Breathing life into the Society
A HONGKONG architect was once heard to say that anything that got stamped with the name of the Hong- kong Society of Architects had been given the kiss of death.
Very unkind words to be directed at a voluntary organisation whose aims are the raising of standards and profes- sional status. But they did point to the frustrations felt by some architects, to whom the Society had become a pon- derous yearly club which was making no apparent progress in furthering the professional cause.
In its new president, Mr. Jon Pres- cott, the Society has elected someone who is concious of such critisms. He made it plain in his recent presidential address that a keynote of his term of office is to be the re-organisation of the Society itself a 'putting our house order'.
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The new council has already ap- proved a new structure for the or ganisation of its work, under which four boards have been established to deal with the majority of the regular work for which the council is ultimate- ly responsible. The four boards cover: Architectural Practice, Architectural Education, Internal Services and Pub- lic Relations, and through them vari- ous committees will operate on speci- fic topics.
The council will now normally meet only four times a year and the general work will be carried on by the boards, meeting on a monthly basis. The secretary, treasurer and president are ex-officio members of all boards.
This re-organisation is aimed at giv- ing a greater spread of responsibility and the involvement of more members in the Society committees. However for the work to be effective the coun- cil considers it imperative to have a fully equipped secretariat a central office with permanent staff.
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In his address Mr. Prescott said: 'Without a central office I think the Society is in a very dangerous position,
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simply because the responsibility we now carry is too great for voluntary casual labour to sustain.
'For example, thinking of the res- ponsibilities of the Board of Architec- tural Education alone, we have already committed ourselves to the conduct of a Part III local examination in Profes- sional Practice to RIBA standards in conjunction with the University School of Architecture. We are, this year, in conjunction with the Com- monwealth Board of Architectural Education, involved in the Visiting Board to the University School to re- affirm its acceptance, as of adequate standard for recognition at the Finals examinations CBAE stage (i.e. Part III under the old RIBA system).
'We are involved and have already contributed minor finance to the Architects Regional Centre in Singa- pore and have pledged our continu- ance in the CAA Regional Conference. There is no doubt at all that we should be conducting mid-career courses relat- ed to our particular problems here in Hong Kong, both to up-date and in- form members of new technology, ad- ministrative means, or to allow for mutual discussion of current practical problems.
'The Board of Architectural Prac- tice will continue its valuable contact with Government through the Joint Liason Group and intends to re-ex- amine fee scales, codes and practice conditions in various ways. One of its most significant items is the continu- ing review and translation into Chinese of the Contract Documents by the Joint Group of Surveyors, Building Contractors and Architects.'
Society's aims
The president summarised the aims of the Society, under its new broaden- ed organisation, as follows:
1. To provide increased service to its members in connection with daily practice requirements; in revitalising
Jon Prescott
and providing for further educating and seminars and in giving information.
2. To increase its membership par- ticularly in the younger generation of newly qualified, who at present see lit- tle use in the Society, by showing the services and need for joint action.
3. To let the public know what the architect can achieve for the com- munity; that as a profession we have a social conscience.
4. To support the professionals as a whole, cementing the ideas of team co- operation in building. We are involved in a multi-professional activity.
5. To place ourselves in a position relative to registration so that we can control our members, and thereby our future, ensuring that professinal codes and ethics are adhered to.
6. But to remember that our deed of constitution states that our aim is "for the general advancement of civil architecture and for promoting and facilitating the acquirement of the knowledge of the various arts and sciences connected therewith."
In listing the aims of the Society, Mr. Prescott took the opportunity to define the essential difference between the architect and his sister professions.
'Our training is in design', he said.! 'No one other member of the team is given a similar basis for synthesis; or training in the design discipline, and in saying this I mean in real design, not tarting up and "decoration" which so frequently passes for it.
'Design is a discipline on its own. It embraces logical step by step problem solving, using methods of a quantita- tive measurable character and, with in- creased knowledge and scientific ana- lysis, the area covered by this grows constantly greater; design involves a synthesis process. True synthesis can only be achieved through intuitative value judgements, gained in creative experience, in the production of a totality resolving all functions as well as aesthetics."
Far East BUILDER, April 1971