No_5_1959 — Page 52

and its economical application in large- span construction.

"Now for all the stress that has been laid on the relationship between archi- tecture and engineering, I do not intend to preach that a student of architecture should master all the principles and theories of structure for that will be beyond the scope of his curriculum. But on the other hand, I cannot see truth in the contention that it would be unwise for an architect to attempt to practise the structural engineering of his architectural designs for that is apt to restrict the imagination. On the contrary, I believe a deep knowledge of the structural principles and possibi- lities widens an architect's outlook and spurs his imagination.

Elaborating his views on the relation- ship between architect and engineer, Mr. Szeto said:

"As an engineer by early training, I deplore the popular claim by some engineers that an engineer can always design a building without the assistance of the architect, for to my mind, exact mathematical calculations do not neces- sarily result in structures pleasing to the eye.

How many of the world's engineers can claim to possess the engineering knowledge, building skill and aesthetic intuition of men like Pier

Luigi Nervi or Eduardo Torroja or Freysinet or Robert Millart?

"We have all seen the end products of engineers responsible for the design of large hydro-electric, fuel power or nuclear power plants, sewage purifica- tion works, bridges, and the like and how often these works, though fulfilling а functional requirement, offend the sight.

TWO PROFESSIONS ARE INTER-DEPENDENT

"Engineers would be wise to seek the assistance of the architect to create not merely the functional, but the beautiful also.

On the other hand, in the past. as I have said when stone and brick were mainly used in buildings, the architect was the 'master builder,' but with the development of modern mate- rials and methods, the engineer's role in architecture has become increasingly important.

"With the advance of the steel frame and the development of concrete con- struction, the present day architect has frequently to design in terms of struc- tural possibilities, dictated by the re- quirements of modern life, the high rise buildings for instance, and the special structures needed to meet the urge of the machine age. He must either master it or risk a threat to his very existance.

"Let us look at the achievements of the world's great names in architecture, How many of them owe their success to the skill of the engineer and the adaptation of the structural systems? Without his intimate knowledge of the

50

Frank engineering principle,

Lloyd Wright could not have conceived such works as the Imperial Hotel, the 'Fall- ing Water Kaufmann House and the Johnson Wax Buildings. Mies Van der Rohe's precise machine-age architecture owes much to his dedication to struc- tural perfection for without the use of steel such well-known works as the Lake Shore Drive Apartments and the fabulous bronze-finished Seagram Build- ing could not have been possible. Apart from structural perfection, me- chanical efficiency is most manifest in these buildings.

"Le Corbusier's recognition of the task of technics in the machine age urged him to exploit technical possibili- ties in the attempt to create a new architectural

to style adapted

the exigencies of our age. To him concrete and steel have completely transformed the constructional organization. The engineer's influence is vividly illustrated in the 'Unite d'Habitation' and in the new buildings at Chandigarh, India."

PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE

CONSTRUCTION

Mr. Szeto said that with the develop- ment of pre-stressed concrete, construc- tion methods would undergo another revolution and it seemed likely that the engineer's work must be accorded even greater recognition.

"'not- "However," said Mr. Szeto, withstanding all these new materials and new methods of construction, it is the architect who holds the position of the planner and must necessarily there- fore be the co-ordinator in the fulfilment of the building unit. It is the architect who conceives the form and the design.

"The essential thing therefore, is close collaboration between architect and engineer, from the very earliest stage when the programme is known and before the plan is conceived. Mr Basil Spence in his presidential address to the R.I.B.A. emphasised the impor- tance of this collaboration, not only in a normal building contract but in other engineering projects also. Again, Walter Gropius stressed that there should be in modern architecture co-ordinated teamwork and close collaboration be- tween the architect, the engineer, the manufacturer and the builder. This is a view with which I couldn't agree

more,

"The third force in the architect's life is the client who is the essential part of the architectural team. There are many formidable obstacles to good architecture and not the least of these is the fact that we have to build not for ourselves but for someone who has specific needs and who supplies the all- important wherewithal. Other artists such as painters and sculptors are blessed by patronage of a rather differ- ent nature and they can create satisfy art urges without having to consider utilitarian requirements.

to

ARCHITECT AND CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

case

"'In the

of the architect, his knowledge and appreciation of the client is the first prerequisite. By this I do not mean that the architect must bow docilely to the whims and fancies of the client, for then he will lose his status as an artist and become a mere draughtsman. An architect should lead his client into a conception acceptable to the aesthete yet formed to fit the client's needs.

"All of us have experienced at one time or other the difficult client who must be educated to understand that form and beauty are an architect's prerogative and alas, Hong Kong is full of them. The ideal client is a person of knowledge and sympathy, is clear in his requirements and who, after having stated just what he wants, trusts his architect to translate his needs into terms as satisfying to the senses as to the practicalities, and leaves him to do exactly that.

"Unhappily such a species is well- nigh non-existent - except perhaps when Government plays the benevolent role of client. It is imperative, there- fore for us to improve client relations. The public must be made to appreciate what architecture is about and its role in writing the history of the Colony, for it has been said, and said with

that great truth,

architecture is the printing press of all ages, and gives a history of the state of society in which the structure was erected.

"Few of us will deny the fact that here in Hong Kong the architectural profession is not accorded the respect profes- given to the medical or legal sions. In the eyes of many, an archi- tect is no more than a house-builder and often his services are grudgingly called upon in order to comply with some statutory regulation or other. The public generally does not under- stand the complicated task of the archi- tect as we define it, and we have not been able sufficiently to clarify the issue. It must be a premier aim of this body to keep our work in focus against to the existing pattern of society promote in the eyes of the public the dignity of sound architectural practice coupled with professional ethics.

ELEVATION OF STATUS NECESSARY

-

"We have made a step in the right direction in setting up a Public Rela- tions Committee whose task will be to tend to the external affairs of the So- ciety. One of its many tasks must be to organize exhibitions of architectural works, both of works carried out locally and outstanding works from the Unit- ed Kingdom and other parts of the world the aim being to make the gen- eral public architecture conscious, to appreciate the importance of good ar- chitecture and planning to the com- munity, thereby elevating the status of

THE HONG KONG & FAR EAST BUILDER

VOLUME 14, NUMBER 5