world news
RIBA fees - a restrictive practice
Fixed-fee scales in operation for architects and solicitors consitute an undesirable restrictive prac- tice according to Britain's Prices and Incomes Board (PIB). In its recent third general report the board says that it does not accept the reaction from both architects and solictors that their scale fees should be largely or entirely determined by members of their profession.
The board says that the Royal Institute of Bri- tish Architects had not yet given its formal com- ments on the board's recommendations; however some parts of the profession had responded to the board's suggestion that a scale of fees be recom- mended by a body representative of clients as well as architects by insisting that their scale of fees should be unilaterally determined and enforced with disciplinary measures.
The board adds that should this response pre- vail it would have no hesitation in saying that archi- tects were in effect acting as a monopoly and that its case for public supervision over their scale of fees was thereby reinforced.
Four-level system planned for Munich
Munich, third largest city in Germany and venue of the 1972 Olympics, plans to conquer its present traffic congestion by a multi-level under- ground system.
Munich's multi-level underground
Four-level tunnels are to be constructed under the Munich city centre, around the Marienplatz.
The tunnel scheme will make it possible to reach the sports centres on the Oberwiesenfeld in short time. Munich's candidature for the 1972 Games was made under the motto: The Olympics close at hand.
£15m. entertainments centre planned in UK
Britain's Associated TV Corporation has an- nounced plans for a £15 million entertainments centre in the heart of Birmingham. The scheme in- cludes television studios, hotel, two cinemas, a theatre, exhibition hall, underground car park, res- taurants and shopping centre. Its focal point will be a 300 ft. high office block.
A two-level piazza connected by escalators will form the centre of the development, providing ac- cess at different levels to the city and other build- ings on the site.
The theatre is to be built on Roman amphi- theatre lines with seating for about 1,120, while
Model of Birmingham entertainments centre
the two cinemas, each seating 850, are designed to interlock at the corners so that they will share cer- tain facilities such as entrance hall, lounges and pro- jection room.
The architects are R. Seifert & Partners, London.
Convention of American Concrete Institute
Symposium sessions on the "Effect of tempera- true on concrete", the "Application of probabilistic concepts to the strength design of reinforced con- crete members" and on "Design/Construction" are included in the programme for the 1968 Fall con- vention of the American Concrete Institute. The convention will be held in Memphis, Tennessee, from November 3 - 8.
Thirteen papers will be presented during the Ef- fect of temperature symposium. Reports will be given on studies of temperature effects on test cylinders, concrete pavements, composite struc- tures, mass concrete structures, a prestressed con- crete reactor vessel and other test subjects exposed to sustained and programmed temperature levels.
Papers in the Design/Construction session will
Far East BUILDER, November 1968.
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