No_6_1956 — Page 19

THE HONG KONG SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTS

TWO ENJOYABLE FUNCTIONS

Messrs. I. N. Chau, G. D. Su, J. E. March, D. P. Crease, and

the Hon. A. Inglis at the Chinese Dinner.

On Tuesday, 25th June, the Hong Power Plant. Kong Society of Architects gave a

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale, Princeton, and Pennsylvania.

A five-year course was general at these schools, but at Harvard and Yale the course included other sub- jects designed to make the student a man of wide culture as well as an architect, and this course took seven years. Mr. Wu said that the aim of education should be to produce an artist rather than a technician. Tech- nical skill was necessary to achieve the artistic end, but was only a means to this end; it was wrong to ignore or forget the artistic end in acquiring the technical means.

Mr. Wu was critical of some aspects of modern American

American design, the general level of which, he said, was mediocre. There was too much unin- telligent copying of the acknowledged masters, too much emphasis on func-

On Tuesday, 6th August, members tional and technical requirements, and Chinese dinner at the Wing On Mess of the Hong Kong Society of Archi- too much use of exhibition novelties. Hall on the top floor of the Wing On tects met at the British Council There was a lack of plastic interest in Life Building to give the members Library to hear a talk given by Mr. the modelling of buildings, too little and invited guests the opportunity of Wu King-Lui, Associate Professor of contrast of space, light and shade, meeting the Hon. A. Inglis, the new Architectural Design at Yale Univer- and no common idiom. Foreign in- Director of Public Works.

sity, on "Trends in American Archi- fluences, such as the Japanese, were The function was a most enjoyable tecture".

sometimes seized on without dis- one, the spirit, and spirits, of the

In the nineteen-thirties, he said, crimination. hosts creating an atmosphere most architectural education in the United informal and friendly, helped along States underwent a revolution.

On the positive side, however, Mr. This Wu gave an encouraging picture of by the feeling of good fellowship revolution was associated with two the present state of architecture. The amongst a group of people bound to famous names, those of Walter Gro- younger generation were now coming gether by common aims and purposes. pius at Harvard and Mies van der into their own, and in the adventurous Before the dinner was served, four Rohe at Illinois. It was the influence climate of American business life were interesting films were shown on sub- of great masters such as these that being awarded the chances they need- jects of particular interest to those turned the rising generation of students ed. Young architects were full of from the old ways to the new, and ideas, and were meeting with clients The first was a film by Mr. A. F. established the Modern Movement in who understood the value of good Evans, Senior Quantity Surveyor of America.

design, and who were prepared to the Public Works Department, entitl- Mr. Wu went on to survey the pay for it. They were supported in ed "Operation Boxing Day", which existing state of the schools of archi- their work by association with other showed the rapid construction of the tecture in America. Schools

artists and by consultants in engineer- Shek Kip Mei redevelopment after the usually attached either to universities ing, acoustics, lighting, and all the disastrous fire which razed the old or institutes of technology, and were other associated techniques, who ap- squatters' area on Christmas Day of of three kinds. First were those which preciated the aesthetic aspect of their depended upon the teaching of some work, and who were taken into the The second was a commercial film one great master. Harvard with Gro- design team in the early stages. The about air-conditioning, shown by pius, Illinois with Mies van der Rohe, tremendous rate of building, which courtesy of Gilman & Co., Ltd. The and Taliesin with Frank Lloyd Wright, was increasing every year, meant third, "Brief City", was a quick trip were schools of this sort. Secondly, plenty of work for architects, in which around the South Bank Exhibition of there were schools which had the older generation of established 1951 just before it closed down, and teachers mostly academic rather than masters shared.

present.

1953.

were

as

was produced under the auspices of practising architects. Thirdly, there Mr. Wu then showed some of his the well-known London newspaper, were the schools which combined a re- collection of coloured slides of modern the Observer. Last, but by no means gular staff of academic men with visits American architecture, and the meet- least, was a very interesting record from practising architects of distinction, ing concluded with some discussion showing the various stages in the con- who came as critics. This third type among those present on the ideas struction of the Calder Hall Atomic of school is exemplified by Harvard, raised in Mr. Wu's talk.

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