opinion im perative th a t our City Fathers 
wake up, give every facility, even at a loss, of cheaper 
light, power and w ater to  all “ bona fide” industries, as 
having the principal commodity, coal, a t our doors, it  is 
th en  certain  th a t we can build up a big industrial 
centre in the fu ture.

Though we have , not yet been able, to 'p re se n t an 
Architects, Union A ct to  Parliam ent, owing to  the diffi­
culties as sta ted  in  the Council’s report, I  tru s t th a t 
during the coming year progress will be made, 
especially so as to help our N atal b rethren , who are 
anxious to  elevate the ir profession, and have always 
worked in  perfect harm ony w ith us for the betterm ent 
of architecture.

G entlem en, the last year has been very strenuous 
and. personally 1 find I  attended  115 m eetings, includ­
ing the m eetings of the Associated Scientific and Tech­
nical Society, of which 1 have the honour of being one 
of your delegates. I  m ust confess th a t I  have personally 
done very little  but I  have been exceptionally favoured 
in  having such a brilliant and progressive Council, and 
it  is entirely due to  these gentlem en th a t such great 
strides have been m ade during the past year. I t  has 
been impossible to  describe in  the  Council’s report the 
am oun t ,of work done. I  would also like to  express my 
thanks to  our R egistrar for his valuable, services, during 
my term  of office.

In  conclusion I  tru s t  th a t now the Association is a 
live and v iru lent body, th a t m em bers will throw  off 
the ir inertia , take a personal interest, and so help, 
which is our only duty, t,o im prove and uplift our 
profession—pure architecture.

ELE C T IO N  OF SC R U T IN E E R S.
The following Scrutineers, M essrs. Raine and 

Small, were unanim ously elected.

ELE C T IO N  OF P R E S ID E N T .
The retiring  P resident declared th a t Mr. E . M. 

Powers had been duly elected the P resident for the 
com ing year. (Applause.) H e fu rther said: “  Mr.

Powers has been on the Council for m any years, and 
has been a faithful and hard  worker. H e is, as you 
m ay no t know, pne of our principal speakers (w ith Mr. 
B urton) a t various interviews and delegations. For 
some tim e past he has been E ditor of your Journal, 
and we wish him  every success and happiness during 
his term  of pffice.”

M r. Powers, rising to  reply said: “  I  would like to  
say to the m em bers of th is Association how very much 
I  appreciate the honour done me not only in electing 
me P resident for the  ensuing year, bu t also for the fact 
th a t  the nom ination was unanim ous, there  being no 
com petitor for the office, and I  think, in cases like t lr s ,  
the  incoming President should have the full support 
of the m em bers of the Association. Personally I  would 
w ithdraw  if there was: any com petition, because the 
P resident should feel th a t he has the full support of 
all the m em bers of the Association. M ore particularly  
I  appreciate the fact th a t I  have been elected by my 
own colleagues and confreres, who undoubtedly are the 
m en who know one’s shortcomings better than  the 
outside public, and to  be placed in the Presidential 
Chair of this Association, which I  consider the  prem ier 
Association in South Africa, is a great honour. At the 
tim e I  accepted nom ination, which I  did w ith a certain  
am ount of hesitation, I  felt th a t it  required not only a 
strong m an to  fill the  office, but also one who could 
put in a considerable am ount of tim e. One follows on 
each successive year as an addition to  a long list of 
very able P ast-P residents, who have done very excel­
len t work for the Association, and you will see by the 
reports each year th a t  the business of the Association 
does n,ot get any less. The P residen t last year had 
attendances at som ething over 100 m eetings, which, by 
a simple sum  in arithm etic, you will see works out a t 
about two m eetings a week. I t  is too m uch to  expect 
busy m en to pu t in such an am ount of t im e ; your 
P ast-P residen t has given the tim e ungrudgingly. M r. 
Sinclair not only had the work incidental t.o his office 
in th e  Association, bu t also work in connection with 
the taking over of these very convenient premises, 
which will m eet our requirem ents very m uch better 
th an  our old ones did in the past. I  do not wish to 
make a long speech—we have a long agenda, and I  
would m uch prefer to give an account of m y stew ard­
ship at the end of the year ra th e r than  say now w hat 
we are going to do. I  would like, however, to say ju st 
one word fir the m em bers of the Association themselves. 
I  would like the m em bers, when the Council has been 
elected, not to  feel th a t  their responsibility is over. 
Councils have been elected, and when th is is done one 
should not go away w ith the idea th a t  “  we have done 
our d u ty .” The Council comes in  for m ore kicks than  
ha-pence, and there is quite a lot the m em bers of the 
Association can do. The Journal is dependent upon


‘‘Building  ” 433 [March, 192 .

voluntary contributions, and I  think you will agree th a t 
the Journal of our Association is a brighter paper than  
any building paper in South Africa. We have only 
one serious com petitor, and th a t is the A rchitects and 
B uilders ' Journal of the Cape. We don’t w an t to 
deprecate our contem poraries, but I  th ink  you will 
agree th a t the Journal of the Association of Transvaal 
Architects, as far as South Africa is concerned a t any 
la te , takes a lot of beating. We try  to keep up-to-date 
and to place m atters of in terest before our m em bers. 
M embers are invited to send along their contributions ; 
don t be afraid th a t the stuff will be tu rn ed  down. I t  
is arduous work each quarter to rush round to find 
sufficient m aterial to fill up the Journal. If m em bers 
will send along contributions, illustrations of their 
work, photographs, etc., I  th ink the Journal Com m ittee 
will th ink a long tim e before refusing them . I  th ink  
th a t by these m eans we give our m em bers more 
in terest in the work of the Association, and I  th ink it 
would be very good for the Association if we could get 
the sym pathy and help of m em bers wlip are not on the 
Council to  come along to some of the various in te r­
view's and deputations which we have to a ttend . I  
thank  you again for the honour you have done me and 
tru s t the  year before us wall be profitable and h a r­
monious and for the  prosperity of the Association. 
(Applause.)

TWO V IC E -PR E SID E N T S.
Tlie P resident stated  there were only two nom ina­

tions for the offices of V ice-Presidents, viz., Messrs. 
Donaldson and Flem ing, and th a t therefore, as in the 
case of the President, there would be no election. Mr. 
Donaldson thus became the Senior Vice-President and 
Mr. F lem ing the Junior, and he had great pleasure in 
duly declaring these gentlem en elected.

Messrs. Donaldson and Flem ing thanked the m em ­
bers for the ir election in suitable term s.

ELE C T IO N  OF COUNCIL.
The P resident stated  th a t th is was the first election 

th a t had taken place since the new Bye-Laws govern­
ing elections had been gazetted, and said: “ I t  is 
necessary in an Association like this, to see th a t only 
those vote who are entitled  to do so, and for th a t 
purpose a bye-law has been approved and gazetted, to 
the effect th a t the ballot papers shall be enclosed in 
sealed and signed envelopes. Ton have appointed the 
scrutineers, to whom Mr. C arpenter will hand the 
envelopes. The scrutineers will rem ove the envelopes, 
pu tting  each ballot paper in the ballot box, and will 
then re tire  and count the votes. An im portant point 
is th a t  only those v,ote who are entiled to do so, and the 
ballot will be quite sec re t.’’

Mr. H ill asked for the scrutineers to call out the 
nam es as the votes are dropped into the box. This

was agreed to, and the ballot was proceeded w ith and 
48 voters w'ere registered as having voted.

ELEC TIO N  OF A UDITORS.
Mr. Sinclair proposed th a t M essrs. Aiken & C arter 

be re-elected, and th a t their rem uneration be fixed a t  
twelve guineas. This was agreed to unanim ously.

I he P residen t explained th a t some tim e ago a 
le tte r was received from  a certain  body in the Union, 
pointing out th a t our scale of charges was 5 per cent., 
and th a t other Associations in South Africa and over­
seas had raised their charges to  6 per cent. This 
Association considered th a t as we were a registered 
body and had been successful w ith the various M unici­
palities in getting  them  to pass bye-laws th a t  plans 
should be received only from registered architects, we 
considered it inadvisable to make any alteration in th e  
charges. The other bodies brought forward the ques­
tion of cost of living and th a t  it was necessary to  
increase charges. As a m atte r of fact, A rchitects’ fees- 
autom atically increase on account of the high cost o f 
building, and there was no necessity in h is opinion to  
make any alteration, but would be pleased to  hear th e  
views of those present.

Mr. L eith  said as the scale of the R .I.B .A . is now 
0 per cen t., the  Association as an affiliated body m ay be 
obliged to accept the sam e. I  take it th a t the R .I.B .A . 
fee is a m axim um  fee?

I  he P resident said he very m uch doubted w hether 
the Articles of the Association of the R .I.B .A . really 
have any effect upon its m em bers overseas. T heir 
charges deal purely w ith architects practising  in G reat 
B iita in . I t  has always been a moot point as to  
w hether our charges are m inim um  or m axim um . H is 
own opinion was th a t they are m axim um ; as some- 
oh hi ges are and m ust be a m a tte r of arrangem ent.

Mr. H arris sa id : I t  was no t m y in tention  to  spealc 
at all, but seeing th a t the  C hairm an and another m em ­
ber of the retiring  Council have m ade the sta tem en t 
th a t the charges laid down in our Act are m axim um  
charges, and seeing th a t an official report is being taken  
of these proceedings, I  th ink  it would be entirely  wrong 
if some one were not em phatically to  p ro test’ against 
any such construction on the term s of our Act. I f  
there is any m eaning at all in the  adoption of a scale 
of professional charges, it  is th a t any m an carrying pu t 
work at less than those charges is guilty of unprofes­
sional conduct. I  th ink  it is very necessary th a t we 
should arrive at an understanding on this point. If  the 
view be taken th a t the charges laid down in our Act 
are m axim um , there is an im m ense vista of the ex ten t 
professional m en can carry on their practice w hilst 
actually evading the law, which lays dpwn as unpro­
fessional conduct one arch itect com peting against 
another on the basis of professional charges. I t  is th e


" B uilding  ” 434 [March, 1921.

shady m an against whom such bye-laws are fram ed, to 
protect an honourable profession. Such m en will say 
they  were not aware th a t any other m an was in com ­
petition  for the job. I t  hae come to my notice th a t 
people do! cu t their fees for the purpose of getting the  
work, and I  dare say there are m any m en in this, room 
who have felt the effect of it. I  myself have had tha t 
experience. N,ow Mr. P resident I  hope th a t the m em ­
bers present will not be lacking in courage to  come 
forward and speak and let us have the sense of the 
m eeting as to w hether the charges laid down in the Act 
are m axim um  charges, or w hether, as I  think, they are 
m inim um  charges. The in tention  of those who de­
signed the  Act was the carrying on of the profession in 
a gentlem anly and honourable m anner.

M r. Howden, speaking on the subject of discus­
sion, said: ‘‘Mr. H arris  did not in tend to  speak on the 
question bu t unfortunately he has spoken. I  cannot 
sit down and take the  same view as M r. H arris. The 
Council cannpt say “ These are the fe e s ; and you m ust 
not work for less—if you do we will expel'you from our 
A ssociation.” T h a t m ay happen in voluntary associa­
tions where the Council has power to expel a m em ber 
if he is guilty of unprofessional conduct in the sense 
th a t he is working for less fees th an  those laid down. 
Now w ith a registered association we are in a very 
different position, and w ith all due respect to Mr. 
H arris, however m uch he wishes, and we would wish, 
to  have control over our m em bers, sim ilar to  a volun­
ta ry  institu tion , we have not th a t power. The facts 
are, and it is no use try ing  to  disguise them , we have 
no control over our m em bers for charging less than  the 
am ounts stipulated  in th e ir  scale of fees. W hen the 
U nder-Secretary interview ed us in the early days he 
im pressed upon us th a t he was registering our Associa­
tion not for the benefit of its m em bers, but for the 
benefit of the public, and the public only were taken 
in to  consideration. Any of our fees can at any tim e 
be taken  before the Court and the judge could say, “  I  
award you on the value of the  work done. ” No m atte r 
w hat our fees are, the judge had the righ t to  say at 
any tim e, “  Y.ou are charging too m uch or too little  
and I assess you so-and-so.” I t  is absolutely impossible 
to  expel any m em ber for charging less fees. We 
expect every m em ber to  act up to the suggestions, we 
m ake. If an arch itect considers five per cent, too 
m uch and if he feels he has not done his work conscien­
tiously and honourably, no-one can stop him  charging 
th ree  or four per cen t., and a judge would tell him so. 
Therefore it m ust not be stated  th a t we can hold our 
m em bers up to  the full am ount of the fees. Doctors 
will charge you a hundred guineas for an operation. 
If  I  go to  Court with th a t doctor he would probably be

allowed £10 or £15 fpr the operation; bu t if I  consider 
him entitled to  it for the work he has done on me, I  
can pay him  his full fee. There is a doctor at H om e— 
a tiekey doctor— and no Court or medical society can 
interfere, except th a t any voluntary association he may 
belong to  m ay expel h im ; bu t he cannot be expelled 
from an association under any Act of Parliam ent. I  
consider the five per cen t laid down in the  Act as a 
m axim um  fee and you cannot, take action against a 
m em ber who charges less.

Mr. Veale: W e are not in  a position to take action, 
but the Court is. The Under Secretary said: ‘‘I  
consider those fees reasonable and I agree to them , 
but you m ust not charge m ore .” Five per cent, is 
allowed under the  Act and you may not charge rpore.

The President, addressing the M eeting, sa id : Mr. 
Howden and Mr. Veale have both told you th a t we 
consider these fees the m axim um  charge. I t  is a 
point for your Council to decide. I t  is quite clear in 
the Act th a t  the charge is one which the architect is 
entitled to. I  would like to  add th a t recently I  was 
asked to  give evidence in support of an a rch itec t’s fees 
and th a t architect was asked by his legal advisers to 
substan tia te  his, charges, not by a scale of charges 
under the Act bu t by extracts from  his diary to  show 
he had earned the am ount claimed. The judges and 
m agistrates do not adm it th a t our scale of charges is 
law. I t  is a question of value for work done.

M r. L eith  proposed, ‘‘T hat the term s and con­
ditions as laid down in the bye-laws, and th a t there 
is no question of over-charging or under-charging, be 
accepted .”

MB. M cC U B B IN ’S NOTICE OF MOTION.

M r. M cCubbin, speaking to  his Mption, said: 
‘‘M r. President, I  very m uch regret I  feel compelled 
to  challenge the Council’s report upon one item  only—- 
the Johannesburg Kailway Station. I t  m ay pernaps 
appear to you a personal question, and I  can assure 
you it  is nothing of the kind. To me i t  is a m a tte r of 
very great principle as it involves the artistic liberty 
of the m em bers of this Association. I  do not know 
w hether all the m em bers present have read the cor­
respondence— I  do not suppose they  have. I  will 
ju s t m ention a few errors in the prin ting  of the 
correspondence—little  m atters, but which point out to 
you th a t I  have very carefully read the report [m en­
tions errors referred to ) . In  order th a t those 
m em bers who have not gone in to  the correspondence, 
and are therefore not acquainted w ith the point at 
issue, I  will read  the particu lar points. I  m ay say 
before I  do so th a t I  appreciate the Council’s report 
very m uch. I  am  aware th a t in the designing of 
th is railway station I  had a very onerous du ty  th ru s t 
upon me and due to  the criticism  of the Town P lan ­


“ B uilding .” j 35 [ m i o n .

ning Association 1 was im m ediately able to say, ‘We 
m ust get out an am ended design’. I t  is as an official 
a rch itec t th a t I  approach this m atter and I want an 
expression of the Annual General M eeting upon it as 
a m a tte r which concerns us all very greatly. The 
following is the item  which I object to  in the Council's 
criticism . ‘We consider a classical design suitable as 
giving dignity of proportion and more in keeping with 
U niversity Buildings, which being in the foreground of 
the scheme should be followed preferably to  the exist­
ing Railway Offices, which does not present any great 
difficulties to  a lte r .’ My reply to  th a t, Mr. P resident, 
as you fcpow, is. th is : ‘In  the point at issue between 
us, nam ely th a t you consider a classical design su it­
able, I have yet to learn th a t the  design of the present 
Railway Offices is not fit to be repeated, which is w hat 
your Council's rem arks would infer. F u rth e r I  con­
tend th a t your. Council have exceeded its functions in 
suggesting a different architectural trea tm en t than 
th a t shown on the design they have inspected. 1 have 
always been taught th a t ‘A rt is free but apparently 
in tlie Transvaal it is to be governed by the opinion 
of the Council of the Association of A rchitects. The 
individual m em bers of your Council m ay be of the 
opinion expressed in the report, bu t it should not have 
been pu t forward as the  Council’s opinion, and 1 beg 
to  take strong exception to  it. ’

“ I  regret exceedingly to lmve to bring this m atter 

forward but I  th ink  it is one of great im portance. If 
this m eeting endorses the Council’s action, a precedent 
will be established which will create a very undesirable 
position and which I  feel sure will destroy the success 
and usefulness of this Association, as the Council m ust 

in all fairness in the fu tu re  trea t private practitioners 
in sim ilar m anner to w hat they have treated  the 
official architect of the railw ay in th is instance— as 
far as I  am concerned the building happens to be a 
public one.

“ I t m ust appear to you, gentlem en, th a t it is u n ­
reasonable and unfair. The only th ing architects have 
to-day is their artistic liberty ; an Association institu ted  
under a private Act of P arliam ent wishes to deprive 
its m em bers of the .only liberty they have left! Are 
m em bers going to  agree to such a possibility 
and endorse the action of the Council? L iber­
ty  of design m ust never be infringed upon. No

doubt the Council will defend itself by reference to> 

the Deed of Guilds. I  ta k e - it, gentlem en, th a t th e  
League of Guilds were in existence so as to see that, 
ugly or unsuitable architecture is not repeated, but 
I  challenge the Council to prove th a t they have quali­
fied as judges to  say th a t Mr. M oodie’s architecture in 
the Railway Offices is unfit for repetition. I do not like 
to say this is an attack  upon official a rch itec tu re ; 
I do not like to th ink  so, but if it is not and~tlie  
m eeting endorses the Council’s action it will not be 
justice. The m em bers of this Association will see th a t 
the sam e action is m eted out w hether the architect is 
official, m unicipal or p rivate. Mr. Howden sta ted  in 
his reference about fees th a t no control over fees can 
be exercised by th is Association as it is founded on an 
Act. Then how can the Council of this Association 
endeavour to exercise control over the artistic liberty 
of its m em bers? I  have nothing more to  say, gentle­

m en, tills is not a vote of censure, but I do hope this, 
m eeting will deprecate the m anner in which this 
attack upon the artistic  liberty of a m em ber of th e  
Association has been b rough t.” (A pplause).

Air. M cCubbin’> Motion was seconded by Mr. 
Dowsett, who added th a t he hoped the Council would 
show clearly under w hat powers in the Act they  
ventured th is step.

1 lie P residen t: I  shall ju st say a, few words on 
this m atter and then I  shall be glad to  hear the views 
of any m em bers present. As Mr. McCubbin rightly 
says, the Council has to  defend itself, and I  am the one 
upon whom falls the du ty  of defence. I  do not th ink 
it is a very arduous case and 1 think very little  defence 
is necessary. The sta tion  is perhaps one of our m ost 
im portant public buildings th a t are likely to  be erected 
in Johannesburg, and I th ink every m em ber present 
will appreciate the fact tha t there is no-one b e tte r 
qualified to express an opinion of architectural tre a t­
m ent here than  the A rchitects’ Association, and its 
views are for the tim e being voiced by the m em bers 
of its Council—you surely would pot require the c riti­
cism or the opinion of the local shopkeepers on the 
m atte r?

Adm itted, the Council criticised and suggested 
alteration  in arch itectural trea tm en t, I venture to say 
the Council are the best qualified to express even 
voluntarily th a t opinion. Mr. McCubbin has draw n an


analogy, bu t it is not an analogy. This is a public 
building and M r. M cCubbin isi a public official and I 
do not adm it th a t the Railway A dm inistration are Mr. 
M cCubbin’s clien ts; the  A dm inistration are his em ­
ployers, and the Council, when they m ade th a t report, 
had no idea of hurting  M r. M cCubbin’s susceptibilities. 
I t  was no t a question of extending the facade of the 
railway offices as designed by M r. Moodie and no-one 
suggested th a t Mr. M oodie’s design is not excellent 
in every way. In  reporting to the Mayor the Council 
considered it undesirable tha t the previous elevation 
to  the  railw ay offices should be extended ad lib w ithout 
some special feature. I  can confidently sta te  th a t 
th e re  was no slur intended or anything of the sort on 
M r. M cCubbin’s design and 1 can assure him  there! 
-was no in ten tion  of personality w hatever.

M r. M cCubbin: You are endeavouring on behalf 
•of your Council tp  establish a precedent whereby you 
wish to  rule and govern m em bers of this Association—• 
th a t is my point.

The P residen t: There is no question of establishing 
•a precedent. W e were invited by the Mayor to  ex­
press our v iew s; we were asked to  give our opinion 
and any opinion given m ust necessarily be a voluntary 
opinion. I  do not see how one can possibly criticise 
a design th an  to  criticise i t  properly. The new designs 
have been subm itted and this Association has agreed 
th a t they are a great improvement, on previous designs; 
therefore the criticism s on th is point have evidently 
•done good.

A fter fu rther discussion and an assurance from the 
P resident on behalf of the  Council th a t  no attack on 
the  artistic  liberty  of the A rchitect was intended, Mr. 
M cCubbin w ithdrew  his Motion.

E L E C T IO N  OF COUNCIL, 1921-22.
The Scrutineers reported  the results of the ballot, 

and  the Chairm an declared the resu lt of the election 
us follows.

Mr. B urton, 40; Mr. Sinclair, 40 ; Mr. Veale, 40; 
M r. Andrews, 36; M r. Pearce, 35; Mr. Howden, 34; 
M r. W ilson, 21; M r. Cowin, 18. For the ninth place 
th e re  were th ree ties, viz., Messrs. Eagle, L eith  and 
M cKenzie.

According to the rules it was necessary to  draw 
for the n in th  place, in view of the tie, and the  draw 
resu lted  in M r. Eagle being elected.

P U P IL S .

The P resident then  referred to the excellent re ­
su lts  of the  S tu d en ts’ Com petitions, in response to 
invitations to  S tudents to  compete-- for prizes offered

“ B uilding ,”

by m em bers of Council, for design, construction and 
m easured work.

H e hoped th a t  the Academy Com m ittee would 
perm it the work to be on view at the forthcom ing 
Academy Exhibition.

PR E SE N T A T IO N  OF MR. S IN C L A IR ’S PORTRAIT.

The P residen t: I  have now a pleasing function to 
perform , and th a t is to  presen t our late P resident, 
Mr. D. M. Sinclair, w ith an  enlargem ent of his photo­
graph . (A pplause.)

I  -would like to  say in presenting this photograph 
th a t we hope he w on’t take it  home. These rooms 
will shortly be covered with photographs of our P resi­
dents and P ast Presidents among the celebrities of 
other Associations and in presenting this photograph 
to Mr. Sinclair I  c’q so as a m ark of esteem  and appre­
ciation of his work during the past year. H is work as 
you know has been no light m atte r. I t  is in this 
spirit th a t we presen t th is m em ento to  Mr. Sinclair 
and we t ru s t  he will accept i t  and th a t he will for 
m any years be a m em ber of th is Council and if he 
retires from this Council le t us hope we shall continue 
to  have the benefit of his help and experience. Mr. 
P as t P resident, on behalf of the Council I  p resen t to  
you this enlargem ent of your photograph as a m ark  of 
esteem  and appreciation of your Chairm anship during 
the past year.

M r. Sinclair suitably replied.

ITEM  10.
Air. Cowin spoke in support of his Alotion, “ To 

promote good arch itecture  and to study the people’s 
welfare, M unicipalities should be urged to  employ 
qualified architects on H ousing Schem es.”

The Motion was seconded by M r. M cKenzie, and 
after considerable discussion, the Motion was adopted 
unanim ously.

Mr. \ Teale proposed, and M r. B urton  seconded, a 
vote ,of thanks to  the E ditor and Sub-Editors of the 
Journal, also to Messrs. Pearce and Spicer, and Messrs. 
H eir and Forrest, for the  valuable services in connec­
tion w ith the A rchitectural Classes at the U niversity 
College.'

The Alotion was carried w ith acclamation.
Air. Sinclair made an appeal on behalf of the 

C hildren’s Alemorial H ospital -for "funds to  endow an 
A rchitects’ Cot. The m eeting then  term inated.

4 3g [March, 1921.


“ B uilding .” 437 [March, 1921

THE GREAT 

JSJ4

/il/iCH DETAIL .

LLCTiOM .

BOKSBURC.
WAR MEMORIAL

FRONT ELEVATION . :
OT-'s. -v; 

sriikr. ? j .1 issei?

PLAN.

First Premiated Desivii.— W Tait Conner, A .R .l .B  4 „  Johannesburg.

The Chairman.
Boksburg W ar Memorial Committee,
Boksburg.

Sir,
A SSE SSO R 'S  R E PO R T ON CO M PETITIV E 

D ESIG N S.
I  have the honour to present m y report on the 

designs subm itted in com petition for the proposed W ar 
M emorial, Boksburg.

E igh t designs consecutively num bered with their 
supporting docum ents attached were handed tp me by 
M r. M. K. Carpenter, R egistrar of the Association of 
T ransvaal Architects, and although the num ber of de­
signs subm itted  is not large your Com m ittee is to be 
congratulated on the high standard  of m erit of the 
designs generally, and consequently it lias been diffi­
cult to select the m ost suitable.

Of the eight designs subm itted 1 selected Nos. 1, 
8, 5 and 7 for final consideration, and am of opinion 
th a t Nos. 1 and 3 would cost more to  erect than  the 
authors have estim ated.

Granite is undoubtedly the m ost suitable m aterial 
for work of this na tu re , being practically im perishable,

and to execute either of these designs in this m ateria l 
would fu rther increase th e  cost.

No. 5 is a pleasing design possessing a simple 
grandeur of proportion and outline, standing upon the 
raised granite platform  this design is very suitable for 
;; situ ’t'on  in an open space and its proportions will 
no t com pete w ith the fu ture Town H all building when 
erected.

The nam es of the fallen are not indicated on the 
design but should w ithout doubt be inscribed on the 
M emorial.

No. 7- is also of considerable m erit, bu t m y  
criticism  of cost also applies to this design, which is in 
stone w ith bronze panels.

The small proportions of the base give the im pres­
sion of abruptness of outline which is detrim ental m ore 
particularly  as there is plenty of open space around the 
site.

After careful consideration of all these points I  
award Design No. 5 first and No. 7 second prem ium .

I ours faithfully,

E R N E S T  M. PO W ER S,
Assessor.


' ‘Building ,” 438 [March, 1921,

S T U D E N T S ’ C O M P E T IO N S .
In  connection w ith the three Competitions for 

S tu d en ts  which closed at the end of February , the 
Assessors, Messrs. H . G. Veale and Robert Howden 
have made the following aw ards:—

Construction.—Prize of £5 5s. Od. presented by 
the  P resident, Mr. E . M. Powers, F .R .I .B .A .: A. O. 
U oltm an, Town E ng ineer’s D epartm ent, Johannes­
burg.

Design.—Prize of £5 5s. Od. presented by M r. D. 
M . Sinclair, F .S .A rc .: F . L. D reyer, 42, S. A. 
M utual Buildings, Johannesburg.

Measured Drawing.—Prize of £5 5s. Od. presented 
by M r. D. M. B urton , F .S .A rc .: F . Cook, 08, 
S tandard  B ank Cham bers, Johannesburg.

There were 23 com petitors comprising students 
-from D urban, P ieterm aritzburg , P o rt E lizabeth, Cape­
town, P reto ria  and Johannesburg ; the standard  of 
work subm itted  w'as very high and reflects great 
c red it upon M asters and Students.

The successful designs will be on Exhibition in 
th e  S tu d en ts’ corner of the S.outh African Academy 
a t the Selborne H all, Johannesburg, from Tuesday 
nex t to Saturday, April 2nd, 1921.

CHAIR OF ARCHITECTURE.
MR. G. E . P E A R S E  A PPO IN TED .

The Council of the U niversity  College, Johannes­
burg, has appointed M r. 6 .  E . Pearse, A .R .I.B .A ., 
of Johannesburg, to  be the first Professor of Archi­
te c tu re  a t the College.

M r. Pearse, wh,o is a m em ber of Council of the 
Association of Transvaal Architects, is a South 
African by b irth , m atriculated  at W eenen County 
College, N atal, and after serving an apprenticeship in 
engineering, became articled pupil to the late M r. G. 
S t. John  Cottrill, during which tim e, from  1903-1907, 
he obtained all the certificates possible in architecture 
and building construction a t  the Transvaal Technical 
In s titu te . F rom  1907-1911, Mr. Pearse studied 
privately in England, and gained experience in the 
offices of M r. Leonard Stokes, P resident of the R .I.B . 
A., and Mr. S. W ard, A .R .I.B .A . H e also studied 
under Professors B an ister, F letcher and E . A. 
R ichardson, as well as under M essrs. C. F . M itchell 
and George M itchell, the well-known authors of tex t 
books on building construction, specification, quan ti­
ties , sanitation  and allied subjects.

In  1909-1910, M r. Pearse took a tour on the Con­
tin en t, and in 1911 qualified as R .I.B .A ., re turn ing  to 
South Africa, where for a short while, he joined the 
firm  of M essrs. B aker and Flem ing. H e has won 
several open com petitions, notably for the Boksburg 
Town H all, w ith M essrs. Gibson and Robertson, and

was placed in the com petition for the Governor-Gener­
a l’s residence in Capetown in 1913. In  1915 he left 
for Europe, and during his period of active service 
w ith the Royal Engineers found opportunity of 
visiting Assyria, Ind ia  and E gypt, and was twice 
m entioned in  despatches.

In  January , 1920, he retu rned  to  Johannesburg, 
and resum ed practice.

HOSPITALS

H ospital work is so im portan t th a t no apology 
need be m ade for referring to it here in these notes for 
the use of students, derived from experience and study 
of recent works on the subject. For greater detail the 
reader is referred  to  Dr. M acintosh’s volume, “ The 
Construction, E quipm ent and M anagem ent of H os­
p ita ls ,” which contains also a very useful article by 
Mr. John W ilson, F .R .I.B .A . A copy is in the Johan ­
nesburg Public L ibrary.

There are certain  laws wdiich govern the planning 
of such buildings th a t even clim atic conditions do not 
affect, and those anxious to do the right thing are the 
ones always ready to learn.

The A dm inistrative and Admission block is one of 
the m ost im portan t buildings. To prevent confusion 
and to  relieve officials as m uch as possible of incon­
venience, three entrances are required. One for 
officials, another for patien ts, and a th ird  for visiting 
days. A m om en t’s thought will give the reason. 
Patien ts, and especially urgent cases th a t m ay arrive 
on visiting days, do not w ant the curipus gaze, or to  
be mixed up w ith such visitors. I t  is not necessary 
for a hundred or two friends and relatives to  go 
through the office block to reach the various wards, to  
be a source of annoyance to the officials.

Those U nits common to all wards should be as 
central as possible for obvious reasons—to facilitate 
service, O perating-theatre, Kitchen, Laundry, etc.

Laundries m ust have three receiving rooms, one 
for p a tien ts’ linen, another for staff and a third for 
septic. The linen having been washed and treated , 
one set of drying, ironing and m angling and delivering 
rooms is only necessary.

For some reasons the requirem ents in the recent 
com petition of the N urses’ H om e were ra th e r short of 
those conveniences found in every well equiped 
hospital in England. For instance, no sick rooms were 
asked for, w ith conveniences, sewing, linen, box or 
v isitors’ rooms, study and library. Day rooms were 
also om itted in the wards, for those who are able to  
leave their beds and are on the wray to  recovery, such 
rooms are a necessity.

E . J . W .


“ B uilding ,” 439 [March, 1921.

THE BEGINNING OF FREEDOM.

By G. W. Nicclay, M.S.A,

E arly in  the fourth century  of the  p resen t era, a 
new developm ent of building and the general desigu 
and detail of the accom panying architecture began to 
show them selves; first frankly discarding the Roman 
traditions and then  quickly growing into new and 
vigorous individuality, as d istinct and attrac tive  as 
the work of the Greeks at their best, and which m ay 
be described a,s the style of the arcade, the dome and 
the co u n te rfo rt; and w hich we know by the nam e 
“ Byzantine. ’ ’

The arcade appears first so far as ancient m onu­
m ents indicate, in the palace of Diocletian at Spalato 
early in the. fourth  century. The dom e, though not a 
new feature and which may be regarded as a prim itive 
hu t of a well known type raised to  a high level instead 
of resting on the ground, was built in  a new m anner, 
not as form erly resting on a circular substructure  but 
upon “ pendentives” built up in the  angles formed by 
the four wyalls. I t  would be more descriptive to call 
them  “ ascendentives,”  for they grow from a point in 
the angle into triangular sections of a frustrum  of a 
hem isphere or sim ilar figure un til reaching the centre 
of each wall they form  a ring on which the dome is 
built and actually support it and dp not hang from it, 
nor rightly lopked at even seem  to do so. This appears 
apparently first in the great church of S. Sophia at 
Constantinople and in the same building the counter­
forte or buttress, not in an insignificant experim ental 
way but taking the lateral th ru st of a  dome and the 
arches supporting it having a span of a hundred and 
tw enty  feet and the base of the dome being a hundred 
and fifty feet from the pavem ent or to  compare with 
a more generally known building the  arches being 
about the same height as the great transverse arches 
of Amiens Cathedral and having a span seventy feet 
greater. There is nothing ex tan t of th is kind elsewhere.

This great church which is the m ost m agnificent 
and perhaps the first complete example of B yzantium  
work, was finished in 563 A.D., and stands com plete at 
the present day. I t  is built of brick and faced in te rn ­
ally w ith slabs of m arble and w ith mosaic.

This change in architecture and in the m ental 
devising of it was the resu lt of the great religious and 
political changes th a t were underm ining the great R o­
m an E m pire and setting  the whole world in  m otion to ­
wards the re-arrangem ent, as m ay be said, of the m ap. 
The Rom an provinces were rapidly becoming in ­
dependent sta tes again. The R om an people had 
carried their civilisation to every p a rt of the then  
known or recognised world, had exhibited the ir refined 
and luxurious living which was here appreciated and 
there despised, had relaxed their rule, as hard  and 
cold as ice, and were unable to recover i t ;  the new 
religion had practically set aside their pagan traditions 
and the first day of the week had been proclaim ed a 
public holiday throughout the E m pire now ruled from 
Constantinople soon t,o be ren t in halves and then  to 
be extinguished, bu t leaving a glorious m em ory 
likely to endure to rem otest tim e to  come.

The change in architecture was, no doubt, a 
necessity. Buildings of the extent form erly common 
were np longer easily possible. People were anxious, 
looking to the safety of the ir property, and in th e  
political turm oils, magnificent building was not to be 
expected. A change had to  be made. I t  was
im perative. Standing and well known to them  were 
buildings then compai'itively new which had  been 
standing some seven or eight hundred years, built in 
the most costly way, entirely regardless of cpst, with 
walls and collonades of solid m arble, and th a t used 
because it was the best, not because it  was good to  
look at, being hidden by added colour, em bellished 
w ith the best sculpture ever seen and finished w ithin 
w ith the same lav ishness; these were not to be 
com peted w ith nor improved upon unless a new 
m ethod was devised. This new m ethod is shown at 
S. Sophia and it may be noticed in passing th a t no­
th ing  equal in  splendour or in size was achieved for 
a long tim e after.

The old adage, “ necessity is the m other of 
invention, indicates clearly the origin of th is  new 
architecture. The m ost perfect work of the ancients 
had been laid aside long s in c e ; external display had 
been principal, they turned  the ir a tten tion  to  the  
interior.

The Parthenon at Athens is about two hundred 
and th irty  feet long and a hundred wide and again a 
hundred from the top of the stylobate to the apex of


‘•Building” 440 [March, 1931,

the  tym pannum . This building could be placed 
inside the church under notice clear of the walls so th a t 
it m ight be exhibited as in a m useum  and leave a clear 
fifty feet above i t  a t the springing of the dome and 

fifty feet more to  the sum m it of the dome. I t  seems 
clear when regarded in this way th a t g rea t in ternal 
space was the a rch itec ts’ first aim, and th is was 
probably due to  the  fact th a t  the  C hristian religion was 
only recently  recognised and was not m uch out of 
doors.

The design of th is building is not aesthetically 
very perfect externally. B u t for its four great b u t­
tresses which replace on the N orth and South sides 
the semidomes which are placed to  the E ast and W est, 
and which would not unnaturally  have been adopted 
as more in accord w ith the sp irit of the general idea, 
would have had the effect of a sort of bulbous pyram id, 
a sleepy and ra ther ungainly appearance from every 
point of view, and its ranges of sim ilar window open­
ings growing and dim inishing perspective^- on its 
rounded surfaces would have given the appearance of 
m otion and instability . The great wall-like buttresses 
elim inated these m ischances, casting great broad 
shadows over the adjacent circular and spherical 
surfaces giving in terest and even m ajesty to  w hat 
would have otherwise been unattrac tive  and even 

repul give.

I t  is rem arkable th a t this expedient should have 
been adopted because though som ething of the kind is 
discernable in  the church of S. Sergius also at Con­

stantinople probably completed during the building of
S. Sophia, the device was previously not used. There 
is some sim ilarity  in the plans of these two churches 
which suggests the relationship which has been 
claimed for the little  domed church of S. S tephan 
W albrook in  connection w ith S. P a u l’s C athedral : th a t 
the sm aller church was used as an opportunity for 
experim ent in view of the larger church which was in 

prospect.

W e cannot tell by w hat m ethods in the bygone 

aues m en set to  work when they wished to buildD V

som ething so m uch out of the ordinary practice of the 
tim es, and the church of S. Sophia exhibits nothing 
to  help us in an enquiry in to  the m ystery. The dome 
stands apparently  on a great square m ass supported 
by four equal arches. The abutm ents on the E ast and

W est side are semidomes, w ith their haunches backed 

up, about one th ird  the height of the great arches, 
which the builders considered sufficient. T,o replace 
this abutm ent on the N orth and South sides they pu t 
great masses of m asonry carried up som ewhat above 
the walls under the semidomes, at the angles of the 
square, base of the dome. I t  seems clear th a t this 
was done for aesthetic reasons because the semi-domes 
afford no abutm ent fpr the great N orth and South 
arches, above their springing and the builders probably 
realised th a t  if the great arches were secure the dome 
was safe as the th ru st of it was almost all discharged 
through the pendentives. H ad  they not thought so 
they would have devised an abu tm ent in the centre 
of the wall where the circular base of the dome 
impinges upon it, and fu rther the buttresses are so 
vastly greater than  there  is any reason fpr, th a t it is 
not likely they were raised in  mere ignorance of the 
requirem ents.

The exterior has nothing th a t1 rem inds us of the 
Rom an except these stupendous abutm ents which rise 
to  a height of one hundred and th irty  feet and show 
an apparently  solid mass above the aisles of fifty feet 
in height projecting fifty feet and twenty-five feet 
thick. These are ra ther R om an in character, but in 
a reverse way, showing m uch solicitude for a purely 
aesthetic dem and and sacrificing the clear sta tem ent 
of practical u tility  for it. On the other hand there 
was a freedom from  precedent and tradition which th e  
Rom ans only exhibited when aesthetic considerations 
could be elim inated.

The in terior is in the sam e m anner. Arcades 
replace colonades and carry the walls and the capitals 
are carved in a new m anner quite independent of the 
“ o rders,” the entablature has disappeared and all set 
proportions for either the general s tructure  or of its 
parts in  detail vanished and as if a t the com m and of 
some m agician a vast space is enclosed upon the m ost 
delicate supports, magical, bewildering with com­
plexity in the general view, and yet instinct w ith th a t 
still solem nity so dear to  the oriental mind.

Viewed now after an existence of th irteen  hundred 
years it carries the conviction th a t the Greek artist, 
for he is here again, has achieved another pre­
excellence in architecture scarcely less rem arkable 
th an  th a t in the age of Pericles.


“ Building  ” 441 [March, 1921.

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Prawn by G. W . Nicolay, M .8 .A .


.

•“Ban.ding [March, 1921.

TRANSVAAL C H IL D R E N ’S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

First Premiated Design— -Messrs. Oowiu & Powers, F. R.I.B.A., Johannesburg.


•Building ." [March, 1921.

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[M
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“ B u i l d i n g ,” [March, 1921.

TRANSVAAL C H IL D R E N ’S MEMORIAL HOSPITAL.

Third Premiated Design___Tohn Perry, Capetown.


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443 [March, 1921,

REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN AND 
CONSTRUCTION II.

“ B uilding ,”

In  the following problems which show the applica­
tion  of the previous formulae the working stresses 
recom m ended by the London County Council will he 
assumed, v iz .:—

C equals 600 lbs. per sq- inch.
E equals 16,000 lbs. per sq. inch.

Problem  1.—Design a slab to span 6 feet and to 
carry  a live load of 250 lbs. per sq. foot.

The slab is simply supported.
„ Live Load =  250 ibs per sq foot,

Assume 4ly slab dead load = 5 6  ,, ,,
Finish =3 12 ,,

Total 31 s

al2 3 i8  x 6f x 12
M = ------------------------- 17200 inch-lbs

8 8
From (11) M e &  Rcbh2 and the value of R 
from table I column 4 is 95 

17200
Then h =  i j -------------------  3,9 inches and

12 x 95
allowing |  inch concrete below ste  I for covering and 
fireproofing gives a thickness of slab of 11 inches, which
was assumed.

M 17,200
From (10) At =--- -------------= ---------------------------  -305 sq

x 16000 x ,88 x 4 ins
F (h - - )

3

Use \  in. round rods spaced 7-| ins. centres.

Rods in slabs should not be spaced further anarfc 
th an  21 times; the thickness of slab. If  the value of h 
from the above equation had been greater than  the 
assum ed value, the slab thickness m ust be increased 
and the bending m om ent recalculated, otherwise the 
concrete would be stressed to over 600 lbs. pr sq. inch.

Problem  2.;—Design a rectangular beam  w ith  span 
of 30 feet to carry a- live load of 1,000 lbs. per foot run . 
T he beam is to be simply supported at the ends.

The depth of rectangular beams vary from 1 /8 th  
to 1 / 12th of the span. Assume I /9 th  of span which 
will give 40 inches deep, and m ake 14 inches wide, 
which is supposed to be the  w idth of brickwork.

Live load = 1 0 0 0  lbs per foot run 
Beam dead load - •• 540 ,, ,,

r

ill2 1540 x 302 x 12
M =  __ -----------------------  =  2,080,000 inch lbs

8 8

”  /2,080,()00
As before h =  / -------------= -  38 j inches

1/ 14 x 95
and allowing l \  inches covering for concrete gives a 
depth  of 40 inches.

2,i 80,000
A* = -------------------------- =  3.9 sq inches

16000 x .88 x 38J
Use 5—1 inch round bars and place 1J inches up 

from  bottom  of beam.

If th e  beam  had been made 30 inches deep, and 
allowing 2 inches for fireproofing, the area of reinfoie- 
ing steel would be

2,080,000
A = -------------------------- =  5.3 sq inches

1 16000 x . 88x 28
The compressive stress in  the concrete would then  

be increased and the value of sam e would he calculated 
in  the following m a n n e r:—
F rom ( 6 ) _________________

15 x 5.3 [ '  2 x 14 x 28
X = ---------- I / L + ------------------------ 1 |

14 L /  15 x 5,3 J

=  5,7
r

1 +  9.9 -  1 | =  5,7 x2,3 13 in
J

and from 9 

G =
2 x 2,080.000

14 x 13 (28 -  13) 

3
965 lbs per sq inch

2 x 2,080,000 

14 x 13 x 23,67

In th is case the beam m ust be reinforced w ith 
compression steel to bring the concrete stress down to 
600 lbs. par sq. inch.

The value of x is found from  the chart as follow s: — 
At,h and b are known. L ay  a stra igh t edge along 
the  known values of A t and h to in tersect the m ain 
axis, and from this point of intersection again to the 
value of b. The point a t which the  straight edge 
in tersects the value of At. on the curved line and the 
vertical line for x is the value required.

The figures for At and h which are underlined 
are to be used in combination.

The case of beams which required to be reinforced 
for compression will be considered la ter. The next 
article w ill.deal with shear and adhesive stresses and 
contain an alinem pnt oh u t showing the spacing of 
stirrups for any point in a beam.

Note.— All calculations made on Slide Rule.Total *=s 1540


“ Bu il d in g . 444 [March, 1921.?>

Competitions
The Council of the Association of Transvaal 

A rchitects draws the a tten tion  of its; m em bers to the 
th ree following sets of conditions governing A rchitect­
ural Com petitions issued by (1) The R .I.B .A . ; 
(2 )The In s titu te  of A rchitects of New South W ales; 
(3) The Association of T ransvaal Architects.

The object in so doing is to  m ake m em bers 
acquainted w ith the conditions a t present in force in 
the three C ontinents w ith a view to w ritten  suggestions 
being m ade which will enable our existing conditions 
(No. 3.) to  be revised in  such a m anner as tp  provide 
a model se t of conditions suitable for the requirem ents 
of the Union of South Africa and Rhodesia.

M em bers of the N atal and Cape In stitu te s  and the 
P o rt E lizabeth  Society of A rchitects are asked to 
in te rest them selves in th is subject and to  subm it 
proposals on any points requiring alteration  or am end­
m ent.

The Council of the  Royal In s titu te  of B ritish  
A rchitects urge the co-operation of all architects, 
m em bers of the In s titu te  and the Allied Societies and 
others, in the ir endeavours to secure satisfactory con­
ditions for architectural com petitions. The In stitu te  
Regulations for Competitions have been drawn up 
after careful consideration by the Council and the 
Com petitions Com m ittee. All m em bers of the In s ti­
tu te  and the Allied Societies are bound by them , and 
it  is only by the ir s tric t observance th a t th e  best 
results for prom oters and the fair trea tm en t of 
com peting architects can be assured. These R egula­
tions are prin ted  in  the In s titu te  “ K alendar,”  and 
also in pam phlet form. Copies of the pam phlet m ay 
be obtained from the  Secretary of the R .I.B .A ., and 
it  is the d u ty  of all m em bers com peting to be fam iliar 
w ith them .

Only when all o ther m eans have failed does the 
Competitions Com m ittee request the Council to bar a 
com petition, and it is often able, when p u t into touch 
w ith the prom oters a t  an early stage, tp bring about 
the  am endm ent of unsatisfactory conditions, but at 
presen t no system  can be arranged by which the 
conditions of all com petitions shall autom atically be 
presented to the Com m ittee for review. The Com m it­
tee m ust therefore rely largely upon intelligence given 
by m em bers who,, having applied for copies of 
conditions, find them  not to accord w ith the R egula­
tions. E arly  in tervention is essential to success ; 
m em bers and others are requested to lose no tim e in

sending copies of such conditions to the H on. Secretary 
of the Com petitions Com m ittee.

The Council m ake the following suggestions for 
the im provem ent of architectural com petitions :—•

1. W hen applying for the conditions, intending 
com petitors should sta te  th a t unless the essential 
Clauses of the R .I.B .A . Conditions are embodied 
therein , they  will be unable to compete.

2. On receipt of the conditions, they should 
com pare them  w ith the Regulations and note any 
discrepancies.

3. If  any clauses are unsatisfactory, they should 
at once com m unicate w ith the H on. Secretary of 
the Competitions Com m ittee ; they should also re ­
tu rn  the conditions w ithout delay to the prom oters, 
pointing out in w hat respects they are unsatisfac­
tory, and intim ate th a t if they are amended to  
accord w ith the In s titu te  Regulations they  will be 
pleased to reconsider their decision not to compete.

In  some cases it  m ay be desirable, when i t  
becomes known th a t a com petition is proposed, th a t 
architects in the neighbourhood should ascertain 
w hether the prom oters know of the In s titu te  Regula­
tions, and if not, should provide them  w ith a copy.

The Council rem ind m em bers th a t they may 
neither assess nor take part in  competitions; which are 
not in exact accordance w ith the Regulations, even if 
they have not seen any notice issued by the In stitu te . 
At the same tim e it invites all architects, non-m em bers 
as well as m em bers of the In stitu te , to co-operate in 
carrying out these suggestions. M uch has already 
been d o n e ; only by constant vigilance and tim ely 
concerted action will the respect of the public be 
secured and the highest aims of architecture a ttained.

The Institute of Architects of N.S.W.

Regulation for Architectural Competitions.

1. There shall be appointed for every Com peti­
tion one or more fully qualified professional Assessors, 
to whom the whole of the designs shall be subm itted.

2. No prom oter of a Com petition and no Assessor 
engaged upon it, nor any employee of either, shall 
com pete or assist a Com petitor or act as A rchitect or 
joint A rchitect for the proposed work.

3. E ach design shall be accompanied by a 
declaration, signed by the Com petitor, or joint Com­
petitors, s ta ting  th a t the design is his or their own 
personal work, and th a t the drawings have been


prepared under liis or their own supervision. A 
successful Com petitor m ust he prepared t,o satisfy the 
Assessor th a t he is the bona fide author of the design 
he has subm itted.

4. The prem ium s shall be paid in accordance with 
the  Assessors award, and the author of the design 
placed first by the Assessor shall be employed to carry 
out the work, unless the prom otors shall be satisfied 
th a t there is spme valid objection to such em ploym ent, 
in which case the author of the design placed next in 
order of m erit shall be employed, subject to  a sim ilar 
condition. The award of the Assessor shall not be set 
aside for any other reason.

5. The selected A rchitect shall be paid in accord­
ance w ith the  Code of Charges of the In stitu te  
of A rchitects of N .S .W .

6. Hie prom oters of an ini ended Competition 
should, as their first step , appoint one or more profes­
sional Assessors, A rchitects of established reputation, 
whose appointm ent should be published in the original 
advertisem ents and instructions. The selection of an 
Assessor should be m ade w ith the g reatest possible 
care, as the successful result of the Com petition will 
depend very largely upon his experience and ability.

7. The duties of an Assessor are as follows:—

(a) Tp confer w ith and advise prom oters on 
the ir requirem ents, and on the question of 
cost.

(b) To draw up instructions for the guidance of 
Competitors and for the conduct of the 
Com petition, incorporating the whole of 
the Clauses of these Regulations which are 
applicable to the particular Competition.

Note. I t  is essential in drawing up the 
instructions to  sta te  definitely which of the 
Conditions m ust be strictly  adhered to, 
under penalty  of disqualification from the 
Competition, and which of them  are 
optional.

(c) To answer queries raised by the Com peti­
tors w ithin a lim ited tim e during the 
preparation of the designs, such answers to 
be sent to all Competitors.

(d) To examine all the designs subm itted by 
Competitors and to determ ine w hether they 
conform to the Conditions and to exclude 
any which do not.

(e) To report to  the prom oters on the designs 
not so excluded and to award the prem ium  
in stric t adherence to the Conditions.

8. Competitions m ay be conducted in one of the 
following w ays:—

“ Building ."

(a) By advertisem ent, inviting A rchitects will­
ing to compete for the intended work to  
send in designs. For Com petition for 
Public W orks of great A rchitectural im ­
portance this m ethod is recommended.

(h) B y advertisem ent, inviting Architects w ill­
ing to compete for the intended work to 
send in the ir nam es by a given day, w ith 
such other inform ation as they th ink likely 
to advance their claims to  be adm itted  to 
the Competition. F rom  these nam es the 
prom oters, w ith the  advice of the Assessor, 
shall select a lim ited num ber to compete, 
and each Com petitor thus selected shall 
receive a specified sum  for the preparation 
of his design.

(e) By personal invitation to a lim ited num ber 
of selected A rchitects, to join in a Com peti­
tion for the intended work. E ach  Com­
petitor shall receive a specified sum  for the 
preparation  of his design.

Note. W here a deposit is required for 
supplying the instructions, it shall be 
returned on the r -nipt of a bona fide de­
sign, or if the applicant declines to com pete 
and returns the said instructions w ithin a 
m onth after receipt of replies to Com peti­
to rs ' questions.

9. The num ber, scale, and m ethod of finishing of 
the required drawings shall be d istinctly  set forth. 
The drawings shall not be more in num ber or to a 
larger scale than necessary clearly to explain the 
design, and such drawings shall be uniform  in size, 
num ber, mode of colouring, and m ounting. As a 
general rule, a scale of 8 feet to 1 inch will be found 
sufficient for plans, sections, and elevations, or in the 
case of large buildings a sm aller scale should suffice. 
Unless the  Assessor advises th a t perspective drawings 
are desirable, they shall no t he adm itted.

10. No design shall hear any m otto  or d is­
tinguishing m ark, but all designs shall be num bered bv 
the prom oters in order of receipt. Each design shall 
he accom panied by a sealed envelope containing the 
nam e of the author and enclosed in the  package.

11. A design shall be excluded from  a Com peti­
tion :—

(a) If  sent in after the period nam ed (acci­
dents in  tran sit excepted).

(b) I f  it  does not give substantially  the accom ­
m odation asked for.

(c) If  it exceeds the lim its of site as shown 
on the plan issued by the prom oters, the

445 [March. 1921


“ B u il d in g .” 446 [March, 1921.

figured dimensions on which shall be 
adhered to.

(d) If the Assessor shall determ ine th a t its 
probable cost will exceed by 10 per cent, 
the outlay in the instructions, or the 
estim ate of the  Com petitor should no outlay 
be stated . If the Assessor be of opinion 
th a t the outlay sta ted  in  the instructions 
is inadequate, he shall not be bound in the 
selection of a design by the am ount named 
in such instructions, bu t the question of 
cost shall be nevertheless a m aterial 
elem ent in  the consideration of the award.

(e) If  any of the Conditions or Instructions 
other th an  those of a suggestive character 
are violated.

(f) If  a Com petitor shall disclose his. identity  
or a ttem p t to. influence the  decision.

12. All design's and reports subm itted  in a Com­
petition for a public building, except any excluded 
under Clause 11, shall be publicly exhibited after the 
aw ard has been made, which award shall be published 
a t the tim e of the Exhibition, and all designs and 
reports subm itted  in a Com petition for a private 
building shall be sim ilarly exhibited to  the Com peti­
tors.

13. All drawings subm itted  in a Competition, 
except those of the design selected to be carried out, 
or on which prem ium s are paid, shall be re tu rnd  to 
the  Com petitors free of charge.

14. The Assessor shall determ ine the  num ber and 
am ount of the prem ium  or prem ium s to be paid to 
the  successful Com petitors, and such prem ium  or 
prem ium s shall not form  p art of the regular com m is­
sion for carrying out the work.

THE ASSOCIATION OF TRANSVAAL 
ARCHITECTS.

CONDITIONS OF COM PETITION, 

for................ ...............................................

1.—M r...................................... has been appointed as
Assessor to advise the prom oters of the relative m erits 
of th e  design, the prom oters do not bind them selves to 
accept as final the  awards of the assessor, but have no 
reason to  an ticipate th a t they  will not do so.

Note.— I t  is desirable th a t a fully cpm petent, 
qualified m an, preferably an A rchitect, should be 
appointed Assessor.

2. — Prem ium s as follows will be paid to the authors 
of the designs placed by the Assessor, v iz .:—

F irs t £ Second £  T h ird !

N ote.—Prem ium s are not essential bu t advisable, 
and can be given in equal am ounts or on a sliding scale 
up to any num ber.

3. —R em uneration to  the A rchitect accepted (who, 
unless “ bona f id e ” reasons prevent, shall be the 
author of the first p rem iated  design) shall be in accord­
ance w ith the professional fees as laid down in the 
Bye-Laws of the A rchitects Registration Act, 1909.

N ote.—A copy of these fees can be obtained from 
the R egistrar of the Association of Transvaal Archi­
tects.

4. — All designs to be delivered to>...............................
on or before......................................and will be returned  to
com petitors at p rom oters’ expense.

Note.— I t  is usual for com petitors to  pay forw ard­
ing charges but the prom oters to  pay all expenses in 
connection w ith the re tu rn  of drawings, etc.

5. —The prom oters undertake to exhibit the de­
signs, and the publication of the winning design in  th e  
official Journal of the Association of the Transvaal 
A rchitects.

N ote.—This is considered fair and reasonable to  
all com petitors.

(5.—The prom oters undertake as far as they are 
concerned, to  observe w ithout infringement, the artistic  
copyright of all designs subm itted, and will guarantee 
not to m ake a practical use of any design w ithout th e  
agreem ent of the author.

7. —-A deposit of £ ..................shall be paid by each
applicant which deposit shall be refunded on receipt of

bona fide ” design. A sealed envelope to contain, 
the nam e and address of com petitor, together with his 
declaration, will be forwarded to com petitor on receipt 
of his deposit fee.

N ote.— Deposits can range from  £1 to £5 to  en­
sure only “ bona fide ” com petitors applying for same.

8. —Any com petitor m ay m ake w ritten  enquiries 
relating to th is com petition, and copies of questions 
and answers will be forwarded to each com petitor, bu t
no enquiry received la ter th a n ................................. will be
answered.

N ote.—I t  is usual to perm it questions up to w ithin 
a m onth ef the closing tim e for delivery of drawings.

9. —E ach com petitor, or com petitors in th e  case 
of jo in t work, m ust send in with his or their designs, a


“ IlllIUiIXG. 447 [March, 1921.

signed declaration sta ting  th a t the drawings have been 
prepared in  B ritish  South Africa under his or their own 
supervision, and th a t he is a Registered Architect, 
Transvaal, or eligible as such, s ta ting  his statu tory  
qualifications. No nam e, m otto, handw riting, signa­
tu re , device or distinguishing m ark  of any kind w hatso­
ever which m ight lead to the identification of the 
com petitor, is to  be pu t on any of the drawings, sup­
porting docum ents, sealed envelope or case by the 
com petitors of the ir agents. W hen each case is un ­
packed, it or its contents, together w ith the sealed 
envelope will be m arked by the assessor for identifica­
tion.

Note.—These are considered necessary precautions 
to prevent identification of author before drawings are 
assessed.

10.—Drawings required are as follows:—
N ote.— H ere sta te  how m any plans, sections, eleva­

tions and to w hat scale and w hether perspective, and 
m ethod of finishing drawings ; it is desirable th a t the 
work required should not be more th an  is absolutely 
necessary, to illustrate a prelim inary design, for which 
in  m ost eases 1 /16th scale drawings should be 
sufficient.

11. —The above m entioned drawings are to  be 
executed on double elephant size sheet of white draw ­
ing paper, m ounted on pine stretchers, and m ust be 
of an uniform  size of th ree  feet six inches by two feet 
six inches, w ithout fram es or glazing.

N ote.—This for purpose of uniform ity in shape 
and size.

12. —•Accompanying the design of each com petitor, 
an estim ate  of the cost of the building m ust be sub­
m itted , giving the details of how such estim ate of cost 
is arrived at, cubing prices and dimensions, and m ethod 
of arriving a t same, also a typew ritten  description of 
specification, explaining the construction, m aterials, 
system  of heating, lighting, ventilation, etc., proposed 
to be adopted.

The am ount which the Com m ittee is prepared to 
expend on the building including drainage, heating, 
elevators, lighting and ventilation but not furnishing,
either fixed or moveable, is £ .........................which sum
is exclusive of arch itec ts’ charges, and the cost of clerk 
of works’ services.

Note.—H ere sta te  am ount available.
18.— In  the event of the estim ated cost for the 

building based on the lowest acceptable tender, being 
higher than  the am ount allocated by the Com m ittee 
previous to the calling for tenders, the Com m ittee shall 
call upon the architect to make such modifications in  
his design as i t  m ay deem necessary in  order to reduce, 
the  cost. The architect shall provide all requisite 
drawings and specifications of such modified buildings

and shall receive, no fu rther rem uneration  in respect of 
this item .

N ote.— This clause to enable prom oters to obtain 
tenders w ithin the am ount available.

ACCOMMODATION R E Q U IR E D .
H ere should follow accommodation required, plan 

or description of site, levels, etc., etc.

REVIEW.

lo  w rite a book which shall be sufficently technical 
for the A rchitectural S tuden t and yet sufficently ac­
curate to be readable and in teresting  to the laym an 
requires more than  ordinary journalistic ta len t. In  
the work under review, viz., “ Design and T rad ition ,’' 
b \ Amor Eenn, the author has m ost successfully 
produced a book which any-one in terested  in the Arts 
and Crafts can find am ple food for thought, and also 
a m ost in teresting discourse on the wprks of p ast 
craftsm en from the ancients to the present day. As 
a work of reference one finds m ost subjects touched 
upon, though not in detail to  the extent of being lopked 
upon as a text book, but to  the laym an ju s t sufficient 
as not to render the. book too technical for his purpose.

Any-one anxious to  acquire an insight into Archi­
tecture and its  allied arts cannot do better than  read 
this book from  beginning to  end. I t  is w ritten  in a 
m ost fascinating m anner and o n e’s in terest is rivetted  
on every p a g e ; it is the lack of this knowledge so 
clearly described in this, book th a t accounts for the 
mediocrity and plebishness exhibited by the average 
laym an in his home, and in the tpwn or city of which 
he is a responsible citizen, and if every home possessed 
a work of this kind we should have the rising genera­
tion taking a livelier and keener in terest in the A rts and 
Crafts, the absence of which is so apparent to-day by 
the prevailing m odernism  exhibited in the dom estic 
and civic life of the people.

R. H.
' Design & Tradition  ”  by Amor Fenn, published by Chapman 
& Hall. Ltd., Henrietta St., Covent Garden, London. Price SOj-

LOUIS M. THIBAULT, ARCHITECT.
Gerard Mcerdijk, A.R.I.B.A.

The question w hether m an creates or is created 
b y  opportunity has often, been the burden of the 
m oralising of philosophers. This m uch is certain, 
th a t the one seldom appears w ithout the other. I t  
can be argued th a t behind any cause th a t we can 
specify for a developm ent in art, there  is an economic 
one and th is  theory may be applied to the developm ent


of the Cape D utch style of architecture. T hat a great 
period of building should arise, there m ust be a certain  
accum ulation of wealth. So we find th a t the  E gyp­
tian  Temples can be traced to the w ealth of the 
Pharaohs. The architecture ,of P om e was m ade 
possible by the spoils of the  world. The magnificent 
tem ples of the Periclean age would have been im pos­
sible, were it  not th a t the G reeks had brought to  
A thens the enormous riches obtained in the Persian  
wars.

Some 120 years ago there was great prosperity at 
the Cape. Towards the end of the eighteenth and the 
beginning of the n ineteen th  century, the whole w.orld 
seem ed to  wage war. On the C ontinent of Europe the 
F rench  Revolution was followed by the Napoleonic 
wars, and production was consequently m uch handi­
capped. This was an opportunity which the Cape 
used to  the best advantage. The vineyards of 
Cham pagne had been destroyed and the Cape wine 
farm er found a great dem and for his product. Most 
of the houses we now delight in, date from this period 
of prosperity, while existing buildings were rebuilt arid 
remodelled according to the fashion of the tim e. The 
m en directly  and indirectly responsible for the 
characteristic design were Thibault, A nreith, Schutte 
and perhaps the earlier M artin Melek.

L . M. Thibault was a Frenchm an who arrived a t 
the  Cape in 1781 as an officer of engineers. He 
entered  the service of the D utch E ast Ind ia  Company 
as a m ilitary engineer, inspector-general and architect. 
In  1811 he was appointed surveyor-general by the

“ Bu i u d n g .

.British authorities. This is worthy of notice 
B ritish  feeling against F rance and the French at th a t 
tim e was very strong. I t  may be th a t Thibault who 
had then been in the country for 30 years was taken 
for a D utchm an. F e tte rs  w ritten  by him  before the 
B ritish  occupation of the Cape in 1800 were most] 
in French, whereas after th a t date, he availed him self 
of file Butch language.

There is an address to the Governor de G raaf, 
drawn by Thibault in the Koopmans-de W et M useum, 
which shows him  to he a fine draughtsm an. Fie died 
in 1815, aged (35 years, and was buried in  the D utch 
Reform ed cem etery. H is m ost im portant a rch itec tu r­
al work was the Masonic Temple a t  Capetown. This 
building was commenced, by Thibault and Sehutte in 
1801 and was dedicated in 1803 by Commissioner 
General de M ist, as deputy  Grand M aster Natio: 
The plaster ceiling was designed and executed by 
Anton A nreith, and according to  accounts m ust have 
been an exceedingly fine piece of work. The building 
cost betw een £8,000 and £9,000 a t a tim e when labour 
was inexpensive, i t  was destroyed by a disastrous 
fire in 1892.

The house illustrated  in this issue is one^ of the  
very few old double-storeyed country houses at the 
Cape. I  know of only three o th e rs ; there is one a t  
Tulhagh, one at M ulders Ylei near Stellenbosch, which 
belonged to  the  la te  Mr. Sauer and one a t W ynberg, 
“ A lphen,” the residence of the Cloete family. “ Vre- 
denhof” was probably built between 1803 and 1805, at 
the tim e when Thibault was busy on the D utch R e­
formed Church at P aarl.

4 IB [March, 1921.


‘Bu i l d i n g .” 449 [March, 1921.

“VEEDENHOF" N (ORDER PAARL LOUIS THIBAULT ARCHITECT
0 , , , „ j t 7 e ,0 >s *o .___ t s n t r

oJca.lt of felt


“ B uilding .” 450 [March, 1921.

Our President.
M r. E rnest M. Powers, our P resident 1921-22, was 

educated a t  King Edw ard the Sixth School, B irm ing­
ham , and commenced his architectural train ing  a t  the 
A rt School, W est Brom wich, and as pupil in the office 
of M r. I. W . Allen, arch itec t of th a t town, and subse­
quently  as assistan t to  M r. F . Lloyd of B irm ingham .

abattoir and cold storage construction with the late 
Mr. Chas. D ’Ebro, of M elbourne. R eturning again 
to  South Africa in 1910 to  take up an appointm ent in  
the Public W orks D epartm en t a t P retoria, where he 
rem ained until 1912, he em barked in private practice

Brnest M. Powers, F .R .I.R .A — President 1921.

E arly  in  1903 he came to  South Africa as assistan t 
to  M r. W illiam  B lack, E .R .I.B .A ., of Capetown, 
re tu rn ing  to England in 1907, when he was successful 
in winning his first com petition for the Carnegie Public 
L ibrary  for Dudley, his native town, in conjunction 
with Mr. Geo W cnyon, a form er schoolfellow.

R eturn ing  to  Capetown for a short period, he pro­
ceeded to  A ustralia, where he gained fu rther experience 
in  the Public W orks D epartm ent of Victoria, and in

w ith M r. N. T. Cowin, securing the P retoria  M unicipal 
Fire B rigade H eadquarters in  cpen competition.

Mr. Powers has always taken a very keen in terest 
in the work and affairs of the Association, having served 
on its Council since 1913 and as E ditor of the Journal 
during the past two years. H e was elected a Fellow 
of the Royal In stitu te  of B ritish  A rchitects in March, 
1920, having passed the  qualifying exam ination and 
been elected an Associate of th a t body in 1909.


r

It is also the best material for damp-coursing, waterproofing 
foundations, etc., and it makes an excellent floor-covering.

The Certain-teed
of the

World
Announcing the D istributing Agency forCet̂ Urvteed Roofing

In SO UTH  A FR IC A .
C ertain-teed  is “ The R o o f  of the W orld. ”

All countries in all climates have used C ertain-teed  Roofing for 
years. It’s a flexible sheet of Asphalt-Saturated Felt made accord­
ing to Certain-teed  Extra Quality methods. It is the most adapt­
able and serviceable roof-covering for buildings of most types.

Farrar Building Telegrams: “ VANNER” POST BOX 619.
SIMMONDS STREET JOHANNESBURG TELEPHONES 2605/10

Wholesale Distributors of C e r t a in - t e e d  P r o d u c t s ,
Branches at Capetown, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bulawayo, Salisbury, Kimberley, Delagoa Bay, Nairobi.

Certainty of Quality and Guaranteed Satisfaction.

Can be obtained
from—

FRASER & CHALMERS (S.A.)Ltd.


“ Bu i l d ik g .” 452 [March, 1921.

ASSOCIATION NOTES AND NEWS.

Mr. J . Lockwood H all of the Public W orks D ep art­
m ent, P retoria, has te e n  elected a Fellow of the  Royal 
In s titu te  of B ritish  Architects.

Mr. F . Gordon M cIntosh, of P retoria, has been 
awarded the  first prem ium  for his design for a Cam ­
panile a t P o rt E lizabeth  to  com m em orate the landing 
of the 1820 Settlers, and M r. John P erry  of Capetown 
was placed second. The estim ated cost of this success­
ful design is £4,800.

M r. H arold W . Spicer of Solomon and M arshall, 
Johannesburg, was the successful com petitor in the 
K rugersdorp W ar M emorial Competition, and M r. John 
P erry  of Capetown was awarded the second prem ium .

The In s titu te  of A rchitects of New South W ales 
has succeeded in obtaining the passing of a R egistra­
tion Bill through the H ouse of Assembly, we hope to 
give full particulars of the provision of this Act in a 
subsequent issue.

The M unicipality of D urban are calling for com­

petitive designs for a W ar M emorial to  be erected in 
front of the Town H all, D urban. The am ount allocated 
is £25,000, there are to  be three prem ium s of 300, 200 
and 100 guineas each.

The author of the first prem iated  design will be 
employed to  carry out the work.

The assessors; are John  Adams, A .R .C .A ., D urban, 
and G. E . Pearse, A .R .I.B .A ., Johannesburg.

The sending in date is 31st August.

In  the S tu d en ts’ Competitions; prom oted by the  
Council of the Association, which closed last m onth, 
no less than  23 com petitors subm itted work— a rem ark - 
not yet established.

Mr. Gordon L eith , M.C., A .R .I.B .A ., who lately 
re turned  from Europe, has opened an office in the 
Transvaal B ank Chambers, Fox S treet, Johannesburg.

Mr. D. Macdonald Sinclair, the  im m ediate Past- 
P resident, has been elected V ice-President of the 
Associated Scientific and Technical Societies of South 
Africa.

Mr. E . H . W augh is expected back, off extended 
leave, at the  end of the m onth.

™E “KAUSTINE ”  TOILET
W ATERLESS.
ODOURLESS.

These systems are simple and easy 
to instal. Any workman of average 
ability readily understands the system 
and can do the simple construction 
work required to put it in place. 
Clear installation plans and directions 
accompany each system. These outfits 
are installed upstairs, downstairs, in 
basements, on all floors; according to 
the need of the buyer.

S o l e  C o n c e s s i o n n a i r e s :—

EQUIPMENT.
L'be simplest care will keep the 

Kanstine system operating perfectly. 
The workmanship and material of the 
Various parts are of the highest grade. 
Nothing can get out of order, tbeiefore 
no calls of mechanics are necessary to 
keep it operating correctly. The tank 
requires emptying infrequently—for 
families about every six months, for 
schools once a year.

MANGOLD BROS., LTD , Pc r t  E l i z a b e t h , J o h a n n e s b u r g , 
B l o e m f o n t e i n , O u d t s h o o r n , C r a d o c k , 

POTCHEFSTROOM, ETD.
A G E N T S  .-— Wester n  P r o v i n c e :  S T E W A R T S  & L L O Y D S ,  N a ta l :  F R A S E R  & C H A L M E R S ,  (S .A . )  L td .

C a p e t o w n .  D u r b a n .
R h o d e s ia :  F R A S E R  & C H A L M E R S .  (S A  I L T D  B r i t i s h  E a s t  A f r i c a  & U g a n d a :  D. N E W M A R K ,  

B u l a w a y o  a n d  S a l i s b u r y ,  N a i r o b i ,


" B uilding .” 453 [March, 1921,

The M unicipality of Benoni in tend adopting a 
building by-law restric ting  the submission of plans to 
Registered A rchitects only.

Mr. Piercy Eagle, of P retoria, has been elected a 
m em ber of Council of the Association.

The M unicipality of M afeldng has appointed Mr. 
Charles Hosking, of Johannesburg, t,o be the architect 
for their housing scheme.

Several applications have been received from 
qualified persons for positions as d rau g h tsm en ; prac­
tising m em bers requiring assistance can obtain all the 
inform ation respecting the respective applicants from 
the Registrar.

In  the com petition for designs for th e  Transvaal 
C hildren’s M emorial H ospital, Messrs. Cowin and 
Powers of Johannesburg were awarded first prem ium , 
M r. A. J .  S tew art of Johannesburg second prem ium , 
and Mr. John P erry  of Capetown th ird  prem ium  ; there 
were 21 sets of designs subm itted and the three pre­
m iated ones are reproduced in this issue.

The successful firm has been instructed  to proceed 
with the working drawings.

File Registrar has received tw o applications from 
youths just left college, to  become articled pupils. 
P ractising  m embers requiring  a junior should ring up 
5821.

M embers visiting the South African Academy 
Exhibition  will be able to inspect a very fine portrait, 
in oils, of G. W. Nicolay, M .S.A ., one of the fathers of 
the profession in the Transvaal and a regular con tri­
butor to  tills journal. The portra it is the work of th a t 
well-known artist, A. E . Gyngell, of Johannesburg.

The Second Exhibition pf the South African 
Academy, conducted under the auspices of the Associa­
tion, will be held in the Selborne H all, Johannesburg, 
from 22nd M arch to  the 2nd April.

The opening ceremony will be perform ed by Lady 
Phillips at 3 p .m . on the 22nd instan t, and m em bers 
are requested to  m ake a special point of being present 
on th a t occasion.

E a s t London is to have a W ar M emorial, for which 
com petitive designs are asked.

Mr. 1 . Gordon Ellis, A .R .I.B .A ., a form er m em ­
ber of Council who left for the Old Country late in

OEatTgnnft-OMis, Ontij Africa.) JCnmtpti.
( I N C O R P O R A T E D  IN E N G L A N D . )

LIFT AND GENERAL ENGINEERS.

LOCAL W ORKSHOPS: 
MARSHALL STREET, (EAST).

HEAD OFFICE AND WORKS: 
FALMOUTH ROAD LONDON, S.E.

T E L E G R A M S  f t  C A B L E S :  

' • W A Y G O O D . '  J O H A N N E S B U R G .  
A  B C .  5 t h  E D I T I O N .

W A Y G O O D - O T I S  L TD .
By Special Appointment 

to H. M. the King,

C o rn e r

Anderson & Loveday Sts.
t e l e p h o n e s  41 7 1  & 4 1 7 2

p.o . b o x  2 7 2 9 . J O H A N N E S B U R G .


“ Bu i l d in g ,” [March 19-21.45-1

1919, is re tu rn ing  to South Africa in April to join the 
firm  of Cowin and Powers, and will take charge of the 
firm 's P retoria  practice. M r. E llis will be rem em bered 
in connection w ith the A rchitectural Design and 
H istory  Classes at the  School of M ines in association 
w ith Mr. H . Spicer. Mr. E llis ’s re tu rn  to South 
Africa will be welcomed by the m em bers of the A.T.A. 
for his keen in terest in  the a r t  and educational work 
of the Association.

On Saturday, the 5th March, a pleasing and 
instructive afternoon was: spent by m em bers of the 
Association and their student juniors. A t the inv ita­
tion of the superintending architects, M essrs. Cowin 
and Powers, on behalf of M r. John  P erry  of Capetown, 
a visit was m ade to  the W itw atersrand l ni versify site 
a t M ilner P ark , Johannesburg, to  inspect the H ostel 
Building.

This building, the first of four hostels, each to 
accom m odate 120 students; in single study  bedrooms, 
and comprising common rpoms, dining assembly hall 
and D ean ’s and staff apartm ents, is, nearing completion 
and some 30 students are already in residence.

Inspection of the foundations for the U niversity 
Buildings on the sum m it of the site was also made.

The inspection was personally conducted by M essrs. 
Cowin and Ppwers, who were accompanied by the con­
tractor, M r. Jam es Thompson, and the clerk of works, 
Mr. Craine.

I t  is hoped th a t other practising m em bers having 
building in  course of erection will afford sim ilar 
facilities to  their confreres, and the large num ber of 
articled pupils now attached tp  the profession.

The author of “ Design and Tradition ” has pro­
duced a book which is at once interesting and 
instructive.

The subjects dealt w ith therein  are well correlated 
and thpughtfully  explained.

The chap ter on arch itectural proportions is well 
worth careful study by the  student, who will find a  
large am ount of useful inform ation of great value.

Design and Tradition ” is a work which should 
appeal to all, and a few books such as this one widely 
circulated cannot help but stim ulate a greater in terest 
in architecture.

The author is to  be congratulated on his achieve­
m ent.

FOR

Artistic Decorating Materials
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OILS, STAINS. 

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THE COLD WATER 
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WALLPAPERS.

LINCRUSTA.

LIGNOMUR.

GLASS.

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STEEL CEILINGS. 

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Agents fo r ;

Herbert Evans & Co.,
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Phones: 2214-5-6-7. JOHANNESBURG . P.O. BOX 1231.

A l s o  a t  2 6 3 ,  P r e t o r i u s  S t r e e t ,  P r e t o r i a .

“ RIPOL1N " 

ENAMEL 

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“ Building ,” 455 [March, 1921.

J _________
NOTICE! |

F O R  . . .

P R I N T I N G
. . G O  T O  T H E  . .

CLIFTON
Printing Works.

78 ,  H a r r i s o n  S t r e e t ,  J O H A N N E S B U R G .

“Building."
T H E  S A .  A R C H I T E C T U R A L  J O U R N A L .

ALL ENQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO

T E L E P H O N E  5 8 2 1 .  T h e  B u s i n e s s  M a n a g e r .
P.O. BOX 2 2 6 6 .  6 7 ,  E x p l o r a t i o n  B u d d i n g ,
T E L E G R A M S : '  ATA. '  J o h a n n e s b u r g ,


“ B uu .ding .’ 456 [ Maicli, 1921

TWO GOOD THINGS.
By F. L . FI. FL E M IN G .

The young lady who m et all tiresom e applications 
w ith the crushing finality “ I  never sign anything and 
I  never join anything ” was. nevertheless m arried  in 
due time; and no doubt will live happily ever after. 
E ven  so, when a good th ing  offers itself a word to  the 
wise will suffice—

In  1915 an Association was formed in England to 
prom ote good design and good w orkm anship— and a 
braver outlook—in industries and products “ from 
buildings to  w rapping paper and string, from  the 
planning of cities to the fprm ing of the le tte rs of the 
alphabet. ”

Long before this tim e there  had  been prophets and 
schools of thought which from  a fairly lofty  plane had 
denounced and deplored the decadence of B ritish  design 
and workm anship, and m any famous m en had spent 
m uch breath  and ink in the  endeavour t,o show w hat 
was wrong and how it m ight be righted. B u t the 
topsy-turveydom  of war changed m any points of view, 
and while obscuring some well-known and trusted  land­
m arks, cleared the vision elsewhere. The ol