Evening star., 1914-11-07


sometimes fear that they are not going
to have their own ideas carried out.
but that they will be persuaded or
compelled to accept an arrangement OF
rooms or a type of design which is not
in accordance with their desires, says
Arthur L. Loveless in the Seattle Post
Intelligencer.
While it ia. of course, the duty of the
architect to point out the inadvlsa-
biliry of putting into effect schemes
which are unecenomical IN arrange
ment. structurally unsound or not in
good taste, it is by no means his func-
tion to foist upon the client his own
preconeeived ideas of planning or de-
sign, Rather it is his object TO pro-
duce for the client a finished structure
suited to his purpose, to interpret fo
him his requirements in the Tangible
form OK brick, wood, etc, through the
medium Of drawings.
Mistaken Idea.
The fact that drawings. or the blue
prints made from them. are the means
which the architect uses to present his
interpretations of proposed building
to the client and contractor mistaken
idea is frequently met with that these
drawings are all the client needs from
the architect, ana members OF me pro
fession are often asked what their fee
Is for a ''set of plans" as IL that were
the end of the architects effort.
AS a matter of fact that is but the
beginning. 1t is Inanifestly Impossible
to show on a surface of two Dimensions
all that it is proposed to produce in
structure. of three dimensions, through
the sole medium of u series of line
drawings.
| Accompanying these drawings should
be the explanations and directions OF
the architect to- the contractor. His
constant personal oversight is abso-
| lutely necessary to see that the work
|. is heing executed in accordance with
his ideas.
Necessity Of Supervision.
This supervision is not merely for
the purpose of ascsrtaining that a con-
| ira ctor furnishes the proper materials
and good workmanship. With an hon
est contractor. or in the case of work
done by the day. this part of the super
| intend ence might not be so necessary.
Tha oversight is requisite, however.
to see that the drawings are not mis-
represented, as this is of constant oc-
currence even with the best inten-
| work OF the different trades properly
doyetail together, and TO see that the
innumera BILE details of the building be
carried out according to the architects
Intention. it is the proper execution
Of these details on which the buildings
artistic success depends.
Drawings Apparently Simple.
Now let us take a. look at the appar-
emily simple set OF drawings which the
architect presents to the client, and
see what painstaking effort has preced-
ed their production. and what is to fol-
low. Their very apparent simplicity
should warn one that it has required
much thought to perfect 6&em.
| After the first consultations with the
| client and the visits to the site, the
architect will probably make thumb.
nail sketches of various schemes. show
| ing the general grouping of buildings
or arrangements Of rooms. to crySlntfze
hts own ideas az to possible solutions
of the problem in hand. These sketches
will be not only of plan, but OF eleva-
tions as we'll. and many solution
| satisfactory as to its plan has to be
abandoned because it will not permit
| the erection OF structure of good
proportions.
Public Fails to Understand.
| Here is where the public most fre-
quently fails to understand one of the
I! ele mentary facts Of architecture: that
is. that a building has for its COM
ponent parts three dimensions, one of
the most important of which is the
| plan. and that when this is decided
upon that the mass and outline of the
structure are determined to large de-
gree.
A general scheme. or several Of
them. having been decided upon, the
architect then proceeds to make draw
| ings to scale, usually one-eighth of an
inch to the foot, in the case of
large structures or groups of build
| ings. oEe-stxteenth of an inch to the
| foot.
How Drawings Are Made.
| These drawings are usually made
| upon transparent tracing paper In PEN
Gil. A drawing having been made, it
| is criticised by the architect for pos
sible Improvement, second sheet of
! tracing paper tackled down over the
first. and a drawing of modification
of the first plan made.
This same proceeding is gone through
again and again. until often there are
Va dozen or more sheets of drawings,
each a. development from or an i'm