Council Offices Radcliffe

RADCLIFFE COUNCIL OFFICES COMPETITION - The conditions of this competition afford a striking instance of the advantages to be gained by consulting the assessor at the time the conditions are being drawn up, instead of, as is so often the case, the conditions being drawn up by the promoters themselves, and the assessor not being appointed until after the designs are received.

In the competition under review, Mr. G. H Willoughby, F.R.I B.A., of Manchester, acted as assessor, and he is to be congratulated on having protected the interests of the profession so thoroughly. The premiums were ample for a £12,000 building, being £75, £50. and £25 for the designs placed second, third, and fourth respectively, the architect placed first being entrusted with the work. Usually the first premium is one in name only, being merged in the commission when the work is carried out. Another good clause is that if no instructions are given to the selected architect to proceed within twelve months from the date of the award, he shall receive as compensation for the abandonment of the scheme the sum of ,150, and the drawings shall be returned to him. In the event of a part only of the original scheme being carried out he shall be paid a sum to be mutually agreed upon in respect of the deferred portion. The architect will be paid in accordance with the R.I.B.A, schedule of charges, with 2.5 per cent. for the quantities.

The accommodation to be provided included:  On lower ground floor; stores and strong rooms, caretaker's kitchen and scullery, lavatory, provision for prisoners awaiting trial, etc. Upper ground floor: Education Department, Town Clerk, Rates Office, Overseer, Registrar, Police Court, with Magistrates' room and entrance, etc. The Health Department was to be preferably on the upper ground floor, but if this were found to be impossible, it might be placed on the lower ground floor instead. On the first floor the requirements included Council Chamber for thirty two members and six officials, with accommodation for the Press, and a small public gallery, four committee rooms. Chairman's room, and reception room en-suite, etc. The Surveyor's department had also. to be located on this floor. The materials desired were Ruabon bricks, with Darley Dale stone dressings and green Westmorland slates on the roof. The internal joinery to be polished oak. The total cost of the buildings, exclusive of architect's fees and clerk of work's salary, was not to exceed £12,000. Out of this amount a sum of £750 had to be allowed for furnishing.

Although the competition was limited to architects practising in Lancashire, no fewer than fifty-five sets of drawings were received, and the general quality of the designs was well above the average, there being far less than the usual proportion of absolutely hope less ones. The site was a somewhat restricted one, and in their endeavour to provide the accommodation required, the majority of the competitors had recourse to two or more small internal areas. It was on this question, indeed, that the competition was largely decided. In many cases the. designs showed areas 6 feet or 8 feet wide extending the whole height of the building, with the sanitary conveniences on one side and the staircase and other windows opposite. These areas would be filled with foul and stagnant air, while the windows opening from them would be of little use for lighting purposes, and worse than useless for ventilating. Quite a number of the competitors also placed their council chamber adjoining one of the main streets, a serious mistake, in view of the noisy cobble stones which the Radcliffe authorities appear to favour for paving purposes. As announced in our issue last week, Mr. Willoughby's award was as follows:

First.                      W. M. Gillow, 66, Deansgate, Manchester, and R. Holt, Victoria Street, Liverpool, joint architects.
Second.                David Bird, Brazennose street, Manchester;
Third.                    Henry Lord, 42, Deansgate, Manchester.
Fourth.                 Gilling and Moorhouse, 22, Harrington Street, Liverpool.

DESIGN PLACED FIRST - Although at first sight this is by no means an attractive plan, an examination of the remainder of the designs shows that at any rate it possesses less faults than any of the others, and has several features in which it. is superior to them. The plan is, roughly, E shaped, with a one-story building connecting the extremities of two of the arms, there being thus one area entirely enclosed and one with buildings on three sides only. These areas are both of good size and shape, and it has consequently been possible to provide adequate lighting and ventilation to every part of the building, a point in which the scheme is unquestionably superior to any of the others, and to which its success is largely due. Several of the rooms were woe fully small - the town clerk's private office, for instance, being only 15 ft. by 12 ft. 6 in. - and there appears to be considerable dissatisfaction amongst the competitors on this account. It is a pity that the sizes of the rooms were not specified in the conditions. By keeping the rooms small, however, the authors have been able to gain one feature desired by the promoters - namely, that room has been found for the sanitary department on the upper ground floor. In most cases this department had to be placed in the basement. The space in front of the rates counter is very narrow; but, as entrance and exit are provided at opposite ends, this is not a very serious objection. The police court is a particularly well-arranged room, with ample lighting and cross ventilation. The latter is an important item, and one which many of the competitors overlooked. The first floor is, perhaps, the best part of the scheme. The council chamber is in the quietest part. of the site, and is a well-proportioned room, conveniently arranged and treated in a thoroughly architectural manner. A separate entrance and staircase is arranged for the public gallery. A fine suite of committee rooms is provided; but the chairman's retiring room is rather too far from the council chamber. The assessor states in his report that in a building of this type the principal entrance and staircase should be made a feature and emphasised externally. This has been done in this design, the staircase being lighted direct from the street, instead of (as in many of the designs) being dependent on the doubtful light obtained from the internal area. The surveyor's department is kept apart from the council chamber and reception rooms, and is reached by a subsidiary entrance and staircase.

The amount of money at the disposal of the competitors was so limited that very little elaboration or ornament was possible, and externally the building has a somewhat starved appearance. Doubtless the authors were anxious to keep within the amount allowed; but they seem to have erred on the side of severity, and the design is rather void of interest. Still, even this is preferable to the towers arid cupolas of some of the designs, which could not have been executed for twice the sum at disposal. The cubical contents were 318,098 feet., the estimated cost being £12,011. Taking everything into consideration, we have no hesitation in saying that the best scheme has been successful, and the authors are to be congratulated on having solved such a difficult problem in so satisfactory a manner. [Building News 20 March 1908 Page 409-410]

Reference         Building News 28 February 1908 Page 334
Reference         Building News 6 March 1908 Page 349    (competition results)
Reference         Building News 20 March 1908 Page 409-410 (review of entries)
Reference         Builder 21 March 1908 page 331
Reference         Manchester Guardian 27 March 1909 page 1 – contracts
Reference         Building News 9 April 1909 Page xiv (tenders)