No_6_June_1968 — Page 23

EDUCATING THE ARCHITECT

up completion; one more financial burden to add to the contractor's wor- ries!

But what is the architect's view? Many of his non-architect colleagues will say that his view is largely im- practical, more concerned with the looks of the job rather than a down- to-earth understanding of the services requirements.

Ultimate responsibility

It must be realised, however, that the architect has an overall task. While his colleagues specialise in their own particular fields of work, the architect must be a "specialist in generalisation". He must review all factors contributing to the overall design, including services as part only of this review. His is the responsibili- ty for placing these factors in order of influence and importance. His is the ultimate responsibility to the client, who will be particularly in- terested in the financial outcome of the architect's decisions.

The School of Architecture is very much aware of these implications of the architect's responsibility and the student's work is formulated accord- ingly. From the entry of the student into the first year of the five-year course, the policy is to allow him as wide a field of professional knowledge as it is possible for him to gain in accordance with his level.

In the first year, therefore, he works on very simple schemes of a domestic or similar nature. His tasks call for an elementary observation of services around him in his every day life. Towards the end of the first year he learns to work with "a client" who is naturally concerned with the adequate provision of water, gas, and electricity from a consumer's point of view and with rainwater and sewage-disposal in order to protect himself and his neighbours from discomfort.

At this stage the student moves on (in the second year) to detailed study of the technical aspects of public and private water supply and drainage. This enables him to design and draw- out full working drawings of these services for his schemes which, by now, progress beyond the domestic level to the wider field of small social and commercial buildings on urban and rural sites.

The future architect is taught to put himself mentally in the shoes of all the people who will be affected by his design. Not only will he understand the needs of the men who will use the lifts, air-conditioning plant and all the other services, but he will also under-

who

stand difficulties of the men instal and maintain these services. Furthermore he will understand the feelings of the man who has to pay for them.

Early in his studies, therefore, the student is taught to understand the value of services as a design factor. together with its position in relation to other factors (such as structure, building construction. planning. finishes, etc.) and its effect upon the overall costs of buildings. He is also encouraged to observe actual works in progress in Hong Kong at this time.

The third year of the student's work takes him on to more com- plicated buildings, several storeys in height and with allied problems related to flat and sloping sites. For this his technical knowledge is widen- ed to cover electrical installations, bells, fire-alarms and other low-ten- sion

systems, air-conditioning and artificial ventilation, mechanical ser- vices such as lifts and escalators and. finally, design for fire prevention and fire-service installation.

During this year of his education the student receives lectures, not only

on

the architectural principles in respect of these subjects, but also on some of the more detailed technical aspects (combined with site visits to actual installations). These lectures are given by practising specialists whom the student thus meets early in his career. It is with such specialist engineers and quantity surveyors that he will consult in his future practice as an architect. This early establish- ment of mutual understanding will prove invaluable in the coming years.

High buildings

The fourth year brings even more problems, particularly in the field of services in very high buildings. It is at this point that the student com- mences the design of really large and complex schemes, particularly in the congested centre of Hong Kong's business and slum districts. His work covers a variety of problems such as high-rise housing, schools, offices, shopping centres, theatres and a mul- titude of other works to meet the needs of a developing urban com- munity.

For this advancement the student learns to apply all the technical knowledge which he has accrued over the past three years. This necessitates an extension of this knowledge to cover the particular services's techni- ques for multi-use, large-volume, tall buildings especially with relationship. to structural design, costs and human behaviour-patterns (and this last item can be surprising particularly in Hong Kong).

It may be of interest to note that, at this stage, a study is made of air- conditioning by use of heat-pumps, since the proximity of the sea (as an energy reservoir) and Hong Kong's climate makes this method a par- ticularly attractive proposition.

A connoisseur's gallery, Wyndham Street -third year study of a project for a small urban site

on to marshalling the comprehensive design factors confronting the student which up to now have not been com- pleted and on their analysis and synthesis; from which synthesis (with the full co-operation of his specialist consultants) he produces his final design. To this end, check lists for services are drawn up and the synthesis is worked out in graphic form, showing the physical relation- ship of all services to one another and to allied factors (structure, mass, circulation, etc.).

design.

Working independently

It is in his fifth year that the student applies all that which his previous years of lectures, observa- tion, discussion and former applica- tion has taught him. This he does in the form of a Thesis on his chosen subject.

He is on his own to a large extent, free to plan, programme and consult with his services specialists as much or an little as he deems necessary. All this he does under the general supervision of a senior architect who does not interfere with the student's activities unless he is obviously "heading off the rails".

To all intents and purposes the student is working independently as much (or perhaps more so) as he will be in a few months time when he leaves the university to start the next stage from the beginning.

In the fourth year emphasis is put become, eventually, an architect.

to

Far East BUILDER, June 1968.

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