Evening star., 1927-05-13
ARCHITECTS PLAN
NEW OFFICES HERE
Institute Provides for Struc.
ture Near 0ctagon House
for Headquarters.

at Eighteenth street and New Yorl
avenue was provided for by tn
American Institute of Architects las
night, when the siXtieth annual con
vention. in session at the Chamber o.
Commerce of the United States. passed
a resolution authorizing the board o
directors to erect. complete and fur
nish the building 1t will cost, it /!
now estimated, S495.000. In the con
struction of the proposed new building
the Octagon House on the stables vii
not be disturbed, but the idea is ulti
mate1y TO have the new buildings
furnish proper setting for the co
lonial structures on the property.
ID. Everett Waid of New York
chairman of the building committee
presented a report, which was adopted
explaining what had been done by
his committee in furtherance of the
project. The committee recommended
that the building be confined to the
northern portion of the property. II
is planned that the new structure will
represent the very best in architec
ture. and all members have been called
upon for suggestions.
Huge Schools Opposed.
Huge school buildings We're opposed
in a report of the committee on
school building standards which was
presented by John Irwin Bright of
Philadelphia, chairman. The commit.
tee reported that it was not satisfied
that the erection of school buildings
of very great size serves the best
standards of education.
THE situation is not without
humor." the report said. an the
larger schools at least it is clear that
as its business organization ap-
proaches perfection there is a
noticeable slump in the quality of the
product. Surely there must be some
thing wrong with such a system.
''The claim is made that mass edu-
cation lowers per capita expense.
Teachers. however, are not cost ac-
countants; they are only interested in
their profession. They protest that
the modern drift toward jumbomania
tends to nuilify their efforts. 1t may
be that when the huge school fails to
achieve it's purpose. it is not chiefly
due to its size, but because its propo-
nents are more interested in the re-
Guction of operating charges than in
learning.
Money Should Not Be Cue.
whelmed by the constantly increasing
number of their pupils. Many lead
ers among the teaching profession are
of the opinion that the size of a senior
or Junior high school should not eX-
coed 1900 pupils. Some authorities
say that if results only are to be con.
sidered, the maximum should not ex.
ceed 1000.
t1Nithout violating these ideals. 1t
Is conceivable that many thousand pu-
pills can successfully pursue their
studies under one roof, but only when
the main approach to the problem is
from the cultural and not from the
money viewpoint. If there is a solu-
tion, it must he sought in a new plan,
and not in the mere imitation of
scheme which may have served we'll
enough other times and customs.
George c. Nimmons Of Chicago,
chairman of the committee on educa.
ton of the American Institute OF
Architects, in presenting the report
of that committee, said that America
is at the threshold of new era in
architecture.
Transition is Seen.
"AIreadv." he said. 1--WE have made
uuite q start. In Europe the same
thing prevails, except possibly In
London, which is going along in the
same old traditional lines. But In
Holland, Belgium, France and Italy
new buildings show evidence OF the
transition.
"In those buildings the efforts OF
the designer to depart from historic
STYLES of architecture can be seen.
In this country the majority OF archi-
tects when given problems OF design
of important buildings will now de-
mart more than ever before from con-
ventional architecture.
"In the East, not so many years
ago, all buildings We're done in de-
lightful way, the historic styles being
used by such masters as Charles
Follen McKim and Stanford White,
but at that time there was little eff
fort to do what the architects and
the world are trying to do now. We
have come to a. point of change. and
more than one agency has brought 1t
about.
t.The first factor affecting the de-
sign of buildings materially is the
zoning law as applied to New York
City, where you can go up only zoo
feet, or less, according to the width
of the street. Then you must Gre
ate setbacks. The creating of these
setbacks, and the getting down to the
areas required under law of the part
of the buildings that goes above that
has gradually brought about in New
York the creation of some of the most
interesting shapes and skylines to the
buildings that American architecture
has ever produced.
Many Are Delightful.
seThere are some that are not so
good, but there are many that are de-
Iiehtful. and it Is curious that other
cities. as a matter of beauty, are in
PRODUCING setbacks, which came into
being in New York through necessity
In some cities people are calling for
setbacks because they like them. and
architects are putting them on
buildings with very good effect and
entirely as an attraction of design.
with the increase in the height of
buildings, the skyline is being greatly
improved. and penthouseS and other
mechanical contrivances no longer
make unsigntly roofs. Instead, the
architect utilizes admirable crowns
and finishes.
Another feature influencing change
q, design is artificial lighting and Ven
fiIation, We have certain kinds of
buildings that need new windows. We
have learned to produce atmosphere
SO perfect that it is better than we get
outdoors most of the year, so we don't
need windows.
ain some types of atructures-and
Il will be more SO in the future-the