27 10 310 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/347ae90e019ecdd0c63048c4b235ecc8.pdf 79cdb6de72db32a6876899ac43eeb00b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 16 Description An account of the resource ain aaIN: SY Z the TE en d of ide 35p S paghts;ee Pepeoe Sa pe oad: | CONTENTS PUBLIC HOUSING— THE POLITICS OF AESTHETICS a.discussion of the design of council housing HOUSING CRISIS DEEPENED the real effects of the State’s further retreat from housing UNATTACHED NEWS ith, a ~, rid oneself of or renounce obit This is the last issue of Slate to be put together by the original Editorial Collective and, we regret, it shows. After three years and sixteen issues Slate needs new ideas and people to take it to the next stage in its development. At a meeting in March the first steps were taken to bring together a new collective and we have had several discussions about editorial policy and the mechanics of producing the itself then there will be a future for Slate but so far the new collective would be best described as only embryonic.It is in need of several more people who would like to join and take part in editing and producing the magazine and in laying down its future direction, still very open to discussion. The point of this item isto appeal to.any of our readers who want to get involved in any ori every aspect of running the magazine to contact the new collective and come to their open meeting at 9, Poland St., London, W1 on June 18th at 6 30 pm. To contact the new collective ring Nick Coulson 01-607 6061 (evenings) Good luck and goodbye The old editors. Opinions expressed in SLATE are not necessarily the policy of the New Archi tecture Movement unless stated to be so. SLATE ISTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly and edited by the Movement'’s Publications Group. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are included to stimulate general debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the largest possible readership. WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers, more ideas and more reps. on order to producea better, larger and cheaper newsletter. Ifyou would like to work for SLATE, becomea rep., join the group, send in.articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon. SLATE ispublished by the Publications Group of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9 Poland St., London, W1. (Letters should be addressed to the Publications Group). Printed by Islington Community Press, 2A St. Paul’s Rd., London, N1. Trade distribution by Publications Distribution Co-operative, 27 Clerken- well Court, London, EC2. SLATE may beavery slick looking paper but we need money fast! Please send us your donations now! Cheques made payable to SLATE* 9 Poland St., W1. Oo mul. contriu Dluish or, 2. adj. (Made) or - esp.a8roofing;eae { EDITORIAL CONTACT :‘PHONE 01-703 7775 SLATE 16 PAGE 2 SLATE 16 PAGE 3 ions); ~-black, -blue,-grey, modificati cethesetintssachasoocurin~; f~-cl val benefit soclety with small utions; ~-colour(ed), (of) dark vreenishh Brey: hanes slit’y? a, ~3. v.t. Cover with ~= “"sikt'ent n. (MB sola atat') f. esclale, fe: ut. (colloq.). TOrticize Ptvereiy~ vies in reviews), scold,ere Propose for offiectec, Hence slat’mo) n.(app.f.preo.} If the new collective ds in establishi he New Architecture Movement fill In the form below and send | ifyou wouldlike tobe amembeofr¢ If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fill in the form below and send it together withacheque/postalorder(payabletotheNew ArchitectureMovement )for£2.to5N0AM at+ SUBSCRIBE! hi Poland Street, London W.1. Jane Darke is a lecturer atSheffieldUniversity Department of Archi- tecture, She is co- author of the recent book, Who Needs Housing? This paper attempts to broaden the narrow frame- SLATE 16 PAGE 4 SLATE 16 PAGE 5 PUBLIC HOUSING: POLITICS OF AESTHETICS to be said because of the neglect of any thorough discussion of architecture in recent thoeries of aesthetics. Unlike the situation in literature and fine art we would maintain that a building which fails to please its public cannot be regarded as admirable. Yet to rely purely on the opinions of the public could lead to a populist position where we endorse the most gratuitously dressed-up kitsch product of the speculative builder. Instead, we should try to understand the meanings these preferences carry, in the context in which they occur, as social constiucts connecting in a comprehensible way with other values. This is an undeveloped area of analysis: most recent Marxist work on art and media has concentrated on the producers rather than the users (4). Such an analysis might go as follows. Since paid work under capitalism is characteristically limited, monotonous and unsatisfying, the worker seeks an escape in his or her home life. For the wife and/or mother, of course, the home is also at least one of her work- places (5) and the image the home presents to onlookers will be taken to reflect in part her competence at this work. Both sexes we suggest, willwantthehometoexpressanalternative reality to their actual social situation of power- lessness. It is hardly surprising if this home has applied to it escapist symbols such as Mediterranean details recalling the hedonism of the brief fort- night free of work, coach lamps supplying an instant sense of history and referring to the conviviality of the Christmas card scene, or cottagey elements speaking about an imagined organic community in an arcadian past. Of course, the tastes of other sections of society could be analysed in a like manner: their expressive intentions can be expected to differ according to their particular social and occupational position. Architects, we suggest, address their buildings not to the public in general or-the users in particular, but to fellow architects. We maintain that, whatever their stated intentions, architects typically aim at achieving a “discussable aesthetic’ in t! eir buildings, aim in some way to respond to a self-conscious line of development (or perhaps-several different strands) that form the main subject matter of various specialist magazines. This discourse is remote from the aesthetic evaluations of the general public, as shown in the following contrasted quotations on the subject of the Smithson’s public housing scheme at Robin Hood Lane,inLondon’sdockland.Thefirstisashort sample from a lengthy review of the scheme in AD: “Theiconographyofabuilding’ssurfacehasbeen a continuing preoccupation for the Smithsons. It is manifested in their search for a ‘generalising aesthetic’ for ordinariness as a norm. It is seen in the concern to resolve ‘a sort of anonymity of styling. depends for its iconography upon a high degree of resolution in the facade; a resolution of the demands for both a generalising aesthetic and a high degree of internal flexibility. The Smithsons attempt this resolution through the useof a ‘skin’. A ‘skin’ as opposed to a facade should most properly be conceived of as a taut membrane without apparent depth, which seems stretched over the internal frame. The idea of a ‘skin’ is clearly closer to Mies’ aesthetic than to Golden Lane and Le Corbusier's idea conveyed by the image of the wine rack asa cage.....But unlike Mies, where the ‘skin’ is often a complex screen which remains neutral, Robin Hood Gardens Tepresents a search for a ‘skin’ which is at once seen as generalising and at the same time functionally and iconically expressive of the disposition of the internal elements’(6). issocially permitted, for example in the furnishing workwithinwhichpublichousingisusuallydiscussed ofhomesinapersonalappearance. in the architectural journals. It presents the beginnings of an analysis which includes a discussion of the relationship between aesthetics and other aspects of form, the aesthetic attitudes of users andarchitects,andtheexternalpoliticalandecon- omic influenceso’n form which limit the architect's freedom of action. Since these topics have received very litle discussion, the paper is more a sketch of a possible approach thanafinished product, and I hope itwill serve to provoke criticisms and rejoinders that will help to establish a frame of discourse in which such topics can be more adequately analysed. ‘Aesthetics’ as a category We should analyse the notion of ‘aesthetics’ as an aspect of artefacts which can be discussed independ- ently of other aspects. Itis’significant that the discussion of ‘aesthetics’ in this way emerged at the heydayofcapitalistexpansioninthemid-nineteenth century. The polarisation of‘aesthetics’ and ‘utility’ took place at a time of increasing differentiation of many aspects of life: the division of labour, the polarisation of gender roles, the separation of different human needs and their satisfaction in different places (home, workplace, art gallery, school, etc.) the multiplication of building types to meetthesedemands,thedifferentiationofcityspace in zones each catering for a single type of use, the evolution of various academic disciplines with distinctivesubjectmatter,andmanyotherexamples. It was opponents of capitalism who perceived that theextension of _ capitalist economic relations into al spheres of life was depriving the people of creative potentialities. Marx believed that man possessed innate creative capacities which were atrophied by the capitalist system. For Morris, the increasingly ugly environment is seen as resulting from a production system where people no longer have control over the products of their labour, while increasing scale and specialisation rob them of control over their living and working environments. Creative capacities are evident in those spheres. where the exercise of aesthetic choices Williams notes, however, that the differentiation of aesthetic from other qualities leads to the view that it is peripheral; ‘there is something irresistably displaced and marginal about the now common andlimitingphraseaestheticconsiderations especially when contrasted with practical or utilitarian considerations which are elements of the same basic division’ (2). A similar point is made by Berger, who questioned the specialised nature of art criticism by noting that it can mystify rather than explicate the relevance of a work of art to lived experience. “The emotion provoked by the image... (is reduced)... to that of disinterested ‘art appreciation’. All conflict disappears. One is left with the unchanging ‘human condition’ and the painting considered as a marvelously made object’ (3). This elevation of formal qualities above matters of content or the historical context surrounding the artist, his work and its production or the relevance of the artefact to lay observers is symptomaticofanapproachtocreativitywhich corresponds to current notions of ‘great art’. Whose aesthetic preferencies? There are clear examples of the contradiction betweenspecialistappreciationandlivedexperience in the field of architecture.and urban design. A tradition of formal architectural criticism exists moreorlessindependentlyfromutilitarian considerations, social research or public reaction. Although the synthesised nature of architecture is recognised in aphorisms such as ‘form follows function’ or the appeal té ‘firmness, commodity and delight’ the evaluationof architecture is extremely narrowly based. It is discussed in a mystifying way, with specialised jargon to repel the uninitiated, in a similar manner to other branches of the arts. We propose, by contrast, that architecture should be considered as a special case within any theory of aesthetics. This is not because of some special Status elevated above the other arts but because of the inevitable visibility of the architects work which we experience as passers by and users of buildings. Although this may seem prosaic it needs h me Hany H The second isa selection of comments by occupyers interviewed on the estate: ‘It looks prisonified. Too much concrete -it’s like Alcatraz’. “There’s no brightness. It’s drab and dull’. “The designer made a hash of it’. ‘It looks like something from a communist country’. “People would have more pride in itifthe outside was nice like the inside. What was the designer thinking of?’(7). mm H aT il ALT SLATE 16 PAGE 6 Similarly contrasting examples would be easy enough to to collect for other schemes. The frame- work within which architects and critics make their aesthetic evaluations is separated from the users’ evaluations but, we suggest, does mot separate appearance from other aspects of the building: rather their aesthetic evaluations encompasses the way the design integrates different aspects of the architect’s task (e.g. planning, structure, servicing, access, relation to the site, etc.). Richard Hil has pointed out how coherence in the process | one of the things that determines how architects.....design buildings is that their should be a coherence and a structure in the process of design itself.....This coherence and structure, it must be stressed, is in the process of design, not inthearchitecturalprocess consideredasthe interaction of the user with the building. A coherent and highly structured building in this sense may appear incoherent to the user. at one level it is not a question of there being different aesthetic frameworks of values held by designers and users, but rather that often designer and user have been interested in two utterly different processes.....What this starts to bring into focus is the very deeply set values of consistency and coherence which are at the basis of the professional ideology of architecture (post-modernism, eclecticism, etc., notwith- standing), values which accrue to the designer and not necessarily to the user (8). The determinants of form Architects see themselves as particularly equipped to make this coherent synthesis of the conflicting requirements and regulations that condition the form of buildings, and as having some scope for exercising autonomous choice in determining form. Their own perceptions of their degree of autonomy are not necessarily accurate: they too are products ofa professional ideology inculcated during training. Anearlier version of this paper adopted a vulgarised basefsuperstructure model of capitalist society which was based on imperfectly understood ideas from Althusser. This located art in the cultural/ideological sphere which was seen as part of the superstructure, connected to yet enjoying relative autonomy from an economic base constituted by the systemof material production. We would now regard sucha a model as problematic following several critiques of Althusser (9), but stil find it useful to see-artistic creation as resulting jointly from the decisions of the producer (artist, architect, etc.) who exercises some autonomy, and from economic and political forces. The actual degree of autonomy, the limits of artistic freedom’ and the nature of the other forces involved clearly require a detailed discussion of a sort we can only briefly develop here. Architectural criticism has tended to emphasise the architect’s role and to ignore other forces that that contribute to the determination of form — unless it is to deplore the limitations on the architects scope imposed by cost yardsticks, building regulations or develop- ment control. Yet we believe’ that the various styles of public housing since the War can be ‘read’ for the ideologies and political attitudes they express, as well as embodying particular architectural ideas which have developed in interaction with these other forces, The ideological and political forces a@t through the architect by in- fluencing or limiting his or her decisions through constraints such as housing Standards set centrally and interpreted Postwar housing styles and policies To begin to explore some of these interacting influences, we briefly discuss how they were worked out in public housing since the second world war. We would suggest that the immediate postwar period was marked by asense of common purpose with a closer similarity between the ideologies of the government, the architectural profession and the public than than at any time since. Public housing built when Bevan was the minister responsible was to be to excellent stan- dards (space standards were considerably higher than they had been before or have been since) (12). The Labour govern- ment also removed the stipulation that council housing was for the ‘working classes’; it was to be available to al with parity of esteem with the private sector. The amount of building in the private sector was strictly limited. Council housing of this period does not attempt to look like private housing: the appearance is frankly and proudly thatof an excellent public sector. This does not preclude sensitive acknowledgement of regional formal traditions. (13) For a variety of reasons, however, housing output under the Labour government was low. We have not the scope here to give a detailed account of postwar housing policy’(14) A major reason for the 1951 Conservative victory was their pledge to build 300,000 homes a year; this was achieved by slashing standards. With lower standards in the public sector and a relaxation of controls on the private sector ‘parity ofesteem’ quickly evap- ourated and we see a gradual move by both parties and by the public to the view that owner occupation is the preferred tenure and that the public sector sector is for those who are not competent to provide for themsteves in the ‘normal’ way. Stylistically and formally, there was a trend away from the strong, plain semi-detached houses of the Bevan era to more terraced houses, cheaper materials, and the use of gimmicks such as ‘con temporary” style porches or ofdesign isamong the architect’s objectives: SLATE 16PAGE 7 locally, building regulations, cost of materials, components and methods of construction, subsidy arrangements, skills available in the labour force, preferences of elected politicians on thehousing committee, campaigns in the media, the state of public opinion on councilhousing and so on. Clearly these factors add up to a much stronger constraining influence than do any equivalent influences on the other arts (10) giving the architect less auton- omy than other creative artists. Jones and Hill have discussed some of these deter- minants. They attempt to treat form(to use a well known aphorism) not as a thing but as arelation, and unlike thepresent paper are not concerned with the stylistic appearance but with more functional concepts of form. They show how, as a result of beliefs about users, and, more importantly, particular changes insubsidy arrangements and building regulations, the characteristic form of council housing (particularly, it seems, in inner London) changed from the four to five storey walk up block to the six storey block with one lift, then to the eleven storey block and later to twenty of twenty-two storeys. (11) The present writer would criticise their paper for the fact that changes in subsidy’ patterns or legislation are made to appear out of the air, rather than resulting from political pressure and negotiation between local and central government and other interest groups (the. building industry, the farming lobby, academic experts on housing, professional, etc.,) in a series of varying relationships with each other. Thus they fail to discuss the changing political priority given to housing and the different views taken as to who are the potential recipients of public housing. SLATE 16 PAGE 6 Similarly contrasting examples would be easy enough to to collect for other schemes. The frame- work within which architects and critics make their aesthetic evaluations is separated from the users’ evaluations but, we suggest, does not separate appearance from other aspects of the building: rather their aesthetic evaluations encompasses the way the design integrates different aspects of the architect’s task (e.g. planning, structure, servicing, access, relation to the site, etc.). Richard Hil has pointed out how coherence in the process *..:.0ne of the things that determines how architects.....design buildings isthat their should be a coherence and a structure in the process of design itself. This coherence and structure, it must be stressed, is in the process of design, not inthearchitecturalprocess consideredasthe interaction of the user with the building. A coherent and highly structured building in this sense may appear incoherent to the user.....So at one level it is not a question of there being different aesthetic frameworks of values held by designers and users, but rather that often designer and user have been interested in two utterly different processes.....What this starts to bring into focus is the very deeply set values of consistency and coherence which are at the basis of the professional ideology of architecture (post-modernism, eclecticism, etc., notwith- standing), values which accrue to the designer and not necessarily to the user (8). The determinants of form Architects see themselves as particularly equipped to make this coherent synthesis of the conflicting requirements and regulations that condition the form of buildings, and as having some scope for exercising autonomous choice in determining form. Their own perceptions of their degree of autonomy are not necessarily accurate: they too are products ofa professional ideology inculcated during training. An earlier version of this paper adopted a vulgarised basefsuperstructure model of capitalist society which was based on imperfectly understood ideas from Althusser. This located art in the cultural/ideological sphere which was seen as part of the superstructure, connected to yet enjoying relative autonomy from an economic base constituted by the system of material production. We would now regard sucha a model as problematic following several critiques of Althusser (9), but stil find it useful to see-artistic creation as resulting jointly from the decisions of the producer (artist, architect, etc.) who exercises some autonomy, and from economic and political forces. The actual degree of autonomy, the limits of artistic freedom’ and the nature of the other forces involved clearly require a detailed discussion of a sort we can only briefly develop here. Architectural criticism has tended to emphasise the architect’s role and to ignore other forces that that contribute to the determination of form — unless it is to deplore the limitations on the architects scope imposed by cost yardsticks, building regulations or develop- ment control. Yet we believe’ that the various styles of public housing since the War can be ‘read’ for the ideologies and political attitudes they express, as well as embodying particular architectural ideas which have developed in interaction with these other forces, The ideological and political forces agt through the architect by in- fluencing or limiting his or her decisions through constraints such as housing Standards set centrally and interpreted Postwar housing styles and policies To begin to explore some of these interacting influences, we briefly discuss how they were worked out in public housing since the second world war. We would suggest that the immediate postwar period was marked by asense of common purpose with a closer similarity between the ideologies of the government, the architectural profession and the public than than at any time since. Public housing built when Bevan was the minister responsible was to be to excellent stan- dards (space standards were considerably higher than they had been before or have been since) (12). The Labour govern- ment also removed the stipulation that council housing was for the ‘working classes’; it was to be available to all with parity of esteem with the private sector. The amount of building in the private sector was strictly limited. Council housing of this period does not attempt to look like private housing: the appearance is frankly and proudly thatofan excellent public sector. This does not preclude sensitive acknowledgement of regional formal traditions. (13) For a variety of reasons, however, housing output under the Labour government was low. We have not the scope here to give a detailed account of postwar housing policy’(14) A major reason for the 1951 Conservative victory was their pledge to build 300,000 homes a year; this was achieved by slashing standards. With lower standards in the public sector and a relaxation of controls on the private sector “parity ofesteem’ quickly evap- ourated and we see a gradual move by both parties and by the public to the view that owner occupation is the preferred tenure and that the public sector sector is for those who are not competent to provide for themsteves in the ‘normal’ way. Stylistically and formally, there was a trend away from the strong, plain semi-detached houses of the Bevan era to more terraced houses, cheaper materials, and the use ofgimmicks such as “con temporary’ style porches or of design is among the architect’s objectives: SLATE 16 PAGE 7 ee eapcenanlaces aiminiontir i6c oa locally, building Tegulations, cost of materials, components and methods of construction, subsidy arrangements,skills available in the labour force, preferences of elected politicians on thehousing committee, campaigns in the media, the state of public opinion on council housing and so on. Clearly these factors add up to a much stronger constraining influence than do any equivalent influences on the other arts (10) giving the architect less auton- omy than other creative artists. Jones and Hill have discussed some of these deter- minants, They attempt to treat form(to use a well known aphorism) not as a thing but as a relation, and unlike thepresent paper are not concerned with the stylistic appearance but with more functional concepts of form. They show how, as a result of beliefs about users, and, more importantly, particular changes insubsidy arrangements and building regulations, the characteristic form of councilhousing (particularly, itseems, ininnerLondon) changed from the four to five storey walk up block to the six storey block with one lift, then to the eleven storey block and later to twenty of twenty-two storeys. (11) The present writer would criticise their paper for the fact that changes in subsidy patterns or legislation are made to appear out of the air, rather than resulting from political pressure and negotiation between local and central government and other interest groups (the. building industry, the farming lobby, academic experts on housing, professional, etc.,) in a series of varying relationships with each other. Thus they fail to discuss the changing political priority given to housing and the different views taken as to who are the potential recipients of public housing. SLATE 16 PAGE 8 SLATE 16 PAGE 9 Festival-of-Britain detailing, perhaps to distract attention from the poor quality of the product. Particularly after the restart of slum clearance in the mid 50s there was progressive paring and cheapening’shown in the barrack-like five storey maisonettes found in many cities; agrudgingattempt tolimitprovision to the b are necessities. (15) Architects, meanwhile, had become bored with suburban densities and forms; many were inspired by Le Corbusier or had even been to Marseilles to see a building for the new age rising above the trees. The building industry (the large firms at least) were only too eager to develop skills in high building which were shortly to be put to use in a more profitable sector of construction, With the emergence of ‘Brutalism’ and debased versionsof it, popular and architectural tastes parted company, If suitably manipulated, the people, still desperate for more housing, could almost believe that they would like concrete high rises. On Parkhill flats in Sheffield a resident social worker helped smooth over initial problems successfully enough to get the design a massive endorse- ment from occupiers; of its successor, Hyde Park, she said. “ In ten years time there wil be no question of adjusting. Hyde Park will be accepted. That is really the goal we are working for. ” In reality this estate has become a major problem. Userresearchatthistimewasstil concerned with issues such as the number of dayrooms required, whether families wanted:to eat in the kitchen, and the need for a second WC; feedback from occupiers of flats was totally inadequate. A few academic studies, often in rather inaccessible sources, were published in the early sixties; (16) the Ministry of Housing research team did not start their social study of flats until 1963 and this was not published until 1970(17) when flat building was already declining due to the changes in subsidy arrangements, the swings ofarchitectural fashion and the Ronan Point collapse in 1968. User’s reactions to appearance were similarly ignored until another DoE study eventually showed that, of the factors they studied, the one showing the strongest correlation with tenants’ overall opinions of their estates was attitude to is appedrance.(18) Thus the views of the most important peopleinvolved,actualandpotentialusers, were prevented from taking their place among the other influences on the architects’ decisions. The mean maisonettesof the fifties and the system-built estates of the sixties are monuments first to governments relying on dogma rather than observed needs, and then to a government which assumed that solutions were technical matters. The changes in political and architectural fashion that followed the high rise phase were no more soundly based. The architects of tworof the first notable low-rise high-density schemes appear to have chosed these forms for visual rather than social reasons, to cope with the ugliness of parking provisions around tower blocks and to return to atraditional townscape of streets and squares. (19)'The high density low-rise phase had rather a brief flowering period in the late sixties and was soon attenuated when the 1970 Conservative government switched priorities away from new council housing towards rehabilitation, intending to reduce councils’ spending on housing stil further with the “Fair Rents’ legislation. Soon the DoE set lower density norms and the Design Guide movement idealised an aesthetic :reminiscent ofa traditional unquestioned ideology of community (20) giving rise to the rather quaint neo-vernacular estates currently appearing up and down the country. These appear to reflect architects’ expectations of‘what people want’. The mainstream of the profession has torn itself away from the modern movement and has returned to populism, at a time when both major political parties are treating council housing as a residual tenure for the poor or the incomp- etent. Althaigh the new-vernacular estates bear some slight resemblance to the council houses of the Bevan era ( and the implicit Beyanite paternalism has been commented on by Wier) (21) their ideological basis is very different. The yardstick was progressively squeezed under the Labour government and now the Conservatives have abandon .ed Parker-Morris spacestandardsaltogether,so the hontely appearance belies a skimpy reality. Visually these homes are trying to pretend they are not council houses at al. This is not the aesthetic of a tenure with parity of esteem: it is the aesthetic ofa tenure that has become an embarassment. Concluding remarks We have tried to show that, although the aesthetic preferences of the public are themselves distorted by the relations of production and thus cannot be taken at face value, there is an unnecessaty wide gulf between architect and user. Architectural practice in the design of public housing is the meeting point for a seriesof ideol- ogical and political values; to an extent that the architect is an ‘agent’ through which these values express themselves. We should make it clear that we do not adopt a simplistic view that the main problem with councilestatesisthattheyarevisually unappealing: this would be to ignore more important determinants of popularity such as the status of the sector as a whole in relation to other sectors, and hence the social composition of the public sector. The Bevan estates were popular not only because they were to high standards and looked domestic, but because they were available to al classes rather than beirg only for the socially inadequate. It may be that the only possible course of action for architects at present is, firstly, to refuse to design sub-standard shousing, arguing from the lessons of history when standards were lowered in the past (22), secondly, to see the attack on public sector housing as part of a general attack on the social wage, and, thirdly, to support their local campaign against the cuts. These conclusions are more pessimistic than those of an earlier version of this paper, which was written before the last election, and spoke of examples of new approaches to practice by Erskine, ASSIST and SOLON. While architects can liberate themselves from the incul- cated attitudes of professional aloofness and mystique and become aware ot the liberating and fulfilling potential for both designers and users of creativity and collaboration, there are dangers if this relationship is used to secure consent for levels of provision so low that everyone should refuse to implement them. Perhaps others who respond to this paper are able to extract less pessimistic conclusions so that some more positive suggestions can Be offered to those attempting to resolve these contradictions at the drawing board. (23) NOTES 1. This paper isa completely rewritten version of a paper by Jane and Roy Darke given at a British Society of Aesthetics colloquium in April 1979. The author would like to thank in particular Richard Hill, also Giles Pebody and other members of the ‘November 21st’ group for their constructive criticisms of the earlier version, and Roy Darke for his comments on the present version, Raymond Williams: Keywords; Croom Helm 1976 P. 28 (also in paperback) John Berger: Ways of Seeing; Pelican 1972 plz An exception, and not recent, isRichardHoggart’s The Uses of Literacy, Chatto and Windus 1957 (also in Pelican). Media studies must be cited here because of the attention that has been paid to issues that are also of interest in studies of arts, such as ideology and degreeof autonomy of the producer and the degree of economic determination. See the writings of Stuart Hall and Raymond Williams, also john Clarke, Chas Critcher and Richard Johnson (eds), Working Class Culture, Hutchinson 1979 ( especially Clarke's essay); variuos essays in Carl Gardner (ed), Media ,Politics and Culture, Macmillan 1979; essays in Micheal Barrett, Philip Corrigah, Annette Kuhn and Janet Wolff (eds), Ideology and Cultural Production, Groom Helm 1979 (especially the essay by Golding and Murdock). 5 See Hannah Gavron, The Captive Wife ,Pelican 1968 and Anne Oakley, The Sociology of Housework, Martin Robertson 1974, for accounts of the work of housewives ai Eisenman in Architectural Design, September 1972, p.590. Interviews with a random sample of households on the estate were carried out by the author in 1976, as part of her doctoral research. 8. Richard Hill, personal communication, 9 EP Thompson, The Poverty of Theory Merlin Press 1978 see also the references cited under note 5. above. 10 See however Raymond Williams’ comments on limitations to the length of novels in Politics and Letters New Left Books, 1979. 11 Micheal Jones and Richard Hill, ‘The Political Economy ofHousing Form’, inPoliticalEconomy oftheHousing Question, Conference of Socailist Economists 1975. 12 See appendix 3 in Stephen Merrit‘ State Housing in Britain, Routledge and Keegan Paul, 1979. 13 See pp. 106-117 and many of the other illustrations ih the 1949 Housing Manual (Ministry of Health HMSO). This ought to be compulsory reading for al those who have forgotten what an excellent public sector can be like. 14 Fora popular account of this see Jane Darke and Roy Darke, Who Needs Housing? Papermac 1979, especially pp. 24-34; for a more detailed account see Merrett, op. cit., especially chapter 9. 15 See Benwell Community Development Project, Slums on the Drawing Board 1978. 16 For example Center for Urban Studies ‘Tall Flats in Pimlico’ in, London, Aspects of Change, Mc Gibbon and Key 1964; Willmott,p. and Cooney, E W, The Architect and the Sociologist: a Problem of Collaboration in Architectural Association Journal vol.77 no.859, 1962, pp. 172-186; Maisels, J, Two to Five in High ‘Rise Flats, The Housing Centre 1961; Skone, J F, ‘Health and Welfare Problems in High Flats’ in Proceedings of Public Works and Municipal Services Congress November 1962 pp. 225-51. 17 Ministry of Housingind Local Government Families Living at High Density, HMSO, 1970. 18 Department of the Environment, The Estate Outside the Dwelling, HMSO 1972. 19 The author interviewed John Darbourne and Michael Neylan, among others, in the course of a research study to be presentvd asa doctoral thesis in 1980. What was not fully clear from these interviews was whether the architects had any expectations regarding the aesthetic preferences of users, and, if so, whether and how they took these imputed preferences into account. 20 See Colin Bell andHoward Newby, ‘Community, Communion, Class and Community Action’ in Herbert, D Tand J Johnston, R J (eds), Social Areas in Cities, John Wiley 1978, and Alan Lipman ‘Professional Ideology:‘Community Ne iS BN and‘Total Architecture” in Architectural Research and Teaching, Vol 1 pp. 39-49, 1970. 21 Stuart Wier ‘Part of a Heritage’ in Architects Journal, 17th January 1979 p. 124 te seq. 22 See Community Development Project, Whatever Happened to Council Housing? CDP Information and Intelligence Unit, 1976. . 23 There isan excellent discussion on the contradictory position of socialists working for the State in, mand ‘Against the State, London Edinburgh Reform Group 1979. HOUSING CRISIS DEEPENED WHAT ARE THE POLICIES OF THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT TOWARDS PUBLIC HOUSING? During the coming year, due to cuts in capital spending, work will be started on only about 22,000 new flats and houses. This compares with an equivalent number of about 134,000 ‘starts’ about five years ago. RENT Reductions in revenue grants to Councils and Housing Associations will mean increased costs to tenants either directly through rents or indirectly through rates. In Hackney, for example, council tenants face rent rises of about 20% and rates for the whole community, including Council tenants are rising this year by almost 50%. Housing Association tenants will be even worse off. Even with drastic economies in Associations’ running costs, including house maintenance, the will face even greater rent rises over the next two years on rents that are already higher than those of Council tenants. The sale of the most desirable Council and Housing Association houses will also affect rents by increasing the burden of maintaining the older, less desirable housing to be shared between the remaining tenants. Those tenants who are able to and decide to buy a house or flat as a way out of the declining public housing sector that their mortgage repayments will far exceed the rent that they currently paying and that, as owner occupiers, they do not enjoy the solidarity of organisation which has been used to defend the interests of public sector tenants in the past. Owner occupiers enjoy, or suffer, an individual relationship with market forces in the form of interest rates. CONCLUSION Conservative policies on housing are are aimed at stigmatising Public Sector tenure as a ‘second class’ way of life, offering poor accomodation at high prices. The effect of this will be to weaken tenants’ organisations and rupture the links between them and trade unions. It will also disrupt trade union organisation itself as many of the new home owners will be tied down by massive mortgage repayments and be understandably reluctant to lend their weight to industrial action. WHAT WILL THESE POLICIES MEAN FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE? THE INNER CITY build on scarce agricultural land while land in inner cities falls out of use as dereliction spreads. TRANSPORT AND OTHER SERVICES Accelerating the trend to suburban isation will further accentuate the division of cities into different zones. The extension and consolidation of REDUCTIONS in capital expenditure Meanwhile the existing stocks of by Councils and Housing Associations public housing are being eroded by the Recent years have seen the increas- ingly wide acceptance of an ‘inner city problem’ resulting from the decay an obsolescence of the inner Victorian suburbs of our cities. separate ares for offices, shop and on new housing provided either by new buildings or by conversion and modernisation of old buildings. REDUCTIONS in revenue grants to Councils and Housing Associations which offset the costs of managing and maintaining public housing. PROMOTION of owner occupation as the ‘normal’ form of house tenure and encouraging the sale of public housing. ENDING exemption from Develop- ment Land Tax (currently a60% levy on land deals) for land bought by Councils. ENDING Government insistence on minimum space and heating standards for Council and Housing Association new houses, ENCOURAGING private house building by insisting on hatty approval of structure plans and by’ vetoing Councils’ plans for the extension of Green Belts. AVAILABILITY SLATE 16PAGE 10 deterioration of older buildings and by the sale of houses to the private market. It is likely that Conservative policies will result in a net reduction in public housing stocks and that new tenancies will become virtually unobtainable. STANDARDS Over one million dwellings in England alone are in need of extensive repairs costing £2,000 or more. Of these a substantial proportion belong to Councils and Housing Associations, The costs of carrying out these repairs are paid by both Councils and Housing Associations from ‘revenue’ accounts, which currently receive a subsidy from the Government. In the case of Councils, this subsidy, the Rate Support Grant, has been drastically cut, particularly for inner city Councils which generally have large and expensive to main- tain housing stocks. The equivalent subsidy to Housing Associations, the Revenue Deficit Grant, is to be withdrawn altogether in two years. The money available for repairs will be strictly curtailed while the stocks of more desirable houses in good repair will be depleted by the sales drive the Government plan. The result will be to reduce the already limited chances for public sector tenants to get transferred to better homes. The abolition of minimum standards for Govern- ment financed housing willtempt Councils and Housing Associations to build houses that are smaller and worse equipped in an attempt to nee up the numbers of houses built. Councils and Housing Associations hhave played a major role in revital- ising such communities through the redevelopment or rehabilitation of inner city housing, in many places enabling inner city communi- ties to survive. In al but a few cases of particularly attractive and well situated neighbourhoods, the cost of this work is too great for the private sector to undertake it profitably. The reduction in capital and revenue grants to Councils and Housing Associations working in inner city areas will result in accelerated decay of these areas coupled with a collapse in the morale of communities living in them. The ending of Councils’ right to buy land exempt from Development Land Tax will exacerbate this decline. | LAND Conservatives hope that private housebuilders will solve the problem of the shortage of housing in decent condition. Private housebuilding can only provide cheap housing on land that is both cheap and easy to develop.-This isgenerally virgin agricultural alnd situated on the suburban fringes of our cities. The _ Governmentijhas already declared its intentions to encourage suburban development by vetoing plans for Councils in the South East to extend Green Belt areas where no devlopment is permitted. Private housebuilders will be encouraged to entertainment, industry and housing will place additional strains on buses, trains and roads. Private housebuilding on suburban land also involves other indirect costs to the community as a whole, for example, for the extension of drainage, gas, water and electrical services as well as the provision of schools and other welfare facilities. But these services cannot fall out of use in the inner city and the costs of supporting declining inner city communities in terms of policing and social work will continue to escalate. CONCLUSION up about 20% of the building industry’s workload and accounted for the jobs of about 300,000 of the industry’s total workforce of 1.5 million. Although difficult to assess, current employment in the industry could be at least as The cuts in housing ¢Xpenditure and other moves made by the present Tory government may well result in a housing crisis as severe as any this country hias known this century. Here we print in full a report by the London Building Design Staff branch of the union AUEW-TASS on the likely effects of the new housing policies on every aspect of society. TheLondon BuildingDesignStaffBranchisa specialist branch of AUEW-TASS for all workers in private sector building design offices in London including architects surveyors, engineers, planners, and administrative secretarial and technical staf. Conservatives claim that their policies on housing will reduce costs high as 200,000 before the current to the community as a whole by reducing the barden of taxation. Besides the costs of the services necessary to support private house building, borne from the rates and from taxes, considerable social costs interm of dereliction..and misery are likely to result. WHAT WILL THESE POLICIES MEAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION TION INDUSTRY? EMPLOYMENT IN CONSTRUCTION In 1976 housebuilding and main- tenance for the public sector made capital cuts take effect. At atime when orders for construction work for the private sector are falling off due to high interest rates, the effects of the reductions in capital spending on Council and Housing Association housing islikelytobeadramatic increase in unemployment among building workers. The situation facing individual building workers will be more severe in the coming months than in previous recessions in construction activity due to the run down of other industries, ship- building, steel and motors for example, which have provided alter- native empoyment for building workers in the past. cont.on p.14 SLATE 16 PAGE 1 WHAT WILL THESE POLICIES MEAN FOR TENANTS OF PUBLIC HOUSING AND THOSE IN NEED OF HOUSING? Currently over one million h - holds afe waiting to rent aflat or house from alocal Council or Housing Association. Of theseover 50,000 are registered as ‘homeless’, THE 1979/80 ‘UNATTACHED’ COUN— CILLORS GO OUT IN A PROCEDURAL MASSACRAET THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING OF THE YEAR — SLATE WAS THERE TO RECORD THE SCENE” Briefed to expect a packed Council Chamber for the 192nd ARCUK Ordinary Meeting on March 12th 1980, the last of the 1979/80 (an RIBA nominee) sits on the high bench his head flanked by the rampant lions of the RIBA crest set into the back of his chair. The Registrar, not a member of MOTION NUMBER ONE session, your reporter arrived in good time at 66, Portland Place to secure a good vantage point from which to record the cutandthrustofdebateonthefivemotions Council,scurriesbusilyonthechairman’s ARCUK CODE CRUMBLES — EXCLUSIVE At the last Ordinary Meeting of the year the chairman of each Committee submits his Annual Report of the Committee’s work for Council approval. The first of Thopmson’s eligibility for admission. Speaking the Code. A recent poll of unattached to the motion councillor Walker called on the architects had shown great division on under which section Mr. Thompsonhad applied themselves were not in agreement on all and whether he was eligible. Mr. Thompson’s of the issues but they felt the time had directorship was notrelevant to that question, come for ARCUK to take the lead in he said, and the Admissions Committee debating these matters. Thus when appearedtobeexceedingtheirpowersby askedbythechairmanifhewould refusingtoconsiderMr.Thompson’s application simply because he was a director. As the Committee vice-chairman (by now a deep red) blustered that the ‘case’ was still ‘under consideration’, the chairman ruledelectedCouncillorWalker’smotion ‘out of order’. Whilst elected Councillor Walker thumbed through his copy of Standing Orders to discover how the chairman could manage this vanishing trick, the vice-chairman pulled out the procedural knuckle-dusters and moved ‘next business’. A chorus of RIBA grunts proved sufficient to the chair and the meeting moved on without avote. 1motion down, 4 to go. FOUR INTOONEWILLGO As the dust settled from this opening fracastherelativelyblandreportsfrom the Board of Architectural Education and Finance and General Purposes Committee received approval without a vote.The Finance and General Purposes Committee reported that the total now on the Register is 27,012. The first sign that a total rout of the elected councillors was planned came curiously enough from the Chairman of the Professional Purposes Committee (no irony intended?). He followed a dull introduction of the Professional PurposesCommitteereportwiththe astonishing proposition that the four motions concerning Code changes (to appear later in the agenda) be included in the Professional Purposes Committee report he had just given, as an item to be considered at the next Professional Purposes Committee meeting. Reports on the Common Market (do they mean the EEC?) and Monopolies Commission chance for the elected councillors to regroup in time to suggest one or two improve- ments to the draft Annual Report, the next item on the agenda. submittedbytheelectedcouncillors. ‘The main event of the day promised to lefthandlikethewhiterabbitatAlice’s trial, whilst the vice-chairman and heads of committees (al RIBA nominees) fil Bythistimemanycouncillorswere withdrawthemotion,thefirstofthefour, growingimpatient—the48thAnnual An air of expectancy had been abroad But the RIBA group would have none from the start as councillors filed into the of it. The man was a director and rules are RIBA Council Chamber where ARCUK also tules. Mr. Webb was removed for 12 months meets, If the nine elected councillors needed — votes for 33, against 9. In any event the any reminders of the RIBA dominance of Registrar had thoughtfully dug a ‘grave’ ARCUK theaides-memoirewerealaround forMr.Webbintheformofablank paragraph in the draft Annual Report — to be put before the Council for approval later in the agenda of just the right size don’t hesitate to write to us. Architects Registration Council of the U.K. The 4 motions proposed deletions and amendments to the Code to permit architects to advertise, to form limited Your reporter, however, might have saved First item on the agenda concerned one I L Webb, Architect, whom theDiscipline Committee chairman moved be removed from the Register for ‘disgraceful conduct? on the grounds that he is a director of a company of the kind proscribed by Principle 2 of the Code, Only the elected councillors spoke against the motion, pointing out that alarge section of the profession are now in favour of changes in the Code to permit architects to become to defer al 4 motions to the Professional Purposes Committee..Elected Councillor Maltz protested that this was in flagrant disregard of Standing Orders. Had not Council recently increased the notice required for motions to 48 hours? Did not a motion have to be voted on unless withdrawn by proposer and seconder? Were the rules not the rules? Well no, old adversaries the vice-chairman rose to give the only reply Councillor Maltz was to receive — a valedictory address in praise of the outgoing chairman —in its way a ‘policy statement’ for the coming year. BLEAK PROSPECTS FOR 1980/81 From ine depths of the 192nd Ordinary Meeting the conduct ot ARCUK Council meetings can surely only go up. But 1980 promises to be a difficult year for the ARCUK iseffectively ahome fixture for the RIBA group. In the walnut-panelled chamber portraits of past RIBA presidents adorn the walls, the chairman of the Council to record confirmation of his demise. case,hehadtabledamotioncallingonthe directorsofbuildingfirmsandthelike, ARCUK ANNUAL REPORT Admissions Committee to report on Mr presently proscribed by Principle 2.1 of be a ‘package’ of motions proposing changestotheARCUKCodeofConductto theremainderofthebench.Arounda allow architects to advertise, form limited square table below and in front of the liabilitycompanies,andbecomedirectors benchsitthestenographerandofficers thesewasfromtheAdmissionsCommittee, elected Councillor Maltz refused. Meeting stil to follow on the heelsof this This threw the RIBA group on the horns one would leave precious little time for of a dilemma for whilst they could shopping. No RIBA members raised any in attendance. On either side of this table sit the councillorosri benches at right angles to the Chair. In the back row of three tiers of benches opposite the chair sit the nine elected councillors. A few sympathetic non-RIBA nominees siton the lower benches, significantly close to willed, or held the majority, to do so would be to defy their instuctions — to keep the matter off Council until the RIBA Council had decided what it wanted ARCUK to do. If the RIBA group abstained wasting’ and ‘nit-picking’ by some RIBA the motions would rest solely on the votes councillors, all the proposed amendments of the elected Councillors (unthinkable). were accepted by Council without a vote. For the RIBA group any kind of vote meant of building firms or building materials firms. These are the issues that have run white hot in the profession in the past year and upon which debate in Council was expected to reflect the doubts and divisions and passions felt throughout the profession. Potentially the most important changes in the profession since the 1931 Act, the elected nine. The two or three members time applying for re-admission to the the shit really hitting the fan, and being stil ANY OTHER BUSINESS in the walnut panelling for the next RIBA Councilmeeting.ButMr.Maltzwouldnot Inalaterallyunder‘anyotherbusiness’ theses proposals had never previously been debated by ARCUK. Instructed to await a ruling by the RIBA Council, the RIBA ‘Gang of Forty’ had constantly postponed debate;buttheelectedcouncillors,anxious to ensure a full debate by ARCUK itself, had tabled the four motions proposing changeinordertobringthequestiononto EMBARASSING? the agenda. withdraw his motion. Aftermuchwhispering(wasthisan elected Councillor Maltz pointed out that5motionsstillayontheagenda awaiting a vote. Was now the best time? Would the chairman call ayote? As Council of the Press huddle on a short bench conveniently near to the door to the chairman’s right — they may be asked to leave. Register (see Building Design 7th March 1980: *ARCUK Code Crumbles’) The RIBA boys want to keep him off, but, under the Act he has only to meet the admission require- ments(whichsaynothingaboutdirectors) to be entered on the Register. Elected councillor Walker, a member of the AdmissionsCommittee,voicinghis dissent from the entire Committee report, asked why Council should be denied a report of this application when it was already public knowledge via the pages of Building Design. Was the vice-chairman trying to suppress news of the committee’s work? Was the committe trying to take on a disciplinary role? By now quite pink with anxiety the committee vice-chairman had nothing to add to his report save to ask the gentleman who leaked the story to Building Design to come forward and own up ‘DISGRACEFUL’ OR JUST adjournment?) the chairman conjured anew motion from the mouth of the ProfessionalPurposesCommitteechairman awaitedthefinal‘highnoon’betweenthe the bus fare for, within the hour, the RIBA nominated chairman had strangled debate on the motions by a brutal travesty of standing orders which did full justice to the so-called procedural ‘guillotine’, In fact no debate or voting took place on any of the five motions submitted by the elected councillors as they were bundled clumsily from the agenda by the chairman even before they had been reached in the orderofbusiness,drawinggaspsandeven directors.WouldtheyfindMr.1LWebb’s (derisorysmiles). not any more itseemed. Any further pretence by the chair toimpartiality had disintegrated as quickly as as the IncredibleHulk’sshirtafteraparticularly electedminorityonaCouncilsoreadyto a fewaabstentions from those nominated councillors who could stil remember democratic procedures. SLATE 16PAGE 12 conduct ‘disgraceful’? Mr Webb might be “Bounder of the Year’ but was Council justified in striking a person off for contravening a principle they might be about to abandon? Would the Council then accept this vice-chairman’s minority report complete with full omission of the one major contro- versy before the committee this year? Vote for:33 votes against:8! provoking attack. He would hear no more debate —votes for: 35, votes against: 9. flaunt democratic procedure when the majority sees fit. If S unattached motions are swept from 'the agenda at every meeting, public pressure must suiely grow to ‘clean- up’ ARCUK. recommended in a nervous summary by its vice-chairman. But where, asked elected councillor Maltz, was the Committee’s report on the case of Ian Thompson, recently shouted from the front page of Building Design? Mr Thompson isanother of those wicked architect/directors, this councillors to prevent many errors and omissions (even misquotes of the Act itself) from finding their way into print. Despite muttered-accusations of ‘time- But councillor Walker was not finished yet. Foreseeing the supression of the Thompson liability companies and to become easily defeat the motions thus deferring comments as the report was covered page anychangeintheCodeforaslongasthey bypageanditwaslefttotheelected SLATE 16PAGE 13 UNATTACHED NEWS SLATE aims to provide an effective means of communication for the “ unattached ” members of ARCUK through these columns and letters page. So if you feel strongly about these issues, For the lay reader of SLATE “ ARCUK ”is the It was set up by the Architects Registration Act of 1931 to control the entry of people into the profession and monitor their conduct once registered. It is composed of 5 main constit- uent bodies; The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the [AAS (The Incorp- arated Association of Architects and Surveyors), the FAS (The Faculty of Architects and Surveyors )and the AA (Architectural Association ). Committeecairmantocomecleanandreport thesequestionsandtheelectedcouncillors £1,weqofferinglitlethatwasnewsanda (CIL: (CIL: RIBA JACKBOOTS STAMP ON ELECTED COUNCILLORS Thus 5motions submitted by the minority elected councillors, left the order paper without debate or vote. The oligarchy is not subtle but it is effective HOUSING CRISIS cont... NAM SLATE VICTORIOUS NAM MEMBERS haveagain captured seven of the nine elected seats on the Architects Registration Council (ARCUK). In recent elections among nearly 4400 architects whom the RIBA-control- led ARCUK considers eligible to vote — the so called ‘unattached’— the four NAM incumbents standing again (John Allan, John Murray, Marion Roberts and Eddie Walker) were al reelected, former Councillor David Roebuck was elected again after a year’s respite and newcomers Norman Arnold and David Burney join them on the 1980-1981 Council. NAM members have been contesting the ARCUK elections for four years now and have yet to receive anything less than a vote of confidence from the architectural electorate, This vear’s success isparticularly significant for two reasons: Firstly, for the first time, after considerable pressure from the elected councillors, ARCUK sent out ballot papers sufficiently in advance to reduce the number of disenfranchised voters on ARCUK’s ‘voters list’. The result was that the number of voters casting ballots was up 26% on previous years (to 22% of those to whom ARCUK claims itsent ballots). In this relatively heavy polling, and ina field of 15 candidates (up from 13 the previous year), NiMM held its own, itsvictorious candidates obtaining from 400 to 564 votes. Secondly, this year, following a recent change in ARCUK’s Regulations, was the the first in which candidates were permit- ted to include in the information circulated are 907% management, mostly from the to voters a breif statement of views. The NAM candidates, much to the chagrin of thePortlandPlacefanaticswhostil cannotquitecometotermswiththe standing generally on a platform of an open, democratic and publically account- able ARCUK free from the puppet strings Councillors might not so spinelessly follow SKILLSANDMANAGEMENT Building construction still relies extensively on manual skills, esp- ecially in housebuilding and repair, yet, even in times of high unemploy- ment, the industry is dogged by shortages of skilled labour. This problem can be ascribed to two factors, both caused in turn by the unstable nature of demand for building work: firstly, a reluctance by building firms to train appren- tices, particularly true of small and medium size firms, and secondly, the reluctance of men and women to train for skilled jobs which offer little security. Management of building contracts also suffers from the stop-go nature of the unsteady flow of work resulting from the contracting system. Because the demand for housing is regulated by the Govern- ment rather than the market system. Because the demand for Concil and Housing Associations housing isregulated by the Government rather than the market it could offer a steady andplanned workload for the industry and give real incentives for improved training and efficiency. Instead the Conser- vatives are bent on minimising the benefits of a public sector workload for the industry. EMPLOYMENT OF ARCHI- TECTURAL AND ALLIED STAFF sectorofficescombined.In1978 the Government invested about £2,000 million in housebuilding and the repair and conversion of old houses and this work accounted for the work of about 8,000 salaried architects, architectural assistants and surveyors in both sectors. At that time, roughly half this work was carried out by private architects’ and allied offices. If, as expected, the output of Council and Housing Association flats and houses falls to 22,000 units this year that will mean jobs for at most 4,000 architectural and allied staff, a loss of 4,000 jobs in two years or about 10% of al architectural and surveying jobs. Coupled with this will be a corresponding reduction in the number of jobs for secretarial and administrative staff. The effects will be felt worse in local authority architects’ offices where public housing work makes upa large proportion of the workload in many cases. Staff in several local auth- ority architects’ offices have already responded by negotiating, through their unions, a ban on the employ- ment of private architectural or surveying firms on any new projects, This will worsen the plight of private practice which will also be faced with a falling workload due to the effect on private sector clients of high interest rates. CONCLUSION Conservative policies on housing willmean,intheshortterm,a disasterforemployment atall levelsinthebuildingindustry, and, in the long term, a further dispersion of skilled workers from the industry and disincentives for proper training and efficient methods.Thereductionsin spending on public housing are particularly ill conceived DearSLATE, Iwould like to correct two mistakes which appeared in your articles in SLATE 15 concerning ARCUK and ‘unattached’ architects: Firstly, in your introduction to the report on the December meeting of ARCUK you State that ARCUK ‘is composed of 5 main constituent bodies: RIBA, IAAS, FAS and AA’. That you list only 4 is not what concerns me. I am concerned, however, that you should be propagating the RIBA’s totally unfounded ‘model’ of the structure ofARCUK: thatARCUK is‘composed of? architectural ‘constituent bodies’ of which one alone, of course. is of any significance (guess which?). ARCUK issupposed to be constituted in accordance with the First Schedule of the Architects Registration Act 1931 which provides for the appointment of members by various bodies and government ministers as well as for the direct election ofsome members by those architects (mostly ‘unattached’) which it entitles to vote. In fact, 12 not 5 bodies appoint members of ARCUK, the Act gives no greater importance to any nicmber as opposed to any other, and the term ‘constituent body’ appears nowhere in the Registration Acts or ARCUK’s own Regulations. Itisworth noting that when ARCUK was first constituted in March 1932, only 23 ot 42 members were appointees of the four bodies to which you referred and in 1940, shortly after the 1938 Act had made registration mandatory, only 27 of 49 were. Perhaps in those days seats on ARCUK were apportioned in accordance withtheAct. Secondly,inyourreportonthereSults ofthesurveycarriedoutbytheelected ARCUK councillors you stated that itwas carried out with the assistance of Building Design magazine. Although BD had indeed published the results of a previousquestionnaire,itwasinfact of no assistance whatsoever in carrying out or publicising the survey to which you referred. FROM: BobMaltz Four NAM members who had teen representing unattached architects on ARCUK did not stand again: Bob Maltz and Ian Tod after serving for three years, Tomm Woolley after serving two and Sue Jackson/afterone- phe mu non-NAM candidates elected this year were incumbent Peter Cutmore and newcomer Peter Howe, both of whom are unlikely to fal into line behind the RIBA Council-appointed majority which stil rules ARCUK. Thisyeartheannualretentionfeewhich every architect must, by law, pay to the Architects registration Council (ARCUK) goes up to £7-50. How much o, that is being chanelled by the RIBA- controlled Council, through investments, into right-wing political organisations? As reported at its December meeting, half of ARCUK’s £63,000 worth of investments are in 16 private-sector companies. The list of companies bears astriking resemblance to the list of major company cotributors to the Tory Party and right-wing bodies like the Economic League, Aims of Industry and British United Industrialists which, in turn, channel funds to the Tories. Topping the list of ARCUK investments was Commercial Union, 15th on the list (topped by construction giant Taylor Woodrow) of company donors to the political right. Second on the list was Marks and Spencer, 13th on the list of donors Imperial Tobacco was third on both ARCUK” ARCUK’s list and the list of donors to SLATE 16PAGE 14 at a time when interest rates are at record two NAM candidates who failed to get elected were Dave Sutton ,who didn’t mention his NAM affiliation, and Mick Broad,whofailedtosubmitastatement of views. high priests of Portland Place, who have conspired for'fifty years to subvert the Architects Registration Acts. Portland Place isthe street inwhich the RIBA headquaters are situated. levels. i WSONEWSINIEWSON oftheRIBA’sarchitecturalemployers.The thepartylinehanded downbythe While the ‘unattached’ architects are obliged by the Architects Registration Act 1931, which establisehed ARCUK, to nominate only ‘registered persons’ (¢.g., ‘architects’), the RIBACouncil isfree to appoint anyone, lay or professional, RIBA member or not to the 41 seatsthatARCUK apportioned it this year. Once again, however organisations. But, whether a statutory however, the RIBA Council has appointed exclusively RIBA members and again these body such as ARCUK should similarly private sector, despite the fact that over support the right wing through its investment of the annual retention fes isa more dubious matter. Slate readers will recall that, two years 495,pressurefromNAMmemberselected toARCUKforcedtheCounciltodivest itsofeslhafresinConsolidatedGoldfields. apillar of apartheid in South Africa. Consolidated Goldfields, which also operates in the British construction industry (ARC Conbloc etc.,), isnow 11th onthelistofcompanydonorstothe political right-wing, contributing heavily not only to the Tories but also to the infamous National Association for Freedom. Is now the time for ARCUK to further limitits‘undesirable’ investments? 70% of the RIBA’s members are staff, with halfthesefromthepublicsector.Ofcourse theRIBACouncilcouldallowitsUK these seats but, no surprise, has never chosen to do so. Perhaps elected the Economic League, known for its blacklists of trade union activists. Shell, which tops the list of Economic League contributors, isalso amajor ARCUK investment. Other major Economic League contributors among ARCUK’s investments include Legal and General 'Insurance, GKN (7th among the contri- butors to the Tory Party) and National WwestiitasfenBanie The RIBA, as a private club, has every right to support right-wing political SLATE 16PAGE 15 IWS SUBS. FUND RIGHT WING INTERESTS widespread support for the NAM candidates members freely to elect people, lay or let alone the idea of an independent ARCUK professional, RIBA members or not, to The reductions in capital spending on Council and Housing Association housebuilding are likely to hav an early effect on employment in architects’ and allied offices. Statistics are not readily available for the workload of these offices but it is likely that, in 1976, public sector housing accounted for about 20% by value of the workload of public and private THE NINE architects elected to the Architects Registration Council to represent their colleagues who do not belong to any of the professional institutes have won a masssive vote of confidence in their policies in a recent opinion finding questionnaire. O rganised by several of the councillors the questionnaire was circulated in the Architecs Journal and elicited over 500 responses. Most forceful of all the trends underlying al the responses were the differences of opinion on professional matters between employee architects and their bosses. The elected councillors and NAM continuously argue that ARCUK is unrepresentative of the majority of architects, let alone lay people, who also have a crucial interest in the standards of architectural work. The Council is currently’ in the pocket of architectural bosses who, through nomination arran- gements, fil the vast bulk of the 41 seats allotted to the main professional body, the Royal Institue of British Architects (RIBA). Employee architects are clearly not happy with this situation: 91% of them responding to the Questionnaire were in favour of direct elections among architects for al the seats allocated to architects and 80% were for proportional representation on the Council for employee architects. Architectural bosses were more cagey about direct elections (64% in favour) and opposed to proportional representation (36% in favour). Attitudes to the policies of the ruling group on ARCUK showed up the results of this lack of representation: 93% of employee architects wanted the circ- ualtion of annual reports and surveys from the elected councillors to continue, a practice recently ruled out by the RIBA group. A substantial majority of The chairperson should be neutral. Council business should be conducted in an impartial manner. The chair of all committees should be rotated among their respective members on a meeting by meeting basis. All Council meetings should be held at a neutral venue, not at RIBA headquaters. All ARCUK committees, visiting boards, selection panels, delegations and other bodies should be so constituted that their representation reflects accurately the composition of the Council, that is, elected architect members, nominees of professional associations, Government nominees and non-architect members from other professions, and other bodies. The Council should strictly observe its standing orders and its Regulations, for example those governing the apportioning of seats. Votes taken in Council and committees should be properly conducted, with the names of those voting for, against and abstaining accurately recorded. Full minutes of the preceeding committee meetings should form part of the committee reports to the Council. ARCUK should provide elected councillors the facility to report back to and obtain the views of their electorate in order properly to discharge their responsibilities. The Council’s Annual Report should include a minority report when necessary. Past reports have not accurately reflected diversity of opinion within the Council. The misuse of ARCUK funds to subsidize RIBA activities should end. ARCUK should ensure that it takes the leading role in all activities that it sponsors and for which it has statutory responsibility. All Council meetings, committees, boards and panels should be open to the public. SLATE 16 PAGE 16 S\WSNEWSNIEWSN NEWS| ARCHITECTS CONDEMN ABUSE OF REGISTRATION COUNCIL them were in favour of changes in the ARCUK Code of Conduct to permit architects to become directors of building and allied firms, an issue the RIBA group is not even willing to debate at at present. But the most swingeing indictment of RIBA group policies came in two questions concerning whether their continuing domination is in the interests of the public and the prof- ession. An astonishing 87% of employee architects said no in the first case and an even more astonishing 83% said no in the second. On both counts boss arshitects held the opposite view. In the long term the majority of the elected councillors aim for reform of the Architects Registration Acts so that the spirit of the original legislation which set up ARCUK can be put into practice :the regulation of theprof- ession in the public interest. In the interim the domination of the Council by the RIBA effectively ensures that the main interest that isserved isthat of private sector architect-bosses, argue the elected councillors. Only since the election of the first NAM members in 1977 has the extent of RIBA manipulation become fully apparent through the unravelling of the Council’s Byzantine procedures by the elected councillors .Matters came to a head at the March meeting of ARCUK, reported elsewhere in this issue. In repsonse to what can only be seen as sharneful abuse through the undemocratic administration of a public body, the majority of the elcted councillors have now put their weight behind a ten- point programme for immediate reform of'the Council’s procedures. What they wantisforARCUK tofollowaccepted fundamental democratic practices and to carry on its affairs in an independent and open manner. This is their Ten Point Plan: Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Undated https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/f6b1c8aea67361c5316074820e0aac11.pdf 6976000df5a72cf0a21ac85fc825d74d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 17 Description An account of the resource SLALE THE RADICAL PAPER ON ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILDING INDUSTRY ISSUE No17 TS BETVER From Edinburgh Liateon Group Member, Mick Broad, Dave Jenkine and Dave Lookhead Dear Slate This year's NAM Congress marked the start of the movement's sixth year, in itself evidence that NAM is here to stay and to continue its radical opposition to the minority interest of the established professional bodies, and to actively seek and promote alternative design services. The Edinburgh members of this year's Liaison Group feel that the policies being pursued by this government threaten the quality of life for many of our population. We in Edinburgh, who are incidentally representative of architecture, planning and landscape architecture, wish to build an organisation which can actively campaign against these destructive policies. We trust that such a campaign will help consolid- ate NAM, clarify our aims and objectives, and encourage new members. To this end the Liaison Group will give its full support to all indiv- idual members wishing to promote the establishment of new groups. We call on existing members to use the pages of Slate to campaign against lower- ing standards of provision and to bring to the attention of the Liaison Group issues on which NAM can make national representation in the fight against cuts in quality.In addition we urge all readers to fight the cuts in quantity through the appropriate trade unions, and in conjunction with construction unions, councillors, tenants and ratepayers associations and other pressure groups, in a broad alliance. Finally we wish to hear from the Liaison Group representative of each Issue and Local Group,and from all those interested in the formation of a@ new broad based Edinburgh Group. Mick Broad, Dave Jenkine and Dave Lockhead PI Grou Eight of the councillors elected (on.a 24% turnout) onto ARCUK by "unattached architects’ are NAM members - one more than last year. They are : JOHN ALLAN, NORMAN ARNOLD, MICHAEL BROAD, DAVID BURNEY, PETER CUTMORE, GILES PEBODY, DAVID ROEBUCK, EDDIE WALKER. The other two unattached members are Peter Howe and John Gibb. There has been some questioning by NAM members of whether or not John Gibb, who is a member of the RIAS should be standing as an unattached candidate. The annual meeting of the ProfessionalIssuesGrouptook inrelationtoNAM'sbroad andbybuildingallianceswith slate Slate has been going through a period of transition as a, new editorial collective has taken over fromthe old. ‘the first ixteen issues of Slate which the previous collective produced have provided us, by example, a magazine’ to follow. However, achange of editorial collective will inevitably have implicat- ions for the content and style of Slate, and continual discuss- ions about its future has delayed the appearance of this issue to such an extent that it perhaps is only of historical importance. After all, it's better late than never. The struggle to produce this issue has enabled each member of the collective to reformilate degrees of commitment to Slate and to its deadlines. It must be obvious by the delay of this issue - 'the 1980 NAM Congress issue’ = that the necessary self- discip ine to meet production deadlines has yet to be developed. Now, however, the future is ass- ured and subscribers can sleep happily in the knowledge that future issues will be produced regularly and frequently. Future Slates will, we hope, stimulate dialogue and radical political and asthetic theory,” generating new creative energies amongst building workers, design- ers and users. ‘That may be a tall order, but we can begin by broadening our definition and understanding of the function of architectureandtodothisa (apmeemrbearttheoe collective with varied interests is necessary. The new collective's members share an interest in architecture and society, and individually are socialists, marxists, feminists and any offers of distribution. code. The fundamental institutional ARCUK. changes resulting from this have revuer..... and anarchists working in the fields of architecture, design and build, landscape architecture, architectural education, community radio and development, and comm unity architecture. : Slate will tend to reflect the anterests of the collective and so, to counter this, editorial/ evaluation meetings will be held regularly on the first and third Monday of every month(starting in October), at the Islington Bus Company, Palmer Place; London, N.7., to which all inter— ested persons will be welcome. Already agreed areregular columns on hazardous materials and dangerous work practice, defective detailing and bad work- manship(invaluable for both the installer and specifier) - issues over which we would welcome close liaison with building workers, trade unions, Direct Labour Organ- isations and tenants federations. Slate will develop an alternative trade bibliography and directory of radical organisations within the building industry, eg. design Co-ops, building co-ops, design and build, unionised rTJaS bys in practices etc. We will continue with the News from the Unattached(ARCUK) to work within ARCUK was the most profitable way to achieve NAM's aims. The Group took the opportunity of restating its objectives : that ARCUK should be a public interest body and not a front for the RIBA; that lay representation should be strenghened to ensure public accountability of the profession. In the long term this would NAM councillors aimed to bring the consequences of these changes out. Some argued that they were beginning to do this and to drive a wedge between ARCUK and the RIBA. The result is that ARCUK has now recognized 'de facto’ the unattached constituency as the second largest and most powerful group. Consequently NAM councillors incorporation and support was needed for any substantial changes. and News from NAM. With architectural education there is mich to be said and Slate intends to cover the debate and be educational features of historical and theo- retical relevance to us today. wet all, "those who do not itself, with Other PIG members argued that the work as ARCUK councillors tied up NAM's more senior members at the expense of the development of NAM. The emphasis on working within ARCUK and on ARCUK's terms tended are condemned But for now, think about attend- place at the Islington Bus Company on St. Valentine's Day. The background to the meeting was one of a significant ARCUK year but a rather uneventful NAM year. The question that was central to most of the day's debate and left unresolved was whether the resources and committment devoted objectives. Discussion focussed on associated bodies, this argumentbe ARCUK's close involvement in the continues. ARCUK status should status, form and content of its used to pursue objectives new to ing the editorial ing in October, send subscriptions meetings start- 5 require a reconstituted ARCUK (and one where architectural representation more accurately reflected the composition of the profession as a whole). In the short term we should be attempting to strengthen lay representation of to distort councillor's overall the Board of architectural perspective, some argued. The ARCUK education, one third of whom are objectives should be pursued nominated by lay organisations. Other initiatives must be assessed through the press, privy council by arguments over the rights and wrongs of and been camoflaged advertising, directorships limiting liability. UR The group would welcome the views of NAM members in order to set out priorities and objectives for the coming year. OMY LOGE sketches out a for sadical architects a9 nun 1 ie i or are economic argunents enough. The role that oth factors such as our environment play ae not neutral. They are an’ essential sSuprport totonethe edo!nonic notivesiof the But the major'contradictions can only be resolved by a transfer of power to the blocks with cottage-type housing may reduce Buildings profit 3. Nor is there anything italist in propo alternative produc ily raise of'market economic >ffects the producti It effects the way of the systen to respond to us. The envizonrent as a whole is planned in a way that doesn't respond to our needs. Instead it reinforces divisions and helps to contro] isolate and segregate people. Often they a act to define and restrain the sort of ~ activities that can happen in a particular space.MostrecenthousinginBelfasthas been planned 2o as to breakdown the close links necessary for retaliation against — the state; almost all housing is designed are used inherent anti-cap- For people working in architecture this means examining ip to the people priorities and initi & major shift in our We are all designers We are led to believe that design is a skill learnt only through years in college WE ARE ALL DESIGNERS. The planning and use of technical knowledge in the production of a neal follows, to use an example everyone masters, the same process as any other design activity. One difference lies in the raterials and tecniques used. Whereas "meal designers’ rely on direct experience of the ingredients, mst building designers feel quite confident atout selecting naterials for their buildings without any 4rst hand experience ( and without consulting material specialists ). he contradict ent in the builc one hand and ina tation; they ifuse tobeclearstoutthepoliticalrole roposals in making us more avare of + impossibility in a talist society unded by demoralization and insecuri Aty what can people in architecture do ? Obviously we must organize against 1: offs and threats to our employnent. We have to organize for better conditions of work. Aid at the same time we have to remenber the implications of our struggle for other workers in the industry. How can ve extend our denands and breakdown ‘visions which isolate us from each nitiatives which bring together d eraups : tenants, housing S, design and building workers like COUNCIL HOUSE SALES a dity of the contradictions Detxeen the needs for work and decent for the British Standard fanily. Bosses rule Is Hi nthe other. nce with Council or landlord. There are good reasons for not letting experts have the sole prerogative of desi- ging. Deaigning is intriguing, creative, and fun. It is away of making alot of ante on these issues the importance of good ©of us with technical The planned fragmentation of our surround- ings leolates women in the hone. We should be thinking of ways of organizing our hones to support ideas atout sharing donestic work and childcare - we should challenge the view that this is the blolog: ical mother's role by including men, women low tech dreamlands or foisted on us their work collectively. llect the necessary adirect it atthe right clear to ourselves and others. It gives forced to working class. There sltematives for running capitalisn. Only a creche and somewhere to meet and chat. ....and at home panacesas avoid and obscure the political assumptions which they toth incorporate. It is easy to fall into the trap of consun- erisn which concentrates on the product and not on the alienating nature of production. Overemphasis on the product can lead to a sort of architectural opportunien ( in a socialist countries as well ). There is to change society through the preducts of designing and planning. Self-appointed ex- aged, to make decisions and plans and to perts have given us their visions of hi tain their fight for are no socialist for decent living Ort At work.. usefulwecan esoate put our misplacedsentimentalitybyrevvingthe B On and use the letters ; If we can learn to share Alls, we too can lear with "geod old days’. By pretending to know consciousness ts far ganize together. politics 5 z stock of housing. It works to legitinise who gp®s on the housing list, who gets a mortgage, and who ts rejected by both. It makes collective housing almost inpossible When wo ng forced back into the dathe @overnnent's solution to ation is used to ration the nt is to tell us tomve our home to where the work is, then we cannot ignore fousing as an urgent yolitical question. socialien the changes we want. But, unless we rehearse and make plans which will become the basis for change, the only precedents can provide the opportunity for ARCHITECTURE are just as appresive if we impose then on others. The only solution is to radically change the product and the production proc- ess and the way we design buildings. : reinforce status. It could probably be smaller and closer to hone. It could include the synptoms of high-rise living. But these andchildreninourplans. While we decorate our homes we ne glect the environment of collective activity - accept- own class interests. ing fourth rate surroundings. We neet in the back roons of pubs or in institutions acce- pting a totally inadequate environment for important political initiatives. iiding ‘aestetically interesting’ factories surrounded by gardens, may give the people inside a better view. Replacing tower what For those who have spent years learning divine right and all the answers, it means rejecting this individualism and seeing our own exploitation as it really is. Our fidelity to the system 1s tought with promises of professional status which If we throw out the iies, then we can see behaviour or alleviate social problems. Bu- Alternatives are only viable politically if that we have interests in common with But good or bad buildings do not deternine they develop fron the pressure of working other working people, toth blue and white people and are under their control. However collar. If we can climb dow off our well meaning socialiat designer's ideas, they shaky pedestals we have a lot to gain. opportunities which are usually discour- conflict. ‘ARCHITECT’ The title impresses asvailabnle) to us are capitalisstt and reflect long history of architectural utopias aiming our ideas concrete, and making then more 4s good for others they are protecting their to be ‘professionals’ with some sort of Options under capitalism st0winneverseniors. British Standard (B.S) nuclear family “nen putting demands to theauthorities we ought to bebe clear aboutt the limitation SEEEE The places where we work reflect the interests of the bosses and it follows that Been ace nunea to maxinise productivity. xeeacties are provided for our well- Hs ng, it is ir version of what is good or us. In other words: an indirect invest~ maa to prevent absenteesisn or reduce job puro ery ete. Space is also used to rein- Pee hetrachies and on a larger scale to Mer erseely, )cut us off from our conn- rate ive should extend our notions of ae ves to work to include the work “vironment. It doesn't have to be dirty, Foisy, dangerous and inhunan. It doesn't have to cut us off fron one another and DIRECTLABOUR neal pownalll of the direct ai. yon readers labour of slate construction becomes a possibility. The existence of a seperate architects’ department is only needed under the contracting system. Design and production can be integ- rated within the building department." As long as the Tories are in power the prospects for planned building programmes are remote. But there are a number of steps which involve local authority architects which should be taken now, both to prepare for the possible election of a Labour Government committed to expanding public housing and to minimise the harmful effects of the Act. I. Joint Trade Union Committees number o oca jority trade unionists have found that the best way to discuss defending local auth- ority services is to form joint trade union committees involving representatives from all trade unions organising local authority workers. These are usually completely independent of the joint consultation structure, and do not place a high priority on discussions of wages and conditions. 2. Joint Tenant-Worker Groups n increasing number 0 oca authorities now have groups consist- ing of representatives from tenants’ organisations and trade unions where a wide range of problems are discussed without the intervention of bureaucrats or councillors. arts andsociety Scruton and Watkins are histerians who have come out of the bach current revival of consery tismUntil recently there has been 1 way of analysis and criticism of their work.On mayy29th over 5! ple heard 6 critiques of their position at the Bartlet School of Architecture. Tim Benton explained their links with Geoffry Scott through some of the buildings conveniently le:ft out o Rodney Mace attempted to undermine the technocratic education,but Richard Hill pleaded for chnology to agenda,arguing that the right deliberate], The day was organised by the Art: been going for 3 years,‘and the links between art and society from hoping to organise an exhibition at the Fift. at Brighton Polytechnic in November. The theme for this will be the way in which B tish Inper its ceremonial space, comparing Lend on with Calcutta,Del the way the Brit interested in the workshop get in touch with Hannah Mitchell Ae ana government servi see Meals on Wheels to make as much money as Trust House Forte, and even architects’ departments having to all their work in open come and make profits Of direc oncern to local authority departments is the way ch the Act will affect their tionships with DLOs. Until now, most DLOs have rarely pursued claims against architects' department because the only result would been a book entry in the authority's accounts, transfering costs from one department to another. June 1976: Camden DLO workers’ dty ofxction egeinst the Lump, altewnative ARCAID Of the organisations making architectural skills available to community and tenants groups ARCAID is the foremost in the York- shire/Lancashire area. It is the one most closely and regularly involved in giving advice to tenants groups campaigning to get repairs done. author- a and authority: a) have a safety policy approved by the council; bd) train at least the same proport- ion of apprentices to tradesmen as the DLO; c) do not use labour-only sub- contractors; d) submit tenders based on the design-and-build principle. receive'all source "funding, grants from charitable sources, itwild with DLOs under threat of re by the Secretary of State th consistently make profi expected to pursue architects’ depart- _vigourous sly, because ; lues based on tender plus agreed claims will make nue side of the profit THE! WAY FORWARD utiding with Direct Labour argued r planned local authorit TOgraianes such a system "the rch= genuine community groups and (sometimes) individual Activity is mainly directed towards those initially lacking finance and/or organisat- probably be necessary to constitute two don and whose fall outside the scope of aspects of ARCAID : advice and service. services provided by the local authority or The advice agency will be registered as 4 the conventional form of private architects Charity. A service company could be establ- practise. ished as a wholly owned subsidiary ( trad- IS ARCAID AN ADVICE AGENCY OR AN ARCHITECTS ing arm ) of the advice agency, but with ical Separation t of design andnd prod- There is at present no national joint union campaign to defend direct a: Provision of free advice in an area not labour. If such a campaign does come funded by public authorities or private into existence it will have to be built up from local groups, and b: Provision of full conventional architect ARCAID CONTACTS : Norman Arnold, Eddy uction (with architects having.pro *inai say) is no the architects committed to the provision ural service, funded by payment of fees of public housing designed and built (probably by a grant or trust fund). by local authority workers will be essential members of these groups. ‘THE NEED FCR ARCAID +: This is widespread. Walker, Tan Tod at 4 Corn Exchange, Leeds LSI 7BP. Tel. © 0532 445795. longer necessary. integration of design and their standing orders to defent the ona voluntary,basis; the |DoE having with- Employees will be architects and associated people who will be exployed by the manage- ment committee. STRUCTURE AND FINANCE : ‘The arthitectural advice aspect of ARCAID will be dependant on external support .Therefore gains made by DLOs in health and safety, training, and the eliminat- ion of sub-contracting. This would involve insisting that any contractors doing work for the local to work with ( rather than for ) local WHAT IS ARCAID : Areaid is an organ- dzation that has evolved over the past four years in response to the need for community MANAGEMENT : Management will buildings in Leeds. We aim to provide prof- essional, managerial and technical skills, enabling groups to build or buy accommodat- don and to maintain it, together with the be by committee ( a steering group having already been established ) incorporating substantial representation from build: user-clients acting together with relevant 3. Using Standing Orders Either or both of these types of groups are now in a position to put pressure on their councils to change surrounding landscape. We operate largely professional andpublic interest bodies. drawn ‘Inner City finance’ awarded to us by the City Council in 1979. WHO DOES ARCAID AIM TO SERVE : Arcaid aim SERVICE ? There are two distinct as- peots of practice, both of which ARCAID has been asked to fulfill by community groups and to which it has responded. These are = practice. Separate management, possibly co-operative. ARCAID LATEST : Arcaid has again been awarded an Inner City Grant by Leeds City Council ( Septenber 1980 ). This time of £2000 Capital costs and £12000 revenue. But the DoE has yet to approve this. far more than we can cope with while ing adequate finance. We ave asking for letters of support from those with whom we have already worked and others who could use ARCAID if 4t was fully operational. An organization active in Liverpool under the name COMPECHSA Ltd ( ty Technical Services Agency )is funded by Liverpool's Inner City programme. lack- SIXTH CONGRESS ‘80 EDINBURGH "NAM seeks through the collective action of architectural workers and other concerned people,to play an active role in radically altering the system of patronage and power in architecture.It seeks an architectural practice directly accountable to ail who use tts products and democratica-— tly controtled by the workers within it, thereby to promote effective control by ordinary people over their envtronment and by architectural workers over thetr working lives." QUESTIONS Now that we in a period of economic recesSion,practical proposals for the restructurir oS the system of patron- age are nec y and these need to I presse dec herently in order to ritiate action to build a democratic environment.The question then for NAM waS;is NAM to be a movement or is it to remain a pressure group.If NAM was a movement ,what issues would it’ order for the future to be discussed the several points to in common with other confronting the present and unity need to draw us together and build a socialist movement. What attempts have their been at co- e exercised operation between socialists and what can we learn from them. What immediate tasks can be undertaken locally and nationally. etal quicker ion.Sinc of ironment eds and asp- belief in grass roots democracy and that by involving the users the disasters of the past would be avoided This stuned potential critics into questio 1g whether the Labour party able to respond to this type of democracy and could parliamentary institutions respond to democratic grass roots socialism.This argument for a radical approach ue housing and the environment was taken up by Jim Stocks UCAT Edinburgh Regional Organiser who declared that"extra Parliamentary politics will undoubt- } getting back to wh government left off. WORKSHOPS The Workshops were arranged into broard areas to try and av limiting discussion to narrow fields of int ich may be of concern to NAM activists but at large. buildings The opening key debate of the Congress edly looked at the state of the nation and count in particular the state of the building opposed industry ending up with possible to build senarios for the future.George Roberton There M.P.Opposi n Spokesperson on Housing it in Scotland began by the cuts will hit Scotland.When questioned on housing provision,remote housing management SRAiReE It was could > government. After and hostile housing types(a legacy of the boom and high rise)he reafirmed his point in expendir which did not at first sigh which face today.The Congre was yided into three areas;The relevent the problems building industry OPENING DEBATE s= ) The Building Industr Action.It became orientate building quanitiy D1¥ of producers with such groups were seen as an was a congenital handicap to work architectural designers who found they had to acquire skills and know- ledge as best they could from practice, having failed to find them in the schools. sive dsolation of the schools from the community and th constuct- ustry.It was agreed that part group. T a t be for,and if carried out will be a‘giant ste; to the workers of life which had their working lives', adop the following cognises that we have now ectural _practice- wholly out of touch with the realities of architec- tural workers in the construction process.Democratic change within the schools was blocked by the hierarchic Aneueerys and the Trade Union movement EDUCATION MOTIONS has no eon maaice in tructure of and calls of the nee solely ° i is been struggled ull entered a period where the welfare structure of control lead by a despo- ate is under the greatest attack ds its inception. Cuts in public tic "head of school'.The schools were BSS oE, programmes for the provis- insulated from outside influence and healt h and education freed from public accountability by ing the qual- the system of'self certification’ of workers whereby the RIBA-who effecti ives of ‘unattached ARCUK and the ard of Architectural Education to work for a return recognition procedure to the of Architectural Edu ation, and for all vi ng boards to be fully representative of the membership of the board in Architects Re, The existing schools of architecture students should be acively ‘en- CUTS werecriticisedaspurveyingrestri- Ae heduce MOTION In order to further NAM's ote effective democ ected and inadequate knowledge - especially lacking in the areas of community needs and the construction process. Whilst many students and staff were aware of the deficiencies, the schools resisted change, Debate on architectu has been contained wi Alliances reward movement. and by all de 1and construction é gst educationalists,staff and students and it was felt that NAM the conference Slate. This congres system whereby given to archi on the basis of the recommendat siting boards. T congress calls upon the MOTIONS DEFENCE y &11 people over their environment enforcing a model of the profession = the RIBA ideal of private archit- hould in future widen its for. nto lude practice he ‘construction EDUCATION UNATTACHED ded are worth resisting att in the i further ed together of CNAA degr certification bandoned in favour of aStudy be Education related both involved in vision of public services nd with the people ent provision of rvices he appropriate a union olitical and commun- ity groups with all those who produce ma ind use housing and public buildings WORKSHOP The "Educ tion workshop discussion at the Edinburgh Congress found congress ca on the whole ership, indi idually and through This Congress Supports the efforts t with most aspects of the i structure of architectural Cups to; Encourage far greater career guidance in girls' education towards careers in the building industr. To prom with the building unions to fac- ate more opportunities for tical training for women and 2 on site. _encourage more mid-career ing and flexible working eon architects who are NAM members represen’ unatta ched L ects on the Archit Regi stra~ tion Council of the U.K.in their efforts to expose RIBA abuses of ARCUK and to promote the public fuction of Tl but seanee there hele lenty of energy ive to be tapped within the and sufficient of both within NAM to demand the re-forming of a NAM education group to work towards an alternative policy for architectural education. Thé education workshop arose spont- aneously from the ‘official’ Building Industry workshop which began the day. The estrangement of design education from the construct- ion process was so often referred to by the participants in the general discussion of the Building Industry that education was chosen as a topic for more detailed discussion in the afternoon session. The ‘profession- alisation' of architects as a monopoly group with supposed mystic abilities unconnected with methods of construction or community needs greater communication control the their dards y idea of an enti new indepenc i d popular,and at lingered on- ri Tuc funding. Tt was concluded that y Bartlett as of knowled evance of a 5year full-time tectural education was questio- ned, being seen largely as a social- ising process responsible for the a ing the following pprinciples That the present artif ictal limits of architectural nqu ni commendation i dents provi ce with the on Act. ywas “De gn to the requests the Liaisor Group to encourage a broad education 8 @ way ‘to the Con: y Training Board w This AGM requests the incoming Liason This Congress supports the work of the Group.te@ report back to the members: Professional Issues Group to explore sufficiently in advance of the next aang upon men students, arch- the professional issues ra by the Congress on; ts and builders to support unattached representativ n ARC women colleagues in peveks and specifically requires it to promote an ARCUK code of conduct independant of the R The Congress mandat a further year co'opt nd to take in furtheran the proper preparation of motions £ the AGM and their re on tothe Congres the ques of whether NAM ution ought to be altered to to affiliate to other organisa r m and pleasant land. insupport and special inter Scene RCP ENENReemeentansnecseemeen women 1s vit that presented an alternative educational environment for. women to the largely capit- alist patriarchal schools of planning, architecture and the building trades in the U.S.It is not a typical year round School in a set location rather it meets for two weeks anually in differerit parts of the country,networking throughout the rest of the year. Previously the majority of the participants have been from the U.S and Canada.However this year two of its past co-ordinators attended the Mid-Decade Forum on Women and Development(U.N. International Womens Decade) 4n Copenhagen Julyl4-24,1980 and began an international network of women involved in the built environment field.Such a network will help WSPA to better carry on the dialogue that it began at its 1979 session on personal and professional ressorces to (98,400) were 30 per cent down o 1979. This compares closely itheeL 33 per cent drop starts (53,600). in public sect mann ee and no ess,” obs in China, ’ the rive: r bi Proposal and a number of gehaee developments getting approval recently. He's even been awarded We are working mostly with womens groups a crumb in the shape of the vast of muted groups and especially of women. The ways we work are defined by our under- ‘The reason we became involved with particular standing of socialism and feminism and the groups is never straightforward.Each project relations between.then.They are not based on is an experiment in some way or another wld I should watch closely to see readers they try getting into continues in this downward if he the last NAM Congress,the feminist to tap available resources,to enable them to offer our experience to help other women. acql the power to change their own circum- stances.We are working on two fronts-offering AG Bashing is not a favoured NAM pursuit. But its members do sometimes get up to things that set in the Guardian mentioned "The the morals a-quiver. Ms.Frankl was Jarvis Lecture Hall, 66 Portland elected on the SAG ticket,to the RIBA Place". Now why wouldn't they {ficient professional service capable ~gthe bureaucracy on the client's ed on our experience in conventional Baltinore,Maryland 21218. BUILDING DESIGN STAFF The Building Design Staffs section of TASS/AUEW London branch have rejected a motion which called for the branch to cease and amalgamate with STAMP,the white collar section of UCAT.In rejecting this winding up motion the branch passed an amendment which opened the way for investigation and co-operation with other groups of Building Design workers.The reasons behind this motion of dissolution lay more with the dissappointingly lowmenbership- within the union,of building design workers dispite the years of campaigning within the NOT FOR REA council. +hen was appointed the SAG us it was the RIBA. Surely theytell practice,and nlso as a responsive team which involves the clients and users in the implic- ations of decision making. architectural scene is fairly abysmal for a so called radical magazine. First of all we had the puff for Bofill ( Thanks to Hellman aoe chewing their ear off in their letter page ). The latest issue contains this comment on the RIBA's Current exhibition of a few British eens ‘Thiscountryhasalarge SAGgers?Inaword....yes.TheSAG REPORT WSPA As with all the groups we work with,we ere architects. Now Daddy has tossed him wo believe that the way in which buildings very aware of the impact of cuts on building the global transitions which need to be Docklands new Press) scheme on Surrey Docks. production.However it is essential not to are planned and their appearance,reflects stop thinking how buildings can and should made if the world is to survive and truly ‘develop’ for all hunan kind. A proposal has been put forward to fund an 4nternational WSPA session in 1982-probably 4n Germany .Since many of the current devel- opments in the built environment-in both urban and rural areas,in both industrialised as well as underdeveloped countries-have a photos showed him sinking mud came up round-his neatly as and reinforces patriachal social organisation being Polished black shoes.Slate notions on offering proffessional services to community groups.Beyond struggles for equal particularly negative impact on women as a rights for women lies the opportunity to define class,there 1s a need for women.who share a feminist world which is radically different in the ways we organise and how we relate to ‘a concern about those developments to define direction. HELTER FR STORM especially in discovering sympathetic ways of working with groups-of using drawings, of talking about buildings and of making collective decisions. MITRA Both groups are now engaged in seperate grou] hes changed its emphasis from an open projects.Mitra is holding small dis who now both wish to consolidate their our energies in the development of our own to an expansion of theissues,the is We wish to develop an architectural service group,and at next years Congress we hope to and the strategies.For further information on which will give women's groups the expertise report on our successes and failures,and maybe the session write to:WSPAs;250lErdnan Ave,B u sbbtuilding, would seerm to be each other. and analyse them and develop counteracting strategies.Anyone interested in shaping the agenda for such a session in a socialist feminist direction should contact Mary Vogelc/oMary Sell;223eKalmia Ave, Boulder, Colorado80302,U.3.A. For those wishing to sake more immediate contact,the next session of WSPA will take place in Weshington,D.C.in co-operation with the National Congress of Neighborhood Wornen (a ner Pp a working class,neighborhood activists).Topics will inolude;Commnities:housing and women; Transportation:impact on woren;Influencing Acaderia:towards a feminist perspectives Alternative TechnologysAccess to Moneytecon— omic development.While this session will 11 wongoube the first step will be to bgarionresstiacAscquiescen. ce of the buiilding ITELLA YA Q. Oh I see, private sch Wonen's: Project in Brixton to find premises the property- We hope to involve the client intimately in projects.The two groups are now called Watrx and Mitra.Our group,Mitra,is concered with the developing and understanding of our- the design and also involve as many women selves as women, a8 socialists and as archit- as possible in the building process. ects,and being small enough to establish a We want to maintain our links with NAM alth- many of our problems under a declining working group based on trust and mutual ough we have little fully formilated to offer capitalist system are similar.International support. at present.Over the next year,we will employ participation will be welcomed and could lead In the summer, the Clapham Battered Wives Project has been completed and 4s running successfully.The Lambeth Womens Project has been completed,and there have been proposals for the Stockwell and Vauxhall Neighbourhood HealthCentreinwhichbothgroupswereinvo- industry.Itwasrecognisedthatsuccesslaywithorganisingdesignstaffin lved. Fellow SAGger Mike Moxley next moved in to work with Frankl, forming a partnership, and they are now working on “a number of projects” as a private firm. Are they still These projects,in which we worked as a larger group,changed our attitudes to methods of working.Problens arising from our working together and communicating as a large group made us rethink the feasibility of trying to change our attitudes to the client,users and ourselves in sugh a large group. ome union and dispite an active BDS/TASS branch this has not happened. The branch will meet with design workers in other unions within the private sector offices to push for a union for the private sector. - ‘Ser of unusually imaginative architects like Richard Rogers ppeaubourg and Lloyds= to be its eendon equivalent), their main ane Foster Associates, Farrell The Voren's School of Planning and Archit— ecture(WSPA)is a feminist network of women dealing with built environment issues.It originatedintheU.S.in1974asaschool Privatesectorstartsin19800S likely focus on U.S.institutions and policies Recent DOE figusurres haheve Smashed the mpybtihaintheat cuts in co)council house SONOF SEIFERT couslaughing would be made up b increases in private } - i drast cally reduce building e to standards HESELTINE'S WORK EXPERIENCE architecture A. Well sort of. NORTH OF WATFORD ime out‘s awareness of the old guard might be forgiven a bleat at the way they have so blatantly been used to gain an entrée into the gentleman's club of the RIBA council for the furtherance of their careers. Perhaps someone should put a black ball into the sagbag next time such opportunists court it. can't be ashamed of Opening their doors to the nuclear shelter lobby. et srinshaw, now split into two ch Hopkins and Neave Brown’. 3Se Midlands rep.However while this was happening she applied to and got a job with Hackney, and resigned her Birmingham job. Did she resign her post as SAG's midlands rep. In a word... no. ioddy's imprimatur in the Guardian 5 @ second Robert Adam. But age prongs the question of a successor © pass the empire on to. As Dadd: retires to his home and gar D attractively illustrated re the colour magazines) cently in pondering the he ma wisdo; mo: e fy? o Son of Seifert ieee eer rish, narrow minded at the Bartlett. He Kapbalccercee his fellow students, bringing his Own sandwiches so that he didn't have to mix at lunchtime with other The RIBA was very coy about of its facilities. The ad. fonts Brains Trust" on nuclear shelters FEMINIST GROUPS MATRIX the ideas of the Womens Movement means real- ising how we can make our skills useful as un-arrogantly as possible.It 4s easier on us because we do not stand to loose much= but harder for the groups we work with. So it is important to go carefully but it {is also important to discuss and make known ‘womens 'experiances of buildings.That woren think differently about buildings comes from our own experiance-but it 1s being continually strengthened by working with other womens We are currently working on a touring exhi- bition sponsored by the Arts Council on Women and Housing.It is partly analysis- looking at conventional housing design and the muclear fanilyjand partly trying to form- ulate alternatives by working with four very aifferent womens groups and seeing what they need in their situation.Working with these groups is leading us beyond the exhibition and into practice. Matrix de a collective of women all active rent ways in the women's movement ernea with buildings.We three work ther women working on part- ‘This support from other to our idea of what Matrix Looking for ne? ways of working which reflect We have made a definite choice to support ourselves mainly from work outside Matrix mudlding,tenching and research)rather than take op conventional 'private'architectural work.We feel good about this because these commitments,together with involvement in other ns,political and community eroups are essential to the evolution of our work as feninist designers and builders.This also reflects one of our basic aims is to breakdown the division of labour between those who think and make,and between those ‘oduce and consume buildings. oppressing and obscuring the needs and demands be changed. nUnG) q Pe,duri et se FROM THE TORIES that P-R. blurb about Lioyds London's Beaubourg again — co: Suggest that the building Be Heseltine axe again..... P+aHcowisdoarchitects withOutwork A. By their employees...ur..1 by their students. ae cussion group to two smaller working groups groups and fs involved in helping the Asian positions by immersing themselves in practical and mobilise Inner City Funds to renovate For a Government dedicated to when it's finisshed. I bet it'll have e s o us ap W e e e r e m p l o n n y 5 oc c ep tme o ing publ e i n “than“there arg eo ease p r i p ( i y ol i t e Eue a Si t o c a l l en,e t nor s yees heee i f e r t 's: o f f i cie. g it Sei u ar d Oh for lateral thinking. archi will never beinempl aed if tee think laterally. Isn't it wonderful the way we're all génning up about nuclear shelters. There have been pal ee dozen seminars in so many acnatchsi.a..at Leed S school,C and CA Eds. note: Oh Michael, don't for. to tell the RIBA so that they ora recognise these courses. (B.A.Seifert ?). Readers interested to know which practice offers educational facilities’ should write to Slate enclosing S.a.e. SHE FRANKLY RANKLES NEWS It appears as if the g ent! calculations that a raigiareenneis house building would increase dena d in,and therefore stimulate the private sector, are completely failing. "The private sector,” explains Valerie Karn from the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, "will not Provide housin; if a profit cannot be made- no . matter how adversely affected the public rented sector becomes F matter how numerous the honed overnment shoul a ali that to attack the Rue reece itis pEesens form may be as counter- presuats for capital as it is for reducing public expenditure and to The Heseltine axe works cutti buildingwork,-andsetentteoes left for architectural competition. The military library competition, the second of these, is pulling in unemployed architects by the ane Oe Over 450 architects visited fe site on the two permitted days and hundreds more are expected to enter. We offer them our commiserations. Can nobody f more worthwhile activity eae : architects than designing a library (events officers in the arts 8. of war, and then seei drawings With a 99.8% cerca consigned to the SCrapheap. Ass 4sstillpresentinthousandsof Councdl flats warns Shelter's housing magazine. All forms of asbestos - blue, brown and white- can cause cancers if they are disturbed and the dust breathed in. The suthér of the article, Alan Dalton, 48 a lecturer in industrial health and safety. He explains how easily asbestos fibres can unknowingly be released into the air with some case histories. One tenant didn't mich like the corrugated surface of the fire- place panel in his sitting room. Bit by bit he sanded it down, releasing deadly asbest- 96 fibres into the air. Yet no evidence was for at the time to connect this with uent death from cancer. tells how workmen arriving at y 1979 to install central holes in asbestos panels der her windows in orde: fix radiators e didn't know that the dust left on the know the US government were making a study of PCP let alone that it would conclude that the chemical can cause cancer. They are now going to examine the US study. PCP is extensively as a wood preser- ¢ in Britain. Nobody manufact- 5 it here but over 400 tonnes were imported in 1979. Its most common use in the home is for the treatment of timber for dry rot and woodworm. PCP is the main ingredient ain consistuent in such’ well S as Rentokil, Protim and most worrying feature of the spread use of PCP is its entry © the human foodchain. In 1977 an international symposium discussed the environmental effects of PCP. The participants agreed 'Contaminat- ion of human populations with PCP at a level of 10 to 20 parts per lion is quite general in industr- ised countries.' The most likely rce of this contamination appears to be foodchain exposure to PCP treated wood products. Monsanto manufactured PCP in Britain until 1978 when production was disc- ontinued for health and commercial reasons. The company agrees that PCP is contaminated with hexachlorodiox- in to a level of 10 parts per million and with octochlorodioxin to the much greater level of 5 ta 10 thousand parts per million. Other countries have acted on PCP. As early as 1970 Sweden became alerted to its hazard when its use @s a control agent in paper manufac- turing was shown to be upsetting the ecological balance of nearby rivers and lakes. Its use for this purpose was banned. Later Swedish studies revealed that timber workers were being affected by PCP while dipping wood and inhaling PCP in sawdust. Since the beginning of 1980 PCP has been banned in Sweden as a wood preservative. W © through site ve feirly well understood, and i es not appear to be display © environmental effects.! Yet less than two weeks later the American government announced that the ingredient, pentachlorophenol CP), causes cancer. The US Envir- ital Protection Agency are now vely considering withdrawing PCP's licence for use. The tests undertaken by the National Toxicology Program of the US Depart- ment ‘of Health and Human Services, released on 9 December, revealed the contaminants found in ail commercial PCP caused liver cancers in male and female mice and female rats. Comp- es found to be carcinogenic in @ are generally regarded by the overnment a8 causing cancer in humans. ADDRESS TELEPHONE H W IN ADDITION TO OR IN PLACE OF BECOMING A NAM MEMBER I WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE s WORK.I ENCLOSE A CONTRIBUTION TO NAM I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO SLA SIX ISSUES.I ENCLOSE £3.00). tog, and along with the had the same work done the mess taking no special estos is a costly operation ls find difficult to afford now pudget has been slashed. housing work. ghborough Estate with asbestos. it by the L.C.C. in ties end early sixties were built to fons. The work of remov- " y beginning. Fox, then Secretary for esked whether had any plans to use of an active ingr- Rentokil to treat dry rm. Fox said no. The sehaviour, he replied WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN SELLING PROMOTING AND CONTRIBUTING ACL? The contaminants are various forms of hexachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (HCDD) a close relative of textrachlorodio- in. In Britain DoE officials admit when they answered the parlia- mentary question they did not even NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE H OVERSEAS SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE ADD POSTAGE FOR SIX ISSUES. CONTACTS NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT 9,POLAND STREET,LONDON WIV 3DG. LIASON GROUP 4,COCKBURN SQUARE,PATHHEAD,MID-LOTHIAN,SCOTLAND. EDINBURGH ditto LEEDS 2,StMARTINS TERRACE,CHAPPLETOWN ROAD,LEEDS 6. LONDON 127,FAIRBRIDGE ROAD,HOLLOWAY,LONDON,N19. BRISTOL 149,LOWER CHELTENHAM PLACE,BRISTOL BS65ZB HULL 238a,SPRINGBANK,HULL,E.YORKS. PROFFESSIONAL INTEREST GROUP 9,POLAND STREET,LONDON W1V EDUCATION 175 ,HEMMINGFORD ROAD,LONDON N1. NOVEMBER GROUP 54,SOUTHWOOD LANE,LONDON N656B. MITRA 6/7b,LANGFORD ROAD,LONDON SW 6. MATRIX 33,DAVENANT ROAD,LONDON N19. SLATE 57,CARLETON ROAD,LONDON7N. future issues REGULAR COLUMNS IN FUTURE ISSUES WILL DEAL WITH HEALTH AND SAFTY MATERIALS SPECIFICATION,A DIRECTORY OF RADICAL ORGANISATIONS IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY. WE INVITE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN THE DIRECTORY FORM ALL GROUPS INVOLVED IN RADICAL ACTIVITY FOR EXAMPLE DESIGN CO-OP's, BUILDING CO-OP's etc. WE ALSO INVITE PUBLISHERS TO SEND PUBLICATIONS FOR REVIEW. THE FORTH COMING SLATE WILL FEATURE ARTICALS ON,LUBETKIN WRITTEN BY JOHN ALLEN, FINANCIALLY TO NAM Pat" i iiia scm ameaancrteiaaanataeian, | i AL HOW TO JOIN NAM Th uilding Industry is one of the ats ; ee ways to earn a living. e common due to poor ions and the daredevil ion workers T WOULD LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT AND ENCLOSE THE SUM OF £8.00) or £3.00 FOR CLAIMANTS sSTUDENTS ,OAP' s. ONE YEARS SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES SLATE FREE FOR THAT YEAR. NAME SUBSCRIBE TO SLATE TE.A SUBSCRIPTION ENTITLES ME TO SUBSCRIPTION TO OFFICES ,LIBRARIES ,AND ORGANISATIONS etc £6.00 FOR SIX ISSUES BACK COPIES 2-16 £1.00p EACH COPY To eo AND ARCHITECTUROEF THE SPANISH REVOLUTION COMPILED BY THE SLATE COLLECTIVE. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO AVOID DISSAPOINTMENT ing Industry is one of the us ways to earn a living. due to poor recautions and the daredevil Yet less than two weeks later the American government announced that the ingredient, pentachlorophenol (pcP), causes cancer. The US Envir~ ntal Protection Agency are now ely considering withdrawing licence for use. The tests undertaken by the National Toxicology Program of the US Depart- ment ‘of Health and Human Services, BOOK «SQUATTING REVIEW A review by Marian Biernat. s of construct the imp y building workers OWN» at. the architect is sDBES Tes: Asbestos ig still present in thousands of Sounc4} flats warns ROG elter's housing magazine. All forms of asbestos - blue, t and white- can cause cancers if they are disturbed and the dust breathed in. ce and female rats. Comp- ound to be carcinogenic in : Jou whie, Sauat The suth article, Alan Dalton, 18 lecturer in viustrial health and safety. He explains horm easily asbestos fibres can inknowingly be released into the air with some ease histories. One tenant didn't mich like the corrugated surface of the fire- place panel in his sitting room. Bit by bit stells how worknen arriving at flat in July 1979 to install central drilled holes in asbestos panels er windows in order to fix radiators read use of PCP is its entry human foodchain. In 1977 an asbestos is a costly operation eils find difficult to afford now ~ housing budget has been slashed. be foodchain exposure to PCP reated wood products. it doesn't treat squatting simply as housing politics and economics. Squatting wos and is about much more than waiting Squatters, this book should nevertheless be essential reading for anyone contemplating direct action action in housing. For the rest of us, it will make an excellent addition to the bookshelf- between the VW manual and the vegetarian cookery books. —— money has been found work has held up by the ban on housing work. Monsanto manufactured PCP in Britain until 1978 when production was disc- ontinued for health and commercial The company agrees that PCP edwithhexachlorodiox- evel of 10 parts per million and with octochlorodioxin to the much greater level of 5 to 10 thousand parts per million. Other countries have acted on PCP. y as 1970 Sweden became erted to its hazard when its use control agent in paper manufac- turing was shown to be upsetting the ecological balance of nearby rivers and lakes. Its use for this purpose was banned. Later Swedish studies revealed that timber workers were ng affected by PCP while dipping d and inhaling PCP in sawdust. ce the beginning of 1980 PCP has nned in Sweden as a wood preservative. properties, and statistics of housing need and provision. Many people were attracted to squats because they allowed them to develop a lifestyle unrepressed byBuildingSoofeties,privatelandlords, and Councdl Housing Department officials. Mary squats, became the sort of thriving 2 to the Loughbi hEstate is riddled with asbestos. owned by others. Nevertheless, as is made Clear, certain political developments in 1968 combined with the hysterical media reactiontothehippysquatsof1969,set the tone for the events of the last I2 years. It is on these events of the last 72 years that the book concentrates. There and dynamic communities planners and ‘News ON eOfwer tatesbuiltbytheL.C.c.in and early six e seme specifications. The work of remov- asbestos is only beginning. are nevertheless, chapters on the history of squatting, and,a regretably short, chapter on "the rest of the world”. Despite the consistent raw deal that squatters have had from the media, one gets the impression after reading this book, that it would be wrong to see this Sirply as the natural reaction of a right- wing press against the threat to property rights, and against a "dangerous " alternative lifestyle. In fact, some of the most objectionable anti-squatter tactics were perpetrated by solid Labour Councils such as Lambeth and Camien. These included the gutting and demolition of houses specifically for the purpose of keeping out squatters. architects often dream about, yet usually fail to achieve. Yet large sections of the Left fafled to See anything positive in these develop - ments. For them, direct action and self- help, were merely a nuisance which hindered development plans and upset the sanctity of the Council Waiting List. The fact that many squats attracted more than their fair share of drug-pushers and petty criminals, and the atmosphere of tolerance to these people, did nothing of course to improve the squatters’ image. Add to this the reaction, in sone cases, of local residents conditioned to expect squatters to be anti-social bums, ami we can see why yet another natural alliance of the Left never came about. ix weks ago Marcus Fox, then ry Under-Secretary for npent was asked whether d any plans to 2 of an. active ingr- over pecif EDITED BY WATES CHRISTIAN WOLMAR jour Cy home to treat dry id no. The he replied 4 on 9 December, revealed the ts found in ali commercial d liver cancers in male and the real story » ‘Ousy sate\(oe t e are generally regarded by the US government a8 causing cancer in humans. of hexachlorodibenzo=p-dioxin (HCDD) a close relative of textrachlorodio- xin. In Britain DoE officials admit that when they answered the parlia- mtary question they did not even e US government were making a study of PCP let alone that it would conclude that the chemical can cause cer. They are now going to examine the US study. PCP is extensively as a wood preser- in Britain. Nobody manufact- it here but over 400 tonnes e imported in 1979. Its most common use in the home is for the treatment of timber for dry rot and woodworm. PCP is the main ingredient and main consistuent in such’ well prod! as Rentokil, Protim and BANNED SWEDEN ost worrying feature of the Compiled by Nick Wates. Published by Bay Leaf Books. Dec I980. Paperback £4.90. Hardback £11.50. ",..parasitic deviants who steal people's houses and constitute a threat to everything decent in society..." As one might expect, this book tries to question and undermine the popular myth of squatting and squatters Mercifully, {t stops well short of proposing an alternative mythology. Indeed, one of the things I liked about this book was the way it's structure and presentation undermine the lie implicit in the title, that there is a "real story" of squatting. The book is a compilation with contributions from nineteen authors (most of them squatters at one time or another, and therefore mostly sympathetic to the Squatting movement), yet writing from a variety of perspectives, and in a variety of styles. The written contributions are well supported by a lively melange of poems photos, graphics, and newspaper cuttings. We are thus, not presented with a single image, but encouraged to see the “truth” of squatting, as never more than the sum of images which we absorb at any one time, whether these are the images Presented to us by a reactionary and sensationalist press, or by leftish Journalists. ther THE PRESERVER 1€ contaminants are various forms international symposium discussed ronmental effects of PCP. The participants agreed ‘Contaminat- n of human populations with PCP at el of 10 to 20 parts per on is quite general in industr- lised countries." The most likely urce of this contamination appears One of the successes of the book, is that Not intended as a D.I.Y. guide to NICK & you \Maereaway Squatting, we learn, "is the oldest form of tenure in the world", and "We are all descended from squatters". Squatting is certainly nothing new, the essential ingrediants being simply the existence of lists, redevelopment plans, empty homeless people and empty buildings Mette, wipe tickt Het nH nih ¢ ii } eH ithtuey Hk i re ] pal ae i tu ea From Melman ArchitectsFormal NAM holds hisite of any ong architect- meani Pu a er either the condit- nd organise ir appropriate Trade reflects, in its hierarchy, ed by the first 4 n s nico i te then, th are in venent among 980 Annual Congressarchy dominates the Registration economic term: of their work is »such agitation 5;as employ- that all hould join king peo A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED by Giles Pebody Council by a hugh majority and makes just further policy remai the intention -New Relationships their living ~ to urge that ectural work on the me houl round around the concept of pyeunnse service, in s% is practiced. m outside the profession 1 architectural their fellow their's is an society at large. for any camp- reorganisation of working and the re- ms of control and between architect- d people affected by architects These groups aim to resist the process by which professionals exploit their claimed body of specialist knowledge to secure aprivileged social position by being painstakingly open about the reasons benind the advice that they give. The object of architectural func= NAM became compulsory in Britain in ly3d. Many of its political supporters Saw the Bill's arrangements a5 4 form of ‘This last and most complex set of issues under pins the others and embraces the ways in which the attitudes of arch- itectural workers are moulded to ensure their acceptance of the material and intellectual conditions of architectural work.Schools of architecture play an important part in promoting the value systems necessary for the current forms of architectural practice,but they do not train the'technicianswh'o make up a sizeable proportion of the architect— ural workforce;neither do they have an extended relationship with pract- joners in order to influence the contin~ ual reformation of values and attitudes. Activity for these groups is centred on the architectural journals and the so called*learned society'functions of the RIBA through local and national meetings and conferences.NAM recognises the importance of these questions but has found it more difficult to formulate an approace to them,probably because they are more complex thoeretically than the other areas of the movements activity. Conversely the lack of ability to address adequately the question of achitectural ideology has hampered NAM's success in its other campaigns. What work has been done in this area has been by way of providing'alternatives' to established activities,open meetings andthe publishing of a magazine. NAM is currently attempting to Set up an education group.iIt is envisaged that this group would organise around a rejection of the uncritical methods of architectural education practiced in most schools. Giles ir in the issue of work. It ig Practice are, or have been, associat- NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT only way to restore the true of Registration, would be to i a Council in which lay inter- hold a majority, rather than & t n role. Again, such a change will not come through the agitation of architectural workers alone, but it is important for them to work to reorganis— actice in cres a climate for change througn ty expe g the inadequacies and contra- dictions of the workings of the con- temporary professional institutions, and supporting and encouraging lay pressures for change. tat the outcome of the current ©° with NAM. Generally speaking, n architectural work can only they offer services to the users environment and, while the right to carry out such transformations rests almost exclusively with dominant social interests, architectural work carried out for working class groups becomes part of a wider political atruggle for resources and social justice. These new relationships throw into relief the political nature of all architectural work, a reality generally obscured for architects by the fundamental coincidence of their interest with those of building owners,and for working people by the claimed'neutrality'of profess- ional advice. AM'S aims are an interpretation lof socialist principles applied practice of architecture. public control over the profession. ver, 2 ethat i 1 fone This spirit survived into the Act in the camp=- the form of the arrangements for the is more t change pressure by ar composition of the Council(ARCUK), set up to administer it, which, alth- ough somewhat dominated numerically y architects, does have lay members. fessional association among architects,’ the hier- employment in the profession, s. NAM takes the view that the concept of registration of certain groups of professionals is reasonable, provid- ing the process ensures that they pratice with particular skill, com- petence and care. Otherwise registr- ation can, and has been, exploited by architects for protectionist ends. The Royal Institute of British Arch- itects, now the most powerful pro- such exploitative use of it. workpla aries of traditional architectural r architectural workers if i r Y - and, in particular, to tenants in in working class neighbourhoods. In so doing, they are instrumental in beginning the redistribution of ex~ pertise in society, both through the fact that they are serving working class clients and by their way of working. They also frame the problems and issues to be faced by acchitectural workers generally as they move to- wards increased public accountability in their work,and the groups practicing in the new relationship hold out technical and organisational models for wider consideration. Training and Ideology eral architects and groups of be baseaarchitects who work outside the bound- rather than the owners of buildings the public sector and community groups istration of work is the transformation of the NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE 4H NAME ADDRESS TELEPHONE 4H CONTACTS W W HOW TO JOIN NAM I WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO SLATE.A SUBSCRIPTION ENTITLES ME TO SIX ISSUES.I ENCLOSE £3.00. OVERSEAS SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE ADD POSTAGE FOR SIX ISSUES. SUBSCRIPTION TO OFFICES LIBRARIES AND ORGANISATIONS etc £6.00) FOR SIX ISSUES BACK COPIES 2-16 £1.00p EACH COPY IN ADDITION TO OR IN PLACE OF BECOMING A NAM MEMBER I WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO NAM’s WORK.I ENCLOSE A CONTRIBUTION TO NAM SUBSCRIBE TO SLATE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT 9,POLAND STREET,LONDON WIV 3DG. LIASON GROUP 4,COCKBURN SQUARE ,PATHHEAD, MID-LOTHIAN ,SCOTLAND. EDINBURGH ditto LEEDS 2,StMARTINS TERRACE, CHAPPLETOWN ROAD, LEEDS 6. LONDON 127,FAIRBRIDGE ROAD,HOLLOWAY,LONDON,N19. BRISTOL 149,LOWER CHELTENHAM PLACE BRISTOL BS65 ZB HULL 238a,SPRINGBANK,HULL,E.YORKS. PROFFESSIONAL INTEREST GROUP 9,POLAND STREET,LONDON W1V EDUCATION 175 ,HEMMINGFORD ROAD,LONDON NI. NOVEMBER GROUP 54,SOUTHWOOD LANE,LONDON N65EB. MITRA 67b,LANGFORD ROAD,LONDON SW 6. MATRIX 33,DAVENANT ROAD,LONDON N19. SLATE 57,CARLETON ROAD,LONDON7N. I WOULD LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT AND ENCLOSE THE SUM OF £8.00) or £3.00 FOR CLAIMANTS ,STUDENTS ,OAP's. ONE YEARS SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES SLATE FREE FOR THAT YEAR. future issues REGULAR COLUMNS IN FUTURE ISSUES WILL DEAL WITH HEALTH AND SAFTY ,MATERIALS SPECIFICATION,A DIRECTORY OF RADICAL ORGANISATIONS IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY. WE INVITE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR INCLUSION IN THE DIRECTORY FORM ALL GROUPS INVOLVED IN RADICAL ACTIVITY FOR EXAMPLE DESIGN CO-OP's, BUILDING CO-OP's etc. WE ALSO INVITE PUBLISHERS TO SEND PUBLICATIONS FOR REVIEW. THE FORTH COMING SLATE WILL FEATURE ARTICALS ON,LUBETKIN WRITTEN BY JOHN ALLEN, AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE SPANISH REVOLUTION COMPILED BY THE SLATE COLLECTIVE. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO AVOID DISSAPOINTMENT WENEEDYOURSUPPORTINTON PROMOTING AND CONTRIBUTINGSate Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray & John Allan (2) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1981 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/6471f7bb98c441629a3341eb13fa2923.pdf 205c204fe1ab443f15a3e703a0389549 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 2 Description An account of the resource ISSUE NO2 NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT UNIONISE THE DRIVE ISON NOW NEW JOBS JOIN TASS! That was the message which emerged from behind closed doors in London on May 14th when a New Architecture Moyement- sponsored conference of building design employmees decided to launch a long-awaited Trade Union Organising drive in the unorganised private sector. TASS, the 160,000 member, autonomous Technical Administrative and Supervisory Section of the AUEW, Britain’s second largest union, was selected in a secret ballot, clearly ahead of ASTMS. STAMP and TGWU. Launching the Branch Rapidly following up a resolution ‘urging al people employed in private sector offices where no union is recognised to organise within TASS? a ten person committee set up by the Conference met on Monday evening, May 16th with Harry Smith, TASS National Organiser, to begin planning the campaign. On Thursday, May 19th, the TASS | Executive Council approved the establishment of a new Building Design Staffs branch in London for employees special branche jiimilar to.the London one will be set up. M ile, aNational Advisory Committee ank-and-f TASS members employed in the CONTRACTS of employment for architectural workers are being re-written unilaterally by principles in several private practices. New contracts, tantamount, in many cases, to a “new jub’, invariably mean worse conditions for employees. One large London firm has abolished paid overtime and now insists that its mployees seek permission before aking On “private job itside the office enter architectural competitions Another practice, with three offices nationally, has halved the rate of pay for overtime work, cancelled the workers’ entitlement to private health insurance, and reducec ithe period of full pay during sickness to thirteen weeks Similar events are reported from the RIBA itself where Portland Place staff are faced with a wide ranging and secret management ‘review’ of staff responsib- -ilities and salaries, aptly named “GRASP” What can be done? According to one trades union official such unils ral ammendements ofcontractsofemploy- -ment are illegal under the Contracts of Employment Act of 1972 and more recent legislation. Correct procedure, he maintained, in cases like these, is for employees to be laid of, with full redundancy pay, and then offered re- employment on a new contract and at a new salary negotiated accordingly. At the RIBA, members of staff who are ASTMS imembers (see SLATE no. 1)are opposed to regrading under GRASP plan and accuse the RIBA management of ‘minimal formal consultation’ with the staff. The well organised ASTMS group hope for success in their recruitment campaign so that union recognition can continued on page 3 in architecture, quantity surveying, structural and building services engineering, town planning, etc. An open meeting to launch the branch will be held on Tuesday evening, May 31st at 6.30 p.m. at the New Ambassadors Hotel, Upper Woburn Place, Euston, WCl. Employees outside London can join the general TASS branch in their locality and as TASS strength in the building professions grows in other urban centres, THE COMMUNITY CLIENT -4 revolutionary professicnalism or just more work for private architects BUILDING COOPS- taking control | “RADICAL ARCHITECTS’ - at work in the Colne Valley We ‘professions will co-ordinate the drive nationally and articulate the particular concerns of their ‘constituency continued on page 3 LW ARCHI E\(TURE of the building process A ‘COMMUNITY DESIGN SERVICE’ - its rise and fall in Cardiff. 6 7 ganising FOR OLD &., & vit, 1, Kinds of grey, © bluish: purple rock easily eplit smooth plates; plece of such plate used as roofing-material; piece of It ‘usu. framed {n wood used for writing on with ~-pencil or small rod of soft ~ (clean rid oneself of or renounce oblign= tions);~-black, -blue, -grey, modifications ofthes©tints:such‘asoccurin~; |l~-cltb, snutualbenefitsocietywithsmallweekly contributions; i RECOGNITION for their Union has has recently been gained by workers in an international civil and environmental engineering consultancy. It came after they had achieved 90% membership of the Technical, Admini- -strativeandSupervisory(TASS)section of the AUEW in their department of W S Atkins and Partners’ Middlesborough office. They are now in the process of negotiating aprocedural agreement with the management. into ! to, propose for office etc. Henco NGI) n. {app f. pree.] idc7e Se “oeEthe SLATER Surveys, surveys... first the RIBA earnings survey, coming soon their ‘Structure of the Profession Survey’, and, just launched our own AJ’s survey There’s a crisis on, we’re told, so something must be done about it. Itmustbesurveyedjustlikeasite. After alwe must know the ground More open ended discussion in the afternoon session centred around priorities for union action. While the increasing threat of redundancies was clearly the primary concern of many present, the continuing decline of real income among architectural employees and the increasingly unfavourable relation of private sector salaries and conditions to those in the public sector were also singled out. SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OFTHENEW ARCHITECTURE Success came in the sixth month fight for recognition after the Union had invoked section 1 of the recent Employment Protection Act under which theUnionmayapplytotheAdvisory Conciliation and ArbitrationService fora dation that er prepared for Conf partici by of understaffing, excessive overtime (often should be granted. A spokesman at TASS head office said that he regretted that the Union had to resort to ACAS p d ‘We would rather use the more traditional industrial muscle to force recognition’, he said. rises then the choice is open for SLATE awiderangeofissuesandtobringthe tobecomelargerorforthesubscription This second agreement reached by TASS in aprivate engineering practice While so far the NAM initiative for a unionisation drive has come mainly from salaried architects, TASS, with its strong Moyement’s views and activities to the attention of the widest readership. .help build SLATE’s readership .helptobuildNAM .subscribeto SLATE . show it to your friends . become a local rep to distribute SLATE in your office, school or town . ask for SLATE in your local bookshop .get your school or office to subscribe. to fall, but for the moment it must not get into debt. ADVERTISING At an early meeting the committee decide not to take commercial adver-- tisements in SLATE. Advertisements from alternative groups and personal small ads are, however, welcome. A small charge would be made but the committee reserves the right to turn down any advertisement closer. While TASS only claim less than 10% membership throughout W S Atkins 6 U.K. branches employing about 2,000 staff, the achievements of workers in one small department will hopefully demonstrate the potential and benefits of organisation to their colleagues inside, and and outside buat. se TASS. amongst clerical as well asprofessional workers, is in an ideal position to help achieve the kind of multi-<disciplinary, ‘vertical unionisation’ which the (Unionisation) Organising Committee's report, ‘Working For What?’ (65p post paid from NAM, 9 Poland St., London W1) considered essential to successful organising in the building professions, which are characterised by small offices, often arbitrary status divisions, and overlapping occupational boundaries. Choosing TASS ThoughtheMay14thConference participants were overwealmingly ‘professionals’, several technicians and secretariesalsoparticipated.Architectural employees were in a clear majority, but quantity surveyors, engineers, and town- i were also present. InchoosingTASS,theConference rejected the Organising Committee's recommendation in favour of the TGWU, a minority report for ASTMS, and vociferous support for the STAMP section ofUCATT, which theCommittee had consideredunfeasiblealongwiththe EPEA (EngineersandManagers Association, formerly the EPEA, Electrical Electrical Power Engineers) and the formation of an entirely new union. But there was little opposition to the Committee's view that organising should includewithinoneunionalbuildi design staffs: professional, technical and clerical workers from al the disciplines. of agency staff and the ‘architectural lump’ on both salaries and quality of work was also stronly criticised. Discussion of organising strategy stressed stressed the need to achieve union recognition in particular firms and institute collective bargaining to demonstrate what organisation can achieve. It was felt that concentrating on recruiting only scattered individual members, without recognition in offices, could soon result in the same decline which doomed ‘craft union’ attempts like the ABT and the AOA. Beyond bread and butter There can be litle doubt about TASS's abilitytoprovideeffectivesupportto architectural and allied workers trying to organise. But in looking beyond the immediate ‘bread-and-butter issues to broaderquestionsofworkers’control, community accountability, job satisfaction, and conversion to socially useful production, building design staffs settingupa‘unionwithintheunion’ shouldmakesuretodevelopastrong ‘shop-floor’organisationabletoholdits own against the well-oiled TASS machine for which they have quite understandably opted. Itisthrough rank-and-file organisation, oftne against opposition from highly-centralised union ies,thatsuchpi ingtrade union initiatives as the Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards proposals for fighting WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers and more ideas. This issue was put together by acommittee of seven. A larger committee would meana better newsletter; so would more writers, illustrators, cartoonists and photographers, and simply more suggestions for stories and features. Ifyou would like to work for SLATE, join the committee or suggest topics it should cover, then please write in soon. Thecopydeadlineforthenextissueis Friday 24th June 1977 OUR HIGH COVER PRICE 40p is a lot to pay for a newsletter this big. The funding of SLATE is connected to the funding of NAM as awhole, and last year the Movement ran up substantial debts.Thisyear’sliaisongroupdetermined that that situation should not arise © ORGANISATION continued from page J The Long Hard Haul Over sixty people attended the May 14th Conference, called by NAM’s (Unionisation) Organising Committee. The Conference organisers considered the turn-out to be ‘the tip of the iceberg’, but have few illusions about the long, hard task of organising which has hardly begun. In a turbulent morning session, the Conference heard arguments in favour of joining unions representing building workers but opted for TASS on the strength of its record of successful organising amongst engineering design staffs, its steady progress in the difficult field of organising in professional engineering consultancies, and the excellent back-up provided by its officials and its widely-respected research, publications and legal departments. TASS wasoneofsixoptionsoutlinedina comprehensive, confidential Briefing individual capacities, the 145 member Staff Association of Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall and Partners Edinburgh office, Scotland's largest firm, sent a deligate who reported that since its inception a year ago to fight redundancies, the RMJMSA has been increasingly interested in unionisation. TASS already represents several technicians in the office. eens Priorities MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly again and fixed the subscription rate on which we stand just aswell as Despitetheprofession'sdeclining work load, several architects complained by the Movement’s Liaison Group and edited on its behalf by an adhoc committee set up in January 1Otiee News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, and the building industry and to the wider public are included to stimulate debate on accordingly, both to the Movement and the newsletter, in the knowledge that insolvency would never help the Movement to grow, and in the conviction that NAM’s strength will lie among people who are prepared to support its activities to the full. The annual subscription to SLATE, for five issues, is £2 00.If circulation the ground on which we build. But ifthe RIBA and the AJ don’t know quite how shakey the ground is, redundant building workers and underpaid architectural workers do. They want action not surveys. Surveys are a ready substitute for DOING, and they do have the potential to show the lie of the land alittledifferentlyfromreality. Could it be that the RIBA and the AJ don’t really want to DO anything anything about the crisis at all? scrap From the world of architecture as fine art, news that the struggle continues. International projects require international Architecture so the United Nations commissioned Giancarlo de Carlo and Jim St rling to cooperate in the design of their new UNESCO headquarters in Nigeria. Afficiandos of the two Masters will realise that their styles the (Unionisation) Organising Committee, without pay), and resultant decline in the quality of service provided for clients and users. A number of speakers suggested suggested the importance of pressing demands for ‘open books’, as it was felt that in many firms, despite the partners ‘crocodile tears’, the financial resources were there to support adequate staffing levels and that productivity was rising COPYRIGHT ...ANDTHEFUTURE Anyarticleorpartofanarticleorpart areasincompatible,wehear,as For SLATE to grow asalively reflection oftheviewsofradicalArchitectural Workers and others concerned with the processes which shape our environment, accountability of editorial decisions to themembers oftheMovement isessential. This year four further issues are planned. Each one will be proceeded by an open meeting with the Editorial Committee. Come and express your views and criticismsatthesemeetingsorthrough theletterscolumnofSLATE. Next yearitissuggestedthattheadhoc committee should be disbanded to be replaced by an editorial committee elected by and directly responsible to the annual congress of the Movement. ThenextSLATEopenmeetingisin London on 13th June 1977 at the *Roebuck’ -108A Tottenham Court Road London W1 SLATE2 nave2 of an article in SLATE may be freely but accurately reproduced, providing thatSLATEiscreditedastheorigin of any material used. LASTLY... A subscription form for SLATE and a membership form for NAM are included on the last page. Please indicate also if you would like to distribute SLATE in youroffice,schoolortown.SLATE is freetoalmembersofNAM their personalities. So the project was split into two parts, the mojor andtheminor.Nowtheyare scrapping over who should design which part, each supported by his small army of trusty retainers. Itsalpolitics,butwhowasitwho said that the conditions in Architecture Architecture are feudal? salvage Yes, we're jumping on the bandwagon. Salvagecanbe progress.Hereareafewitems whichweconsiderworth adding to the AJ’s list: the jobs of tens of th ds of design and construction workers throughout a ition on SLATEispublishedbytheLIAISONGROUP theindustry;thestandardsof oftheNEWARCHITECTUREMOVEMENT, provision,constructionand continued from page J be achieved before GRASP is implemented unilaterally. They will then be able to resist the unacceptable aspects of GRASP froma position of strength. Questionedonthegeneralissueofthe re-writingofcontractsinprivateoffices amemberofthe14thMayUnionisation Committee (formerly NAM’s Unionisation Organising Committee) said, ‘legislation like the Contract of Employment Act is al very well, bu tthe individual is in a badpositiontoopposetheemployer whenredundancyisjustaroundthe corner, even when the law seems to be on his side. To police any Acts like these you need to be organised with your fellow workers.Thisistherolethattrades unions can play- they have both the expertiseandthemuscle.” 9, Poland St., London. W1. Typesetting by Julia Wilson-Jones Printed by WOMEN IN PRINT, 16a, Iliffe Yard,London,SE17. design of houses and facilities for working people. The right of icommunities to retain their integrity [rs inthefaceofdevelopment private and public, and, oh yes, a few ices andfinnialstoo. redundancies by converting to socially participantscamefromoutsidetheLondon usefulproductionhavebeenmade. SPREADS which based itsfindings on nine ears of sh, which included expl talks with a half dozen TUC affiliated — unions. base among drawing office staffsin inthe BuildingP: i g ing andits growing h fasterthansalaries.Thedepressingeffect brings the reality of Trades Union Over a quarter of the Conference London area. While nearly al came in SLATE2page3 Feature in Slate : Todaythereisextensiveliteratureonthe word community, much of itwarning of the dangers of careless use of the word. Having ignored 99% of this careful thought and experience, architects are now bandying about the word community through the notion of ‘community architecture’. This new term needs to be critically examined before we too slide into its use, adding to the confusion. Tom Woolley examines different community architecture phenomena, developing an analysis which warns that merely adding the word community to existing forms of practice should not be enough to ensure our support. ° . community action Community action was recognised during the 60s as a largely localist moyement involving working class people with support from many intellectuals who were disillusioned with the institutional left. There had, of course, been much significant social protest throughout the 20th century, outside the sphere of production (the 1915 Glasgow rent strike, squatting after the war and the St. Pancras rent strike in 1960 being famous examples). But in the "60s we can see the growth of organisations concerned with awider range of issues in the sphere of reproduction . from playgroups to food co-ops, motorway resistance, the women’s movement and countless Many groups were concerned with architectural and buildi BP blems but the invol of architects was marginal. Notable except- -ions included the work of architecture students inMASHA (Manchester and Sal ford Housing Action) and in Covent Garden. Itis important to note, however that while some lawyers, public health inspectors and other professionals established counter organisations to support this movement, architects did nothing and as a result have very little credibility among working class groups. Equally important during this period was the rapid extension of complex state measures to cope with social discontent and other social problems. Many government agencies were set up or extended to deal with race relations, housing advice and community work. The so called voluntary movement in housing was tightened up through the Housing Corporation and now retains merely a veneer of voluntary independence. Investment by the state in this network is a feature of its role in maintaining capitalism through the reproduction of a healthy labour force force and its careful regulation and control. The recent CDP pamphlet ‘Community Work or Class Politics’ is one of many documents which explains how the role of community work isone of social control . ‘the integration of the poor and discontented into existing patternsofsociety.’Thisanalysisofthe state needs greater elaboration than is possible here but is amplified by John Be ington .....‘the economic crisis which now confronts al advanced capitalist economies and the U.K. in particular has resulted in a major shift in the state’s role in the pattern of public expenditure. As multi national capital withdraws from British manufacturing industry in search of more profitable areas of investment, the state is increasinly moving in to cushion and mask the most blatent consequencies (mass redundancies, soaring unemployment, sudden decline of whole communities’)etc. Community action has developed either in protest at the nature of the State’s measures or in attempts to win resources for a particular locational or interest group. That such action often fails to politicise those involved is evidence evidence of the success of the aptly named named ‘soft cops’, community workers and the like,who act as intermediaries in the process. civil servants of the streets It is in this role that we find the first ‘community architects’. Urban problem solvers who become more sensitive to the needsofordinarypeople,abletopresent a more acceptable face at public meetings and able to abandon the old bulldozer/ high flat mentality of most public architects of the time. One of the earliest examples of architect involvement in a social control experiment is the Shelter Neighbourhood Action Project in 1970 mirrored in a less heavy handed way by the ASSIST project in Glasgow. Both set up neighbourhood offices advocating rehabilitation to hostile local authorities and suspicious local people bu twith encouragement from central government. An analysis or SNAP is particularly useful as its literature presented a classic pluralist anlysis of inner city problems including the revealing notion of professionals as ‘civil servants of the streets’ that led to Hilary Rose’s description of the SNAP report as a ‘Blueprint for bureaucrats’. Other limited experiments were to follow with much talk of ‘participation’ such as Byker and Swinbrook but were largely concemed with more effective manage- -ment of problems like rehousing. They were progressive in that they brought architects into contact with ordinary people for the first time, but with the aim ofimplementing mare smoothly, schemes which had been determined and were controlled by the authorities, not the people affected. Itwould be possible to trace the development of ‘community architecture’ in the early’70s, but it is in 1977 that the termhasachievedcommon usage particularly with the RIBA which has jumped on the community architecture bandwaggon by setting up aworking party to gather information on what is going on. To this end it called ameeting in Birmingham on February 17th attended attended by about 30 architects and academics, to discuss the subject. The main pre-occupation seemed to be with rehabilitating the public image of the architect through the increased involve- -ment of private practices in community (i.e. public sector) work. At one level, thereforetheprivatepracticionersatthe meeting were concemed with ways of winning more work from the public Sector, perhaps through supporting community action groups in struggles with councils and,if successful,picking up the commission as a result. A number of ar-hitects there claimed that they were subsidiring their community work, such as fighting a public enquiry over clearance for a residents group, from other more profitable work. They only collect fees if the residents win and the State pays Black road to Hackney Changesinthecodeofprofessional conduct are critical issues for private architects attempting to find more work. No-one knows this better than Rod Hackney, Britain’s best known ‘commun- -ity architect’, who from being reported by his local RIBA chapter has risen to become a leading light in the RIBA, chairing its Birmingham meeting, a candidate for the RIBA council and winner of a gold medal, proudly mounted on his office wall. He gives hope to aspiring young architects, who stil think they can make their fortune through private practive. From nothing, Hackney has built up a successful practive in 4 years years with 5 offices largely on the reputation of the famous Black Road THECOMMUNITY housingactiongroups. their costs. Despite suchphilanthropic motives their main concern is with getting the architects’ code of conduct relaxed so that touting for work and speculative work (i.e. not charging in the hope of gettingfeeslater)willbegiventheofficial scheme inMacclesfieldCheshire.The stamp of approval. The problem for the CLIENT Rls. is how to make contact with more cliznts of this kind. One answer has been to establish schemes with Citizen’s advice bureaux. corner shop RIBA In small towns and rural areas the C.A.B. is usually the only place to go to for help with a wide variety of problems and they normally maintain lists of professional people prepared to give (very) limited advice free of charge. Local chapters of the RIBA are now Organising rotas of architects to be available to C.A.B.s to give advice, Not only will they pick up work from people normally intimidated from approaching architects, but the RIBA will have points of contact with the extensive world of social services and voluntary organisatiosn. Organisations. RIBA spokesmen deny so frequently that this isajob getting exercise that their motives become fairly obyious. By and large the C.A.B.s are concerned with individual case work and do not make any efforts to encourage community case work or political work to tackle the causes of the problems which they are trying to solve. . one skillpool goes fishing As work is harder to find, many architects are establishing similar schemes to make contact with new clients or share work around. One such group calling itself Skillpool has been formed by architects, many of them women in London. Despite their talkof ‘serving the community’, they are primarily concerned concerned with finding work for their members and establishing aconstitutuion approved of by the professional establish- -ment, yet allowing them to advertise for work. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with trying to find useful employment, but the occasional use of the word ‘community’ is not enough evidence ofa commitment to benefit the mass of the people. myths surrounding Black Road need more thorough treatment than is possible here, but Hackney took advantage of a backward Tory Council to implement a General Improvement Area in away that isundoubtedly impressive. Costs were low, old age pensioner tenants became owner occupiers, self help techniques were used, standards relaxed and Hackney the architect worked on a day to day basis with the local residents association. It isn’t surprising that the scheme has attracted massive interest from both self help pundits and local authority officials and brought Hackney speaking ivitations by the dozen. His ability to beat the council and manipulate the complications ofimprovement grants and other finance won him further housing work in Birmingham (Saltley) and in Cumbria as well as other non housing work. But it is important to remember that however competent Hackney is,he isdoing little more than implement existing housing provisions, stimulating a few procedural changes perhaps. The successful community architect of this type makes others dependent on his control of the information and is not accountable to local residents. Hackney’s employees in his offices up and down the country are answerable to him, not the local community where they are working. They may be more acceptable to the local people but in Hackney’s second major scheme, in Saltley, his main client isalarge housing association, COPEC which which is not controlled by the residents. The radicals in the local residents group were isolated and the people split into factional interests. A promising building co-op scheme failed, but Hackney isstil there. Hackney dominated the RIBA Birmingham meeting using it as a platform for his views that the RIBA conditions of engagement are ‘not relevant to Community Service’ and that architects should have more freedom in interpret- -ing the building regulations. This paper argues that “ architecture’ is a catch-all title applied a wide range of activities many of which weshouldatleastcriticiseifnotrejectin our search for socially responsible architectural practice. These activities are largely in the public sector and fal into three main categories. 1. An attempt by more progressive sections of private practive to win work from the public sector. The growth of new kinds of technical experts who work at the interface between public authorities, housing associations etc, and the public. Both of these have led to the encouragement of non-political involve- -ment of architects and architecture students in so-called community action in the search for work or experience. 3. The activities of misguided radicals who enjoy the bright lights and publicity of ‘community’ struggles against bureaucracy but who fail to locate their work in a broader strategy for political change subscribing, instead toa pluralist analysis of society. All three forms of activity can be caracterised as reformist and are motivated motivated bya liberal social concern and the architects desire to do something practical disregarding theory or analysis. They become part ofa process which channels protest and discontent into activitieswhichmaybenefitafewinthe short term but do not contribute to longer term structural changes which benefit the many. There are alternatives to this. Iam not arguing that we should confine ourselves to purely theoretical or analytical work or reject the role of the architect. Instead we should endevour to establish new ways of working that become part of a political movement. Members of ‘Support’ which is briefly referred to below, are attempt- -ing to do this. to forced to manipulate Caught between the pressure of residents on the one hand and ahierarchy of decision making on the other, the local authority community architect will be forced to manipulate people into accepting what has already been decided by those higher up, distributing limited resources. The system will exploit the social conscience of the young radical professional letting him win the confidence of local people. While the exponents of community architecture scramble for the limited rehabilitation jobs that are available there are innumberable struggles through- out the country about housing and building where groups cannot find an architect or ot her technical experts to help them. Whilst Iwas typing this article I had two phone calls, one from a tenants association in Manchester wanting to get in touch with anyone with information on a dreaaful concrete system that creates dampness and appall- -ing living conditions. Another from a group in South East London asking for advice where the GLC wants to dump responsibility for managing their estate, on the tenants. There is litle likelihood of getting fees for such work nor is there much likelihood of the glamour of television and media coverage. To help such groups needsa political commitment which is not shared by those people hitching themselves to the community action bandwagon. Indeed the people in the best position to help such groups are architects and others within local govern- -ment departments. They know about the corruption and sloppy building that goes into public housing, they have access to documents and drawings which are kept secret from people who have to live in these disasters. SLATE2 page5 COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE Several members of the ASSIST staff also attended the Birmingham meeting. Much of their work issimilar toHackney but they have avoided becoming aprivate Practice in the conventional sense. Their members are much more self critical and awareofthe dilemma oftheirsituation. They too are working in an area where a backward local authority was, and stil is, unable to implement rehabilitation effectively. ASSIST isdoing thejob for them and inevitably taking pressure of the local authority. There seems little doubt that many more enlightened local authorities would like to adopt their shop front office style ifthey could persuade their staff to work in them, but in ASSIST the staff can at leastclaimtobeindependentofthe local authority. The front line official cannot and can easily find himself in an imposs- -ible situation N Whether through leaks ororganisedsolidaritywiththetenants’ movement, local authority employees have a moral duty to help people they see having a rough deal. There may be risks involved but many may be made redundant tomorrow anyway. A further vital job for architects is to build up research and information about ion about respective roles whether members are being paid or not. Thirdly, to develope straightforward practical competence that is of use to others combined with agitation for political change, one cannot be an excuse for the absence of the other. There is much that needs to be done involving practical intervention in community action and NAM should be offset by the labour subsidy from the ‘Job Creation Programme’ but there remains the tensionofconstantlyworkingontheedgeof economic insolvency. The Coop’s overheads are low by the Building Industry's standards but stil account for a fifth of the grant. a conditional existence The Coop is also aware that their existence is conditional upon good relations with COMMUNITY DESIGN SERVICE IN CARDIFF In December last year the Cardiff NAM group’s application for a grant under the Job Creation Programme to set up a Community Design Service was rejected bu the Manp Services Commission. Here we publish the first part of the Group’s account of the evolution of their proposal, its development and eventual failure. Part two, in the next SLATE, deals with the problemsencounteredbytheGroupoverthe question of professional indemnity and with the vacilating response of the Commission’s officers. It also speculates on the reasons able to offer, and since we were hoping to use any responses we might get to back up our application, we asked respondents to say IF they would use such a service if it existed, and also HOW they would use it. The letter was circulated to residents’ associations, community groups, and voluntary organisations in South East Wales. Through the West Glamorgan County Council’s Community Resources Centre, and South Glamorgan Council’s Ci R Centre, and South Glamorgan Council's Community Liaison Section, we made contact with groups not known to us personally. Response was extensive and positive, from abstract encouragement to concrete requests forhelp,someofthemurgent. Itcamemainly from the run down older residential areas of Cardiff, and from the mining valleys to the north and west, through organisations like the South Wales Anti-Poverty Action Group based in Merthyr Tydfil; Ty Toronto of Aberfan, a community work and resource organisation for the valleys; the Prince of Wales Committee, aims: ‘to encourage, help, and advise The Prince of Wales Committee concluded their letter: ‘Manyof these groups would appreciate the kindof esristance which you are offering. Some needskilledhelptoimaginethepotentialforimprove -ment in their neighbourhood, Others need advice with plans for specific schemes, Almost all could nor afford to pay professional fees for specialist advice of this sort because of their own limited resources. Your scheme could be the means of providinga valuable impetus and greatly needed additional service to thore interested in improving thetr environment.’ These responses raised questions about the categories of work which should be undertaken by a design service such as the one we had proposed. Should we be helping residents’ groups to ‘provide voluntarily’ and out of their own pockets, what government resources shouldbepayingfor,ordesigning“kitchen/ toilet facilities’ for the Church in Wales? These are questions we had not even begun to discuss. Neither had we considered in any detail the ways in which the nature of the design service we would be offering would differ in essence from the sort of design service the RIBA might envisage. For example, if we were to provide encouragement to groups who need “faith in their ability’ to undertake work which would not probably be undertaken without active encouragement, would this be touting for work? And what kind of work which we might under- take for those groups who ‘could not afford to pay professional fees’ -JCP money would enable us to providea free design service (for a year) but how would they, and the RIBA, fel aboutusgettinginvolvedineffortstoraise money for carrying out projects, especially when that may mean advising residents groups building design, systems and failures that canbemade availabletoc ity involvedin gingthiWesm.ust ManpowerServicesCommission groups The study of Clorius heat meters whichledtoanationalcampaignby tenants groups disatisfied with district heating schemes is a good example ofthis. Campaigns should be organised with tenants for building regulations to be tightened up so that standards and safety are improved, particularly in public housing. We should oppose giving more freedom to people like Road Hackney to find ways around the regulations. radical rhetoric This is going to involve consistent be careful, however, to discriminate between our pursuit of socially responsible action and the bandwagon of‘community architecture.’ Tom Woolley has been involved in housing and ‘community’ action with tenants and residents groups in Scotland and London since 1968. While qualified as an architect he has worked for a period asa community worker. He currently taches part time at the AA, isa member of the executive of the Brent Federation of Tenants and Residents and isa member of the Support group. LAMBETH COOPERATIVE and the Association itself Lambeth Council have taken a ‘tolerant’ line withtheCoopsofaralthoughalnegotiations have been characterised by prolonged yet strangely superficial ‘consideration’ of the Coop's needs. The Council gets a good deal from the Coop. Each house completed costs them nothing, increases rates revenue and means a potential shortening of the housing list, Nevertheless the Council have so far only allowed two years life on any house handed over thus restricting the Coop to the minimum *MiniHAG’ grant of £800. The money isnot paid directly to the Association but to Solon who qualify for the grant because they are a registered housing association. Solon receives a management fee of about £115 for handling the grant and checking the standard of rehabilitation. Solon have experienced ‘bridging fi ance’ prob sincetheHousingCorporationhave not kept to their quarterly payment arrangement. It is unlikely that the Coop could survive for very long on the present subsidised basis and moves have bezn made towards tendering for outsidework.Solonhaveagreedinprinciple for the project’s failure, showing how, to gain acceptance, it would have been necessary to set up the project within the established structure of the RIBA and the Local Authorities. individuals and groups of people living in politicalorganisingwhich fewarchitects haye shown interest in. The radical thetoric and occasional confrontation with local authorities of groups such as ARCmayseemconvincingtooutsiders makeendsmeetasitdoesupshortlife butcanbeanembarassmenttolocal propertyinLambeth.Inadequatehousing toincludetheCooponitstenderlists. the various parts of the article were prepared by individual members of the Group and do not necessarily represent a collective view. While the Cardiff NAM group was stil in the throes ofdiscovering just what it was supposed to be about and where itwas supposed to be going, other things happened which led to the idea of a community design service. As the word spread that agroup of radical architectural workers had come together, communitygroupswerecontactingusandit quicklybecameevidentthattheywere primarily interested in us as a source of acvice andexpertise,interestedinusinour professional capacity, that is. NAM nationally had already initiated discussions about what a national design service might be, and it seemed that, at that time, we in Cardiff were in a position to initiate some such scheme. In view of the potential clientele, there developed the idea thattheprojectcouldberuninacompletely different way to traditional practices. The only thing in the way of setting it up was the small matter of money. An apparently readily available source of finance at the time was the Manpower Services Commission (MSC) who were financing certain projects under their Job Creation Programme (JCP). What we hoped to set up was a prototype community based design service which would begin to look at what terms like ‘accountability’ and a’more democratic architecture’ were really about. Theformingofsuchaservicewas,asfaras Iwas concemed, an extension of the work I had done in my final year at college, the emphasis being on ‘demystifying’ the profession, andhowthiscouldbetackled.TheJCPmight provide the money to start us up, buthopefully although we had no idea how at this stage, we would come up with some method of self financing to enable the project to continue. I also assumed, somewhat naively perhaps, that the people eventually employed by the service would share my initial concept of the project. To me, the important aspect of the scheme was that itwould be ameans of teaching US to teach others to help themselves with regard to the built environment. I feel there was a danger of the project being viewed as a cheap professional service, tiding over out of work architectural workers until something else tumed up. Community Design Service Needed In order to approach the MSC we needed todemonstratethatapotentialdemand existed for the sort of design service we were proposing. We prepared a letter outlining the range and broad type of service we would be Wales, wishing to carry out projects to improve their surroundings on avoluntary basis’; and various other community associations and resource centres. The range of work we were being asked to deal with is best illustrated by quoting from some of the responses we received. “We are trying to improve the vilage. We want someone togiveusfaithinourabilitytodothixWecould wait until the JCP gets off the ground bus the inirial enthusiasm might have disappeared by then. people. It certainly doesn’t provide a consistent approach which is going to involve more radical professionals. Brian Anson and George Mills cling to the notion of communities when they themselves admit that ity feeling has been destroyed by the plan- ners at Ealing or in the Colne Valley. Handouts from the Rowntree Trust may give them employment, but to claim that this will lead to the residents of the Colne Valley being able to dictate their own future is at best niave. a class analysis itisnecessary to reject ARC's pluralist approach and replace it with class analysis. We must understand the wayinwhichcapitalistsocietyorganises the production of buildings and how this can be changed by the working class.Indefiningourroleasprofessionals within this struggle we must work to break down the false status of professionals and replace it with mutual trust among all people with REAL skills and expertise. Support This is the basis of the work of Support which is a small group of architects and builders with a wide network of contacts which tries to find sympathetic and responsible experts to respond to the endless demands from local groups, but also tries to develope principles which will have political results. These principles include firstly working together as an identifiable group that will share experiences and publish these for the benefits of others. Secondly, it aims to establish clear agreements with client groups that are based on careful discuss- SLATE 2 page 6 grants and sparse cooperation from the Council contradict:the fact that the Coop provides useful houses and also illustrates the way that local initiative is both coopted and forced to work ‘on the cheap’. The future offers family squatting associations dealingwith‘shortlifes’twooptions:gounderfrom the stress of direct immersion in the housing crisis at street level OR to extend their control of their own housing situation. Seven months ago Lambeth Self Help Housing Association took up the second option. ‘MiniHAG’ grants were arranged through the Housing Corporation, wages for half the members came from the Manpowers Services Commission’s Job Creation Scheme’ and a building cooperative was formed. directaccess This has provided the Association with a direct access to the building process, a luxury reserved only for a tiny proportion of today’s tenants,publicorprivate.Eachunitis completed for under £800: this buys basic service installation and anything else required other than decorations. By comparison the council reckons on spending £100 per room per year of life. A seven-roomed house would qualify for £1,400, £630 more than the Coop spends. incentives The wages are low for the eight members of the Coop - U.C.A.T.T. minimum -about fifty pounds a week gross. Hence the economic motive is clearly not the prime incentive for the members as corresponding wages in the private sector would certainly be higher. But as compensation the Coop offers the freedoms and responsibilities that go with employment outside of a dominant management structure. With 17 units completed, the Coop is stil sortingoutmany problems: the‘MiniHAG’ (mini, meaning short-life, Housing Association Grant) is too small: £800 per unit was dubious in 1975 but in 1977 it is grossly inadequate. Part of the loss through inflation has been self perpetuating housing needs The Association itself started out 5 years ago by getting houses from the council and upgrading them through self-help and contributions paid by members. It currently has over 300 members al over Lambeth. In order to break out of the self-perpetuating housing need that the short-life field entails, theAssociationhasdecidedtoapplytothe Housing Corporation for ‘Housing Cooperative’ Status. This will enable them to buy houses on the open market and to rehabilitate them with a 90% grant. Two other squatting groups have done this: Lewisham Family Squatters and Islington Community Housing. urban stress Lambeth has recently been designated in a government report as an urban stress area and therefore worthy of a financial shot in the arm, althoughnoconcretestrategieshavesofar emerged. Strangely in contradiction to this honourable intention, central government subsidies for local authority rehabilitation workthroughsection105ofthe1974 * Housing Act have been cut by £3m in Lambeth. In apportioning these cuts the Housing Dept have reasoned that since housing association grants are trickling into its short life finance that it will cut council spending on short-lifes from £235,000 to £80,000 this year: H.A.G. finance in no way makes up for this cut and it has clearly been seized upon by the council as a way of avoiding its responsibilities in this area. So while the financial responsibility for Lambeth’s housing problem ricochets between local and central government the Building Coop are quietly putting on average one house a week against Lambeth’s aiting homeless figures. The breakdown of the extra cash to finance inner city building work was announced at the end of April. £5 million will go to Lambeth who will be asked to submit lists of the most desirable projects. DISCEPTION PY CHOOSING SurTAsiB JOBS. cA Y THOSE MySLIMS Realy GoToo Lambeth Self Help Housing Association member, Tony Brohn, describes how a local building cooperative struggles to Hesekearets,19me AGAIN! You mow, NOW Tast QUITE FRANKLY, Lambeth Council Housing Dept Housing Corporation TAM A MAN OF (orton) PRINCIPLES |Wie NOT BE A PARTY To BLocpsHiD— To THE BviL AMBITIONS OF PMAOCGRAISNHISM Shemees peamers Anse! TEV ree o> !-.-No!AenrEcrvRas4 CONTAMETS OF A PEACEFUL Nani, designing an extension (kitchen/totlets) (0 an church hal” are ier 7\|1WoutNever ineDUTYTeUteMoeat ON DESIGNAPRISON! (om \ J FAR WITH THER PUNISHMENTS. SLATE2 page7 ‘on the most effective way of getting local and central government resources allocated (or reallocated) to the project. The difficulties and shortcomings of the sort of service we proposed would be enormous, but Ithink itcould be said that the demand forit had been firmly established. Corridors ofPower —MSC We agreed that in order to !2am more about the mechanics of subinitting a JCP application we would need an early informal meeting with someone from MSC. Two of us made an initial approach along the corridors of power. Our first meeting was with the assistant to the MSC Cardiff area assessor. After outlining who we were and who we representedwe, tried to put across what our embryo design service was al about. We identified the need for a design input by the community groups we had contacted, and the linked need for employment in South Walesfor architectural workers. To our surpnise, response was enthusiastic. He thought the idea ofa L... possibly the design of an existing church building to be converted intoa residential youth centre for holiday use (though the building as such is srill being sought) * +... planning a housing community scheme in thit grea to show to the local authorities shar it is viable.’ “There are many Welfare Halls in che valleys that are not being fully utilised, these could be made into useful centres if the opportunity arose 10 aquire them. The possibility ofgetting such places for community use depends a great deal on the ability of people to improve the property. The kind of service you offer ‘could prove an incentive 10 this end, there are many empty buildings in the valleys that could be made use of provided they were brought up to the required standard.” *_. school groups interested in landscaping creat Seeee ncconumaaTionfortheelderlyuu.and keen to create murals on exterior walls ofvarious public buildings, including their own schools, *scone residents on large housing estateseho ae prepared to do something themselves fo relieve monotonous eppesrance..... the advice of a landscape architect or an architect would be invaluable." “Residents in the valleys often wish to tackle the problems of unnightly back lanes ‘and eyesores created by gaps in rows of houses or ends of terraces where buildings have been demolished.” COLNE VALLEY the answer? SowhatIsleft?Anageing population, no jobs for the young, dilapidated transport and communications systems, dereliction and polution on an unprecedendted scale. And the Local Authorities’ answer? Tourism, conservation and museums of industrial archeology and other cheap but negative solutions. For the people of the Valley, who are conscientious, warm hearted and proud, these ‘solutions’ are a blatant insult. Kirkleen Metropolitan Council, who are charged with responsibility for the wellbeingofthearea,ignorethe fate of local people and hope that enough commutors from Leeds, Bradford and Manchester will settleintheValley,dotherehab andspendthemoney. The Community Architecture Team Team sees the local people as the area's major res ource, along with any redundant buildings and derelict sites, empty through the neglecti,n acapitalist economy, of areaswhichlosttheirabilityto compete in world markets. In terms of its people the Valley stil has great potential, but a potential which must first be exposed and the then worked on, not with a view to profit,butwithaviewtopeople changing their own lives. autonomy Eachoftheiveprinciple vilages which make up Colne Valley retains some degree of social and cultural autonomy, something which socicties striving for a facade of ‘equalisteeya’s quaint but primitive and backward, We work on the premise that such autonomy is the basis for the future of places such as Slaithwaite and Marsden, for it is in this locality that British working men and women first organised themselvesinpursuitofabetter life. Our work attempts to weld autonomy, people, buildings and ideals into a potent social force, unbending to the perogative of management, unions or Government People may see al this as utopian. In places like the Colne Vallcy utopias have been visualised and aimed at for centuries. It is in the nature of people like those in the Valley to have their dreams and occasionally, on aparticularly strong impulse, to embark on them as if they were a clear cut reality merelyastepaway, local newspaper As part of a process of rebuilding the strength and impetus 0Sacommunity wesetupasmall localnewspaper. Itissteadily growing in circulation and with each issue moreof it iswritten by the people up and down the Valley, not by people in our office. We stil use the paper as vehicle for ideas about what to do with redundant buildings, disused sites andoutmoded planningstructures. We have no tangible proof that our work is having any effect, but we have constant hints and expressions of faith that we are being positive inthefaceofapredominantly negative society. We are stil gaining the trust of the people locally, but small groups -f activistsareformingwith theintent of rebuilding their area along THEIR lines, not those set down by Local Authorities, Capital or anyone elsc. Hopefully, once the Newspaper is established it will finance our continuing work, which must remain in its infancy until it is fertilised and fired by the imagination and desires of the people of the Valley. continued from page 7 design service for community groups was very worthwhileandanapplicationalongourlines was well worth attempting. He was ful of” ideas of how the project could be set up and along what lines it could progress, he even supplied us with the names and addresses of people and groups we should contact for letters of support. After the outline discussion we got down to talking about more detail, specifically: . Could we employ an administrator/ coordinator in advance of 5 technical staff in order to tie up al the loose ends? This was acceptable. Would the application be approved if premises were not finalised? Yes. Wouldithelpifwelinkedtheprofessional training requirements of architecture, planning etc. into the training emphasis of the JCP? Yes, this would be excellent, especiallyifyoucouldusetheRIBA trainingguidelinestostructurethetraining element in the service. The approval of the Welsh School of Architecture Practical Training Officer would be a big help in any application. ._ How flexible could our expenditure estimates be, did we have to itemise every piece of of equipment or could we put ina lumpsumtocoveralmaterials?Thereisa degree of flexibility in the scheme; money underspent in one area could be transfered to other categones. . Do we have to detail the jobs applied for or will an overall job description suffice? A generalsubscriptionwoulddo. Would asingle scale of salary for al employees be acceptable? MSC would prefer a differential between the architect andcoordinatorandthetrainees. If revenue was generated by the scheme how should it be used and what effect would it have on any MSC money? Revenue generation if acceptable as long as profits are not made and the money is used for purposes other than those financed by MSC but stil within the context of the scheme. With the answers to these questions and the attitude of this member of the staff, it appeared that our application had a very good chance indeed of being accepted by the committee (comprised of local notaries, councillors, professionals) to whom the MSC staff made their recommendations, and our design service idea seemed to take a great stride forward. The Application It was only in attempting to fulfill certain conditions which we thought, correctly or incorrectly, were required by the MSC, that some of us feel our original intentions were compromised. Although it was probably necessary to play down the possible political implications of such a project, we made the mistake of not confronting and fully discussing these implications amongst ourselves. MSC required that al JCP projects submitted to them should be sup b i Our apeteatan to JCP was for money to employ 6 workers, a total (labour costs plus 10%) of almost £15,000. For two reasons we specified that one of these workers should be a qualified architect. Firstly, it had been implied that out application would be looked at more favourably if we offered some sort of training opportunities. We approached the Practical Training Officer at the Welsh School who thought it would be possible to consider work with the scheme suitable experience for 4th year students. This required a qualified rvising architect. In retrospect, some of felt that this made us even more dependent than we needea to have been on the goodwill of the professional establishment. Secondly, we had understood that the employment ofa qualified architect would be necessary to enable us to obtain the appropriate insurances. Subsequently, we found that this is not the case. REVIEV REVIEW OF ‘TAMING THE CONCRETE JUNGLE’ Green Bans, the widely feted culmination of the actions of Australian Building Workers, are only part of the story told in this book.. Journalist Pete Thomas, writingonbehalfoftheBuilders’ Labourers Federation of Australia, tells how the union has also seized many opportunities to take imaginativedirectactiontoerode theauthorityofbuildingmanagement management over questions of site safety, scheduling of work, redundancies and working conditions conditions. A rank and file lead takeover of the union leadership by progressives in the early 60’s signalled an onrush ofNewUnionismwhichtookasits sphere of concern and action the whole state of the Australian Construction industry. Automation and industrialisation had brought about collosal increases inproductivitywhileby1972the practice of sub-contracting had reached such proportions that the ratio of wage eamers to sub- contractorswasonlythreetoone. These developments added new safety and health risks and further job instability to the building workers more traditional problems, hostile working conditions and casual hourly employment. The response of the building workers ranged from the scurillous: taking a shower on the steps of Newcastle's city hall to draw attention to inadequate sanitary facilities on site - to the revolutionary revolutionary -one site electing their own foreman, in response to police harassment, and continuing work under self-management for the remaining months of the contract. Many individual manifestations like these spread a consciousness of the workers’ own collective authority throughout the union. Approached by local residents for assistance in their attempts to save from development Kelly’s Bush, an area of open land near Sydney’s city centre, the Builders’ Labourers readily dedtheideaofworkers’ control beyond the immediate concems of the pay packet and the site. No further construction would take place on any of the developer's other sites, decreed the Builder’s Labourers, ifhe persisted in his plans for Kelly’s Bush. The Green ban was successful as were many subsequent bans in New South Wales and other states. British readers may feel remote from this swashbuckling tale of workers’ struggles in the Antipodes. Our building industry, in many ways as primitive and harsh as its Australian counterpart, is generally stil bedevilled by the remnants of continued on page 10 WORKING FORWHAT? PROJECT George Mills describes the work of the Community Architecture Team in the Colne Valley against the background of the aspirations of an isolated working community. CA was set up by the Architects Revoi iticnary Council in 1976 The Community Architecture team’s work in the Colne Valley, near Huddersfield, is still in its infancy. Setupbymembersof the Architects’ Revolutionary Council (ARC) in 1976, the project is a response to a problem whichthemajorityofplanners electtoignore,theyfecl industrial districts made so economically weak by the erosion of their markets that they can no longer support themselves in any tangible way Textile manufacture was the Colne Vall industry. At the heyday ofthe ourandahalf mile long valey’s productivity something like 50 mils flourished, each employing between 100 and 2000 workers. When an erea this size is devoted tooneindustryno aroefalife isunaffected byits industrial decline. Textile manufacture still has astrong presence in the Valey,but themilsthemselves ti sons for a.chaic achinery and production methods parts of the world THECASEFORTRADEUNIONORGANISATIONINARCHITECTURE AND THE ALLIED BUILDING PROFESSIONS REVIEW OF ‘WORKING FOR WHAT?’ Sunund Prasad, Edward Cullinan Architects, writes, Few people who wish to see a radical (democratising) change in the existing process of making and providing buildings will doubt thatifArchitecturalWorkerscombinewitheach other to further their interests and ideals, potentially a huge and necessary step would have been taken in the right direction. The thoughtful, well argued and deeply feltNAM report‘WorkingforWhat’should dispel doubts, where they do exist, about the desirability or possibility of this The challenge is where do we go from there; firstlywhetherwecanlearnfrom200yearsof often cautionary union history (builders, incidentally, were amongst the first workers to organise) and secondly whether we can persue political effectiveness while not, for one moment, losing a passion for the quality of what we build and a desire to build it. The report, though necessarily not very analytical about the history of Trade Unionism, meets well the first challenge especially in the series of questions headed ‘which union’ at the end, and in being enthusiastic about the examples set by Australian building labourers and Lucas Aerospace workers in breaking out of the ‘Sheer Economism’ of modern Trade Unionism. Iwish though that even in a report such as this the second challenge were somehow acknowledged. At one point itis stated ‘there are very few problems facing Architecture today that trade union organisation and action could not come to grips with and make a real contribution towards resolving’. Clearly this will need a radically new unionism not shy of addressing architectural issues and willing to develope critiques of recent movements and trends which are far less crude and ill-informed than the report’s brief forays into this terntory. Only recently has it become possible for reactiontomakestickachargeofphilistinism on the ‘left’. This tragic reversal must not be allowed to stand by default. One of the crucial tasks in this connection is to show that “democratic alternatives to the market system’ are as capable and more of generating quality. invention and style. Finally, as a member ofa practice of the kind referred to in the Appendix “Alternatives to Unionisation?’ Iendorse the reservations about ‘one-off progress but would like to express our conviction that itisimportant to have a dream about where you are going and not merely wait for your arrival there New Architecture Movement, (unionisation) Organising Committpe: ‘Working For Whet?- The case for Trades Union orgenisation in Architecture and the altied building profersions: ANAM report: 1977:6Sp post paid. SLATE 2 page 9 bear witr theindustry” condit incapeable dem in other eos =s w» nen ee continued from page 9 old fashioned craft unionism and dominated by old fashioned union leadership. Extending the concept of Trades Unionism beyond the confines of wage negotiation to assert the workers’ authority over the whole production process and the product itselifs an idea which isslowly gaining credence here, amongst scientific workers at Lucas Aerospace and construction workers in Birmingham in particular. Pete Thomas’ book, for al its unquestioning enthusiasm for the Builders’ Labourers cause and actions, is as good an explanation ofwhat workers’ control means as any theoretical treatment of the topic, and is exciting with it. COMPETITION CORNER Pete Thomas: ‘Taming the Concrete CENTRAL SQUARE BLOCKS1&2 &0.17 OPPOSITION «mong architectural workers is one aspect of the much publicised recent GLC ‘in-house’ competition that the Council’s public relations machine chose to ignore when it leafletted the press with pretty drawings like the one above. In a resolution proposed by the Architect’s Department Committee, NALGO’s GLC Executive Council called A CALL for clearer political perspectives was the recurrent conclusion of the New Architecture Movement’s Second London Seminar. The open seminar, held at the Polytechnic of Central London on Apmil 23rd focused on the issues of ARCUK, unionisation and education. Tom Woolley, speaking first,outlined the rise of NAM against the background of the spreading acceptance of the idea that architectural ideas and attitudes were strongly influenced by economic forces. Even the RIBA was shedding its liberalism and could no longer tolerate radical critiscism. InconclusionTomWooleysaidthat structural chance in society could only be the result of political action, and it was within this tramework that NAM should see it’s role. Rodney Mace added that NAM was the only group correctly placed to provide acoherent analysis and political directions forarchitectural professional organisation, ARCUK isapublic institution, and NAM should work to increase ARCUK’s public accountability. Questioned on their accountability to the Movement, NAM’s representatives on ARCUK agreed to meet to discuss policy through consultation with members and are considering holding a conference for al unattached architects. Unionisation The next discussion was opened by a member who described the enormous resistance of employerstotheideaofunionisation. The threat of being sacked was strong enough to prevent radical architects broaching the subject openly or putting their names to published statements. Organising architectural workers was a fundamental point in NAM’s programme, and thatTradesUnionactionbeextended beyond pay and conditions at the workplace into environmental and social issues. Itwas here that i would have to offer the Trades Union movement. This ‘New Unionism’ wasillustratedbyreferencetoLucasAerospace, where shop stewards, in the face of threatened redundancies,haddrawnupaplanfor maintaining employment by producing ‘socially useful’ goods instead of military hardwear, within the existing capabilities of the plant. Unionisation should not be seen as an easy insurance against increasing unemployment, low wages or unsatisfying work, but as part of a general political struggle. We should aim to achieve a single union for al workers, including technical, administrative and managerial staff in al offices. The meeting was wamed against RIBA or employers organising tame para-unions to defuse the issue. Against the proposition of shop-floor organisation put forward by the principal speakers, certain factions held that architectural work can only be seen in the context of the construction industry, and that the correct continued on page 12 Jungle’:New South Wales branch of the Australizn Building Construction Employees and Bulders' Labourers Federation: Sydrey :1973: £1.00 NAM _GROUP SPIANTCHEEHOME 261 Hangng Space ARCUK Group, NAM, 9, Poland St., London WI. Liaison Group The Secretary, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1 National Design Service: NDS, NAM, 9, Poland St., Students and tutors at Nottingham School of Architecture, who have already established an active NAM group both on and off the campus, are toholda‘counter-courseevent’over workers. the weekend of June 25-26th. All those 7a wa onitsarchitecturalmemberstoblackthe London,W1. y \ | Archi 7 4 i [acre eal (ie wane) Kingston-u-Hull Regional College of Art, Brunswick Ave., Hull Leeds: Pete Forbes, Parkview, Weeton Lane, Hoby, Leeds 17 London Group: Douglas Smith, 17, Delancey St., London, NW1 Nottingham Group: Dave Green, 44a, Bramcote Rd., Beeston, Nottingham Education Group: Edinburgh: David Somervell Hull: Jane Bryant, Hull School of Architecture. Leeds: Pete Forbes Nottingham: Dave Green NAM groups wanting to contribute information on their activities should get their copy to SLATE by 24thJune1977forinclusioninthe next issue. NEXT WEEK: 26.2Spacein‘hegaschamber REHABILITATION NEWS . Architectural workers at Richard Sheppard Robson & Partners refused to work on drawings of amultiple execution chamber for a so called rehabilitation centre in North Africa, reported London lettertotheGUARDIAN recently. SLATE 2 page 10 Fill in the form below and send it with a cheque/PO (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £2.95 plus 10p post and packing to NAM, 9 Poland St., London WI. NAME. 2000 | Hulul: Ian Tod, Hull School of Architecture, competiton shortly after its announcement. Support was not forth- -coming however, from the parallel branch of the GLC Staff Association, when NALGO wrote suggesting joint actionovertheblacking,vitalforsuccess in the capaign. Reasons for blacking the competition were given as: - It is using work normally carried out by the Architect's Department, which could be better utilised by giving employment to one of the many architects at present on the dole, - It aims to induce our members to carry out duties outside working hours without pay. - In the present climate of cutbacks in GLC expenditure, staffing levels, livingstandards and promotion prospects, it can only be seen at best asa spoonfuolf sugar. - Staff are being encouraged to carry out this exercise even though there isa complete lack of consultation with the staff on their future and particularly on the issue of viable housing briefs, future level of housing production and staffing levels, support witheld Staff Association support was with- held on the grounds that some of its members may wish to enter the competition. Only 5 entrants put in schemes in the end -how many of these were GLCSA members is not known. Even with only 5 entrants, the competition, with prize money of £250.00 was cheap exploitation. The passive stance of the TUC affiliated Staff Association in not supporting its sister union, NALGO, comes as less of a Surprise in view of the compromised positionofstaffassociationsgenerally. (See SLATE no 1). Projects Group: David Roebuck, 25, St. George’s Ave., London, W1 Unionisation Organising Committee, NAM,9 PolandSt,London,W1 PublicationsGroup: Editorial Committee, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1 Cardiff Group: Anne Delaney, 196, Albany Rd., Roath, Cardiff Edinburgh: interested in obtaining further details should write to NAM Nottingham Group, 14DerbyGrove,Nottingham. SLATE isnowcontributingto invisible exports after receiving a subscription from Iceland. The Publications Group will be monitoring its performance under sub-zero temperatures in the hope of a warm response! Contrary to previous reports the New Architecture Calendar for 1977 has showna profit. The final account reveals an overall surplus of £2.06. As this seems to be a potential money spinner (in NAM’s terms anyway) would anyone willing to produce a sequel for 1978 please write to The Secretary, 9 Poland Street, London W1 Only one suggestion for a 3rd Congress venue has been received so far and others must be sent, also to the Secretary, before the summer so that the Liason Group can get on with the long task of organising the event. The Liason Group backs the decisions passed at the NAM Sponsored Unionisation Unionisation Conference held on May 14th May 14th and urges al readers working in the private sector to organise within the chosen union TASS. Finally, our condolencies to founder member Morris Williams on his recent redundancy -we urge him to join TASS withoutfurtherdelay. ARCUK CONTACTS : David Somervell, 22, Penmuir Place, Edinburgh 3 NEWS FROM NAM LIAISON Recognition of NAM's contribution to important issues concerning the building industry and related professions is steadily growing in the Schools of Architecture. Most recently three NAM members. attended a symposium held for day release d at London's Polytechnic of the South Bank where they led alively discussion on Unionisation, ARCUK and the role of professional institutes and the concept of a National Design Service. Should these and other issues currently being developed by NAM be of interest to other schools, requests for visiting speakers are welcomed. ~Jonadremndcrsaticarctalectiore- NAM’s Second National Conference, Blackpool, November, 1976. NAM SECOND LONDON SEMINAR ARCUK and the Acts were the first topics of the day's debate. HistoryshowedthatwhiletheActsclaimedto protect the public from impostors by registrationandexamination,itwasobviousto many, even at the time, that the legislation served only to maintain the power and prestige of the profession. As the statutory link between the profession and society, ARCUK is the controlling body for al architectural practice, but its statutory independence, under the Acts, was soon lost and its claimed intentions sabotaged, by the RIBA, its main protagonist, who compromised with the ‘public interest” as they argued and lobbied the acts through Parliament. The Institute remains in control of ARCUK. ‘The question was raised whether NAM, which is fundamentally opposed to the RIBA and its legitimising agent and partner ARCUK, should consider the reform of an employers’ organisation. One answer put forward was that while the RIBA isexclusively a aeAer a.PAHVFfamWAMT| A collection of cartoons by Louis Hellman | | Hellman takes a stab from the inside at the seemicr side of the buildingprofession. | |‘Feloffmy bike with laughter’... Prof. Reyner Banham | | | | | nit SQUATTERS ORGANISE continued from page 11 political perspective for unionisation and al our campaigns was solely in alliance with organised building workers. Rodney Mace spoke against patronising the unions by running to them for help in times of crisis. Unionisation would be a long hard struggle during which architectural workers would have to develop discipline and respect. Education On the subject of education it was stressed that education played a central role in the inculcation of professional myths and attitudes. The courses were competitive, nonanylitical and anti-political. Rodney Mace suggested that there had been little progress in the demands made by students in the last twenty years. Architectural education is of little effect in developing political consziousness, which was more likely to come from students’ activities outside school. Educational hegemony would only be challenged by forces outside schools, in alliance with students within. He concluded by pointing out that there was still a bias towards accepting students from public schools and against women for first year entry. Constitution for NAM? In the final session general proposals were made for an Asbestos Working Group to seek ways of advising architectural workers on how to avoid the use of asbestos in buildings. The mecting also called for consideration ofa constitution for the Movement in order to reinforce internal democracy, coherent organisation and a credible public face. Objections from the floor that this was a betrayal of NAM’s loose-knit federal structure were countered by the view that organisational clarity would benefit al NAM groups Guest speakers at the London Group's open seminar were Tom Wooley, member of the Support Group, and lecturer at the Architectural Association who has been involved in radical movements in erchitecrure since the mid 1960: and Rodney Mace, historian. lecturer at Kingston Polytechnic and member of the Communist Porty’s Built Environment Group. Report by Douglas Smith Y: fit. Sa Oe JACKSONS LANE COMMUNITY CENTRE, ARCHWAY RD.N.6. |centralised ‘Squatters’ Union’. Much of the conflict arises from past hostility between the libertarian cooperative Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS) which attempts to respond to requests from individual squatters and local groups, and the more militant Squatters’ Action Counail (SAC) which produces a weekly newsheet and believes in taking initiatives to expand squatting and expose the chronic housing crisis While the debate continues, however the passing of the Criminal Tresspass Legislation gets nearer, and the need for squatters to organise themselves against becoming homeless and/or criminals becomes more urgent Ifyyoou would like to be a member of the New Architecture Movementnt fililn the form below and send || it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00( if IN THE FACE of the impending Criminal Tres pass Legislation, which will make certain types of squatting a criminal offence, attempts are being made to forma national squatters’ organisation to defend the rights of squatters and the homeless. Two open conferences have already been held in London, but so far no agreement has been reached on the type of organisation which should be formed. A third conference is planned shortly. The main debate is between those who would like to see a ‘Squatters Federation’ which would have little centralised power, but which would coordinate and assist autonomous local groups, and those who want to form a more powerful and For further information and advice contact ASS 359 8814 SAC: 701 7644 SUBSCRIBE! £ fitz £. £eeet |you're employed) or£2.00 (ifyou're arestudent, claimant orOAP) toNAM at9,Poland Street feee tay Efe SY SLATE’s next issue will feature a major article on the changes at Architectural Design, what they mean for Architec- tural journalism and how they reflect a change in spirit running night through | biggest crisis since the War. Among the pioneers of progressive Poland Street, London W.1. NAME ADDRESS architectural journalism, AD featured radigal technology, community action, |squatting and sociological and political | analysis alongside Conceptual Architecture, shining new factories and | Archigram in a mixture which raised the consciousness as well as, sometimes, the | confusion, of its readers. No more. | Professionalism :the myth and the idevlogy. eh SseRa ag268 Roaee VU ooh bEeeee £efe LELELE | | the profession as society faces its ARCUK :whorunsitandhow. J SLATE THREE | ¥ ft. |LondonW.1. ane 4\4O ca fo a ph | NAME s0cucenseosoccsccconnascosopeeepescoso04eee5e |ADDRESS. | | | TELEPHONE (‘HOME)) rccecccsccscscsaserscsettereene (WORK ). oe eeeeewnceesucess | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fil in the form below and send it together withacheque/postalorder(payabletotheNew ArchitectureMovement)for£2.00toNAM at9, The politics of registration :the background to the Acts. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May/ June 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/65e0c1a88a49b06a90212303287a154a.pdf 82f5b0a93f021644c81fc9ee1fbf6d71 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 3 Description An account of the resource ISSUE No 3 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT BDS:TASS MUSTERS TS FORCES JULY/AUGUST 1977 \ sp ial recruiting leaflet aimed at workers in architecture, surveying engineering and planning has just been published by the TASS Building Design Staff (BDS) ‘national advisory committee, which iscoordinating the organising drive nationally and which consists, at present, of ten architectural workers chosen by the May 14 conference. The new London ‘BDS’ branch of TASS has now had three meetings. Understand- ably, the main topic of discussion has been organising continued on page 3 INDUSTRY STILL BREATHING! FOLLOWING THE NEW ARCH ITECTURE MOVEMENT SPONSORED CONFERENCE ON MAY 14 which choose TASS’ the Technical, Administrative and Super- visory Section of the AUEW* as the vehicle for a long-awaited trade union organisation drive among private sector building design stat, a steadily- growing core of active union members have begun quietly laying the found- ations for a major organising effort in the autumn. Wek EEF Le Slate‘s exclusive inside story of the takeover of Architectural Design magazine over the last year...... 1. ARCUK: THE SHEEP {N WOLF’S CLOTHING the parliamentary debate around the registration acts. 2.PROFESSIONALISM: THE MYTH and the IDEOLOGY the dubious rationale behind the professional associations. 3. ARCUK: INSIGNIFICANT OR Does ARCUK need a broader set of objectives? PART IL OF “ A COMMUNITY DESIGN SERVICE” - Cardiff NAM group’s attempt to set up a local ASBESTOS RECENT ‘PUBLIC HEARINGS’ of the Government’s Advisory Comm- ittee on Asbestos, held in London from June 27 to 29, may have done little more than give anti-asbestos campaigners their ‘day in court’ and give an increasingly concerned pub- lic the impression that something is being done about the health haz- ards of asbestos. Asbestos ind- ustry management will now be breathing a sigh of relief and getting on with ‘business as usual’ least for the moment. Twelve groups and individuals were allowed to give evidence at the hearings and be questioned by Committee members Questions from the public were not allowed Earlier, the Health and Safety Executive had published the writ.1 evidence submitted design service continued on page 3 a ie slite!, n., a., & v.t. 1, Icinds of gres, gren, or bluish-purple rock easily split {nto flat smooth plates; pleco of cuch plate used ns roofing-material; piece of It usu. framed in wood used for writing on with~-penTorsmallrodofso~f(ctlean th of 0 WORK ON SLATE SLATEneedsmoreworkers,more writers and more ideas. This issue was put together by a committee of seven. A larger committee would mean a better newsletter; so would more writers, illustrators, cartoonists and photographers, and simply more suggestions for stories and features. Ifyou would like to work for SLATE, join the committee or suggest topics it should cover, then please write in soon. The copy deadline for the next issue is Friduy 26th August 1977 OUR HIGH PRICE 40p is a lot to pay for a newsletter this big.ThefundingofSLATE isconnected to the funding of NAM as awhole, and last year the Movement ran up substantial debts, This year’s liaison group determined that that situation should not arise again and fixed the subscription rate accordingly, both to the Movement and the newsletter, in the knowledge that insolvency would never help the Movement to grow, and in the conviction that NAM’s strengthwilllieamongpeoplewhoare prepared to support its activities to the full. The annual subscription to SLATE, for five issues, is £2 00. If circulation rises then the choice is open for SLATE to become larger or for the subscription to fall, but for the moment it must not get into debt. ADVERTISING Atanearlymeetingthecommittee decide not to take commercial adver-- tisements in SLATE. Advertisements from alternative groups and personal small ads are, however, welcome. A small charge would be made but the committee reserves the right to turn down any advert COPYRIGHT Any article or part of an article or part of an article in SLATE may be freely but accurately reproduced, providing that SLATE is credited as the origin of any material used. awards Slater's award for self-publicity this yea goes to Charlie Jencks for his out- standing review of his own bestseller *Post ModernisnyY’ in the Sunday Times Colour Section Charlie’s two page spread folded discreetly between ads for the Ford Fiesta und Harvey’s Bristol Cream explained with wonderful clarity and the advent of a new bourgeois confection, Post Modern Architecture and convince the newspaper's five figure readership how PM was now the topic of heated debate in architects offices throughout the land. It obviously took over from redundancies and how to pay for your season ticket without us noticing. TASS Continued from page 1 Reportsfrommorethanahalfdozen offices where organisation is making real progress suggest that the first employer recognition of BDS-TASS may occur later this year. Recognition would provide the Opportunity to begin to demonstrate what unionisation in architecture can achieve and is expected to give a big boost to nationwide organising. anemployertodenyrecognition. Organisation is also progressing in several other towns, including Cardiff and Edinburgh, where architectural staff are joining ‘general’ TASS branches, many of which already have building design staff members. As membership grows, it is expected that special BDS branches will be set up wherever justified by eachoffice. Itisthis‘shopfloor’ organisation which must do the vital, “grass roots’, person-to-person organising and in which members can ‘together decide the policy they wich to pursue and the means they wish to use to achieve it.’ Each group of TASS members in an office can choose a ‘corresponding member’ (to liase with the broader union structure) andan‘officecommittee’torepresent them, when necessary, in dealings with the management. _—_‘Full-timeunionofficials can be called in for advice or aid in neg- otiations, or when seeking recognition, at the request of the members in the office. On the other hand, the companies will be putting a major effort into salvaging the huge asbestos-cement products market for a much longer period. They will try to draw 1 dubious distinction between these products containing containing roughly 12% per cent asbestos and ‘soft’ products )like insulation board) containing 30 per cent. They are already getting support from the leadership of some trade unions involved in the manufacture of asbestos cement products who may find this more convenient than fighting for alternative, safe employment. The Green Ban Action Committee in conjunction with the Birmingham Hazards Group of BSSRS, has recently produced a four-page leaflet, ‘The Asbestos Hazard’, available from GBAC, 77 School Road, Hall Green, Birmingham 28, for 10p, postpaid (£3.00 per 100). NAM’s contributions; ~-colour(ed), (of) dark Dluish or gree grey; hence slat’y? a, 2. adj. (Made) of ~. 3. y.t. Cover with ~s esp, 03 rofing; hence slat/en' n, (ME before achieved recognition in a private architecturalpractice. Thereisnorule as to when to seek recognition, but it is usually done when a majority of staff have joined the union Under present legislation, it is difficult in that case for As the new leaflet points out, however, ‘thekeyunitintheunion’sstructureand the means whereby staff can democratically and collectively have a real voice in all the decisions which affect their work ‘is the organisation of unionised employees in fc, fern.of esclat SLAT*) Qs). Cr severely 2reviews),scold,rate; nominate, propose for oifice etc. Henco slat’ssX1) n, fapp. f.pree.} SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly by the Movement’s Liaison Group and edited on its behalf by an adhoc committee set up in January 1977.. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, and the buildiag industry and to the wider public are included to stimulate debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the widest readership. . help build SLATE’s readership . help to build NAM . subscribe to SLATE .show ittoyour friends . become a local rep to distribute SLATE in your office, school or town . ask for SLATE in your local bookshop . get your school or office to subscribe. .AND THE FUTURE For SLATE to grow asalively reflection of the views of radical Architectural Workers and others concerned with the processes which shape our environment, accountability of editorial decisions to the members of the Movement is essential. This year two further issues areplanned. Each one will be proceeded by an open meeting with the Editorial Committee. Come and express your views and criticisms at these meetings or through the letters column of SLATE . Next year itissuggested that the adhoc committee should be disbanded to be replaced by an editorial committee elected by and directly responsible to the annual congress of the Movement. SLATE 3PAGE 2 by 24 groups and individuals. from asbestos industry management, their front groups like the Asbestos Research Council and their allies like the National Federation of Building Trades Employers, to anti-asbestos campaigners like Nancy Tait, the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science (BSSRS), and Socialist Worker. In the middle were groups like the Comsumers’ Association and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, who presented a breakdown of the uses of asbestos products in construction and the current cost implications of alternatives. The RICS did recommend that ‘savings in medical and other costs should be taken into account wheb considering additional construction costs, even though they arise in different sectors of the national economy.” In its written evidence, the TUC noted that ‘the present Asbestos Regulations and Hygiene Standards are totally inadequate to provide protection against cancer risks,” called for the progressive banning of al use of asbestos within the next ten years und recommended an immediate lowering of the maximum allowable concentration of asbestos dust to 0.2 fibres per cc from Occupational Safety and Health has already called for a level of 0.1, the least detectable. Management spokesmen from the asbestos industry claimed they would close down their UK operations (Turner and Newall employs some 10,000 asbestos workers) if the 0.2 level were enforced. The TUC apparently backed down at the hearings from the surprisingly strong stand it had taken in its written evidence. in on the act Now the dust has settled after the NAM sponsored trade unionism conference architectural workers busy getting on with organising their colleagues into TASS may be surprised to hear that UCATT’s STAMP section is setting up its very own National Advisory committee for architectural workers. An astonishing turn about for that union who, as late as the beginning of this year, expressed, quite candidly, that to the trade journals promoting the cause workers in private sector offices were and incidently, his new book, ‘Fight Blight unorganisable. We can only take it NAM wins a mention in this worthy tome, then that UCATT/STAMP’s new committee Mr McKean assures us. Readers of asuitable is being set up to serve the interests of the disposition should turn to his page 166. the present level of 2 In the United few building design staff they already have in membership in the public sector. We haven't received our review copy of ‘Fight Blight’ yet, which is a pity, because without it we can only surmise on its ARCUK Registrar isbeing selected by a committee composed entirely of RIBA ‘heavies’ and drew attention to ARCUK’s chauvinists — eee ee TheSlaterhears attitudestothosepoorworkingclass that Rod Hackney - communities beset by office development the RIBA’s front runner in the Community grim council flats, derelict land and so on. Architecturecooptionstakesisreluctant YoubetitsagoodPRjobforthe‘New to employ women in his o} Profession” of sensitive caring architects out Second prize to the book’s publisher, Andreas Papadukis for similar efforts in his other publishing venture this month Architectural Design, which this month carries SsOn new style. You called, you guessed it, Post Modernism. be fighting a rear-guard action to keep their highly profitable asbestos ones on the UK market longer than would otherwise be possible. They will also be stepping up sales to ‘third world’ countries. is more readable and updated version of her earleir pamphlet and is available from Exchange Publications, 9 Poland Street, London, W.1. back seat driver? The community architects bandwagon ARCUK VOTES FIASCO rolls on, Charles McKean the RIBA. Community architect supremo, is hoping to climb into his driving seat , it would seem, from the recent letters each. Following the Council’s decision to maintain secrecy, vote totals are being revealed only to the individual candidate. SLATE is published by the LIAISON GROUP’ oftheNEWARCHITECTUREMOVEMENT, 9, Poland St., London. W1. Typesetting by Debbie Coates, Maggie Stack PrintedbyWOMENINPRINT,16a,Illiffe hisviewsaresharedbytheunlikely sponsoredpovertyprogrammes,__Itsfine TheCouncilputitselfintheabsurd Asitturnedout,theUnattached RIBAmembers.Itisprobablethata Yard, London, SE17. company of Colonel Siefert to fight blight so long as you stand no. position of refusing to reveal, in the standing for election to the committee few RIBA nominees disobeyed the ‘whip’ ‘Itisbelievedthatnounionhasever potentialmembership. These ranged States, the National Institute for Asbestos industry management now appears to be pursuing a two-fold strategy. On the one hand, they realise that despite their massive, slick and deceptive advertising campaigns, more and more people now know that al forms of asbestos can cause asbostosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, even from the slight exposure to which members of the public are subjected, and that so-called ‘precautiors’ free two page leaflet is still available are ineffective, impractical, unenforced or unenforceable. The major companies have begun producing asbestos-free insulating insulation boards and will, at the same time, Nancy Tait’s ‘Asbestos Kills: New Facts’ The six NAM-affiliated architects elected to the Architects Registration Council (ARCUK) in a postal ballot of the more than 3,100 ‘unattached’ architects earlier this year have already begun to make the RIBAplaced a ‘three-line whip’ on its questioned the procedure whereby a new their presence felt, injecting into the nominees, who dominate the Council, to Council’s June 22 quarterly meeting a prevent the election of unattached ‘NAM’ strong note of dissent against the customary members. RIBA steamroller. Even before the elections, RIBA members ‘double standard’ under which, for example, Faced with increasing economic had been assured, for example, of filling RIBA branches are allowed to advertise pressuresontheprofession,theRIBA twelveoffifteenplacesonboththe whilegroupsofUnattachedarchitects machine appears to be running about Purposes and Finance and General Purposes are not. The next Council meeting is on in a gradually increasing panic trying to Committees. On the Board of Education, October 12. jamitswell-fedlitlefingersintoanever RIBAmemberswereassuredofholding48 TheMarchmeeting,atwhichthe growing number of holes in its erstwhile seats, while the Unattached, who held two, voting took place, had been attended by tidy system of ‘professional’ dikes. were contesting two more. S7 Council members, of whom 45 were Rod may be interested to know that to make their fortunes out of government chance of besting it. accepted democratic manner, the votes vacancies got, on the average, twelve votes on the secret ballot. in the previous meeting’s elections for vacancies on ARCUK committees. A NAM motion to do so was defeated by 28 votes tol2. ‘It was before those elections that Representatives of the Unattached also (send stamped SAE, please), and BSSRS will soon be publishing a pamphlet aimed particularly at shop stewards. SLA3TPAEGE3 ASBESTOS Continued from page 1 FaneS+ rt SLATE 3PAGE4 SUBVERSION OF A.D. In April 1976, the editors of Architec- tural Design Magazine, Martin Spring and Haig Beck, proclaimed jubilantly that they were taking over the equity of the magazine. Butnow,lessthanayearandahalfhence, the tables have turned and the magazine’s new publisher, Andreas Papadakis, has wrested absolute control of the magazine, both in terms of financial and editorial interests. AD’s world-wide reputation as a tearaway avant-garde architectural magazine is well established. This profile, however, com- prises two components: the one is a eulog- istic showcase for whatever glistening gadgetry, style or conceptual ‘ism’ has been newly purloined from neighbouring discip- lines by breathless architectural young turks; the other is a radical and independent stance that takes an iconoclastic view of the exces- ses of building development and architect- ural conceits in their social and political contexts. The intention of the editors in taking over the equity of the magazine was to promote the latter approach: the magazine’s natural tendency towards edit- orial independence could be secured by its egalitarianism would match the editorial message of the magazine, Spring proferred Beck an ident- ical shareholding of the company as himself work of the five editorial staff. Further- (for no capital investment on his part) and more he closed down the editorial office —— es riding the magazine on the crest of the present wave of formalism. The poingnancy of the overthrow of AD’s independence has been accentuated by the strategy of which was employed. If Papadakis had bought out the magazine outright and simultaneously announced plans for revamping its image, the people involved would have known where they stood, and could have lumped it or left it. However, the campaign of behind-the-scenes manipulation that was conducted over the last year had a most unnerving effect on nearly al editorial staff and consultants. nightmare For the editorial staff, it was literally a nightmarish situation in which to work. The previous owners of AD, Standard Catalogue Ltd_, decided to hive off the magazine as they were moving out of London. They offered the magazine to the incumbent editors under a convient arrangement whereby the purchasers would financially guarantee the vendors for the publication of the 12 months’ issues of the magazine which had already been sold to subscribers by the vendors. Spring and Beck quickly decided that this proposition seemed an attractive one, but that they didn’t want to directly take on the responsibility for the magazine’s subscriptions and accounts. They there- fore joined forces with the only person they knew who had experience of running subscriptions for international architecture Papadakis enters magazines, Andreas Papadakis, who owned and controlled a burgeoning art book emp- ire in Kensington and was a publisher to boot. Papadakis was interested in AD and showed a sympathy for the editors’ principles of editorial independence. Although he professed to have no ready capital to invest in it, he demanded the controlling interest in the new company. SpringandBeckbelievedthatiftheedit- orial department was agreed about the editorial policy of the magazine, the pub- lisher could be kept at bay, as he could not sack both editors without bankrupting the company. A sum of £16,000 was agreed between purchasers and vendors as financial guaran- tee to cover the publication of the magazine for 12 months. This sum would be lodged in a special bank account and released incrementally as each of the 12 months’ issues was published. The £16,000 was gathered from Spring and his sister (£8,400, courtesy of a recent inheritance), a total of 26 ad hoc patrons of the maga- zine (£6,100), and Papadakis, (who topped up the final £2,500 with a short-term loan). In the idealistic spirit of egalitarianism that publisher in any dispute, thereby blowing any possibility of editorial independence. In the event this is exactly what happened and with terrifying precipitousness. Beck found it more to his liking to confer with Papadakis rather than with the other editor, the editorial staff or consultants, Papadakis demanded a tight ship, and with Beck eagerly assuming the role of henchman, his plans for revamping the magazine revealed themselves in a variety of indirect ways that rapidly succeeded in inducing a high state of paranoia in the staff. Payment for overtime work, always an integral part of AD’s staff’s skimpy earnings was banned; the Editorial Assistant was barred from writing for the magazine; the Editorial Secretary’s workload increased dramatically as she was expected to go through a myriad of checking and counter- checking procedures of expenses; the Prod- uction Editor found that the whole creative component of her work, designing page layouts, was taken out of her hands and commissioned to a freelance graphic desig- ner (at considerable expense). _In general, al editorial decisions regarding the running of the editorial department and the content and style of the magazine were made out- side the office (it was quite clear by whom) and issued to the staff with contemptuous brusqueness by Beck. Papadakis claimed that the magazine into the red Was running into the red and drastic re- arrangements were called for. Since he controlled the accounts, there was little scope for disputing his diagnosis. How- ever, his strategy for improving the financ- es of the magazine were entirely at the expense of its employees, as he favoured farming out the work to freelance journal- ists and designers. Naturally the staff sought aid from their respective unions (the National Graphic Association and the National Union of Journalists). The situation was brought to a head last Febr- uarywhen Papadakisannounced thatthe laying off of the Production Editor ,and that the other staff would have to take on promotion work and even volunteer to work work part-time. The staff responded by demanding the reinstatement of the Prod- uction Editor, threatening industrial action with union backing. The situation was complicated by the fact that the financial guarantee on the magazine still had another three months to run, and this money would be forfeited in the event of any failure to publish the magazine during that peroid. Half of the guarantee money was Spring’s, which very effectively held him hostage to Papadakis’ plans. The situation was resol- yed in a meeting between Papadakis and union officials: the three members of staff were laid off with three months’ compen- ices. After a few more months of stag- nation, Spring was bought out ofhis job and his equity of the magazine for 14 months’ compensation. (He had a two- year contract of employment). Papadakis’ game is obviously to strangle AD as it has been, claiming that it is finan- cially unviable, so that he can then build it up in the image he has planned for it. He would then have in his possession a magazine title of world-wide repute,a list of subscribers and a magazine that conforms to the image he wants- all for next-to-no capital outlay. impressario Papadakis isapublishing impressario: he revels in the reflected glory of the cult art books he publishes. His instincts are absolutely capitalistic, and he has a shrewd ability to latch on to the latest cult figures - his paperbacks of prints by Mucha and Beardsley, for instance, have been superb money-spinners. He sesa similar potential in architectural publishing -monographs on cult architects consisting mainly of photos and plans with accompanying texts that are bland and eulogistic. AD’s prime interest to Papadakis lies in its service as an international network of contacts from which he can draw off suit- ably fashionable architects to publish mono- graphs on. At the same time the magazine provides readers with tasters for these forth- coming books. Since he has become interested in architectural publishing, Papadakis has been developing another periodical alongside AD under the editor- ship of David Dunster, provisionally entit- led Architectural Monographs. Framed as a quarterly periodical, each issue is devoted to a famous architect from the present or recent past and is aimed at students who a are looking for a cheap and simple run-down down of architectural heroes. Issues have been drawn up on Robert Venturi (inevitably) (inevitably), Mies van der Rohe and Victor Horta. Thismagazinewasduetobelaun- ched at the beginning of the next college session in September, but he has been keep- ing open his options of merging this new periodical with AD. Papadakis is eager to steer AD back into the mainstream of international architect- ural magazines, emulating the hecticly competitive Japanese and Italian glossies such as A+U, which are feverishly leap- frogging each others’ attempts to glorify the latest architectural prima-donnas. prima-donna The current movement in architecture is, of course, a return to formalism. It is an understandable -and to a large extent welcome -reaction to the anaemic function- alism and the mindless technological build- ing ‘solutions’ of the 60’s, but it is also a swing away from the slow dawning of political consciousness among architects. In the way-out architectural cliques in Japan or London’s Art Net, this formalism is pushed with gay abandon to a mannerism that can be outright neo-fascist in effect. To the architect, the spectator is all-import- ant, while the basic human and social needs of the users are negligible. But the new formalism is not left at that it must be packaged and presented in the most esoteric of philosophic rationalisations, continued on page 13 ihMANNERISM. financial independence as an autonomous sation each. Papadakis then expected the two editors, Spring and Beck, to carry on doing the wor company of limited liability. Now, as one Mn simultaneously appointed himas joint leaving them to muddle along from home. strand of Papadakis’ glossy art-book empire, the policy of the magazine has lurched towardstheotherextreme. Amanwitha shrewd eye for cults Papadakis is now editor. A meeting of the magazine’s eight editor- The flaws in the arrangement are quite jal consultants was called, to which Papad- obvious in hindsight: the purse-strings of akis announced with crocodile tears that the company were held by Papadakis, who the magazine would have to go through also had the controlling shareholding, and an ‘austerity’ phase for a few months. there was no safeguard against one of the When the consultants responded with editors crossing over to the side of the scepticism, he dispensed with their serv- SLATE 3PAGE 5 aleh ARCUK: The | since this body at best occupies the dustiest corner of the practising architect’s conciousness, and forms the most tenuous link between society and the profession including its trainees. included the dubious boast that voluntary registration of architects was mooted as far back as 1791, and that even between 1888 and 1913 thirteen Bills had been put forward without sucess, The arguments against were more argument that the assumption that the numerous and more diverse in origin. The public interest would be safeguarded was any existing lawful means of livelihood. More than this, however, from reading the pages of Hansard one sees the debates becoming more repetitive and irritable. And one senses a strong undercurrent of suspicion that beneath the sponsors’ ‘altruistic’ intentions lay the self-interested attempt by one section of the community to align itself with the powerful forces of industrial and landed capital. The opposition showed surprisisng foresight in questioning the equity of mandatory fee scales - a development which which was clearly expected to follow hard on hardontheestablishmentofthenewCouncil: Still more surprising was the sponsor’s bald reply: ‘I can assure the Rt. Hon. Gentlemen that there has not be = any compulsory scale of fees fixed by the Institute and there never will be.” sheep in wolf’ vain when one could see with ones own eyes that RIBA members were already responsible for some of the least disting- clothing The answer is that this currently supine body does indeed amount to the only statutory agency regulating the profession, The RIBA success in occupying the professional limelight is an historical anomolyanditisARCUK alonewhich constitutes the official link between architects and the parliament of the land to summarize the principal arguements familiar Arts and Crafts Movement’s objection to legislating in matters of ‘art and creativity’ was dusted down after its last period of prominence during the exams uished buildings in the country. Conversely The reasons why NAM has interested itself in the Architects Registration Council, were spelt out in the Private Practice Group’s Progress Report to the 2ndNationalCongressinBlackpool, November 1976. Nonetheless they deserve to be summarised here before embarking on this more general SLATE feature, for the benefit of those readers who have become interested in NAM since Blackpool - if for no other reason. Whilst it would doubtless take many hours of argu ment to agree the form of words -the concensus must surely accept that there are two broad fundamental ideas at the centre of NAM’s work. The first -the need to achieve ameasure ofself-determination by Architectural workers -the body of the profession: the second the urgent need to introduce real accountability and social responsibility on the part of Architects towards building users and the public at large. The duality of these preoccupations is essential if NAM is to avoid swerving into mere ‘fringe benefit’ type self-interest on the one hand, or vague populist do- gooderyontheother. Amajorstepin pursuit of the first idea has, of course, been NAM’s work on unionisation culminating in the free choice of TASS as a potent vehicle of organisation. debateattheturnofthecentury. To those who believed in the artistic and emotional primacy of the design process any system of registration on ‘objective’ standards was both arbitary and repugnant. However, the content of this argument is probably less significant than the likelihood ative of the profession as a whole. Nothing that its proponents, several from the AA and short of a referendum was felt adequate to andtheFacultyofArchitectsandSurveyors justifysuchasignificantclaim,andthe The second aim ismore exclusive, moving from passive understanding, through all of which contribute to our feelings of the critique of patronage, to the formulation of immediate courses of action. While the outlines of the belief remain blurred, we must continue to approach the target from several different avenues - of which the National Design Service, the analysis of architectural education, and live projects such as the Cardiff JCP Programme or Birmingham Green Ban Action Association are but three currently in train. disorientation and irresponsibility. Meanwhile the process of change would help to scramble the heirarchical structure of the profession reinforced by RIBA domination. Before diving into history let itagain be saidthat ARCUK represents just one appropriate instrument for attacking the Status quo and that the many other and deeper problemsof accountability -going back to source, so to say, from the specifics of contractual obligation, through public control of resources, consumerism, local and national government procedures, to the broadest notions of social justice, equity and freedom- that these problems [ADMISSIONS] advisory panel DISCIPLINE A fourth is NAM’s involvement with ARCUK which developed directly from the discussions of the North London/ Private Practice Group/between Harrogate 1975 and Blackpool 1976. With NAM’s instinctforthedangersoftokenismitsoon remaininneedoffurtheranalysisand PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES reg. 14) Euntaroecesepeatestasensanacode ofconduct title (1938 act) Educ. Fund (1969 act) Educ. grants |Projects & awards FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES reg 10) houskeeping fee became clear that blueprints for a model practice were little more than idle spec- ulation if the wider professional and social context of architectural practice remained unchallenged. _Itmight well be asked what relevance ARCUK could bear to a radical democratization of architecture SLATE 3PAGE 6 debate. BIRTH PANGS: the fifty year filibuster Part of ARCUK’s recent submission to the Monopolies Commission's ..No statutory basis established b act of panliaryent —~— @iablished by regulation ~ (Privy Council) SLATE 3PAGE 7 If a major aspect of NAM’s aim is the forging of new and revitalized links between the profession and the lay public a primary role must be restored to the only agency relating the two. The RIBA, as an internal professional society is technically gratuitous to this relationship -ARCUK as the registry of professional legitimacy is indispensable. At the same time it would be naive to concentrate solely on our draft proposals forareconstitutedARCUK asasemi-lay institution excercising the professional control which by default or stealth has passed to the RIBA, ignoring the dynamic political spin-off derived from the very process of mounting the challenge in the meantime. _ Nonetheless the reformed ARCUK postulated elsewhere in this feature would confer two-way benefits: for the public an opportunity to penetrate and hence dispel the exclusive ‘mysticism’ of the profession currently the source of much suspicion and resentment; for the practising architect a rescue from the limbo of non-accountability, currently glossed over by bogus social science, a toothless code or mere wishful thinking: for and against, that were raised in the extraordinarily controversial passage of this legislation. The ‘first’ Architects Registration Bill (ARB) was presented for Ist Reading in the Commons on llth February, 1927 after the RIBA had recovered from a position of disarray the previous year when draft proposals for making the employment of architects mandatory on al building projects over a certain value were abandoned as unattainable, The Ist Reading accomplished, the sponsors, a group of Conservative MP’s friendly with and advised by the RIBA - of course the prime mover - presented this private members bill for 2nd Reading on 8th April, 1927. The ensuing debate stretching through 80 columns of Hansard raised almost al the arguements for and against which were to reappear again and again up to Royal Assent on the 3lst July, 1931, and, indeed thereafter, when the second principal Act of 1938 was introduced. The double premise on which the proposal was based consisted firstly of the aim to protect the public from imposters- i.e, men claiming architectural skills who were in fact inadequately trained -and secondly of the desire to distinguish and thus protect properly qualified architects from others, The legal mechanism adopted to exercise this control was the protection of the title ‘Registered Architect’ denoting one whose name was set forth on a public register to be administered by a new Council, who would also supervise entry standards, As ARCUK’s literature boasts, ‘Thus, any member of the public commissioning an architect will be dealing with a person who has at least met a required standard of professional training, experience and behaviour, ARCUK can in this way claimtobeoneofthefirstconsumer protection organisation’, (ARCUK Booklet, p.3, March 1976) The need for such a measure at all Was attributed to the increasing volume of the construction industry, the complex- ity of modern building practice and the new scale of responsibility falling on those involved in their design, (FAS), were already suspicious of future RIBA dominance should al constituent bodies be absorbed into a statutory council. A similar motive may be detected in the objections of those representing the Incor- porated Association of Architects and Surveyors (IAAS) foremost among whom was the MP Robert Tasker who argued from the outset that Registration was simply a protectionist measure for the RIBA’ Meanwhile lay sceptics in the House, most of whom started uncommited, became preoccupied with the dual RIBA leadership’ action in forestalling one was construed unfavourably. investigation of the mandatory fee scale We take up the story around 1926 when a new phase of activity began which eventually culminated in the passing of the Architects Registration Act in 1931. The functions of this and the subsequent Actsaredetailedelsewhereandthis historical note chronicles and attempts iftheRIBAaffixwasasolidguaranteeof fitness any additional registration was surely superfluous, There was further lay objection to the credibility of the sponsors’ claims that their desire for Registration was represent- Likewise there were serious misgivings as to the composition and confidentiality of the Discipline Committee (Section 7, 193] Act) virtually a kangaroo court capable of depriving a man of his livelihood with few of the normal standards of accountability 2 March, 1926, Col. 777 or appeal expected of a court of law. This last objection may be taken as a specific example of the more general principle that only with great reluctance will the British Parliament introduce legislation likely to remove or endanger This astounding quotation faded into history when after reaching no conclusion the Bill passed from 2nd Reading to Select Committee -there to die on the 26th continued on page & DIAGRAM SHOWING THE STATUTORY BASIS OF ARCUK riba code PARLIAMENT 1931 Reg. act. Sir C. Kinlock-Cooke (Con.) Hansard, FeaturePROFESSI NAL | GOVERNMENT continued from page 7 July 1927 when a vote of 5 to 4 decided against its recommendation back to the House, Little over 6 months later a new Bill (ARB2) was introduced to the House of Commons - this time with even less sucess, ds the Bill was ‘counted out’ at 2nd Reading on 2nd March 1928, By now the lay tobjectors to the ‘closed shop’ aspect of the measure had become more vociferous and ensured that by 11.00 pm no conclusion of debate would be achieved. Disappointed at their fortune in the Commons, the RIBA next sought to introduce the Bill into the House of Lords and there achieved a measure of sucess to Passing to Commons on 23rd December, 1928. ‘Thence back to the Commons where on 30th January, 1929 the Ist Reading of the 3rd ARB took place. Again a motion by Robert Tasker to ‘adjourn debate for 6 months’ -and again on 2nd Reading, Sth March 1929, an adjournmen‘tat 11pm, thus killing the Bill for the third time. The tracks of ARB4 peter out, and Uansard’s next entry is for the introduction of ARBS First Reading on 3lst October 1930. By now irritated and impatient Parliament apparently felt disinclined to jabour the matter much further and after a 25 column debate on 2nd Reading (2nd November, 1930) and a swift passage throughtheLords(passed16thJuly1931) the Architects Registration Bill as we now know it received the Royal Assent on Bist July, 1931. PROFESSION; unattached architect does: hang a myth & the large notice from your drawing board try to ignore those feelings of ALISM: The deprivation and do what one local ideology The RIBA would have us unattached architects believe we are at a dis- advantage in not having the backing of their club. If your RIBA colleagues at work are prominently displaying their RIBA certificates of membership, reading ‘ALTRUISM FOR SALE’. Now this may provoke from your professional colleagues attempts at justification of the £38 p.a. these certificates cost them. Point out to them that £38 is in fact a reduced tate for architects. It is a small price compared to the price that members of the public are forced to pay for the function the,RIBA purports toperform. This article attempts to show that professions put a price tag on their THE GRAMOPHONE: AO years in the groove The 1934 Architects Registration Act concerned a merely technical amendment a and was passed in a matter of weeks (19/6/34 -25/7/34), and it was not until early in 1937 that the RIBA, now under the guise of ARCUK, tooka second bite at the cherry. Now the aim was to complete the unfinished business of 1931 and restrict the protected title still further to that of ‘Architect’ alone, the argument in favour being that an element of confus- ion remained in the public mind. In the 2nd Reading debate 17th December, 1937, al the old wounds -and some new ones - were reopened, and in a particularly incisive speech Robert Tasker referred to ARCUK, after some 7 years of existence, as having deteriorated into amere h When the 193] Act came into force, he correctly stated, the first thing the RIBA did was to seize control of the Council, They next seized control of the Board of Architectural Education, such that these became known as the ‘gramophone’, as whenever a member of that ‘honourable institute’ made a proposal there was a chorus of ‘Agreed, agreed, agreed!, just like a gramophone, On the 29th July, 1938 the measure to further restrict the title received the Royal Assent, but 40 years later the metaphor of Robert Tasker seems, if anything, even moreapttothoseNAM memberswho currently occupy the unattached Architects’ seats, Whilst the RIBA may have suffered a ‘technical knockout’ in being prevented from itself becoming a monopolistic statutory body, the substance (if not the spirit) of the Acts has enabled it to exercise most of the control over the profession with little of the reciprocal public responsibility and accountability. With somewhat misplaced candour, ARCUK declares, ‘All the bodies repres- ented on the Council can influence decisions, but in practice, in matters relating to the profession of architecture as distinct from those concerned with the protection of the public -the RIBA has the greatest influence because of its large membership on Council, on the Board of Architectural Education and Committees of Council.’ (ARCUK Booklet, March 1976, pp 3 -4.) Forty years in the groove has led ARCUK to i ini ities of p dure in almost every department -as the unattached Architects have already found to their detriment, The question remains: Can or should ARCUK’s primary role a protector of the public interest be salvaged, or might it as well remain an RIBA sheep in statutory-wolf’s clothing, leaving this urgent business to the Department of Fair Trading, the Consumer Association or similar agencies? The question requires an answer -and soon, The ARCUK electoral session lasts but one year and before long the NAM representatives will be forced to evaluate theircontribution,notintermsofplans- but in terms of action, HAWSER TRUNNION ‘altruism’, and takesa critical look at just what this ‘altruism’ means. The technological developments of the industrial revolution accelerated the growth of industry. Development of elements of the capitalist mode of production - competition between capitalists, exploitation of workers, division of labour - accelerated correspondingly, (1). Competition between capitalists hotted up in early 19th century Britain in an age of laissez-faire and individualism, and the need to compete in order to stay in the market led the capitalist to more intense exploitation of workers, increasing division of labour, and hence the removal of labourers even further from the end result of their labours One consequence of this was the recognition by workers that the one thing they possessed, their labour power, was a commodity like any other and subject to the same market forces, They began to recognise that their interests could best be protected by grouping together. Grouping gave them afirmer basis from which to attempt an improvement in wages and conditions, and offered the possibility of preventing any further dilution of their skills and the consequent threat to their livelihoods. The early 19th century was also the period in which members of ‘professional’ occupations began to group together.(2). For what reasons did ‘p 8 They were not subject to quite the same threat to wages and conditions, since ‘professionals’ were in a better position foom which to negotiate their own terms, largely due to their class position (professions were considered suitable occupations for the second sons of the upper classes), but their dependence on industrial owners as employers was becoming more and more more akin to the dependence of labourer on factory owner. With the decline in noble patronage and the growth of industrial wealth, ‘professionals’ were increasingly employedbythenewindustrial new industrial bourgeoisie bourgeoisie as opposed to the aristocratic patron. As new skills and areas of knowledge arose in response to the needs of industry, the traditional fields of expertise of the ‘professional’ occupations were increasingly invaded by those possessing these new essential skills. In the architectural field, the main threat came from the engineers, whose tapidly expanding knowledge of the nuts and bolts of construction was much much more relevent to the industrial bourgeoisie than the architects preoccupation with style. Architects, seeing their territory being eroded by other skills, and fearing a consequent threat to their livelihoods, responded similarly to other ‘professional’ occupations in this period. They defined the area which they considered to be their concern, and attempted to control the practice of skills which operated within that area. As Tawney says, ‘It is significant that at the time when the professional classes had deified free competition as the arbiter of commerce and industry, they did not dream of applying itto the occupations in which they them- selves were primarily interested’. (3). In an age where free competition was ‘deified’, how did ‘professionals’ so successfully manage to organise to protect their own interests? In the same period, similarly motivated attempts at organisation by industrial labourers met with powerful and sus- tained opposition. Organisation by ‘professionals’ also met with some hostility (based ,Barrington-Kaye believes, on the experience of physicians and i ,and the ‘exclusiveness, selfishness, and sloth- fulness of their fossilised corporations” (4).) but this hostility was certainly not of the same extent as that met by the growing trades unions. How did ‘professionals’ get away with it? This has something to do with their class position and (as a consequence of that) a lot to do with the way they went about organising. Largely asa result of their class position and their previous mode of employment by artistic patrons, ‘professionals’ did not identify themselves as a group whose interestswereinoppositiontothose of theiremployers (as did industrial labourers). Rather, they identified their interests WITH those of their employers, and used this ‘common interest’ as the basis for their organisation. They held that, by organising, they would be able to offer employers a ‘guarantee’ of competence and integrity. They could guarantee competence, they argued, by setting down certain minimum qualifications, without which practitioners would not gain entry to the organisation. They could guarantee integrity, they claimed, by setting down a code of conduct, which those gaining entry to the organisation must undertake to comply with. In Barrington-Kaye’s words, ‘...professional association thus represents an attempt by persons Ifyourefuse to negot- iate withus then our | union TASS will negotiate for us--- considering themselves qualified in their vocation, to ensure that their services shall be rewarded adequately, by excluding the unscrupulous and the unfit.’ In other words, they recognised that the market for their services, already threatened by the inability of the old-style ‘professions’ to meet the new demands of industry, would be further threatened if the ‘unscrupulous and the unfit’ were unscrupulous and the unfit to be seen to erode the credibility of the‘profession’ still further by bringing it into disrepute. So, although the methods of organisation of industrial labourers and ‘professionals’ differed greatly, their MOTIVATION in organising was identical -both were attempting to counter the threat to their own livelihoods. Let us look more closely at these ‘guarantees’ offered by the professions. Professions are not the only occupational types to attempt to limit entry to those holding certain minimum qualifications, nor was this anew innovation. Guilds and apprentice- ships had existed long before the industrial revolution. It is the ‘guarantee of integrity’ which is the main distinguishing feature of the professions. Barrington-Kaye: ‘Non- professional occupations may have associations, training schemes, and tests of competence; they do not have, for they do not need to have, codes _ ofconduct.Itwouldbeamistaketo attribute Zincreasingly altruistic motivation’ to the professions on this score, however; the adoption of a code of conduct was a necessary condition of their existence in the 19th century. ‘Laissez-faire’ and ‘caveat emptor’ were acceptable as principles of commercial activity because it could be assumed that the customer both knew what he wanted, and was able to recognise it when he saw it. In the case of professional services, neither of these assumptions could be made.”. ‘Caveat emptor’ (let the buyer beware) is inapplicable in a in a professional context, argues Barrington-Kaye, since *..in a professional/client relationship, since the client does not know exactly what he wants, he cannot be sure of getting it. The professional is not only the bs e Ca Sree FAN-tass.TIC aEa SLA3TPEAGE 8 Clea Ee cz ah i =of 2 Angus| SLATE 3PAGE 9 | SLATE 3PAGE 10 SLATE 3PAGE 11 The rationale behind the ‘professional guarantee’ was well formulated in the terms of those it needed to convince, and the process of professional organisation was able to proceed. At first organisation was through ‘voluntary association’ in professional instiutions. Membership was not compulsory and very many of those practising in a particular ‘profession’ did so outside the relevant institution, but the very existence of such institutions enabled their members to operate as the ‘elite corps’ of their profession. For this reason, the aqquisition of a Royal Charter of Incorporation was, during the 19th Century, much sought after. But although membership of a professional institution could be held up to clients as a ‘guarantee’ that their interests would be served competently and trustworthily, thus protecting the market for a particular service from erosion through the incompetence and lack of integrity of its members those outside such institutions were still able to compete with members for work. The tendency ot the ‘voluntary association’ was towards monopoly of that profession, through compulsory registration. Now, in the 19th century atmosphereof * laissez- faire’ and the ‘deification’ of free competition, voluntary association had been the only feasible method of organisation. By the beginning of the 20th century, says Barrington-Kaye, involuntary altruism ‘the involuntary altruism of mankind had been disproved, (and) rules for the control of his egoism could be openly discussed...Th.e trend towards monopoly, welcomed in 1851 as enlightened self-interest, had, by 1901, to be presented as an act of self-denial, designed to protect the public from the fraud of competitors. But in professionalism, as in many other institutions, it is noticeable that onlytherationalizationschange;the trends remain the same. The trend in professionalassociationfromthefirst has been towards closure. That statutory registration could be an openly avowed aim in the new professions by 1901 was due, not to any change in motivation, but to a new social philosophy’. Compulsary registration was achieved in the architectural profession by 1938. Well, you might say, what does it 1 matter whether the motive for professionalisingisoneofselfinterest, ifthe ‘guarantees’ offered by professions stem from what is, arguably, a need for ifasked would probably say that itfunc- insignificant process, But this is not the only omission, and indeed,itisimpossibletovisualise a professional code of conduct which could be more than an outline in general terms of the sort of behaviour the profession expects from its members. The effectiveness ‘figleaves’ covering the profession’s less of the code can be judged by the profession’s palatable effects, and offer smokescreen record of prosecutions, almost all for trivial cover to professionals while they go about tious. What is the Council’s common purposeandisitreleventtoday? To answer these questions we must look into how ARCUK is constituted and carries on its business, Present constitution ARCUK’s common purpose could come from one of several sources: one, from a higher authority, which would then impose it on the Council; two, from some mirac- ulous common instinct of its members (note that in both these cases there isan absence of conflict, the common purpose being either imposed or recognised by all Without dispute); or it could come from a third source, from the divergent private because the skill and experience of RIBA members willbeessentailtoanyrecons- tituted Council. reconstitute Why bother to reconstitute ARCUK? First; it is the only body which contains representatives from outside the confines of the profession, Second, the powers delegated to it by the Registration Acts are no longer adequate; And, third, in all aspects of its work its response is distorted by the preponderance of RIBA members, It is for the first reason, i.e. the presence of lay people on the Council, that I feel ARCUK may be worthwhile. a Council for the Review of Architecture) andgivenabroadersetofobjectives. It is obvious that in order to achieve this rejuvenation ARCUK must first ‘un- scramble’ itself from 40 years of collusion with the Royal Institute of British Arch- itects, Perhaps then it really will be significant. A pamphlet is published by ARCUK, “Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom’ (March 1976), and is available from the RIBA Bookshop, price 50p, It is recommended by the RIBA to all practices and schools of architecture.), offences, while the large scale flaunting of the code by Poulson et al goes unnoticed (or unchallenged) until criminal prosecutions are brought; The professions attempt to control competition between members by the setting up of mandatory minimum fee scales and by prohibiting, or controlling the explanations in shortening them, and I extent and form of, advertising. The Monopolies Commission is currently investigating these practices, and the report presented to them by the New Architecture Movement (7) shows up as fallacy the rationale used by the profession, i.e. that the setting up of a minimum fee scale protects the quality of service, in that professionals will not then be tempted to shoddy service offer a shoddy service in order to under- cut their competitors. Setting a minimum fee scale in no way ensures quality of service. Professions claim that by offering ‘guarantees’ of competence, integrity, and non-competitiveness, they can offer protection to those seeking theirservices. But I would argue that professions are in no position to offer such guarantees, and that in any case they are offering no more protection to their clients than is now available in law. The NAM report to the Monopolies Commission spells this out, and points to the legislation which exists to protect the consumer of any sort of service, legislation from which those offering professional services are certainly not exempt. So professions are not only offering worthless guarantees, they are offering guarantees which, even were they effective, afford their clients no more protection than is already available to them in law. But more than this, by claiming to be able to offer such ‘guarantees’ in the ‘interests of the client” (and, it is increas- ingly argued by the professions, in the ‘interests of the public at large’) the professions are provided with the legitimation for practices which they claim are necessary to enable them to provide such ‘guarantees’. don’t think I’ve made any assertionsI wouldn’t be prepared to back up with more detailed arguements. 2. ‘Professional’ is used here as short hand to denote those occupations which later became professions. At this stage (with the exception of medicine and law) professional institutions had not been formed. 3. R.H. Tawney, The Acquisitive Society, (1945). Why is ARCUK so very insignificant to the profession, the industry, and the nation, and yet too significant to continue to be dominated by the RIBA? To answer this question we must look at the nature and and scope of ARCUK’ 4, i Kaye, The Di of the Architectural Profession in Britian, (1960). 5, Here Barrington-Kaye makes two assumptions I would challenge: 1, that the clients do not know what they want (I would dispute this at the present time especially where ,for example, anaarchitect is engaged to design a speculative office interests of the members througha political where the clients most certainly know exactly what they want and the most sucessful architects are those who know best how to provide it) and 2. that ‘technical solutions’ are value free (Idoubt that this has ever been the case.) 6. NAM Monopolies Commission Report (available for £1.00 from NAM) It needs, however, to be reconstituted upon an even broader base if its state- ments are to be received as fair and authositative by the general public, ARCUK’s basic concern with registr- ation is still relevant but no longer adequate. TheActsdonotenableitto take account of changes in the structure of the profession, in patronage, and in the social climate. It should be able to concern itself with broader social and political basis. It could be renamed say, the ‘Council for the Review of Arch- itecture’, which would report periodically on the state of the art and the profession, We need a new social organisation toTep- resent the profession to government, industry, and the general public. We need a new ARCUK’ In October 1975, when the Council were considering the draft of the new Code of Professional Conduct (the purpose of which was to bring it into line with the recently redrafted RIBA Code!), a representative of the ‘unattached’ architects proposed the following two principles be incorporated in the new Code: one, that the public interest, expressed particularly in terms of work for the underprivileged members of society, should take precedence ensuring competence and integrity with- in the profession, and for limiting the effects on clients of the professionals. This depends not only on whether you feelitisDESIRABLEto ensure competence, integrity, and non competitiveness, but also on whether you consider itisPOSSIBLE to ‘guarantee’ these through a professional mode of organization. Let us examine this possibility on the grounds mest favourable to the ‘professional’ standpoint, and assume for the purposes of this article that it is desirable to attempt to foster these three elements. Is it possible to do so through professional organization? Professions attempt to control by limiting entry to those who satisfy their minimum entrance requirements and by instituting, or giving their approval to, courses of education and training culminating in qualifying examinations set by or approved by the professional institution. While this system could be said to guarantee that every member of a profession has been through and satisfied the require- ments of a course of study approved by the profession, it does not guarantee the subsequent competence of that member. Competence arises through a combination of education, which should aim to equip the practioner with the range of knowledge from which to make theoretical choices, and experience, which should make the practioner better able to chose between the range of choices available in a given non-theoretical situation. So setting ever higher minimum entrance requirements will have no effect other than that of barring entry to the profession to a large section of those already working in related fields. Technicians, building workers, and other occupations integral to architecture, have a large and relevant experience which the architectural profession is only too happy to rely on but is unwilling to admit to its ranks. Professions attempt to control the integrity of their members by requiring them to conduct themselves in accordance with a code of conduct. Since the original purpose of such a code was to enable the professions to be seen to be protecting the interests of their clients in order to maintain a market for professional services, In a society which exalts ‘professional’ it is not surprising that, for instance, the code of conduct of the architectural profession has only recently incorporated anyreferencetotheUSERSofbuildings.continuestoholdthattherestrictionsit Theconceptofcommonpurposeisconten-employedmerelyforRIBA-bashing,simplythenationifitwerereconstituted(as Restricting entry to the profession perpetuates the ‘elitism’ of architects by reinforcing the division of labour in the building industry and ensuring the continued stratification between builders, technicians and ‘qualified’ staff. Enforcement of a minimum fee scale minimum fee scale perpetuates the situation where those with good financial resources will always be able to retain professional help, while those with no resources will have to rely on the help of those few professionals prepared to offer their services voluntarily or do without professional help altogether. ethic, The corolary being that without it (and without the mandatory minimum fee scale) both the architect and the public interest would be adversely affected. Architects would suffer through the development of ‘cut-throat’competition, fee cutting, supplanting, soliciting, with clients playing off one architect against another and large diversified offices Squeezing out small specialised offices by price-cutting and advertising. Also the public interest would suffer through reduced professional services and the dey- elopment of an ethical environment detri- mental to the high ideal of social service to which the profession is said to hold, An analysis of the Council reveals the following: group A -40 members (RIBA), group B - 7 members (‘unattached’ architects), group C - 4 members (Arch- itectural Association), group D -2 members (Department of Environment), and 13 individuals, and, two, that no architect should employ another architect, ie. every registered architect in private practice should be entitled to be a partner in that practice. rejection opinion ,this ensures the reproduction of the disadvantages experiencedby the ‘disadvantaged’. Yet the profession enforce has relevance only ifthe nature in pressure and propaganda brought to future? and scope of the Council are generally bear from outside the Council; The ARCUK could be significant to the agreed; But generally agreed by whom? mechanisms exist, but they should not be profession, the industry, and, therefore, imposes of its members are necessary inenablingittoofferitsworthless ‘guarantees’. And these ‘guarantees’ not only act as legitimising factors, they also act as protecting their own status and the market for their particular products. 1 Apologies for the brevity of my : explanations and the baldness of my assertions,butinashortarticlethisis inevitable. I’ve tried not to distort the ARCUK: The Architects Registration Council of the viable the constitution must be accepted the United Kingdom was established to protect the general public and architects alike from the unscrupulous, the criminal, and the incompetent, It has six principle functions, One, to control admission totheregisterofarchitects, Two,to prevent unregistered persons from pract- ising as architects, Three, to judge and review the standards of education in arch- itecture schools, Four, to support research since 1969, Five, to provide maintenance grants for architectural students. And, six, to impose discipline upon architects according to a code of professional conduct. by all members as afair set of rules for thegame, Butistheconstitutionof ARCUKa fairone? _—‘Theimpossibility of a ‘perfect’ constitution is self-evident Simple majority rule has theoretical as well as practical limitations, particularly According to these descriptions ARCUK tions ‘from a higher authority’ under the provisions of the Registration Acts, It is my view that it should function more dem- ocratically, reflecting the struggle for a more truly democratic society in which concensus somehow emerges froia conflict. The mechanism by which this conflict is resolved is a constitution. To be in the case of ARCUK: strate, stranglehold RIBA members constitute the most powerful group on the Council. And they operate as a ‘group’. Evidence of this can be found in the recent architectural press. A letter addressed to each RIBA member of ARCUK by the RIBA Council informs them of how they are expected ARCUK relies heavily on the Code of Professional Conduct, the purpose of whichisthemaintenanceotaprofessional tobehaveatanARCUK Councilmeeting. overtheinterestoftheindividual client The essence of the problem is distri- bution of seats, There is no practical possibility of vote-trading, even if an issue existed (say, one of ‘conscience’) on which RIBA members could be released from their whip; Apparently this problem cannot be resolved by normal political process within the Council, since one thing the Council cannot be used for is to decide what its own future constitut- Those proposals were rejected without discussion by the RIBA group present, one of whom remarked that that would mean ‘unscrambling the profession of the last 40 years,’ Consider our sadprofession: under scrutiny by the Monopolies Comm- ission; divided on fundamental social and technical issues; viewed with suspicion by fell fellow professional and public alike; con- demned to low pay and high unemployment and suffering a monumental crisis of spirit, of the Council and the Code it seeks to ion should be, The solution must lie purpose and organisation, The entire edifice of the constitution Ishall demon- judge of what technical solutionbest fits the client’s requirements, he is also the the technician who supplies that solution. The temptation to supply an unnecessarily expensive one, or to overcharge, iscorrespondinglyraised, and it is therefore necessary for the client to have some guarantee of integrity before he can safely venture to purchase the professional’s services’. (5). ARDIFF PART 2 us? It was probably in this area that our collective lack of experience weighed under the JCP should be paid less than the negotiated market rate for the job. However, some kind of agreement was reached on the content of the form, with particular attention to the comments of the assessor, who it seemed would ‘judge’ the credibility of our application. The meeting ended, as did the first one, with the assistant giving us help and encouragement, telling us to get the application in quickly as the money was starting to dry up. He left us with the impression that because of our thorough- ness, and the gap which our service would fil, the application stood an excellent chance of being considered favourably. A couple of weeks after this final meeting the application, in its amended form, went in with all the accompanying backup material. It didn’t seem to reflect the hard work of the Cardiff group during the previous six months, or the changes and compromises made in its composition. But it seemed to make good sense and looked very thorough. though in the light of our initial idea it could only be accepted as the basis for something better in the future. At the beginning of December we received a letter from the MSC informing us that our application had been turned down, No reasons were given, although the letter stated that should we have any queries they would be pleased to help us. It seemed the only thing to be salvaged was the reason for the refusal, but even this proved to be impossible. We tried to arrange meetings but no one would see us. The Area Organizer for Wales was sympathetic, but he passed us on to his subordinates who didn’t think it was a good idea, Then we tried to speak to the enthusiastic assistant, but each time we phoned he was either absent or busy and so eventually Italked to the Cardiff areaassessor. Inameandering conversation where he wouldn't be pinned down the key word was once again credibility. He also mentioned the lukewarm response of the RIBA locally (we didn’t seek their approval, although we did inform them of what we were doing), and the capability, or lack of it, of the group to oversee the project. So we were left with not even a coherent reason for the rejection, From a third party we heard that the assistant was very surprised and saddened to learn that the scheme did not go through. He had worked hard on it during the assessment. As a last attempt to salvage something from the project, we approached the MSCtoaskwhatitwouldbenecessary for us to do to make our application acceptable to them; their reply was to the effect that we would have to work in conjunction with local RIBA groups and within the local authority structure with the approval of the relevent planning departments. Following on from our JCP application, the enquiries we made established the feasibility ofa design service anda real need for work to be done on a number of projects. The rejection of our application has meant that any work will, however, have to fund itself. Initially a community group contacted us to do some design work in connection with their own JCP application to provide labour to build a number of buildings in an area of Cardiff where resource allocation has been very low. This project did not materialise but has now split into two distinct projects, The first of these is for a workshop and mini bus garage for ajunior school, y to be done ona self build basis using volunteer labour and second hand materials where possiile. The second of these is for an extension to a community centre to be built, hopefully, using JCP funded labour. We are doing improvement grant work to terraced houses, in a previously blighted area of Cardiff, for low income owner occupiers, This isbeing dome through and with the encouragement ofa local community and advice centre, The nature of these jobs and more importantly, the “financial status” of our clients excludes a full service - percentage fee scale being applied in the accepted sense of what a full service entails, while a partial service is not itself adequate. Work is therefore being undertaken on a time charge basis. After an initial meeting with a householder a projected cost can be given for design work and supervision based on an average for this type of work. This isnot too difficult an exercise where a degree of repetition is involved. Problems, when they arise, concern not so much fee costs but more usually the ability of a householder to meet their share of the building costs where there are restrictions on where they can borrow money when a bank holds deeds to the house as security on a previous loan to buy the house, While hardship grants may apply to some casts this will not usually be the case and this problem has yet to be tackled. Continued from page 5 which form an essential part of the formalist movement. This rationalisation can afford to be intellectually risque and to flirt with the jargon of semiotics (in AD Jan 77 and Apr 77) the abstract structuralist Marxism of the Althusserian School (in AD Mar 77): the terminology is so esoteric as to be unintelligible even to architects; the conc- lusions of scholarship so abstract as to be in effect tautological, and the focus of their philosophisings so introspective as to render the participant oblivious of the real and urgent problem of the present - universal recession and the baleful effect this has on building development. Such rationalisations then, are blatant mystifi- cation, designed to maintain the unassail- able elitist position of the priesthood of architects and their apologists in architect- ural magazines such as the revamped AD. This is part two of the Cardiff NAM group’s account of their attempt to set-up a community design service. The first part was published in SLATE 2 and dealt with the group’s initial proposal to the Man Power Services Commission, leading up to their rejection of the group’s prop- osals. Part 2 below deals with the prob- lems encountered by the Group over the question of professional indemnity and shows how, to gain acceptance, it would have been necessary to set-up the project within the established structure of the RIBA and the Local Authorities. The various parts of the article were prepared by individual members of the group and do not neccessarily represent a collective view. The experience of our attempt to establish a free environmental design service for community groups high- lighted two problems which may affect others with similar aspir- ations. The first difficuly we encountered was inherent in our objective. It arose from wanting to provide a FREE service; how then could we provide the salaries of those actually doing the design work if no fees were to be charged? This led us to apply to the MSC, as described previously. But the second difficulty would apply to anyone who wished to offer architectural services. It revoives around the need for insurance to cover any liabilities incurred. Asa group, we had very limited experience in this area. Having taken both professional and legal advice, it became clear that the proposed design service would require at least two kinds of insurance cover, Employers’ Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance. We feel that the need to have this latter cover would be likely to defeat any attempt to establish a design service for those unable to afford the RIBA fee scale, and accordingly itisabout professional indemnity insurance that we seek advice from anyone more experienced in this field. most heavily against us. After long negotiations with a large and competitive firm of insurance brokers, and after seeking advice from the Architects’ Benevolent Society, it appeared that limited insurance cover of, say, £100,000 would be available but only for the high annual premium of £1,000. Cover would be required not only while the service was being provided but also during the statutory period of limitations. This _ would have involved us in having to raise a a sum in the order of £6,000 just to provide professional indemnity insurance. This proved to be an insurmountable financial hurdle, Even if our applicatioh to MSC was accepted, this would have defeated our attempt to provide a free design service, We would have been unable to take out insurance to safeguard the interests of our community group clients and ourselves. But the experience we gained from investigating the field of insurance has proved invaluable for the insight it provided about the constraints operating against the practice of architectural design skills in Britain, and this could be of the utmost importance to anyone else aspiring to provide a design service for people who cannot afford the RIBA fee scale. The premiums demanded by this kind of insurance cover pose a serious obstacle to anyone hoping to provide a free service with a responsible attitude to the interests of non fee paying clients. It may be that the size of such premiums may lead some community design groups to ignore ora avoid taking out professional indemnity insurance, Indeed, our own canvassing of other such groups indicates that this may be the case. But this omission renders both designers and their clients vulnerable. We started to take steps backwards when we began to examine in detail the areas of insurance, a constitution, management committee, property, and so on. In my view al we succeeded in doing over the next few months was to compromise our original ‘go it alone’ attitude. Consult- ative pressure became very strong; the more we tried to move outside the system the more we were forced, by the law and practicability, back along the conventional line, For me the only thing that held the scheme together during this period was the thought that if we could only get it financed, albeit with compromises, it would be a start, it could be used to explore this virgin territory for architectural workers, SPOT THE SEXPLOITATIVE ADVERT! In our case, the purpose of this kind of insurance cover would have been to insure the management comminttee against any liability arising from either its own negligent actions or any vicarious liability arising out of the negligent actions of its employees. Now, this is not just an academic issue, but one that could become all too real and pressing inpractice.If,forexample,amember futureworkcouldbebuiltonthe of the proposed management committee, or someone working for the design service, gave advice or made a design decision which proved to be negligent and resulted /ts necessary #opoint ot sexploitation in advertismg, but if can be done rn non-aexist ways, He thiak 11s covnkirproduchve fo Wemente Bat Ghehve YFRONTS, FELLER, oat r in the injury of a client, insurance cover would have been essential to meet any damages arising, to protect the mange- -ment committee, and also, equally important, to protect the client’s interests, Obtaining this kind of insurance posed problems for us. How could we pay the premium required? How much cover would we need for the service we proposed to offer? Would we find an insurance company prepared to insure SLATE 3PAGE 12 we had a second meeting with the same assistant at the MSC, and this time the Cardiff area assessor was present for part of the discussion, For this meeting the group had drafted out aJCP application Once again the assessor was very enthusiastic and helpful but the assessor was much more reserved about every aspect of the scheme. The emphasis and wording of the answers to some questions was altered to suit the assessor. Words such as credibility cropped up, and he suggested that the workers employed experience gained, Towards the end of October 1976 -+-Marilyn, this months centre-point likes super-smooth shower fittings elegant light- weight cladding and especially on dull weekends, intumescent paint. Her plush led modular greenhouse. And if that apartment is bush-hammerd and has an agreement certificate, and boys, her favour- ite colour is munsell 032-57. She is taking a holiday this year at an industrial estate near Bletchley in a quickly assemb- 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. _ ABK Holdings Ltd HUME ATKINS Ltd RAINWATER TRADING CO. LTD DAMIXA N.S.E. GROUP HILLS DOORS CATNIC LINTOLS doesn’t absolutely shot-fice you we can tell you that she has a large grey poodle called neoprene gasket III........ees0. SLATE 3 PAGE 13 REVIEW REVIEW OF ‘THE RIGHT TO A DECENT HOUSE’ BY SIDNEY JACOBS ‘The Right to a Decent House’ is a case study of the struggles of a working class community in Gairbraid, Glasgow which was part of a clearance area, The book is a blow by blow account of how the community organised itself in order to protect its interests and its varied record of success in acheiving it’s longterm aims. And yet it is much more because through- out Sidney Jacobs analysis of housing policies of Glasgow which he relates to a socialist analysis of housing and community action, ‘By understanding the rationale behind rehousing, local communities may protect their own interests’ says Jacobs, Implicit in the book is the assumption that socialism offers the only possible way out of the present mess, and while no attempt is made to describe precisely how this might work, by demonstrating the solidarity, ability, committment and potential that exists in working class communities Jacobs gives us glimpses of a future where such communities would have the power to control their own destinies, It is sad that there are no illustrations in the book and also that it is so expensive, But for anyone looking for socialist altern- atives to the present paternalistic attitudes that characterise the state’s housing policy it is extremely valuable, “The right to a decent house’ 1976 by Sidney Jacobs is in paperback ,published by Routledge Kegan & Paul priced £3.50 160pp. WORKING FOR WHAT? ARCUK ARCUK Group, NAM, 9, Poland St., London W1. LIAISON The Secretary, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1 NDS NDS, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1. PROJECTS David Roebuck, 25, St. George’s Aye., London, W1 CONSTITUTION Constitution Group: 9 Poland St., London, W1 PUBLICATIONS Editorial Committee, NAM, 9, Poland St.,London,W1 CARDIFF Anne Delaney, 196, Albany Rd., Roath, Cardiff EDINBURGH David Somervell, 22, Penmuir Place, Edinburgh 3 HULL Ian Tod, Hull School of Architecture, Kingston-u-Hull Regional College of Art. Brunswick Ave., Hull DIARY AUGUST tuesday 9th; NAM CONTACTS LEEDS Pete Forbes, Parkview, Weeton Lane, Hoby, Leeds 17 LONDON Douglas Smith, 17, Delancey St., London, NW1 NOTTINGHAM Nottingham Group: contact John Mitchell at 14, Derby Grove, Lurton, Nottingham, EDUCATION Edinburgh: David Somervell Hull: Jane Bryant, Hull School of Architecture. Leeds: Pete Forbes Nottingham: John Mitchell NAM groups wanting to contribute information on their activities should get their copy to SLATE by 26th August 1977 for inclusion in the next issue. home- 735 4629) NEWS FROM CONSTITUTION Following requests in SLATE and discussion at the recent London Seminar the Constitution Group has now met on two occasions in London. Despite poor attendance discussion has identified four key areas that require detailed study, mem- bership, the role of the Liaison Group, the role of the Congress, and the Newsletter. A first draft is to be produced by the middle of August followed by meetings in Cardiff, Nottingham (possibly Leeds) and London. All NAM members are urged to send their views in writing to Poland St., as sonn as possible so that they may influence the of the first draft. NOTTINGHAM The counter course organised by the Nottingham group and held at the Univer- sity on the 25th of June wasalively and well attended event. The participants, who included local architects, students and suprisingly (or not) only one member of staff, engaged in a vigorous discussion on each of the three topics. The first speaker from the NAM alternatives to asbestos group outlined the known health hazards from asbestos and the fact that up to 20 years may elapse from exposure to contracting cancer. The safe limits are difficult to monitor particularly on building sites. Possible alternatives reinforcing fibres for both sheet and structural materials are being investigated by the industry. The closest practical and economic rival to asbestos appears at present to be steel fibre re- inforcement from scrap metal but there are production and rusting problems to beovercome. Itthereforeseemslikely that asbestos will hold its ground in the forseeable future unless other pressures are brought to bear on manufacturers. The NDS group speaker argued that the basis of a publicly accountable National Design Service already exists in the form of Local Authority Architects departments. Their function being to design buildings for public need not for private profit. The far reaching deficiences of many departments does not change that fact that it is through the state that a majority of people gain access to essential resources. The critical problem is how to extend local control over these services and design dec- isions and how to make the Local Authority architects directly accountable to the people who will live in or use the buildings, Divorced from such contact most architects work in a vacuum filled by beauracratic norms and standards. A long discussion ensued over these ideas and their applica- tion in practice. After lunch Peter Carter of UCATT described how the Green Ban Action in Birmingham had united different interests and classes in the city -from the Victorian Society and Friends of the Earth to building workers - in an attempt to prevent the demolition of the Post Office. The action has now expanded to include the formu- lation of constructive and creative policies forthisandotherissues. PeterCarter’s main theme however was the current threat to direct labour departments. He argued that local authority building workers used their labour in a socially useful way, supp- lying a service to the community to which they are democratically accountable. As their sole aim is not profit, direct labour departments are consistantly 5 - 10% cheaper than private builders. They train over 80% of apprentices in the building industry, they have an excellent safety record and give job security in an industry notorious for casual labour. In times of economic strin- gency private builders need council work but their profits will be severely reduced if they are to tender successfully against direct labour departments. It is therefore the policy of the conservative party and the recently elected Tory councils to disband direct labour departments in favour of private enterprise and UCATT ismounting a campaign to defend direct labour, The attack on direct labour departments was seen to be similar to the denigration of local authority architect’s departments and for similar reasons. The meeting looked forward to links being forged between building workers, local authority architects and tenants. The final discussion led by Peter Carter tanged over common problems and finished with a general discussion of NAM activities. =ein THE CASE FOR_TRADE AMO THE AivtD BUNDING PROFESSIONS monday 29th; SEPTEMBER monday 19th; Members of the Liaison Group wish to thank the London Group for organising and running a NAM information stand at the People’s Jubliee held at Alexandra Palace on Sunday 19th June (see diagram ofstandabove).NAMliteratureand AcollectionofcartoonsbyLouisHellman | subscription forms were made available to the several thousand people attending the event with modest but very worthwhile results. UNION ORGANISATION INARCHITECTURE Working for What?, a report by NAM’s (Unionisation) Organising Committee, with original cartoons by Louis Hellman, isamore comprehensive look at‘the case for trade union organisation in architecture and the allied building professions’. Arevisededition, which includes coverage of the May 14 conference which choose TASS, isnow available for only 40p, postpaid, from NAM, 9 Poland Street, London, W.l. SLA3TPEAGE 14 Hellmantakesastabfromtheinsideattheseemiersideofthebuildingprofession. | saturday 20th; Surgery for unattached architects monday 8th; LIAISON NAM’s 3rd Annual Congress 1977 is to be held over the weekend 2Sth -27th November at Hull where it will be hosted by the local NAM group, A meeting between the liaison group and a Hull representative is planned for July to divide responsibilities and agree principles for organising the event. The organisers will be approaching al local and issue based NAM groups in order to discuss their agenda requirements and co-ordinate what promises to be alively, tightly scheduled weekend. A timely opportunity for publicising the Congress is provided by this year’s Building Exhibition to be held in Birming- ham on 16th -25th November, Provided finance and staffing are available, it is hoped that NAM will be able to arrange some sort of presence at the event throughout it’s duration. Would all those able to help in any way please come forward. SLATE’s international appeal broadens Witheachissue. Hotontheheelsofa subscription from Iceland comes another, this time from Malaysia! Where next? NAM's 3rd Annual Congress will be at Hull this year. It has been fixed for the 25-27th of November at Hull University School of Architecture. There will be further details announced in SLATE 4. Se | Fillintheformbelowandsenditwithacheque/PO(payabletotheNewArchitectureMovement) NAME. subjects; ARCUK and SLATE 3 ‘Fell off my bike with laughter’ . Prof. Reyner for £2.95 plus 10p post and packing to NAM, 9 Poland St., London W1. Finally, after his short period of redundancy our congratulations to found- er member Morris Williams on his recent appointmentwithawell-knownarchitec- aADDRESS. oe eal tural practice in London. SLATE 3PAGE 15 | London Building Design Staffs branch of TASS ring Andrzej Michalite to confirm time and place (work- 485 4161, saturday 20th; Constitution Group Meeting in Cardiff saturday I3th; Liaison Group Meeting, ring Neville Morgan for details (work- 633 8388, home- 580 5270 Special aan ee vill isfor Pacheco | London Group meeting at the "Roebuck" o Tottenham Ct Rd at 7.30. be the NAM constitution. London Group Meeting at the "Roebuck" in Tottenham Ct Rd, London Group meeting at the "Roebuck"o Tottenham Ct Rd, at 7.30. Special eb ieee wil] be the NAM Congress at Hull. MANIFESTO FOR PLANNERS 14 working groups were set up by the CONFERENCE OF SOCIALIST PLANNERS’ founding conference in February this year, (see ‘planners for Socialism’ -p3, SLATE 1). The London Group’s task is to gather material for a formal manifesto to ‘provide a focus for planning issues’ and as a way of defining CSP’s stand on these issues, NAM wishes them every success in their fight against paternalistic state planning policies and we look forward to their next national conference at Leeds in October this year. Anybody interested in CSP should contact Nic Clifford at 40, Bramcote Road, London S.W.18. AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS 4 A FULL SESSION OF LAMBETH Council gave final consent to the scheme to rehabilitate 21 units of housing in St Agnes Place, Kennington. (seeSLATE 1,p12.) The question of the future of this war- veteran of the housing crisis had obtained a mixed response in it’s passage through the various committee’s -at the Planning Committee meeting al the greying die- hards of the Conservative opposition (including the Mayor!) were wheeled in to vote against the proposal. “But wait a moment” the sceptics say “the Council permanent civil servants will not have buried the hatchet and will be preparing for an al out under-cover war to try to prevent the realisation of the proposal”. One can be sure that the Lambeth Housing Depaartment will not finally release it's grip over the control of a sizable wedge of housing without some spasms of remorse. =| | SLATE 4 will featurea series of articles |on UNEMPLOYMENT and THE BUILD— ING INDUSTRY. Special sections will | NAME ADDRESS. TELEPHONE( HOME ) NAME ADDRESS. focus on the particular effects that the crisis has had on Local Authorities and Architectural Education. It was also decided to hand over the rehabilitation of the houses to Lambeth Self Help Building Co-operative. The Housing Corporation will hand over the £27,500 from within it’s ‘mini-HAG’ scheme. _ The fact that this option would cost the Council nothing and would increase rate revenue certainly contributed to it’s eventual suczess SUBSCRIBE! ISSUE! (WORK ), third Annual Congress in Hull and full |details will appear in this issue. NEXT | | We will also be preparing for NAM’s | Also featured will be the work of the Green Ban Action Committee in Birming- ham: They have united a wide platform of |support amongst trade unionists, environ- mentalists and preservationists against the demolition of the Victorian Post Office and and proposed redevelopment on this site. dave mckay ittogetherwithacheque/postalorderaos totheNewArchitectureMovement)for£5.00(if you're employed) or £2.00 ( if you're are student, claimant or OAP) to NAM at 9, Poland Street | London W.1. If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fillin the form below and send it together with acheque/postal order (payable totheNew Architecture Movement )for£200 toNAM at9, Poland Street, London W.1. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Andrew Brown/FLeP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July/August 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/986275af90b3238657146af8b3061cd4.pdf acfb9c314eaa00d9750767f5c42a05d7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 4 Subject The topic of the resource Contains: 'NAM 1977 Congress Application' 'NAM 3rd Congress, Hull 25th, 26th and 27th November 1977' 'NAM Has A Stand At Interbuild!' Description An account of the resource CF purple rock easily split plates; piece of such {ed), (of) hence slat’ Criticize severely views), scold, rate; for office etc. Henco J} SLATE ISTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly by the Movement’s Liaison Group and edited on its behalf by an adhoc comm- ittee set up in January 1977. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are incl- uded to stimulate debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the largest possible readership. OUR NEW COVER PRICE We have been able to reduce the cover price of SLATE from 40p to 25p as a res- ult of the setting up of a network of 30 representatives throughout schools and large practices al over the country, The only committment of each representative willbetoreceive5copiesofSLATE every 2 months and to try to sell 4 of them, re- turning £1.00 to SLATE This system should also help SLATE achieve a far wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of radicals concerned with the industry and the environment, WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers, more ideas and more reps in order to produce a better, larger and cheap- er newsletter, _If you would like to work for SLATE; become a rep., join the committee, send in articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon, The copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 28th October 1977, NAM groups wanting to contribute information on their activities should get their copy to SLATE by the 28th October 1977 for inclusion in the next issue. SLATE is published by the LIAISON GROUP of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9, Poland St., London. W1. Typesetting by Maggie Stack and ,Julia W:lson-Jones Printed by 2 Tslington Community Press 2a St Panls Road @ London NI Originally named Wyke, Hull was founded by the Abbey of Meaux at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber. The name changed to Kingston-upon-Hull when in 1293 Edward Ibought the town from the Abbey as astrategic military site. It became a Borough and a Port for Northern Europe. From the 14th Centuary as a Port, Hull prospered. Remnants of the buildings of prestige of those early days of growth can be seen in Trinity Church and Trinity House; the latter became important as a centre for the control of shipping. The 18th centuary brick terraces lining paved streets were evidence of continued prosperity of the Port. The War left Hull devestated. Many of the warehouses were destroyed and only 5,700 of the City’s 90.000 houses were undamaged. It was therefore necessary to re-plan the city. In 1943 Abercrombie and Lutyens produced a much praised plan for re-construction - broad roads and round- -abouts to erase much of the old town, with vast areas of slum clearance in the housing sector. Luckily, financial problems, and_ pressure from the large store owners, meant most of the plan had to be shelved with the exception of some aspects of road develop- -ment used in the 1954 plan and the South Orbital Road still to be completed. The housing clearance programme continues. Cc Hull is to be the site for NAM’s 3rd Annual Congress, the climax of 2 years in which the movement will determine its constitution haying grown toa position of some international impact Last year, Blackpool provided for those involved or interested in NAM an opportun- ity to meet to discuss the papers drawn up during NAM’s first year of existence and to formulate directions and proposals for action in the ensuing r, As a result of this many advances have been made including the Unionisation Conference of May 14th and the subsequent setting up of the Building Design Staffs, Branch of TASS as well as NAM’s involve- ment on ARCUK and the production of “SLATE’, NAM’s newsletter, Thus this congress will be able to take stock of NAM’s position in relation to the advances that have been made and discuss the future directions of the movement in this light. The congress will be held on the week- end November 25th -27th and the accom- odation is being provided by the Hull School of Architecture Association, Special care able from: The Secretary, NAM Liaison has been taken to keep expenses down and the congress fee will be only £5.00 which will include all meals. Overnight expenses will also be low with B +B available at £2.50 in the colleges residential accom odation, The Hull NAM group will also be able to put people up in students flats for a nominal charge of SOp. The congress opens onFriday evening (25th) with registration and buffet, giving people an opportunity to introduce them- selves, A short introductory session will follow, the discussions being continued we hope, in the bar afterwards, The main congress session starts on Saturday morning with reports from the various NAM groups to be followed by workshop sessions The workshop topics so far suggested include community architecture, our role in the unions, direct labour, NAM’s structure, plus Slate. After these there will be more plenary sessions. Later in the afternoon there will be apublicseminar-thisisaninnovationas far as NAM congresses are concerned. The topic for the seminar has not yet been decided but the idea is to invite local groups to talk about their concerns and problems in Hull. Saturday will draw to a close with supper and asocial event Sunday will include a meeting for NAM members to discuss and develop a constit- ution. A paper is being prepared on this subject. As membership has now been established it is felt that there should be an opportunity for NAM members to meet and define a structure for the movement Any person who joins NAM at the confer ence will also be welcomed, For those not involved in this meeting a tour of Hull is being organised by the NAM Hull group. Sunday will also be a day for making cont- acts, organising new groups, either issue OT geographicaly based. into two sections without satisfactory Nort, of eee Sdock pedestrian links. The old town i Local Authority Administration, Professional and Banking services and the The congress will therefore be of crit- ical importance to all those interested in helping determine NAM’s future direct- ion, members or otherwise. Itisimportant tobook early-applic- ation forms are enclosed and more avail- Group, 9’ Poland St., London, W.1. Ail workshop topics and written doc- uments that anyone may wish to submit must be sent to the Secretary by October 31st, for inclusion in the detailed prog- Tamme, CITY OF HULL In writing of Hull, the history of the Docks makes a history of the City: the life and livelihood of the City comes from the Port industries. A grid of new streets with associated Georgian development came withtheopeningofthefirstDockin1799. originalestimationwas£9million)with |eabaeseneen New Dock was finished in 1809 and in no road links south, will only be of regional By 1930 this economic growth came to a standstill. The Corporation bought Queen’s Dock and filled it in, Other docks now obsolete occupy a large area of the City’s heart ,so new uses must be foundforthem, of styles, giving little guidance for modern infill. There are many different types of city housing, as mentioned above in the Avenues, and the 1860 -1914 workers’ housing. Also there are model dwellings for the working class and Reckitts built Garden Village in East Hull. Most recently, the satellite town of Bransholme which is expected to expand to a population of 45,000, with wide roads, roundabouts, Hull, through its isolation and economic depression has missed much of the trend of the road and high-rise developments of the sixties and has had time to learn from others’ mistakes. The existing housing stock, together with the city-centre vacant land and the Dock land should be seen as resources for the possibility of re-vitalising the city. More recently the ideas of the Humber Bridge and the motorway to Manchester are seen as possibilities for the revitalisation of Hull’s economy, The Bridge, due for completion at a cost of £59 million (the (STREC (c% Malin eae!) 1826 Junction Dock linked the first two. significance. The motorway to the indust- In 1844 Railway Dock made the terminus stial cities should boost Hull’s importance totheRailway.OftheremainingWarehousesasthePorttoNorthEurope. LayoutSof1%b0-[GIE thePeaseWarehousesontheriverHull Thecityinplansuffersfrombeingsplit Wovkers Nousi (1745 and 1760) are among the earliest surviving in Britain. By 1840 fishing, Whaling, ship-building and ironworks became important new industries promot- -ing a second generation of Docks. The Albert Dock became the fishing fleet Dock, north of which workers’ houses were built in a layout unique to Hull (see sketch) allowme’a density of 49 houses per acre (200 -300 people per acre). Further north in 1870 superior residential suburbs of tie Avenues resulted from the new industrial expansion. historic heart of the city. The new town lacking facilities for entertainment, shopping provides mainly shopping and entertainment and transport Bransholme replaces the facilities, Architecturally, the city is an amalgam corner shops, small industries and commun- -ity spirit of the old city terraces, huge open unused space;desperately JudyAppleby age 2 TE4 SLATE 4 page 3 SLA EWSINEWS1! NEWS nationalise industry NOWsays n.e.c. SOME LARGE CONSTRUCTION companies should be nationalised to provideaneffectivepublicstakeinthe construction industry, argues a strongly worded new paper by the Labour Party’s policy forging National Executive Committee. Local authority direct labour organisations should also be extended to run as ‘municipal enterprises’ able to compete with private contractors for al jobs in their area contin- uesthepaper,draftedbyagroupchaired by left wing MP Eric Heffer. But ‘the most appropriate way to extend social ownership among the thousands of small firms in the industry’ would, says the paper, be by establishing workers’ cooperatives. These proposals, some of many in the paper’s encouragingly radical re-thinking of the construction industry, will be debated at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton at the start of October. Ifaccepted,asNEC proposals usually are, they will become part of official Labour Party policy, although with the current state of the governments’ parliamentary majority, legislation is likely to be delayed for years. Nor are the construction professions excluded from the NEC’s broad canvas, “The professional contribution largely determined the opportunity for contractor efficiency and the client’s value for money} they argue, suggesting a four-point prog- tamme of reforms crucial to improving the professional input: * education of al in the construction industry should be controlled by one central organisation, such as the CITB, and not fragmented in the hands of the professional institutes; * there should be a statutory body to improve matters relating to contracts and disputes; * there should be greater incentives for technical competence related to graded indemnity insurance premia; *aesthetic quality should be improved by holding more design competitions. “QS s must develop more sophististicated methods of cost tontrol, Surprisingly, although the paper blames the!industry’s comparative under - unionisation for many of its ils -such as poorconditionsofemploymentandits appalling safety record -it offers no thoughts on the unionisation of the professions. Its central tenet is to offer to stabilise public spending on construction, thus helping to level out the recent erratic peaks and troughs in the industry's workload, in return for improvements in the industry’s efficiency and social acoun- tability. The best way to achieve this, say the NEC, is by increasing direct govern- mental involvement in the industry. legal assistants to tenants faced with bad housing conditions, by compiling a register of Public Health Inspectors who were prepared to argue the tenants case with private landlords and local councils and by sponsoring test cases in the courts. Most notorious amongst these cases was the one fought with Salford Council which firmly established the responsibility of local authorities to provide decent housing in- -spite, in this instance, of intentions by the council to redevelop the area. Action was brought under Section 99 of the 1939 Public Health Act. PHASalsopublishedafortnightly bulle tin on public health issues called Emphasis and rei nforced its technical services with occa sional Practice Notes on particular problems. PHAS was closely linked with Shelter, the National Campaign for the Homeless, from its inception. It was set up by a Shelter worker in conjunction wi th PHILAG, the public health inspectors’ action group, and Shelter provided the Service with an annual grant. It hopes to be able to carry on at least some of PHAS’ work in providing technical rescources on environmental issues. The practice notes published by PHAS are stil available through the Publications Distributions Cooperative PHAS' library has been moved to the London Council for Social Services, VSNIEWS ship would inevitably be lost if there was one, The issue now became -was the union a risk worth taking, perhaps at the expense remain friends with your boss? This iswhat of the existing easy-going relationshiTph?e Opposition to the proposals will befierce from most lobbies within the construction industry, particularly those on its right wing, such as the Association of Consultant Architects and the well organised National Federation of Build- ing Trades Employers, who will see their healthyprofitsthreatened. Criticismwill more equivocating come from the professional institutes, who will rightly see their own power threatened but will be loth to risk shooting their bolts with the government in power. Those who, like NAM, will find the NEC’s proposals refreshing, should stand up and be counted and try and make good itsomissionsandoversightsso that the benefits of socialisation can be enjoyed by al the industry. Direct labour organisations are fighting back in response to the hostility of the newly-elected Tory local councils and the savage public relations assault being mounted by, among others, the NFBTE and Aims for Freedom and Enterprise. A national campaign to defend DLO’s was launched in Manchester on 20 August. The conference was attended by 300 delegates from across the country, in- cluding representatives of the unions most closely involved -UCATT, TGWU, EPTU, NALGO, etc.. Conference speakers stressed the advan- tages of DLO’s - the best working and training conditions for construction workers, and greater social account- ability in techniques and projects. These were being overlooked, said speakers, in the the smear campaign which emphasised DLO’s admitted management problems, most of which could be overcome given more sympathetic administrators, The conference established a National Local Authorities’ construction Workers’ Shop Stewards’ Committee to fight back on behalf of DLOS. and agreed to press for Wages parity with private sector workers, Building Britain’s future: Labour'spolicy for Construction, Labour Party, Trans- port House, London SW1. PHASed out union blues model work DonatotTheiOtohernCisnema25Tc WI Tet637-0308 London may soon lose its only cinema showing, as a principal, Socialist films. The Other Cinema opened just about a year ago, At that time it was under cap- italised and is now ina serious financial crisis, It needs to raise £25,000 to con- tinue operating. Donations andapplications for “founding membership” should be sent to :The Other Cinema, 25, Tottenham St., London, W.1. office.) ; Coverage of the dispute in the trade press partners called an office meeting. Salary ‘and partly because there was went little further than the limited frontiers HOW TO START A UNION AND STILL TASS’ LONDON BUILDING DESIGN Staff branch has set up a working party to draft model conditions of emplyment forarchitecturalworkersintheprivate sector. the 20 strong staff at Pascall + Watson tried to find out last month. -The staff debates showed that their intent- ions were good and no malice was meant, butnowtheyhadtodecidewhetherto call the partnership’s bluff. “The majority still agreed with the issues behind union- ization, but the whole decision was effect- ively controlled by the partners’ attitudes and prejudices towards unions, In addi- tion to this was the fact that the burning issues had now been removed. ThingswerenotbadatP+W:thebosses weren't stupid like at William Nicholls Associctes, the working conditions were good and personal relations between part- ners and staff were friendly. One of the partners might be seen playing in the 5-a- side team against Seiferts or round at the pub on Friday lunchtimes, Nevertheless it was going to beapity that the unpleasant ritualofredundancieswouldsoonsplit’up association. Twostaffassociationvotes moregratefulifsomepeoplewouldbe a happy team that enjoyed its work and enjoyed each other’s company. No-one had ever been overpaid at P + W, and salaries generally lay respectably in the zone of the RIBA salary survey (low enough to grumble about), The problem had always been there: how do you broach the topic of salaries and redundancies without the individual being labelled as a troublemaker and up- setting the contented day to day existence? The staff felt that these important topics should not be dropped merely because of embarrassment, and they deserved more businesslike treatment. Under these issues it seemed there was room fora coll- ective voice for experience had shown that the individual was powerless against the strength of the partnership. The attempt at forming a staff body was carried out with the full knowledge of the partnership, and two main alterat- ives were explored: 1) the union (AUEW TASS), and 2) a staff association, ‘Inthe absence of information about the union, a small group of staff went to a branch meeting to see for themselves what was on offer. Despite the branch’s newness and small size it was felt that the arguments were ’ strong enough to take the matter a stage further, The staff were most impressed by other firms’ interpretations of unions in architecture, and it was decided to ask a staff member of one of these firms as wellasaTASSofficialtoattendastaff meeting. The debate covered every issue. The case was impressively put, guaranteeing independence to each office cell and allowing staff the traditional flexibility they had been used to. . The verdict after the meeting was strongly in favour of the union, on these terms which was relayed to the partners, A further meeting was set up a week later to make a decision, later confessed that they would probably join the union eventually, though they saw the staff association as the best first collective step. One month later, the staff are now finding that the staff association is hard work, and wh fund 1issues are raised negotiations with the p threaten impasse, notably on the position of the associates, Up to now associates have been involved in the staff association but their split loyalties put them ina diff- icult position. Most of the staff feel that the debate was worthwhile, and that something has been achieved; ifonly opening everyone’s eyes to a whole new set of issues that effect their work, The staff’s decision could perhaps be summarised that when things are not that bad, then in the short term there is more to lose than gain with aunion “coup”, As with other firms, the union isnow building up onacore of committed members, and if nothing else the exercise has at least opened up the debate. prepared to send the group copies of whatever they have by way of written conditions of employment or contracts. Please write ro him at 48 Neale Close, London N2, in confidence,. The timing was coincidence, it was said. The morning before the staff meeting the ‘on the effect advertising would have on the profession reviews were brought forward from Novem- ber to August and extensive reassurances were given about the workload and redund- ancies. The partnership’s view was not stated explicitly, but the message was quite clear. They would be very upset by the union, and they wanted to show how the status quo could work in the staff’s interests, profession. They were there- ‘They would not accept a union easily and fore neither for nor agrinst it was made clear that the existing relation- the RIBA proposals. By now, the result was never really in doubt: 3 for the union and 13 for the staff Part of this work entails a comparative study of employment contracts already in use. Mike Mitchell, a member of the study group, would like to hear from anyone ina private architects’ office who actually has a proper written con- tract of employment and would be even unattachedviews officeatYarmduringAugust.gaveafirst opportunity to hear from the strikers them- The Unattached architects on ARCUK have stated that the advertising issue in itself does not concern them, partly because the debxte on the subject was not based on knowledge but on speculation selves.. (Audiences at meetings in Cardiff, London and Edinburgh, arranged in conjunction with the TASS National Advisory Committ- ittee for Building Design Staff, heard a detailed account of the events leading up to and surrounding the strike, and heard the views of the strikers on the problems and tactics for militant action in an architect’s of the strike reporting style practiced by no reference to the main the national dailies, and gave little insight concern which was the interest into either the.tactics employed by the of the public and not whether or not advertising would increase the work of the Union nor the most significant events leading to the settlement. Talk of a union at Nichols started over a year ago when one of the workers sugg- ested collective action over wages and was it appears, preemptorarily “laid off” ,under < circumstances that were sufficient to ensure 7 inside Yarm afull report ona tour ~ of the strikersat William Nicholls office atYarm A speaking tour undertaken by some of the workers who had been on strike during much reported dispute at W Nichols’ JSNEWSNEWSNE SLATE 4 page 4 LATE 4page 5 TENANTS AND COMMUNITY groups have lost a powerful ally in their struggle for better housing. PHAS, the Public Health Advisory Service opted to close down on June 30th, unable to raise adequate funds to carry on its expanding work. In its four years of operation PHAS set out to provide technical expertise and that any further attempt at organisation would have to take into account the partners’ total and unshakeable opposition to trades unionism in their office. Against this background discussions which led to the eventual decision by the majority of the staff to join TASS were more serious and concerted and strictly confined to a nearby pub, Yet the union was acknowledged as the only way out where redundancies are used as a tactic to keep wages down and add weight to the employer’s excessive and arbitary flounting of authority. One architectural technician, aged 32, was earning less than £1900. During the four months that elapsed between the nine out of the thirteen employees of the firm joining TASS and the decision to strike, taken in the last days of July, the nine met twice weekly at lunchtime to discuss their grievances and decide how best to tackle Nichols. Votes were taken on all important issues and del- egates chosen to represent the union were sent to meet Nichols orhis junior partner. This democracy and solidarity did little to impress Nichols, however, who put forward a derisory salary offer, based on a compli- cated formula involving twelfths of ten percents, amounting to rises ranging from 8.3% to 1.3%. With one eye over their shoulders on the salaries of technicians at the Department of Health and Social Secur- ity (DHSS) who earn twice as much as some of the Nichols’ workers for doing identical hospital work the TASS members rejected the offer and pressed for rises of between £800and£1000,forlongerholidaysand improved conditions, These initiatives were met with stonewall rejection from Nichols, As well as the union claims, increased harassment, signing in and out was introduced and time keeping enforced by the threat of the sack for two days late- coming. Tho telephones were removed from the drawing office and all calls had to be made from a partner’s office. The inevitable decision to strike was taken unanimously by the TASS members who by that time, comprised seven archi- tectural technicians, a tracer and the only worker in the firms print shop. Remaining at work were the two partners and, of the employees, an associated architect, a cont- ract (self-employed) architect, a tracer and one of the technicians, also self-employed, whom had been instrumental in forming the union, but who subsequently resigned after being offereda salaried position by Nichols along with a hefty tax bill in cons- equence! Although confident that Nichols would find it difficult to replace their special skills in the Cleveland area, the strikers did what they could, within the law to ensure that it would be difficult for work to continue during the strike anyway. As they left the office on the Friday evening before the strike plan chests were locked, drawing equipment was locked away and the keys and parts of the print machine were hidden, Once outside, a continuous picket was mounted during working hours, complete with banners exp- laining the strike to passers by and to del- ivery drivers bringing supplies to the office, .o Almost ull deliveries were stopped and & drivers who were union members themsel- &, Ves asked to report the strike to their own < branches and press for the blacking of all ty deliveries to Nichols, Messages of support & helped to bolster the confidence of the strikers . ~” continued on p 13 women who are builders Of all the cliched impressions of the building industry one of the longest stand- ing must be the wolf-whistling response of building workers to women who venture pasta site, A group of feminists called Women in Construction have discovered, through actually working on site, that prejudice against women in the industry runs a lot deeper than chauvinist manif- estations from the other side of the site hoarding. Julia Wilson-Jones meets members of the group and discovers just how much ofa “man’s world” the industry is,and how difficult itisfor women to acquire building skills, espec- ally at a time of cut backs on Government training programmes. who would be active in what ever field they decided to work . One woman found that as an architect she was far removed from the actual practice of building. She felt much more sympathy with those building the buildings than those designing them, At Architectural School, the only time she thought she had learned anything was whn the students designed and buil-t asmall school extension themselves, Subsequently she has worked in a building co-op and has done labouring jobs for three months, After an eighteen month spell back on the ‘other side of the fence’ as an architect in an office specialising in rehabilitation, she has now decided to go back into construction and has been accepted for government funded Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) course to do carpentry, Another woman became involved through squatting and feelings of inadequacy and frustration at not being able to change a plug, let alone to the simple building tasks needed to make houses habitable. She was amazed at the hostility and objections she ran up against at the suggestion and at the obstacles put in the way of becoming trained and,once trained from the men on site as well as from the bosses, Realising that she has more chance of getting jobs ifshe isskilled she is now going on a TOPS course to do bricklaying. Another woman was an American Studies graduate and became interested in building through helping friends convert a house, She then did a TOPS course in carpentry and is now working for aDirect Labour Organisation. She has had alot of trouble persuading her boss to allow her to do a City and Guilds joinery course, It is virtually impossible for women to train as apprentices when they leave school, as no large firms are prepared to sponsor a woman, except possibly painting and decorating, many of which are family businesses, The most likely way a woman can train is through the TOPS course government retraining schemes, They offer a wide choice of courses, all available to womc.1, Lo qualify for a TOPS course you must be at least three years out of full time education, They are also designed to help ex prisoners or disabled people. A TOPS trainee must do six months at a special skills centre then an improvership of eighteen months, earning 85% to 90% of the basic wage, which increases every six months. Inevitably, when applying for a course women have been met with suspicion andagreat deal of incredulity - why didn’t they want to work as a secretary or hairdresser? Didn’t they realise that they were taking mens’ jobs in a time of recession? There is now a two year waiting list for TOPS courses and selection is based on whether of not candidates are likely to get a job at the end of their courses. Due to prejudice women will obviously have more difficulty than men in finding jobs, Government spending cuts have also affected the courses and have reduced theirnumbers. WIC know ten women who have done TOPS courses, and have heard of a further ten, None of the unions with members in the construction industry were able to give any statistics of how many women members they had. There are 96,800 women employed in the building industry as a whole but this includes clerks, secretaries, architects and canteen workers, To give some indication of the differences in numbers of men and women working on site the Construction Industry Training Board said that last year the applicants for their School Leavers New Entrants Training Scheme included 16 girls out of 700 boys, and only three» were finally accepted. The various schemes to help unemployment or redundancies such as Adopt a Boy!!! where grants are available for firms to take on apprentices no girls are included at all. Of the Unions UCATT was particularly condemned by its own woman research officer as being extremely chauvinistic and hostile to the idea of women working with them in construction, Their overtly sexist attitude is well illustrated in a film that was made on safety called ‘Heads You Loose’. When dealing with accidents involving heads and hands it showed a man’s head as being needed for “drinking and chatting up the birds” and his hands for caressing a woman’s legs. No wonder women find it difficult to be taken seriously. . barriers Not only do men believe that women cannot do certain jobs, but women them- selves are conditioned into accepting this view. Therefore, the majority of w~ assume that some types of work are ta unsuitable, and most school leavers would not dream of discussing the possibilities of construction with their careers officers or parents (and vice versa). However WIC know that once the barr- iers are broken down many women would enjoy a job where they can work outside and would find it far more rewarding to construct something and see the gradual completion of a project rather than to work asa telephonist or in a factory doing extremely dull and repetitive work. They have therefore had talks with school leavers to point out the advantages and encourage them to do the necessary train- ing. They are also making a video tape which will reach a wider audience, as it is being sold to the ILEA and various educ- ational authorities. However, they feel very frustrated at the small amount which can be achieved from one talk in the face of all the social pressures that will be exert- ed by parents, friends and school on any girl who likes the idea of doing construct- ion work. Many reasons are put forward as to why women are unsuitable; they are not strong or big enough, the wrong build, do not have enough stamina and won't be able to stand the scaffolding heights, WIC believe that rather than being a question of brute strength the problem of carrying bags of cement or large planks of wood is bettersolvedbyadoptingtherightapproach, and by using the right muscles. Due to conditioning, few girls are ever given the chance to find out how strong they really are, heavy tasks are always left for men to do; Once they had got used to the work involved, (or maybe fitter) women working in the construction industry in the Soviet Union have often proved themselves to be tougher, with more stamina, than their male counterparts, In fact one of the WIC members found herself being told to slow down, she was doing the job too fast and thus interfering with the men’s bonus sch schemes. Once trained the problems of actually getting a job are enormous, especially in an industry which already has a lot of unem- ployment. They were constantly finding that they were being refused jobs onasite where they knew work was available and then hearing that a man had been hired for the same job an hour later. Confidence was severely undermined by snide remarks about being a “lez” or “having some hor- mone problem”. When they eventually find a job they have to continually prove that they are as tough and as strong as the men, and not scared on the scaffolding. In fact each of them finds being up on the scaffolding with a bag of cement on their shouldersa terrifying ordeal especially when minimum safety measures are obs- erved. Ifanyone complains about safety they are considered a sissy, and immed- iately sacked if they refuse to work on the scaffolding. The other men on site are often extremely hostile, particularly the younger ones, They connot imagine their own mothers, sisters or girlfriends labouring so there must be something per- verse or peculiar about any woman who does, The other reaction is heavy patronising; most men feel threatened by the very idea of woman doing their work. Individually the men can be sym- pathetic after talking to the women about how they feel and why they are doing it but once back in the male pack are just as biggoted as before. Apprentice trained workers are generally hostile to TOP’s trained people as they have had a much shorter training (apprentiships used to be for 7 years, and are now for 3 to S years), and see them asa threat to their jobs. Hence they are even more antagonistic to women. Several men have demanded to know how a woman could accept this type of work knowing she was taking a job away from a man with wife and child- rento support. One of the women was actually sacked for swearing and lost her case when she challenged it through an Industrial Tribunal. Her boss agreed that she was a good worker but did not like being sworn at! cuts Women’s chances of employment are being further threatened by the cuts to direct labour, The Direct Labour Organisations are more likely to employ women, as they are more socially conciolis than are private contractors, and offer work to Improvers, Most of the TOP’s trained womenwereabletogetjobswiththeDLO’s but in view of the cuts this situation may well change. In fact, some DLO’s have said they are not going to take on any more Improvers, which will affect everyone, but especially women as they have virtually no other entry into the industry. Apprenticeships are also being drastically reduced, with the result that when the building industry picks up there will be very little skilled labour about, mainly a bunch of cowboys, doing very low standard work, support WIC think it is important to be incontact with other women inasimilar position and hold weekly meetings to discuss problems and and to give each other support. They had had a national conference which was surp- risingly well attended, and were able to set ip a register of women in traditionally male dominated trades in order to reach others in, or about to join, the industry, The register will be circulated to all women’s groups ard centres, Although they are in a sense doing pioneer work they dislike the sensational press treatment which has labelled them as heroic individuals struggling against such difficult odds that they must have great strength of mind and purpose. They know this does nothing to encourage other women if they feel they need to be exceptional characters, They rightly maintain that any woman who wants to isperfectly able to work in building and should not have to : uphill battle againstso many difficulties, LI A z —E DUN It is an uphill struggle and One in which they receive little encourage- -ment, They have, however, chosen to . WIC can be contacted at ;c/o 21 Bouverie Road, London, N.16. They are holding another conference in Leeds on the 22/23rd October and will be glad to hear from anyone who is interested in going. work in building because they enjoy practical work which is demanding and Tewarding. The women in WIC are all feminists Women in Construction (WIC) are a small group of women who are working in the construction industry as skilled workers and labourers, despite encountering obstacles and opposition from almost every side, They believe that women have the right to work in whatever field they choose and want to dispel the myth that the building industry in naturally an exclusively man’s world, and that women are mentally and physically incap able of working in it, SLATE4 page7 Steve Drewer argues that the crisis facing architectural workers is not a crisis of quantity but of structure. Ata time when there are ten times as many building labourers out of work than the total num- ber registered architects, architectural workers might do better by considering how better their skills can be deployed in society and in the industry than by attem- pting to defend their jobs within the exist- ing professional structure. What price architectural employment? During the last seven years the construction sector in the United Kingdom has suffered from an exagerated boom and the most severe and prolonged depression since the 1930s, This experience is not unique for other western European Countries have had similar experiences. What is probably uniqueisthemasochistic(orsadistic) satisfaction taken by the government in its refusal to stimulate any significant increase in construction output. The need for an increase in the public sector building programme isself-evident. What is of more importance is that in such a programme new work would have a disproportionate effect on the work available for architects. A private sector building boom does not generate many architectural vacancies, It is not the general level of demand which influences architect- -ural employment but its structure in terms of types of work and the clients feeding the demand to the sector. One of the main problems to be considered isthe confusion which exists as to what the functions of an architect are, or should be. France, witha signifi- -cantly larger building programme than this country makes do with approximately a quarter of the number of architects, The functions being currently performed by the majority of British architects would not be considered to be those of the architect in France and many other western countries, This is clearly a matter for the individual architect and the profession in general to deal with. But for the rest of us it would help if we knew more clearly the shape and inclinations of the animal with which we are dealing. Is it any more a matter to be deplored that the unemployed person is a graduate of the Architectural Association than a steelfixer? Perhaps the only justification for such an opinion is that steelfixers are more used to the vagaries of the construct- -ion sector than most architects. More significantly it should be remembered that the estimated number of manual construction workers presently unemployed is ten times the total number of registered architects in this country. construction activity was historically high, This was to some extent due to the damage to buildings during the war, post war reconstruction, and the enhanced social expectation with respect to housing schools,hospitalsetc. Atpeaklevels private speculative demand for offices, houses, shops etc, caused severe strain on the available construction resources, It is a consequence of this sustained high level of demand and the response of al the participants in the building process to this demand, the construction sector entered the depression in a manner analogous to the drunk who just “blew” the housekeeping. The low level of . apprentice training, the decline of crafts- men caused by over specialisation and the extensive use of lump labour were all symptoms of the state of the sector, During the depression there has been little stimulation to correct the situation and it seems unlikely that any significant increase in demand can be satisfied without major pressures on the supply of manage- -ment and labour. This isreinforced ifthe changing pattern of public sector housing demand isconsidered. The move from high-rise to low-rise and rehabilitation may well be socially and aesthetically desirable, but it is going to make demands for manual skills which are already severely limited. Even during this depression 0RYOU MRS. SNOBSON ANYTHING| I'LL HAVE YouR SAUNA PLANS READY FIRST THING IN nee MORNING! DON’T. FAIL ME J! contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to find carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, etc, The joint effect of both the cautious attitude of the government to stimulate increased construction demand and the serious capacity constraints in many of the industries grouped together as construction, suggests that the future level of demand will not return to that of the 1960s, and most certainly not to that of the early 1970s, It could be that the architects of the 1970s are in a similar position to the social scientists of the late 1960s, That is there are just too many of them. Equally, of course, while not underestimating the problem of unemploy- -ment among architects, it seems that the time has come for architects to question the role of their profession with respect to social needs, and whether their skills may not be equally well employed outside those functions traditionally (and legally) considered as those of the architect. reassessment andintegration For many years “learned” people have been researching and discussing the need for greater inteyration of the construction process, and moves to facilitate communicat- -ion between members of the “building team’’. Professionalisation, as distinct from professionalism, is a device for controlling a set of work functions and those who execute them. Many of the barriers erected around certain functions due to professionalisation could be considered as anti-social, The price of architectural employment is likely to bea reassessment of the role of architect, the functions performed and the side of the construction equation in which they are involved, If Iwas an employed carpenter Imight not shed too many tears for the unemployed architect, but Ithink Iwould look forward to a future where the ‘architect’ was not just the person who turned up looking trendy for site meetings. and asked bloody foolishquestionsof the craftsmen, but was equally likely to be the site foreman or union I NAM peaks and troughs Between 1945 and 1972 the level of } | | | tear off and return to 9,Poland st,London,W1 NAM 1977 CONGRESS APPLICATION WIND, S500Q00S0000G0000"707 NAMI sioinisioieieisioieicleieisielsielaicinicicveieio! DDRESBastajalellerlereieieiolsielsisiere eieieios eoreoeseseceeesereressecresecesaces I enclose £5.00 congress fee and require accomodation donot : : I require bed and breakfast accomodation @ £2.50. per night per persoi 1/2 nights single/double PTOLAT icicle ccccie 50p per night I enclose a cheque payable to the New Architecture Movement forthefollowingamount crieeRe construction in crisis: wh 1977CONGRESS APPLICATION organiser, SEA lite SLATE 4 page 8 ARCHIE TEKT' The 3rd annual congress of the New Architecture Movement will be taking place on the weekend of the 25th,26th and 27th november 1977.This years event will be the 3rd NAM congress following the inaugural congress at Harrogater in 1975,and Blacikpd61 in 1976.The hosts for this year are the Hull group of NAM in conjunction with the Hull School of Architecture. : ; The congress of '77 concludes a year of'action'dur which NAM has emerged as a force within the architectural world.Much of.this'action'has stemed from the researches and and discussions carried out by NAM groups during 1976 which were aired and refined at the Blackpool congress. These'actions'include the following, NAM's May Unionisation Conference which chose T.A.8.S. within which to organise architectural workers. NAM's Unionisation groups report'Working for What'. NAM's presence in ARCUK representing the unattached Salaried architect. NAM's newspaper 'Blate' the only radical paper for architectural workers. These public expressions of NAM as well as the less publicised ones are the issues around which NAM groups” form to work on.The groups which have issues clarified enough to present a working paper use the congress workshops to enlarge the discussion and to put forward motions for the congress to adopt. Workshops so far proposed for this years congress cover; EDUCATION ,NATTONAL DESIGN SERVICE ,UNIONISATION, ARCUK, WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURES SLATE!CONSTITUTION, A fuller list of workshop options will be included in the final briefing package. I require the alternative accomodation @ \ 1/2 nights DOTA cieielecleieiste Steve Drewer argues that the crisis facing architectural workers is not a crisis of quantity but of structure. Ata time when there are ten times as many building labourers out of work than the total num- ber registered architects, architectural workers might do better by considering how better their skills can be deployed in Society and in the industry than by attem- pting to defend their jobs within the exist- ing professional structure. What price architectural employment? During the last seven years the construction sector in the United Kingdom has suffered from an exagerated boom and the most severe and prolonged depression since the 1930s. This experience is not unique for other western European Countries have had similar experiences, What is probably unique is the masochistic (or sadistic) satisfaction taken by the government in its refusal to stimulate any significant increase in construction output. The need for an increase in the public sector building programme is self-evident. What is of more importance is that in such a programme new work would have a disproportionate effect on the work available for architects. A private sector building boom does not generate many architectural vacancies, It is not the general level of demand which influences architect- -ural employment but its structure in terms of types of work and the clients feeding the demand to the sector. One of the main problems to be considered is the confusion which exists as to what the functions of an architect are, or should be. France, witha signifi- -cantly larger building programme than this country makes do with approximately a quarter of the number of architects, The functions being currently performed by the majority of British architects would not be considered to be those of the architect in France and many other western countries. This is clearly a matter for the individual architect and the profession in general to deal with. But for the rest of us it would help if we knew more clearly the shape and inclinations of the animal with which we are dealing. Is it any more a matter to be deplored that the unemployed person is a graduate of the Architectural Association than a steelfixer? Perhaps the only justification for such an opinion is that steelfixers are more used to the vagaries of the construct- -ion sector than most architects. More significantly it should be remembered that the estimated number of manual construction workers presently unemployed is ten times the total number of registered architects in this country. peaks and troughs Between 1945 and 1972 the level of construction activity was historically high, This was to some extent due to the damage to buildings during the war, post war reconstruction, and the enhanced social expectation with respect to housing schools,hospitalsetc. Atpeaklevels private speculative demand for offices, houses, shops etc, caused severe strain on the available construction resources, It is a consequence of this sustained high level of demand and the response of all the participants in the building process to this demand, the construction sector entered the depression ina manner analogous to the drunk who just “blew” the housekeeping. The low level of apprentice training, the decline of crafts- men caused by over specialisation and the extensive use of lump labour were all symptoms of the state of the sector, During the depression there has been little stimulation to correct the situation and it seems unlikely that any significant increase in demand can be satisfied without major pressures on the supply ofmanage- -ment and labour. This is reinforced if the changing pattern of public sector housing demand is considered. The move from high-rise to low-rise and rehabilitation may well be socially and aesthetically desirable, but it is going to make demands for manual skills which are already severely limited. Even during this depression PLANS READY FIRST THING IN re MORNING! DON’T FAIL ME J! contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to find carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, etc. The joint effect of both the cautious attitude of the government to stimulate increased construction demand and the serious capacity constraints in many of the industries grouped together as construction, suggests that the future level of demand will not return to that of the 1960s, and most certainly not to that of the early 1970s, It could be that the architects of the 1970s are in a similar position to the social scientists of the late 1960s, That is there are just too many of them, Equally, of course, while not underestimating the problem of unemploy- -ment among architects, it seems that the time has come for architects to question the role of their profession with respect to social needs, and whether their skills may not be equally well employed outside those functions traditionally (and legally) considered as those of the architect. Local Authority design departments have often enjoyed the reputation of being in the vanguard of Architectural culture. Douglas Smith isless easily convinced of this than some of us, Here he describes how Council Architect’s departments have become executors of Central Government policy and how often these policies have been tailored to prop up private sector interests in development and construction, Local Authority housing -the politics of form Local Authorities, and the buildings they produce are not determined by the political wishes of councillors, or by the local people they represent. Council housing isnationally coordinated by Central Government in order toserveandmaintain theinterestsof property investors and the building industry. The following article attempts to demonstrate this and how the system intimately affects working architects, ignores the wishes of the consumer and how policy at high level is translated into bricks and mottar. The building industry, because it requires heavy investment which cannot realise profits for several years, is very sensitive to market conditions and confidence. It therefore responds quickly. and very extremely, to the boom/slump cycles of the Stock Market, more so than most other industries. These extremes of activity are not only generally unaceptable to workers and tenants, who tend to suffer at ‘both ends’, but are also dsruptive to the needs of finance capital in general. It is here that the State intervenes in order to try to smooth out the cycles, create a more balanced and predictable market to maintain investment and activity and to reinforce its own political position by averting revolt. ‘The State in general, and the Local Authorities in particular, have an enormous stake in the building industry. Local Authorities alone spent over £2 000m in 1974 on capital expenditure. This represents about 60% of the total output of the industry. Their money is t: used, not only to maintain activiti of slump, but also to maintain profitability and investment in the property market. It also responds to the housing demands of workers, recognising the need fora healthy workforce. Left to itself the land market would force workers to live in dangerous, unhealthy slums, would encourage wild speculation and give rise to spectacular bankruptcies with all the attendant financial problems. State spending not only encourages private accumulation of wealth, and there- -fore indirectly contributes to production, but also helps to maintain social harmony. This latter, unproductive ‘ideological’ spending helps the State maintain its role of supporting the social order. Both these elements are clearly expressed in Local Authority building projects. local government Local Authorities have developed inthe last 100 years, and especially since recent reorganisation and the introduction of corporate management ,more and more as local agents for Central Government. As they have become integrated into the State aparatus, taking on more work, Local Authorities have lost their individual character, become more technocratic,and have ‘castrated’ their councillors. The two main devices used by Central Government to control Local Authority housing are the Department of the Ehviron- -men t’s Housing Cost Yardstick and the same Department’s standards (including Parker Morris standards, etc.,). These are basically budget and form, or economic and ideological, controlling systems. The require- -ment of the other housing consultative departments, Housing Management and Planning, are made subservient to the DoE’s tules; not unnaturally, since the DoE sanctions the spending. State policy in housing is continually changing and for a variety of reasons. Its main response is to the prevailing economic winds; in order to maintain profits for private capital, its intervention in the industry reflects current market forces. YES 1 KNOW, On the other hand, in the face of worsening housing conditions and increased tenants’ activity, it must try to reduce the cost and be seen to be providing adequate housing in increasing volume. Following on from this. it can also disguise the faults of the system and appeal to progress by introducing new, ‘progressive policies’, promising to solve the problems arising from previous policies. In an overall way, the DoE appeals to those believing that a good solution to the ‘environment’ would eradicate most social problems, and when these problems recur it offers new solutions, and hence detracts from the real, fundamental causes of social di t, ment, i education and medical care, the nuclear family and so on. The history of Local Authority housing in the last twenty years illustrates the centrally controlled nature of housing economics and ideology, and how this has adapted to market forces and how the public has beeen conned into believing in its benefits. historical perspective Following the economic and material destruction of the Second World War, the then Labour Government put responsibility for housing on the shoulders of the Local Authorities. Its intention was to try to eradicate the previous social divide between public and private housing (during this period it limited severely all private building operations) as part of the foundation of the new new Welfare State. Local Authorities were obliged, through the system of subsidies. to fol low the Housing Manuals (published by the Ministry of Health!), and, without any \pretension, simply attempted to build as many houses as cheaply as possible, usually under the direction of the Borough Engineer or Surveyor. Bold experiments were mad in using obsolete wartime industrial processes, but since the building industry was more interested in conventional, marketable housing they failed. As the economy recovered in the early sixties and profits were being squeezed, the bulding industry was still disjointed and unable to invest, without State help, in new ;plant and personnel to undertake modern reassessment °° andintegration For many years “learned” people have been researching and discussing the need for greater inteyration of the construction process, and moves to facilitate communicat- -ion between members of the “‘building team”. Professionalisation, as distinct from professionalism, is a device for controlling a set of work functions and those who execute them. Many of the barriers erected around certain functions due to professionalisation could be considered as anti-social. The price of architectural employment is likely to be a reassessment of the role of architect, the functions performed and the side of the construction equation in which they are involved, If Iwas an employed carpenter Imight not shed too many tears for the unemployed architect, but I think I would look forward to a future where the ‘architect’ was not just the person who turned up looking trendy for site meetings. and asked bloody foolishquestionsof the craftsmen, but was equally likely to be the site foreman or union Lf alam organiser. SIAl —E i' AND /'Lt BE LATE FOR THE RIBA CON- construction in crisis: what itmeans to architecture ARCHIE TEKT| SLATE 4 page 8 SLATE 4 page 9 \ Angus building techniques. On the other hand the Government, w ithout wishing to raise the cost of building, wished, under popular pressure, to improve standards. Following the success of the Hertfordshire and CLASP schools, the government neatly combined these two needs by encouraging Local Authorities to build tower blocks for housing. This would help the industry industrialise, rationalise and eventually reduce costs, while still ensuring its short term profitability. Parker Morris & high rise It was also at this time that the limit), reinforcing the market trends to push families Out of cities to the suburbs, stimulating demand in exactly the right ‘place for spec. builders to make a good profit. Parker Morris report was published. Without challenging any of the existing attitudes to lifestyle, family or community relationships it Subsidies. The wiley old DoE anticipated this proposed housing reforms and rules still in existence today, 16 years later. The report heralded +the ‘consumer age’, explicitly defining the house as a wharehouse for durables for each family. Who would buy need nearly two years ago, when it changed parts of the subsidy an d altered its standards to prepare for backdoor cuts. It is quite interesting to note in detail how small alterations in the Yardstick and standards have a fundamental effect on form and a car or a dishwasher if there was nowhere to put it. It proposed effectively isolating family implement cuts, again all under the cover of units at the expense of communal facilities where they might be shared. The State emphatically demanded the family, and its home as the basic and social economic unit. With this now ell defined, the way was cpen to stack up the units in any method suited to the building industry or government Subsidie's for housing were changed, allowing extra money for every storey height, with the result that local authorities al over the country, regardless of particular needs or desires, with no research or experie5nce and with no perception of the consequences, switched from traditional models to building time. A simpler demonstration of the effect of the universal effect of centralised policy in housing would be hard to find. Not surprisingly the benefits never appeared. Having tooled up the industry and stimulated the market builders were now well prepared to enter the more profitable commercial sctors of building. The step from As a result the cost of this type of housing ‘improving’ housing. Thses revisions were firstly, the imposition of a maximum density limit (75ppa for families, 100ppa for non- -family housing), and secondly that all family units should be on the ground, The Yardstick, while not being uplifted (!) badly housed. -duced in 1968, removed the aditional disaster at Ronan Point, and subsequent towards a new from. Incidentally, it has been argued that tower blocks are emminently suitable for some types of tenant, if not for families, yet so total has the Government's volte face been that it is now impossible to build them high density low rise By the early seventies it was realised that demanded by the DOE is almost the same in the suburbs, hit hard by the recession transfer to and survive in the public sector, The recently appointed head of DOE policy group, came directly from Laing Homes, The prevailing excuses are not only that people are happy in their suburban houses but that they are also cheap to build. The reduction in permissable density not only reduces the total volume of housing, but also increases the proportion of site costs attributable to each unit, now subject to strict scrutiny. In urban areas, persuades them to accept the standard Tunning and maintenance problems, highlyindustrialbuildingtechniqueswereno wherelandhasbeenboughtathighprices, longer applicable to housing. But the industry, or on small sites which cost a lot to develop Ban” idea experience for other architectural workers andforNAM © the industries profits would survive. The new <t of siutably cheap sites. Though much more A flexible than before, the predominant form encouraged by the subsidies came out as high density/low rise. Schemes were built on quite a modest scale, and many are highly acclaimed. The Parker Morris standards were still adopted, but the DoE made aditional requirements, especiallt over car parking. At first it insisted on 100% undercover car parking incongruous in urban areas as were tower and paid for it, but later this was dropped. blocks in rural areas, and the persistent More recently, the last economic recession has requirement for large scale development, development, the supportforthe campaign anda brief explanation of the Green Ban idea. The broadsheet was distributed through all the local TV branches, schools as well as the people of the city. The campaign was featured in the local and national press, many magazines and journals and on Radio Birmingham. The 24 hour occupation of a giant crane on an adjoining site in support of the campaign was featured on television. During the summer of last year alter- native proposals were formulated by the committee for the use of the building. NAM gained access to survey the building. During October afeasability study was prepared by NAM, using the results of the survey, to study the re-use and conversion of the post office as a city centre recreation and leisure centre. In November a delegation representing GBAC, the West Midlands TUC, and the Victorian Society met with the City Council and the Post Office Board -a meeting resulting from pressure mounted by GBAC. The aim was to discuss objec- tions of the proposed redevelopment of the GPO site. The Leader of the City Council (now Tory) refused to consider re-voting planning consent, and left it to the postal board to make any concessions. But in spite of detailed arguments about Birming- ham’s heritage, about planning for people instead of profits, and about the huge over provision of office space, the Postal Board remained totally fixed in its determination to demolish the GPO and build offices. GBAC has been able to facilitate links between trade unions and environmentalists on wider issues. For example between Friends of the Earth and the Edinburgh and Scottish National Union of Miners over opposition to the proposed Lothian nuclearpowerstation.InJanuary,aone day conference was held at the AUEW Hall in Birmingham when workshops were held onthebuiltenvironment(inwhichNAM took part), transport and the car industry, water pollution and strategies for change. GBAC has links with FOE, SERA, Science for People group at Aston University, Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards Committee. During the winter NAM prepared out- line proposals for the use of the post office building as a leisure centre and these were presented in the form of drawings and diagrams at the first AGM of the GBAC on March 16 where they received unanimous approval. Following on from the meeting the alternative plan was brought before the UCATT regional committeeiand a resolution of support was passed.TheproposalswereBroughtupat the next Birmingham Trades Council meeting, received considerable support from the delegates anda resoltion of support. At the AGM of the West Midlands TUC the proposals received the unanimous approval from officials of just about all the unions in the West Midlands. why NAM is involved GBAC seek from NAM technical advice, in return NAM istaking part in a revolution- ary and historic departure in the develop- ment of the British trade union movement. been cushioned for the building industry by the continuation of Local Authority housing programmes, most of which have only recently been cut back. At the moment the Government is cutting back on Stae expenditure in order to return the money to private hands. As well as limiting actual wages it is reducing that part of the social wage represented by the housing will ensure that the new estates stand apart from the existing urban fabric. A survey in Camden showed that the main complaint of tenants was that they dislike living in well defined estates, separate from local streets, Perhaps it is too early to evaluate the social effects of suburban housing in cities, but one can be confident that the form will not be satisfactory for long. As the market is stimulated, prices and cost will rise, and the industry kept ticking over by LA work, builders will head for the better profits in the suburbs, the DOE will declare new policy for dealing with the problems of public housing to suit new emerging problems in the industry, and the tenants will still be . future pointers As we head towards another phase of policy it is worth noting that there are several emerging factors which may effect housing in the future. Firstly the introduction of block grants, a limit up to which each LA can sye~ i, This would not only transfer admim~ stion and respons- -ibility to,the love sufficiently to cover inflation, also imposed maximum limits on site development costs. A third type of change was made in that new procedures and approval request stages were introduced, which slowed down the 4¢eVv¢lopmen.t procecess while inflati asTac’ while inflation was racing ahead. These three components radically y to,the locale 21,but may also be affect not only the form of new Local Viable sites for building, but also reduce the volume of and unit cost, and, in al effect cuts by technical, rather than political means. back to spec housing While these cuts are dressed in the thetoric of improving standards; and who families, and lower buildings are bad, in seen as freeing councils from sume VOE control, and its attendant bureaucracy, This scheme was delayed, the DOE wanted to shed some of its workload, but could not allow policy implementation to be threatened. The latest suggestion is that the DOE actually retains all its procedures and controlling devices, lumbering the councils with even more administrative tasks, The second idea is one of tenants self management (Haringey experiment), and their involvement in the design stage. The‘softcop’architectconvincestenants of the need and logic of DOE housing, hereareotherunderlyingeffectswhich are perhaps potentially unsatisfactory, especially when the formulae are applied GLC wasstillconductingsurveystoshowthat tenants actually liked tower blocks, Central Government had recognised their financial failure.TheHousingCostYardstick,intro- tourbanareas,Theformofhousingnow forms,andleavesthetenantswithallthe NewPostOFrice FrontEtevation—— This new form of housing isoften as Cooperation between professional and site workers has not hitherto character- ised the building industry, _ Two NAM members who have worked closely with Birmingham based Green Ban Action Committee describe the development of the campaign to save Victoria Square Post Office mounted by local building union shop stewards, Friends of the Earth and the Victorian Society. They show the of the splendid Victorian post office in the city centre, a Liberal councillor presented a detailed history of the planning consent for the demolition of the post office and the proposed redevelopment. Amid the subsequent enthusiasm of the various trades unionists, environment- alists and preservationists present, the suggestion was taken up to formajoint committee to launch a Green Ban Move- _ ment in this country, thestoryso far The first actions of the committee were tostartapetition(whichcollected 20,000 signatures), hold a public rally, and to seek resolutions of support from the trade unions, such as EEPTU, AUEW- TASS, ASTMS, NUPE, NALGO, UCATT, TGWU. Support was forthcoming from local MPs, and County and City councillors. Following the rally in March 1976, NAM was asked to prepare a planning report on the implications of the redevel- opment with respect to the city and the financial return that was to be expected. Part of the report reappeared in the first Green Ban Action Committee's broadsheet which listed the arguments against the potential for the expansion of the “Green and draw lessons from their tower block housing all at more or less the same Authority housing and limit the mumber of tower block housing to offices was an easy one, Could argue lower densities, gardens for actually rose, rather than fel. In 1968, while the ‘Me face of criticism of previous forms? subsidies for tal housing blocks, well before the #5 that being built by private developers complaints about endemic social problems, Thes@"4 poor market, and now able to its tower block policy and its financial failure oYardst icksubsidies simply gave more money for those sites back to private developers, & high densities and expensive sites; building land working against the proclaimed ©. was becoming expensive to develop ,and the ~ Government did not want Local Authority a building programmes to be held up for the lack result that less family houses (lower factors helped the Government retreat from The third factor is the relaxation of Parker Morris standards (already allowed to a limited extent to encourage modular dimensioning), to reduce space standards, already pretty low. This would then now stagnation after the last boom, needed the housing in this form, and there is no other State to maintain high building activity, so that choice, is quite unviable. Local allow councils more option of using package deals from private developers using their Own standard models, and to further buy unsold housing from the privatemarket, neither of which usually conform to the Parker Morris standards, Behind all this there is still the continuing ideological investment in owner occupation as the normal mode of housing. Many studies have shown that not only is this unavail- -able to 50% of the population, but the market cannot allow it to be otherwise. Briefly, as wages go up, and mortgages become more accessible, so house prices tise to above the level that 50% can afford. Or alternatively, as more houses are built, Prices and profits threaten to drop and activity ischannelled elsewhere. Besides this, the type of housing most urgently required can never be built profitably, and continued on p. 15 AND ETHERGREENEEAN intentions of the Community Land Act. The variable density limitations have the density limit) are being built inpreference of non family housing (higherdensity Authorities must now consider selling Federation has been closely identified with the Green Bans in Australia in which building workers were able to take indus- The New South Wales Building Labourers trial‘action for environmental Purposes. Jack Munday, their former General Secretary, who was in Britain in January 1976 at the invitation of the Centre for Environmental Studies, was asked to speak on the Australian experience at a public meeting in Birmingham. At the meeting, organised by people SLATE 4page 11 The necessity for links between NAM and the trade unions cannot be overstressed NAM’s campaign to unionise architectural workers was established as a major priority of NAM’s second Congress at Blackpool. These. wider links not only strengthen NAM’s hand in its negotiations but add credibility in its forthcoming cam- paign. But in addition, in NAM’s future campaigns, for example for the reform of ARCUK, it may well need to mobilise trade union support to give it political muscle. It should be understood that the work for the campaign has been undertaken by only four people and has assumed a secon- dary role in our primary involvement with NAM's issue groups, but it is the beginning of a test-bed for some of NAM’s ideas and possible future policies. Through the work we have begun to establish links with other groups such as SERA and FOE and we have become involved in and contributed to other campaigns and issues, for example asbestos, safety on building sites, the role and structure of the building industry. It is also a first step in building the new clientele, that is an alternative system of patronage. develop in them some political conscious- ness. the role of NAM Our role is fourfold: 1) To make a technical study of the GPO building, report on its structure and fabric and assess its possibilities for re-use and conversion, and to assess the proposals of the GBAC. 2) To organise in physical and theoretical terms a strategy that would reconcile many disparate functions together with several sponsoring organisations, variable forms of financing and phasing of the conversion. 3) To identify areas of study to be undertaken by others; for example we have proposed that a financial feasibility of the alternative plan be carried out. 4) Propaganda: by using drawings, diagrams and other means to demonstrate to working people the possibilities of re-using the building, and to strengthen the support already given to the campaign by the trade unions by canvassing viable alternatives. future perfect In conclusion it must be clearly stated communist party rally at Alexandra Palace, are perhaps untypical. In other words it would be not so much immodest, as inaccurate to describe our association with GBAC as ‘community architecture’. It is precisely such inhibitions which provide the challenge. There are sound theoretical reasons why NAM has not dissipated its energy in umpteen local projects, but concentrated on broader analysis and structural change. In the meantime, however, many of NAM’s most active members continue in regular jobs becoming increasingly aware ofa widening gap between their practise and their beliefs. The process of reconciling the former to the latter is a personal jour- ney that each architectural worker must make for themselves. The professional habits formed in ten years of practise -or even the professional expectations formed in seven years of training -will not change over night. They will be eroded, modified, transformed over long years of self-questioning and reeduca- tion. The work with GBAC has proved as good a point of departure as any, It may be already too late to save the victorian post office in Birmingham. This would be sad, but it would not be the end of the story -rather the beginning. For it will mark the first step in the difficult but inside Yarm continued from p. 6 This display of industrial strength was enough to get Nichols to call in the local branch of the Government's strike solving arm, the Advisory and Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), but ittook the intervention of the firm’s principal client, the DHSS, before a settlement was reached, TASS’ local officials had taken the early initiative of writing to David Ennals, Minister of Health, pointing out that wage levels at Nichols were about half those in departments doing similar work inside the DHSS. __ Either one of two conclusions could be drawn; Nichols was making inordinate profits out of govern- ment contracts, or the DHSS was getting cut price work done at the expense of low paid architectural workers, ‘These sugg; estions appear to have caused Ennals considerable embarrassment sufficient to lead him to write, within the week, to Nichols telling him to “get those people of the streets”, referring to the pickets, Three meetings were held with ACAS during the strike, At the first Ron Long- worth pursuaded ACAS to accept TASS’s proposals in principal as their return to work formula, © Nichols held out however and came to the second meeting with his own proposals, ‘Longworth found Nichols so obstructive at this second meeting that he walked out after less than five minutes anditwasnotuntilaweeklater,onthe “neutral ground” of the local labour ex- change, that agreement was reached ona somewhat diluted parcel of good intentions, But not least of al it contributes to a broader image of NAM. NAM is primarily that in substance, if not in spirit, REVIEW OF THE LEVELLER AND WEDGE Thislastyearhasseentheemergenceoftwo Italianfreeradioandamongothers,the political but our involvement does help to belie the accusation that we do not actually get our hands dirtyand begin to practise what we preach, It may even attract architectural workers who are more receptivetodrawingsandtechniqueand photo: roles do not yet differ radicatly from con- ventional architectural services. Neither is the relationship with the ‘client’ espec- ially innovative, although such activities as designing and building (and manning) theGBAC’s propagandastandattherecent exciting process of .tadicalising ourselves a andeachother. cAt = two new independent socialist publications which are unlike anything that has been seenaroundforalongtime.Justovera year ago now the ‘Leveller Cooperative’ produced its first, ‘pilot issue’, featuring a report by Mark Hosenball and Philip Agee on British Intelligence involvement in Angola, which went on in the Levellers’ words to ‘catch the eye of Merlyn Rees’ and lead, in turn, to the campaign for imigrants’ rights based around the deportation orders on the two journalists, in which the Leveller itself played a leading role. Besides equally trenchant pieces of investigation, in the “radical journalist’s style”, into political chicanery and military brutality in Northern Ireland, among others, it has carried more analytic articles on the contradictions in Tony Benn’s worker cooperative policies, exploitation in the fashion trade, the politics of the baking industry and the wages for house work campaign. Of direct interest to architectural workers was an investigation of polution problems in the neighbourhood of the London Brick Company’s plant in Bedfordshire. Less easily accused of dealing in radical hell-raising for its own sake is the first issue ofa new quarterly called ‘Wedge’ - a “magasine of cultural practice and theory” Wedge’s genesis as the coming together of two groups, students from Kent University who had in minda theoretical journal dealing with Marxist cultural analysis, and people who work in “cultural production” (the cinema, journalism, advertising and so on) who wanted apublication around first part of an article by Jennifer Jones, an architect and founder member of Skillpool, whichdemonstrateshowthedevelopment of domestic architecture has paralleled. if not been determined by, the evolution of the family structure from an egaliterian integrated unit of production in Medieval times, to the present day, when production is entirely outside the home and the house is seen as a male-dominated centre of re-production. Jennifer Jones argues that the very design of houses has come to encapsulate and reinforce the secondary role into which contermporary society forces the majority of women. Both the Leveller and Wedge are collectively edited and produced by committees working almost entirely in their spare time and are non-sectarian in their editorial policies. The Leveller has also developed a degree of readership control through its constitution as a registered Cooperative Friendly Society, of which al subscribers are members and entitiled to vote at annual general meetings on al aspects of the journal’s policy. At its recent second AGM the Leveller decided to publish monthly from September and has launched an appeal for further “founding subscribers” to capitalise its expansion. THE LEVELLER :Published monthly by the Leveller Magasine Ltd., 155a Drummond Street, London NW1; single copies 35p; annual subscription £5.00 post paid. WEDGE: Published quarterly from 30, Hornsey Park Road, London N7; 56pp; single copies 75p; subscription rate not yet announced; distribution from 56a Shirland Road, London W9. Both magasines are also distributed by the ications Distribution Coop; 27 Cl Close, London ECI. London NW1; 36pp; single copies 35p; annual subscription £5.00 post paid. BriamMoauthéus-CnaunmonofWestNvidhandsTU.C-mntowerofGreenBamBannateFurblicry Concretegainsforthestrikersarerest- ticted to an across the board pay rise of 10%, better at least than Nichols earlier \ ] and offers, and promises of consultations over staff grading, overtime pay and holidays, and ,most important, union recognition, While TASS claims that there is de facto recognition anyway, Nichols intends to give his “answer” in four months’ time. Hopefully all the TASS members will be able to maintain their determination that long in the face of continuing pressure from Nichols, On the positive side relations in the office are friendlier than they were before the strike, work is less pressured and the union members have gained a great deal of confidence, They have realised their collective strength and will certainly feel less timid and circumspect the next time there is an issue to raise with their employer. Although it has been moderately succ- essful for the workers at Nichols, the story of the Yarm strike holds cautionary lessons for other architectural workers. The strike was not won, in the end, by industrial strength but by touching the nerve ends of a leading politician, This was possible as much because the strikers, with TASS’s advice, were able to win the sympathy of the local press, as it was due to the accept- ance of the “justice” of their cause by Ennals Ennals, Faced with an employer with better public relations skills and political contacts, industrial strength may prove to be of greater importance in future union negotiations in architects offices and when that time comes it will have to be sought from other groups of workers who will Want to know how architectural workers see their work developing to Al i which to base the organisation of workers in their field, gave rise to a two part magasine in which the central section “Art Attacks”, carries news from paigi like Music for Socialism and against cuts in the theatre. The more theoretical remainder of Wedge features the Press, SLATE 4 page 12 SLATE 4 page 13 be of more social use. JZ! A ijE DROPOUT Hot on the heels of the recent clésure of Art Net, home of Peter Cook’s wine and architecture parties, news that the Architects Revolutionary Council is to of cards that isarchitectural professionalism would collapse, social benefits and al, if the fixed fee scale went. His bluff is about to be called. NAM’s London Group sent a report to the Monopolies Commiss- National Meeting of the Women in Construction and Manual Trades Group Contact: WIC, c/o, 21, Bouverie Rd., London, N.16. <x COAZeseeEes2 255 gas Seez2i eee BSG negs Gee Zea E28 222 08 & Se 2z && 28 of MO ES Spyee(2). pa! rethink its policies too. A gold watch for -ion * pointing out that the RIBA offered architectural thought and action must go to Brian Anson of ARC, whose sometime confusions are generously offset by his determination. ARC’s stentorian attacks on the RIBA will be no more, which is a pity because they opened a few eyes and gave voice to the feelings of many architectural workers. ARC got together intheheydayofdeveloperboominthe early seventies when the RIBA was clearly identified with the rape of the city centres and the destruction of working class neighbourhoods. Things are different now that the RIBA is dabbling in so-called ‘community architecture’ and the developers are slumbering, for a little while longer at least, as Capital organises the conditions for anew boom. Anson’s reported as believing that “the RIBA recognises the importance of community work”, Quite how that can be when its now more worthy leaders are aquiescing to massive cuts in the amount and standards of public housing and social building, especially in their much-beloved rehabilitation work, he doesn’t make clear. ARC, where are you now that the issues are not quite so black-and-white? RED RAG Slate has recently benefitted from constructive criticism of the Red Scare variety from a London Region trade union official who said that he hoped that the LondonBuildingDesignStaffbranchof TASS wasn’t about to get up to any of that “extreme leftism” promulgated through thatNAM newsletter. Those who seered when reading our pages should take off their rose-coloured spectacles. CIRCLES There's arumour going around that the long awaited Monopolies Commission report on Architects Fees has already been sent to the RIBA, and it looks as none too favourable to them. The mandatory minimum fee scale has been detlared monopolistic, we hear from a friendofa friendofaninfluentialRIBA Council member. We’re lucky, some of the Slater’s friends who work on the more takes more than an icing of Rod Hackney style “community architecture” to convince the Commission otherwise. But, who knows, the RIBA Council may be breathing asigh of relief, after al, they can now say to their membership, how can you have competition in fees without Councillors ,also at -Leeds -ithNovember, Birmingham - 15th November, Hull - 24th November, Contact; Unattatched Architect Councillors, c/o 73, Hallam St., London, W.1. 2nd November - London Junior Liaison Organisation Seminar “Trades Unionism for the Building Professions” possibly to sold off are the ‘profitable’ ones, leaving most estates to continue as rump housing. Much of the work of LA architects is involved in the translation of DOE policy into built form, interpreting new require- -ments and making cuts to fit the budget, It is necessary first to establish the ground rules, and expert DOE liaison officers, usuallyQSs,adviseonbasicformalrequire- <> -ments, juggle with densities, site areas, cautious trade journals have been ringing everyone they can think of to get an official indication of what’s going on, and have got nowhere. This isn’t surprising. The Institute’s Council must be running around in circles trying to work out what todo next and isn’tabout toletanyone stealamarch overthem. RIBA members have just let the Council know, quite clearly DIARY llth October - London TASS London Building Design Staff Branch Branch Meeting, PCL Students Union, 104-108, Bolsover St., London,W.1. 6.30pm -also on 8th November n aJ3s aoge a ; i atBeye a8 just what they think of the advertising idea. What will they say when they find thattheotherbastionofprofessionalism, thefixedfeescale,isbreached? Youcan ConferenceofSocialistPlanners Ohig3armascuesRene.aneOS a:8 332 Gee z a eae Sst z a ae mea oF: B Be be sure of some fast talking from Andrew Contact: CSP, 54, Addison Gardens, London, Derbishireatthisyear’sRIBAconference. W.14, He was the one who told the Monopolies Commission,amongothers,thatthehouse 22nd-23rdOctober-Leeds Ss SEPStesss ees Fe LSSESE nee ee ese g1 62582 =3aBe5 <—KBs advertising to advise the consumer about whoisundercuttingwho?Answerson PicadillyHotel,2.00pm,fee:£2.00 ; ed TYPICAL! O} the backof a glossy brochure, with price list to the Slater. * NAM Report to the £1.00 post paid from NAM, 9 Poland Street, London W1 Contact: The Secretary, The Institute of Structural Engineers, l,Upper Belgrave St., London, S.W.1. 25th -27th November - Hull New Archi M -Third National Congress, Hull School of Architecture, fee £5.00 Contact: NAM; 9 Poland St., London, W.1. housing mix, ancillary uses, open space, roads, access and other factors to extract maximum benefit from the Yardstick calculation, This is then negotiated with planners and Housing departments and feasability is ascertained, There is much cliff hanging suspense as the DOE officers study, evaluate and approve the feasibilty within the interpretations of latest policy, and then approve the budget, Already well outlined ,the scheme is then presented to council for approval, in terms so technical and bureaucratic, no criticism can be mounted or sustained. Chief architects are very sensitive to the DOE, any contradictions, misunderstand- -ings or wilful interpretations can invalidate a design, abort the scheme and threaten the housing programme. Councillors also appreciate the need to go along with accurately, quickly and uncomplainingly. rt jPortanyPuc THEYVE GOT THEIR FEES YOv NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN / ies Ce si NAM Publ Gp -lendera He nye 2dthin and wowld be very grolefd ( yon world There were one or two monuments, like Stonehenge, but they were probably put there by visiting Martians \............ [ BannisterFletcher, “Fell avaitasteNEW! FromNAM Stud me 5Seapts of cachof Ha Pow thee issues. ‘SuiLDINGS ics iL Ropeeventual botalkerOnor SawlvCeem | Kop y e fow Edinburg Booty Crladwe when hos Gear cece o LehPockrop|nreermg Mae:'Frstatthay 2S NQWeas St, efi T_ (31-557-1248) In amaced ak how Twan Architecture Calendar. Name Address Please rush me the 1978 New = 22nd October -Leeds cee Seoc sae Safer s 31st October -London longservicetothecauseofleftwing thepublicahollowbargain......itapparantlySurgeryforUnattatchedArchitectswithARCUK thegap.Theonlycouncilhousesthatcould Edinsven 3 26 Ialy ae a }, Ms 62s borwads VAM FEEP-} OA T2a aie a 2 e e ta tae z eae ues bso ss qf Pe ara Ge 4 ro 23 ota po o a 5 5 aoe s 2. ce = > z hat oe 3 eZ ae AS eS sg € Bs Bits s 5 Guna cua 39 ye i ei 5a rer O (8 peeeeeoes: Gen a EOeeu euteomc2Ainge eae elENCenaie Se See Leonie oie Oo s2Séeeeamgee = aes bene=: SB GES £3 ae és DayConference-“TheInnerCity” a>SomeeeamieoeSICEeBEGiSa22GE2sc8 MMUMEBHBESEUSSE 23YeGaz aSDp an3-OH 5=2SasZo2252 SSERSESSSSRE 2B _ aeeaie Bas 2a aze Zee eat continued from p. 10 the state isthe only agent capable of filling |x LCAN =e Allo, ‘allo, ‘allo - it isn’t legal yet. be Once upon a time there were no architects, planning officers or council estates, People were forced to live in unplanned caves, sub-standard tents or non- conforming huts, : ‘ government policy, e 4 A T = that other architectural historian, turns in his grave as l fthe Mother of the Arts in the 1978 of my bike with laughter .again” ...........Prof. Reyner Banham cartoonist Lou Hellman traces the history o! tto be the first person on my block to get re-educated. Gaudi and turn over twelve new leaves with our monthly history course in 1978. Reluctantly, Ienclose £1.00, which includes postage and packing. Post the coupon below or write to NAM 9, Poland Street, London, W.1. 4 page 14 SLATE SLATE 4 page 15 | London W.1. |NAME |ADDRESS | | | CAMDEN COUNCIL’S INTEN— tion to build 3000,000sq. ft. of offices on the contraversial Tolmers Square site represents a breach of faith with the people of Camden, claim the Tolmers Village Action Group in a comprehensive document of objections presented recently to Camden Council, The Greater London facilities such as restaurants, pubs, shops, launderettes, some public open space, a health clinic and a cinema to replace the exceedingly popular one which was destroyed in 1973. They also propose a minimum of 100,000 sq. ft. of housing equivalent to that currently in existance plus craft workshops, studios, light industry and small scale offices, If in Spite of more than 500,000 sq ft. Council and the Dept. of Environment. of office space in the immediate vicinity The six acre site, notorious for more than 20 years as a battleground for local people and property devel- opers, was won by the Council from property company, Stock Conversion and Investment Trust in the summer of 1975 after a prolonged campaign launched and supported by local people. Now just 2 years later, the Council propose to build more offices and less housing than the developers ever intend- ed. The Action Group have accused the Council of “behaving precisely like a spec- ulative developer’ -‘the Council is simply tryingtobuildasmuchasitcanofthe most profitable form of development’. The Action Group feels that, “It is precisely this narrow-minded attitude towards development in the past which has led to the social and environmental problems of our cities today”. They propose instead that the development be based on “‘a set of criteria founded on social need”; the area badly needs NENT ISSUE | | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fil in the form below and send it together | architectural education. ! | Poland Street, London W.1. I | | a| which remains empty, the council still feels it has to add its further quota, then it should do so by building over the adjacent Euston Road underpass, an eye- sore of approximately 80,000 sq. ft. ona road which is fast becoming a monument to some of the most sterile and anonymous office development ever produced. -anyone wishing to prepare a SyrGainete Cecorinent scheme for the area or offering letters ofsupport should contact: TolmersVileoeAon Group 12Tolmers Square London NW1 photoawapns Mow Tomes Aonunated by the Euusteu Tours (Above) ond Coumden COME'S IAest: 1 foWe Evstou Road (below). HES PRUGGEEICONGINUES SUBSCRIBE! ANTE ® TELEPHONE (HOME )’.. [ie you would like to be a member of the New Architecture Movement fil in the form below and send 1 | it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00( if you'reemployed)or£2.00(ifyou'rearestudent,claimantorOAP)toNAM at9,PolandStreet We will also be taking another look at SLATE 4 page 16 with acheque/postal order (Payable to the New Architecture Movement )for £2.00 to NAM at Ch Slate 5 will investigate the practice of Architecture in other countries, Particular attention will be paid to the effects of diff- erent economic and political systems on forms of professionalism. SLATE 5 will appear after NAM’s third Annual Congress in Hull and will carry full reports of the proceddings. NAM 4977CONGRESS APPLICATION The 3rd annual congress of the New Architecture Movement will be taking place on the weekend. of the 25th,26th and 27th november 1977.This years event will be the 3rd NAM congress following the inaugural congress at HarrogateTM in 1975,and Blackpool in 1976.-The hosts for this year are the Hull group of NAM in conjunction with the Hull School of Architecture. The congress of '77 concludes a year of'action'during which NAM has emerged as a force within the architectural world.Much of:this'action'has stemed from the researches and and discussions carried out by NAM groups during 1976 which were aired and refined at the Blackpool congress. These'actions'include the following, NAM's May Unionisation Conference which chose T.A.8.S. within which to organise architectural workers. NAM's Unionisation groups report'Working for What'. NAM's presence in ARCUK representing the unattached Salaried architect. NAM's newspaper ‘Slate' the only radical paper for architectural workers. These public expressions of NAM as well as the less publicised ones are the issues around which NAM groups” form to work on.The groups which have issues clarified| enough to present a working paper use the congress workshops to enlarge the discussion and to put forward ~ motions for the congress to adopt. Workshops so far proposed for this years congress cover; EDUCATION, NATTONAL DESIGN SERVICE ,UNIONISATION, ARCUK, WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE! SLATE !CONSTITUTION, A fuller list of workshop options will be included in the final briefing package. tear off and return to 9,Poland st,London,W1 NAM 1977 CONGRESS APPLICATION DATE einlaleloiniolelelareleicietatelonn/a/i NAMEciccis.00.00ececaiaieieonicrcleosloDDREGSseicvercterntoreleloialerolevereiereialetericie @eeoeoeeeoeoeveeoeooeeeoeesee2e2eGe2ad I enclose £5.00 COneT ess fee _and require accomodation do not I require bed and breakfast accomodation @ £2620. Bee Beane perso} :1/2 nights : sSingle/double “TOPAT. eecvecvece I require the alternative accomodation @ 50p per night 1/2 nights TOTAL slelcleleielaele I enclose a cheque payable to the New Architecture Movement for the following amount Dicioteleletaleleleletatele What is NAM,? | | | t ! The programme for the congress begins with registration at 7.30pm on friday 25th november followed by an introduction and discussion.A buffet will be provided. Saturday is bound up with congress workshops/general sessions and public forum/discussion in the late afternoo followed by a social eva ng, food,drink and chat, -he NAM agm takes place on sunday morning with an alternative event which is a tour de Hull.for those not directly involved in NAM. 4ue congress ends after lunch on Sunday afternoon, The cost of the congress includes meals for the 3-days. A more detailet brogramme will be included in the final briefing, ; The New Architecture Movement ("NAM") aims, through the col- lective action of architectural workers and other concerned people, to play an active role in radically altering the sys- tem of patronage and power in architecture. It seeks an archi- -‘tectural practice directly accountable to all who use its pro- ducts and democratically controlled by the workers within it. NAM aims thereby to promote effective contol by ordinary people over their environment and by architectural workers over their working lives. NAM: challenge to professi Fram Moris Williams RIBA TASS chosen as architects’ =)” . Unionisationofworkersinarchitects’offices,theea gists:NewunionbyNAMconference mentofaNationalDesignService,anddemocrSir: ‘NEW the Architects’ Registration Acts are three major We were interésted, a couple of All people employed in private sector offices in the building to be launched by the New Architecture Mov prcck Sapo, (osce pha the Y no union is already recognised are urged to followingtheirsecondannualcongressheldjRCHITEC Technical,AdministrativeandSuperv'sory Rr RNS Gs sciraes ; women at the local authorit principle of lay control over the entire profes Heatrinetncardatenetthere a report prepared by NAM’s Private Practice Grou} jaye the feudalism: the serfs ARCUKis,infact,largelydominatedbytheRIETheNewArchitectureMove- stamped, self-addressed envelope) ERINeA citeens Movement, thecloak, of a registered trades malgamated Union of Engineering Workers i e fMoice ni- 5It the second largest white collar union in the private sector. Although part of the 1400 000 strong AUEW, TASS remains ctural workers will be able to have NAM on ARCUK intheunionwhichwilallowthema ray tered institutions in related building professions. %c¢e¢°mmodation for two nights, cians Association), has over 140 000 members which made up of empreyers in th Sing ifeeery : The congress resolved to prepare for a campaign ; proper public accountability into architectural 26, 27 and 28 November radical revision of the Architects’ Registr ie layrepresentationexceedsprofessionalreRIBAthreelinewhipstalls utonomyoveritsownindustrialand the latter reflects accurately the proport workersandimanagement? 3 £8. Further details: NAM xe , ; ANational Design Service The establishment of a National Design Moyement (NAM) gaining places on committees in the free ‘Nich will be capable of providing major priority for the movement, in or elections. (These are for posts not filled automatically under f industrial disputes. the ultimate goal of direct control over resources by local people so that architect: to those who are really affected by their « nises that major changes in this area are changes in the wider political system bu Asbestos reconsidered -< things now fr the ‘sentlemen’s agreement’ between ARCUK’s constituent Vly on the part of women who com- ie membership. hitects, in last eady connected with the building in- leNew Archi- ‘th the AUEW’s Construction Engin- ;_ use of the several hundreds of em- sssions who are already TASS mem- FromMorrisWillianadmMasrkobjectives<profession’.Theirmayorcriticismof} isWhatitis|andengineeringstaffinindustry. Glesen for Central London i i i Group, the New Architecture 07 t0 M@Ke a largely dominated by the RIBA, with salaried architects, tech- STENCE tO select TASS will come as a ee: users,and,stniciageape)layeoeonleey-wepreg(AZ8.12.76p1065).vhowouldhaveexpectedtheSTAMP Sir: oneddesignjinQSth26th‘O79tfNAMmem-=theobviouschoice;beingtheunion Your article, ‘Asbestos alternative materials’ (4 p1041),whilelongov ignores certain imports and is misleading on ot and more architects ar to specify building mat containing amy type of eahreibelicvenhatece will do so after reading a : TERE “ l to Council as a serious threat. Before the annual meeting ith the building industry. But speakers “h : "has extremely poor back-up facilities VEMBE Kcommittees, :ef ige, uel wks the RIBA, cir- wide much support for recruitment, os 1 its own finances, staff, headquarters RIBA representatives on ARCUK closed ranks at last week’s MY © develop in their own way. At annual meeting to prevent members of the New Architecture Tétain the advantages of being in a ed a leter to al bers on Is the New Architecture Movement (NAM) rew attention to Bl Begtnigelections f sys : : . ‘tects’placeswhttond li‘havWeith itsaim ofa‘democratic architecture’ sa :Sd : : eople who are committed to changing tPOSINE a threat to the establishment? by-passing the institute. It is import’ There must be some worries that its e ac T . . . precautions you recom‘ little light reading PiefenreflectingusonFromaidisgustedarchitec: meSaabs coConon flences bemg feltwheniseveral tof the RIBA representatives.’ likelihodoftthheeiractuST!Tealitleshockedtose©ci.rculatedali'stofRIBAvenomir:membershaveadmititedthattheyare nature of the sources tcthe perspective, in your issue of ies for the various committees, whi afraid to reveal their identity for fear of youhaverefered.FORUINFORMATIONSANDDETWHAEEITONLASI!oo BoLotDiseH eNAMhas We suggest that archi hich Hellman works. How in-~ 57 al] the seats otherspecifiersshoulddulgenthisemployermustbe— Aneice caCORna Tee Come 2long way inayear (p1065) anandhas heir faith in inadequat{uorescent lights amd individual “ 7 ae saeiards dependent ulighting! Ihave found one ur merely strengthened his view put forward a number of proposals worthy infeasiblemeasuring140Wattbulbbetweenapairof tionofARCUK neededtobechallerOfdebate, backed up by useful research. erism d T! 7? Unionisation i iam 0) y c This is the recommendation of a special one-day TradeunionorganisationofarchitecturalandalMOVEMENT ontradeunionisminarchitectureandtheallied isnowamajorpriorityofNAM.Whileunionis;')*/2TMs° ene inDulildingprofessions,sponsoredbytheNewArchitecture seen as a panacea for the ills of the profession, it is the NALGO closed shop. These Movement in London last Saturday. An organising CO Ce an essential step towards the democratisation of 4 shops, we are told, are currently has been instructed by the conference to make a recruiting practice. What has not yet been determined is wh under construction in the very drive. tectural workers should form a new union, or w Precincts of nota few local The decision comes after six months of debate and research shouldallywithexistingunionssuchasUCATISeesesateecratine?intowhichunionwouldbemostsuitableforarchitectsand or the TGWU. But the congress was clear that in they will be too, we are told, to Other allied workers. A committee set up by the New Archi- effective, all employees in private practice should the free enterprise spiritofthe tecture Movement’s Congress in Blackpool last November has of the same union rather than dividing their for Profession. had negotiations with officials from ASTMS (Association of differentunions.ThecongresshassetupanorgaSIRE Scientific,TechnicalandManagerialStaffs),STAMP(Sup- mittee which will make detailed recommendations 2-chitectural meachiceniee d ervisory, Technical, Administrative, Managerial and Profes- conference in 1977 to launch the unionisation cam guaintly feuda, 4of sional section of UCATT), TGWU (Transport and General association wy everal Workers Union) and TASS. Detailed briefings were prepared DemocratisationofARCUK YEATES!EEO)there, gnamal-bythecommitteeontheadvantagesofeach,andlastSatur- TheArchitects’RegistrationActsarealso¢py a immediate NAM action. The current public disi the RIBA. V the profession shows that there would be consideré one of its objectWemras for such action. The Acts establish, however ineff: fter the interests of the men and UPon request (accompanied’by a the committee in favour of tectural mz Of , pf om con th an gt The New Architecture Movement ‘cally to decide on one union. d that has prepareda concise, two-page 10m 25 were NAM members. tolook leafletonasbestosavailable,free,nitectsinprivatepractice. D Feb E Greenies ecte qu wii ta gt le Ha Htiin ra N.A.M. HAS A Sane AT INTERBUILD : WE NEED HELP IN PREPARATION, MOUNTING AND MANNING THE STAND PLEASE CONTACT LIASON GROUP, NAM. 9 POLAND ST. LONDON W1. > ~e ~” 2 a g Oo g a + 2 = —_ =& a z < os =x - is ~ _ = = oO -4 < Zz © ~ = 5) < On — < 2 a < [~ = = - Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Andrew Brown/FLeP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September/October 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/268c3ca1c8813cbda2c3144758380b71.pdf 8d4e3e24015950166aadd3025f73b362 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 5 Subject The topic of the resource Contains: 'SLATE Interbuild Special' 'Monopolies Commission Report on Architects' Services: A Straightforward Guide' Description An account of the resource nod december january St ---NAM seeks a& archité€ctural practice accountabl to all those wh& use igs products and democratical controlled by ee workers within it... —eeebrepts to slate’, n., a., & v.t. 1, Iinds ofgrey, green, or bluish-purple rock easily split into flat smooth plates; plece of such plate used as roofing-material; piece of it ‘usu. framed In wood used for writing on '|LYONS’ SHARES Congratulations to the ASTMS group at 66, Portland Place, RIBA headquarters. They have won negotiating rights from their employer, the RIBA Council, without even so much as a picket line, a strike or a Trotskyist on the horizon. But only just, it would seem, as not all RIBA Council members are entirely convinced that Trades Unionism really is the best thing since the VilleRadieuse. Amongthosewith reservations is, Past President, Eric Lyons, whoappearstohavebeenlearninghisind- ustrialrelationstacticsfromGrunwickboss, George Ward. Hewas heard to suggest, at arecentCouncilmeeting,thatthoseempl- oyeeswhohadnotjoinedASTMSshould be rewarded for their “loyalty” with a RIBA trieson ARCUK coup AN UNASHAMED attempt to interfere with the democratic process by which ‘unattatched tio;~nsdla)ck,-blue,-grey,modifications SaneraltDenes Sea ee Tahoegee ee pee 2. nal Gta) ots: ¥.t cards thas e(olate£.OFesclate,fem,ofesclatsxactt sitedBecee cubaizesare *nominate, propose for office eto, Hones slit’iso%(l)n.[ap.f,preo.} specialpayrise. His,lastditchattempt supported, Architect-style, in acharmingly muddled,goodhumouredmanner, He plainly delighted the smattering of partnerarchitectsinhisaudianceashe plied them with ideas on what tosay SLATE ISTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE N onitwilbetheASTMSgroupwhoare handing out pay rises. SLATE 5 page 2 colleagues. They are John Allan, Anne Delaney, Alan Lipman, Bob Maltz, David Roebuck, Ken Thorpe, Ian Tod, and Tom Woolley ARCUK ELECTIONS SLATE S page 3 o NAA U-~Se~=”-“= to retain his patronage failed. From now ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT,published bimonthlybytheMovement’sLiaisonGrougTASSGIRL whenfacedwithadrawingoficefulof and edited on its behalf by an adhoc comm- rebellious staff. He’s just what the Apparently getting publicity by paying for __ Institute needs at a time when its MONOPOLIES BOMBSHELL So Gordon Graham, the RIBA’s new TheUK‘profession’asawholeancreased ARCUK majority by 2 percent to 24, 874. The gain by the : anata wasattheexpenseoftheRIBA, wants SAfrican shares and sympathisers should beware of letting the RIBA gain control of unattatched seats on Council, he said. Were that to happen their councillors would become little more than henchmen of the RIBA — muchas the Trade Union representatives on Council have. FOR A HANDFULL OF SILVER... For my part I can’t now remember whether shame or anger was the more powerful reaction, |do remember feeling as though Iand my fellow NAM members had each been kicked in the belly 26 times, while 13 colleagues, fellow architects, stood by watching. The number of unattatched architects 3 2 should be little doubt in SLATE those who are not members of the RIBA or 7Here —"€4ders’ minds over how essential it What price one must ask, architects’ clairrs one of the other, minor, bodies recognised by 4 that NAM members continue to represent that, as members of a liberal profession, they the 1931 Architects Registration Act — increas tHe unattatched architects on ARCUK'’s provide dissintrested service to society as Ib dented32 percentduring”Council,HereAlanLipman,ARCUK whole?WhatpriceARCUKandRIBA a ~sed|by an unprecedeni Pe 8 Councillor and NAM member, describes how thetoric about the the past year. The unattatched numbered i pzofession’s social pase) es esirac aese Sasa) ~ 4120asof31stOctober1977andnow pay Council wilTesponsibility?Whatprice...?Council comprise17percentoftheUKprofession. thesaeTuasorely,eoSire_ hasanswered:themiserableinterest Twoyearsago,beforeNAMmadeitscall OUETAUL arEptPeden&‘i f andtheshamefulprofitonalousy interestof profit, and alludes to the forareformedARCUK,andbeforeNAM- embarassment’thattheee investment of £158 -10 —less surely thanthirtypiecesofsilver. -affiliatedarchitectswereelectedtorepresent Councillorshavecausedtoestablishec the unattatched on the Architects Registration ”#¢rests on Council during the lastyear. Council, this figure was only 1 percent. : : whichideclmedsbyjamiunprecedented 3 of the minor ‘constituent bodies’ who are not, at the same time, RIBA members. The NAM member representatives of the majority of their fellow Council members. Since our election some nine months ago we've repeatedly asker awkward avenions, Because of the increase in the number of unattatched architects, their representation touched on sensitive issues and braeche: ali on ARCUK will increase to 9, from 7 last year. There isone representative per 500 architects,orpartthereof.TheRIBA Council can appoint 40 representatives to ARCUK this year. unspokeai understandings, And we’ve not wee Tach HneseaWere notites Ikvat ease inthe genteel, the sub-public school atmosphereofCouncil.Norhavewebeen familiar with the manicured protocol in which ARCUK’s procedures are embalmed. JOHN ALLAN ANNE DELANEY ALAN LIPMAN BOB LTZ / MA JOHN MURRA Yad DAVID ROEBUCK KEN THORPE IAN TOD aedSELattatne iscapable—itscrassrejectionofhumane TOMWOOLLEY for the electi The unattatched are the only people \ontheRegisterofArchitectswhoare "entitled to directly elect their representatives, sometimes hilarious encounter. On this Ballotpaperswillbesenttoalunattatched 9¢casion,however,eventdsiclosedamore A 1facet of the behaiviour of architects during January. Nine NAM 4 hich tide RIBA-dominated gathering At its most recent meeting Council revealedanotherdimensionofthisbizarre, their 4120 constitu>ents what tihfey hav.e 5 of MOD eharersesi:in Consolidated Goldfields at 155p each, a cost of £158 - 10” Amazed been trying to do in the Council during the past year and asked for their comments carneSETcaeee piedwatersofseamen South ani le public. In the let > 1 Tican mining combine, | tabled a motion, onlychancetheunattatchedrepresentatives ThiscalledontheMeetingtoinstruct principle in favour of financial gain. A harsh evaluation? Judge for yourself: Ina letter sent out with the Notice of purity the meeting Council was requested Election, the representatives explained to CbyommitsittFieneanctioalenadnodrsGeene“rtahel taPkuirnpgoseups... 75 f: have to communicate with their ‘constituents’ ARCUK’s officers urgently to withdraw the the unattatched were also asked to make investment and to report on other investments, that ARCUK should be paddling in the architects’ select their own councillor-representativesfor ARCUK has been launched by the RIBA. known their work situation to give the tang in companies operating in South Africa representativesabetterideawhoarethe atl eae eeeDante council unattatched. Not so. Apart from one supporting voice, al who spoke to the motion dissented: |had itesetupinJanuary 197. itismore dificultthangetingitfre, monopoly ofthepublicearasthe News and features of broad interest to . pete a itali fesion’ hpiece is bei workersintheprofession,thebuilding Thisstartling CAUCE 5 area chall ab NAM. date industryandtothegeneralpublicareincl- ethicwasbroughthometoTASS2Building g1eae a a See a ,Who form the vast of issues and to bring the Movement’s views } when they tried to pay Morgan Grampian __ majority of the RIBA’s membership, wil uded to stimulate debate on a wide range Design Staff national and activities to the attention of the largest fa tidy sum for distributing their recruitment be more wary of Mr Moxley’s ideas, possible readership. leaflet tucked between the pages of Building OURNEWCOVERPRICE Design.TheideaizetogettheleafletontoWAFFLE We have been able to reduce the cover Jatchitectural workers drawing boards in time price of SLATE from 40p to 25p as a res- for the Interbuild exibition and so drum up Two NAM members who were invited to LATES!\)SLATEN WSL -affiliated Councillors said that the RIBA was apparently not satisfied with controlling 85 percent of council seats and now 5 73, Hallam St., London, WI, to.correct the mistake and ensure that they recieve ballot the speakers dwelt on the promised profit, the anticipated pickings from the investment wishes to assert its power in al the groups. All unattatched architects, NAM b papers, —a sum of £158 -10! And how sensibly the guaged the mood of Council. The voting count was7 in favour, 26 against and 13 abstentions, Clearlyworriedaboutthenewfound De UNeCMeDEE“broughtpoliticsintoCouncilaffairs”, percent to 19,618 (79 percent of UK ‘unattatched architects’ on the Architects 7 architects,agianst85percenttwoyearsago).RegistrationCounciloftheUnitedKingdom FOR DEMOCRACY energy of the unattatched, the RIBA is look at SLATE 3,which containedseveral feature sponsoring its own slate of candidates in articles devoted to the topic. theforthcomingARCUKelections.A Anyunattatchedarchitectswhohavenotyet Withdrawing investments “won't help the blacks” and... Above al, however, and ironically,thediscussionbetrayedafarfrom subtlyexpressedpreoccupation withthe familiar“businessisbusiness”arguments,All fe, h tNAM. spokesperson forthepresen recievedanoticefromARCUKoftheforthcoming < electionshouldwriteimmediatelytotheRegistrar Theremaining1136architectsaremembers (ARCUK)havenotendearedthemselvesto ON ARCUK SLATEispublishedbytheLIAISONGROUP oeformerchairmanoftheACA,Raymond oftheNEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, | Moxley.Ray’smeteoricrisetothetopof disheveledprivatePracticepartners 9,PolandSt.,London.W1. : Waitingfortheircopies oftheevil "|thearchitecturalpilesufferedanundignified ‘eportonpublicationday.Hearrived Printed by E undignifiedsetbackearlierthisyearwhen onlytohearthattheStationeryOffice the Institute’s unenlightened membership _had shut up shop on account of a bomb failed toelect him toCouncil. IsRay Scare. Was the culprit Mr Graham ina suitable’ forhighoffice?Caughtinaction lastditchattempttoblockpublication? at the Junior Liaison Organisation's recent We can only speculate. Those who believe seminar on Trades Unionism in the Build. __ that the profession's monopoly is a good ~ing professions (reported elsewhere in thing can at least take consolation from Islington Community Pres, 2a)StPat;Rd. a Typesetting by the publicationsgroup enquirersforTASS’’sstandthere. The wiley advertising managers at BD strung {the Committee along right up to the last minute, then said no, by which time, of jcourse, it was too late for TASS to turn theCambridgeSchoolofArchitectureto spread the word about the Movement were amused to learn that the students there hab- itually take their guest speakers to a rest- aurant called “Waffles” fora meal, before ultofthesettingupofanetworkof30 representatives throughout schools and large practices al over the country. The only committment of each representative will be to receive 5 copies of SLATE every zacuarefepoet4ofthem,re- toBD’sarch-rivalsattheArchitectsJournal,themeeting.Previousspeakersinthe urnin; . oO i il i ies i RIBA president Gordon Te system /stouldlsonA SGrATE Ironically BD continues to give TASS a series included 4 4 * y reasonable press in its editorial pages. Graham and Brian Anson of ARC. We intelayrepesnotheamisonreot”[Stlkaowgthevayhataveang aunhieSec radicals concerned with the industry and the environment, managers; mindswork, none of this should meals. come as such a surprise, as after all, TASS’s WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more sober leaflet could hardly be expected to match the sex-appeal of CatGirl, writers, more ideas and more Teps in order to produce a better, larger and chea ernewsletter. If you etd like to % work for SLATE; becomea rep., join the committee, send in articles or suggest topics | The Slater’s hot tip for the next president it should cover then contact us soon, The copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 27th January 1978 5 president has pleged the Institute todo all itcan to fight the Monopdlies Commission's Proposals to take the profession apart, but will he stop at nothing? Apparantly, not, according to one of the Slater’s colleagues who raced off to her Majesty’s Jubilee Stationary Office to join the queue of RAY’S RISE of the RIBA is none other than that Scourge of collectivism, bureaucracy and al that’s rotten in Britain today, |architecture’s answer to Maggie Thatcher, with ~-pencil orsmall rodof soft~ (clean the ~, rid oneself of or renounce oblign+ Bra IMaeTn See this isue) he showed himselafn able debater as he delivered a subtle yet the fact that the Minister was sympathetic enough to delay publication until after the RIBA’s Annual Conference. pernicious smear on Trades Unionism, government review ignores housing need extent to which unions and their activitites are maligned and mis- -tepresented by the mass media. comes to negotiating, it is far more desirable later date, but, in the words of CRITICISM of the Government’s Green Paper on housing, issued in June this year, is marshalling. The Green Paper, a voluminous document supported by no less than three supplementary technical documents of comparable magnitude, was intended to form the basis of a housing consensus by which housing could effectively be removed from the political arena. When launching what was originally a review of housing finance — subsequently extended when it was decided this could not be con- -sidered in isolation — Anthony Crossland spoke of ‘getting rid of this desperate social problem once and for al’. Ifthere isone thing itincreasingly appears certain that the housing policy review has not done, it is to get on top of the social problems of housing. The report has little direct relevance to architecture, although what is regarded as one of its main omissions — any detailed outline of a future housing building programme in line with an estimation of housing needs — shows how vacuous Government promises of a stabilised, planned construction workload prove to be when given a prime opportunity of being put into effect. The Review is about money — the allocation of public support by means of subsidies. For despite the existence now of a crude numerical surplus of SLATE 5 page 4 Jreet, houses over households, the problems of homelessness have not disappeared. One of the intentions of the Review was to find out how and why this persists despite the infusion of massive sums of publisc money to try to remove housing need, Not unsurprisingly the Review has come to no hard and fast conclusions on solving homelessness — there is, after all no simple panacea which would be acceptable to public opinion, But what is Jess acceptable is that it has virtually nothing to contribute specifically to solving the problem. And worse: the measures the Green Paper suggest seem, in many respects, certain to make matters worse for those in housing need. For the Green Paper is good news to the owner-oc- -cupation lobby, aecepting as its premise (a point beloved of the Tory Party!) that a majority of tenants prefer to own. The question as SHAC — the London Housing Aid Centre — points out in its response to the Green Paper, of ‘Why’ 1snot analysed. Itcould be that tenants dislike the bad management of many publie:schemes, the impersonality which pervades even housing assoc- -iation estates. Or perhaps it is the fact that renting suggests a degree of economic impotence, of ‘falling back on the rates’, which is plainly socially stigmatised in the UK. There is no reason why this should be the case, points out SHAC. On the continent renting is perfectly ac- -ceptable and not at al frowned upon: and in any case the DoE’s own figures show that the average amount of subsidy enjoyed by public sector tenants — £160 pa —is not vastly in excess of that fed back to the average tax-payjng owner occupier in the form of mortgage-related income tax relief — £140. SHAC make the point, further- -more, that not only isthe owner* occupier gaining his personal property tights whilst subsidised by public funds, but that for very large mortgages subsidies can be very large indeed. Thus the largest consumers of housing.are actually enjoying the largest amount of subsidies — plainly asituation calling for attention As property values continue to rise, so too will the amount of subsidy being diverted away from those in need towards the better off. The debate will go on, and indeed has only just started in earnest due to the weight and complexity of the evidence assembled (not to mention ignored) in the Green Paper, which has taken six months for even the most abled housing commentators to digest. At present the Government’s thinking pays insufficient attention to the fringe areas of housing — the homeless, squatters, housing co- ~operatives. If the housing problem really is to be tackledjthis defficiency must be rectified before legislation. professions debate unionisation ‘MAN is born free; everywhere he is in chains’. Rousseau’s words added an appropriately philosophical touchtothesumming-up of AUEW/TASS National Organiser Harry Smith at the end of the Junior Liaison Organisation’s seminar — ‘Do Building Professionals need a Trades Union?’, held in London in early November. The Junior Liaison Organisation (JLO), which is working to promote closer liaison and understanding among members of the building team, chose a seminar title seemingly bound to provoke acerbic discussion and to highlight areas of conflict in a profession particularly badly hit by the current economic recession. Posing such a question in 1977, long after many other professions have organised, is indicative of the resistance within the building professions to the idea of unionisation, The afternoon promised to be interesting. Harry Smith also began the afternoon, addressing an audience of about 40, less than half of whom, incidentally fel into the category of ‘junior’. His 45-minute talk scanned the history of trades unionism from its blue-collar roots to the impressive growth of white collar unionism recently — due to the changing times and the growing need for professionals to organise against redundancies and unemployment. Harry Smith’s talk; notable for its lack of militancy, dwelt on the potential beneifts of a trades union to building professionals. He was at pains to stress the civilised natire of wage bargaining and reminded. those opposed to trade unionism of the Barbara Gunnell, journalist with the New Civil Engineer, stated that she was a member of the NUJ, which operates a post-entry closed shop and that she supported the concept of trade unions. Her down my neck”. Harry Smith, in his talk was a reasoned and calm examination of the need fro a trade union for building professionals, based on her personal experience, (USNEWS SNEWSNIEWS The genial Raymond Moxley, of the Association pf Consultant Architects, laid on a picture show to accompany his talk. Some of the illustrations werealittl e superficial — perhaps deliberately? Those who expected an anti-union diatribe, however, were disappointed. Mr Moxley waspolitenessitself,concedingthatunions chairing-andprovidedausefulforum were one way of responding to today’s of ideas. It is perhaps sad to reflect that, Gloucester on December 10th, attended by over 30 lecturers, students and others. Discussion included presentations and papers on work people were doing with local groups often involving students in design and sometimes building. Few had any illusions about the practical difficulty of such work but reported the added hand- -icap of unsympathetic heads of schools. Subsequent discussion on politics and eduwation led to a debate between pluralist and class analyses of community action. All agreed, however, that such work was political and threatened to undermine the academic conditioning of schools, leading to students questioning professional roles and discovering how ilequipped they are to cope with architectural practice in the community. Most were suspicious of the RIBA involvement. ‘Official recognition of ‘community architecture’ might involve it being tidied up and neatly pigeon holed alongside other minority interests. The York Conference was discussed at some length with fears being expressed that it will lead to greater academic sterility. The meeting closed by agreeing the following statements: ] The RIBA should not impart or even suggest aunitary approach to this and any other subject. Diversity and flexibility for each school so as to respond to its own situation is 2 So called ‘community architecture’ is aterm which increasingly signifies for many, the institutionalisation of radical activities in architectural practice. It must not just become another subject in the curriculum. This would be to misunderstand the nature of the commit- -ment required. Those people who want toengageinthisactivityshouldhavethe opportunity to do so within schools of architecture. The development of this work can be encouraged ifvisiting boards and external examiners treat it both as a legitimate part of an architecture course and asalegitimate basis for individual projects. Local branches of the RIBA can support the work of schools, or at least not raise continued on pl9 SLATE 5page5 pressures (while showinga picture of a wavering pendulum deaoting the current swing from collectivism to indi- -vidualism!). Empirical evidence for this was lacking. Could ithave been wishful thinking? Perhaps the most potentially annoying of Mr Moxleys statemen ts was that the publix, ie., clients who could afford architects, operating its free choice of architect, would chose non-unionised rather than the ‘less professional’ unionised practices, and that unionised practices would founder asa result. His implication that professionalism and unionisation are mutually exclusive verged on the offensive, This genteel but firm polarisation of views boded well for the discussion period, which, however, turned out to be more an orderly succession of views from the floor. The audiance heard ebour about non-affiliated staff associations claiming to represent a compromise between professionalism and unionisation, and heard claims that the sole functi of strikes is to attract publicity. Giles Pebody, founder member of the New Architecture Movement and amember of TASS, spoke about the concept of public responsibility underlying NAM. Dave Burn, Islington Council architect and NALGO shop steward, spoke on unionisation in the public sector, and Dave Burney, Chairman of the London Branch of BDS-TASS, talked about TASS’s tole and aims. The only touch of acrimony came whena (middle aged) architect intervened angrily to claim that no one had put the case against aunion, this gentleman clung to his concept of himself as a professional, and justified his position by saying that he had been prepared to accept exploitation as a younger architect knowing that later he would reap the rewards! In her summing up, Barbara Gunneli mentioned the useful point that, when it by its nature, it attracted activists of both sides, while the apathetic, those most in need of convincing, stayed away. to have aunion delegate to do this. Raymond Moxley claimed that the ‘them and us’ situation could be solved by the ‘partnership ethic’. Perhaps his most memorable quote, however, was “I don’t like the thought of a big union breathing CAWG’s own minutes “the meeting was disasterous and those who attended rejected any involvement with the RIBA. Those who did attend, Tepresenting a tiny and isolated progressive movement in schools were embarassed at being brought together by the RIBA and resolved to organise a further meeting summing up, dismissed the non-affiliated, ‘individual rights’ position of staff associ- -ations as unrealistic, and the claim that strikesarepublicity-seekingasonthewhole workmoreopenly.Thistookplacein untrue. He again stressed the civilised nature of bargaining, and of TASS’s role - that of ‘striving to the future’. Given the controversial nature of the topic under discussion, the seminar was most civilised -this no doubt, helped by John Allan’s expert and unobtrusive community architects snub RIBA LAST October the RIBA Community Architecture Working Group (CAWG) invited teachers from architecture schools in Britain to a meeting at Portland Place. Their objective, it seems, was for the participants to describe their activities so that all could be noted down by CAWG supremo, Charles McKean, and used in evidence at a away from the RIBA to talk about their NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWSINE nan w “Very good in parts” was the consensus verdict of people who came to this year’s NAM Congress. Held over a weekend in the appropriate and sympathetic environment of the Hull school of architecturei,t attracted partic- ipants from every part of the country, including teachers, practioners, students and a smattering of building workers. NAM emerged from the congress with aclearer definition ofitsprincipal policies relating to the Institutions of the Profession, the extension of local popular control of building design and construction, and its role in relation to the Trade Unions. It also spawned two new issue-groups, one to campaign against sexism in the pro- fession and the industry and‘snother to examine the structural problems of arch- itectural education. Less successful, however were the debates relating to the organisation of NAM itself, which gave rise to some painfully prolonged and, at times vitriolic, discussion, both on Friday evening and at the AGM on Sunday. Participants responded with unmitigated discussions to such a degree that small caucus meetings continued right through the time labelled“social”onthatevening’sprogramme. (Full workshop reports are included below) The workshops made considerable progress in clarifying the various aspects of NAM’s policy, and enabled contacts to be made and views exchanged. Friday evening’s plenary session was reserved for discussion of the progress of the Movement, but the problems that NAM as a whole faces were in evidence very early on when aparticipant called for the Sunday’s AGM to be open for al to attend. This essentially constitutional issue was resolved by avote of NAM members the following morning, with the result that admission and participatfon in the AGM was open to al, with voting rights reserved for members. Whether non-members regretted this decis- ion is;open}to speculation, but the exhaus- ting session which they witnessed demon- strated howinadequate|are the constitut ional arrangements within NAM and what the problems are that ithas to resolve ifit is to be effective at organising local groups enthusiasm, however, to Saturday’s workshop p@longside national campaigns. The debate workshop reports: that there should be a single union for all architectural workers in private practice, and the committee sponsored an open conference in London to decide which union would be most suitable. the engineering union was chosen over- whelmingly for its good record, wide membership and its enthusiasm for the project. Soon after this the Building Design Staffs (BDS) branch was estab- lished in London and a national recruiting campaign was mounted. - Reactivating interest and participation in union affairs, introducing community issues, and restructuring to allow more competent involvement by architectural workers. Analysing and challenging the hierarchy and bureaucratic controls which defend the user from the design process. -Extending existing union initiatives against the cuts and redundancies, against the ‘lump’ and promoting the use of unionised outside consultants and building firms, as opposed to un- unionised ones. * UNIONISATION Attended by about fifteen architectural workers in several unions, openedwithabriefresumeofNAM’s interest and activities in the Trades Union Movement. The NAM (Unionisation) Organising Committee was set up after the NAM 2nd Congress in Blackpool Iast year and published aunionising call, ‘WorkingforWhat’,toarchitectural workers in private practice. This outlined many of the problems, especially con- cerning pay and conditions faced by this unorganised section which had already been settled by unionised colleagues elsewhere. The document proposed Since responsibility for extending unionisation in private practice has been assumed by BDS-TASS, theworkshop proposed that NAM turn its attention to the public sector unions. Because * membership, recognition andnegotiating machinery were well established in these unions (though stil largely consuming the efforts of BDS/TASS), it was thought that workers in the public sectors are well! placedtopromotethemore‘advanced’ part of NAM’s aims, i,e,, social respons- ibility and public accountability. However, itwas recognised while potentially interested and powerful had not been activated on anything at hired from medelling agencies for the duration of ell you SLATE Sigiage6 theworkshop thatmostof theseunions, that the speci ' t and environmental architectural issues and most of the © whilst it says what a Product unlikely to say what it can do, it is Products on the membership was dissatisfied and etic. BDS-TASS apath- being aseparate had the advantage of o it won't compare it can't; union,andit branchwithinalarge was thought that archi- tectural workers in the public sector would benefit from an equivalent struc- ture, all. Most of them will have been from heneeds. Butmost socmeneetce whether it'swhat failings: market, to allow to other the Specifier informed choice - NAM'S 3RD CO advertisers use are of course the first stage, and i product Butthe fact remains that interest in the he must do that himself; © most technical literature will try and show Product is expected to be generated not through advertising the qualities of the product, but through sex. the product in the best possible light, & an attractive brochure orby drap mee see ladies all over it, so that theSpSpeecifieris impressed by the packaging regardless of the product's qualities. Manufacturers only use because they have been shown for them - otherwise they wou These workers and their unions should be developing in several particular areas: these uarketing techniques <~0 work, Specifiers fall ld be unneccesary. It became circular, in effect, in trying to res. olve the conundrum of how to take constit. utional decisions when there is no Constit- ' ution describing the procedures fordoing it. In the end a much ammended Tesolution was passed setting up a liaison group for 1978 and members were elected toit,a motion setting up a code of conduct for SLATE was rejected as a “bid for indep- endence” and a group was set up to propose a constitution for NAM. Al this left far too little time for the debate of the policy motions before the AGM, but, fortunately, there was little dissent from the proposals that had found their way from NAM groups, congressworkshops and individual members anyway. As the participants left Hull the feeling wasthatNAM wassetforafurtheryear of consolidation and clarification of its policies and of increasing influence within and beyond the profession and theindustry, Its failing over the past year has been to neglect the business of activating its supporters, particularly in the provinces, and the remedy to that must lie in direct- ing more energy to the founding and fost- ering of local groups. r theexhibition,orgivenaweek'ssecondmentfrom the drudgery of the typing pool, in order to dec- orate the firm's stand. The women that the t most i etn ae eae Not only does this say rather a lot about attitudes towards women in Now, as we've said, the advertisement is only the first part of the process of selling the product. Its technical documentation comes next , and perhaps i external, irrelevant sales te: s “Very good in parts” was the consensus verdict of people who came to this year’s NAM Congress. Held over a weekend in the appropriate and sympathetic environment of the Hull school of architecture, it attracted partic- ipants from every part of the country, including teachers, practioners, students and a smattering of building workers. NAM emerged from the congress with a clearer definition of its principal policies relating to the Institutions of the Profession, the extension of local popular control of building design and construction, and its role in relation to the Trade Unions. It also spawned two new issue-groups, one to campaign against sexism in the pro- fession and the industryand ‘nother to examine the structural problems of arch- 5 ledneation ess ful, h were the debates relating to the organisation of NAM itself, which gave rise to some painfully prolonged and, at times Vitriolic, discussion, both on Friday evening and at the AGM on Sunday. discussions to such a degree that small caucus meetings continued right through the time labelled “social” on that evening’s programme. (Full workshop reports are included below) The workshops made considerable progress in clarifying the various aspects of NAM’s policy, and enabled contacts to be made and views exchanged. Friday evening’s plenary session was reserved for discussion of the progress of the Movement, but the problems that NAM as a whole faces were in evidence very early on whena participant called for the Sunday’s AGM to be open for al to attend. This essentially constitutional issue was resolved by avote of NAM members the following morning, with the result that admission and participatfon in the AGM was open to al, with voting rights reserved for members. Whether bers regrettedthisdecis- ion is;openjto speculation, but the exhaus- ting session which they witnessed demon- strated howinadequate|are the constitut ional arrangements within NAM and what the problems are that it has to resolve if it The debate al architectural workers in private practice, and the committee sponsored an open conference in London to decide which union would be most suitable. the engineering union was chosen over- whelmingly for its good record, wide membership and its enthusiasm for the project. Soon after this the Building DesignStaffs(BDS)branchwasestab- lished in London and a national recruiting campaign was mounted. PROFESSIONALISM UNIONISATION Attended by about fifteen architectural workers in several unions, theworkshop opened with a brief resume of NAM’s interest and activities in Movement. The NAM (Unionisation) Organising Committee was set up after the NAM 2nd Congress in Blackpool Iast year and published a unionising call, ‘Working for What’, to architectural ~ workers in private practice, This outlined manyoftheproblems,especiallycon- cerning pay and conditions faced by this unorganised section which had already been settled by unionised colleagues elsewhere. The document proposed SLATE Sipage6 Since responsibility for extending unionisation in private practice has been assumed by BDS-TASS, theworkshop proposed that NAM turn its attention to the public sector unions. Because membership, recognition andnegotiating machinery were well established in these unions (though stil largely consuming the effortsofBDS/TASS),itwasthoughtthat workers in the public sectors arewell) placed to promote the more ‘advanced’ i) The mandatory minimum fee scale should be abandonded in the public interest and a new system devised, Hi) The*Monopolies Commission ’ definition of the public interest isunacceptabletoNAM asit equates this with the free market and restricts the public to mean only clients not users, ili) The establishment of any new fee system must take place within areconstituted ARCUK with at least 50% lay represer along the lines proposed in the NAM report. Congress considers the Trades Union while potentially interested and powerful, had not been activated on and environmental architectural " part of NAM’s aims, ie., socialrespons- ibility and public accountability. However, it Was recognised that most of these unions, issues and most of the was dissatisfied and apath- etic, BDS-TASS had the advantage of membership t being aseparate branch within union, and itwas thought alarge tectural workers that archi- wouldbenefit inthepublicsector| ture. of salaried architects the position will continue to be from an equivalent struc- weak or without a mandatory minimum fee scale until they exert their industrialstrength withinthetradeunionmovement. Its failing over the past year has been to neglect the business of activating its ” supporters, particularly in the provinces, and the remedy to that must lie in direct- ing more energy to the founding and fost- ering of local groups. ~ Reactivating interest and participation in union affairs, introducing community issues, and restructuring to allow more competent involvement by architectural workers. - Analysing and challenging the hierarchy and bureaucratic controls which defend the user from the design process. - Extending existing union initiatives againstthecutsandredundancies, public sector, especially those involved with construction, maintenance and associated fields. Activation of public sector workers could then lead to the formation of an embryonic ‘Architectural Workers’ Alliance’, organisation encompassing all unionised architectural workers and ,~ attempting to tackle larger environmental issueswithfullunionsupport. ‘ A motion to set up a Public Sector Working Group to start tackling these problems and to advance NAM’s aims in the public sector was unanimously accepted by the AGM. ° 1 This Congress considers that it is now necessary to develop policies to further NAM’s aims in the public sector, To this end it mandates an extended National Design Service Group to under- take the necessary research and publicity and to organise a conference to establish the potential for joint action among local authority architectural workers, tenants federations,appropriatetradeunionsand Direct Labour Organisations by May 1978. report of the NAM Central London Group ‘and endorses its main proposals as follows: against the ‘lump’ and use of unionised outside consultants and building firms, as opposed to un- unionised ones. * promoting the 4. This Congress deplores the use of . The Congress mandate the Group to co-opt help as needed, ard to pursue the monopolies issue and any related matter, taking necessary action in furtherance of NAM’s stated aims, SLATE Spage 7 invariably “The Cosmos” - though the ensuing discussion was less impressive. The Hull workshop on TheProfession found itself in the exact Opposite position. Having undertaken two hard years research and action on some Primary issues:- The Unattached at ARCUK, TASS/BDS, The Monopolies Commission Inquiry and its implications, etc., we now seem to find that al these issues link together, and that actions in one sphere imply orrequire actions in the others. But how much more Positive and fruitful this Stage is, than those early affairs in Whitfield Street~ In reporting back from ARCUK, the Unattached Representatives indicated the problems of learning “the ropes” of Councilmeetings. Itwasfeltthatitwas valid to continue action in this contextfor two reasons, firstly that it had taken until now to become familiar enough with becamecircular,ineffect,in tryito olvetheconundrumofhoweaecone utional decisions when there isnoconstit- ution describing the procedures fordoing it. In the end a much ammended resolution was passed setting upaliaison Sroup for 1978 and members were elected to it,a motion setting up a code of conduct for SLATE was rejected as a “bid forindep- endence” and a group was set up to propose a constitution for NAM. All this left far too little time for the debate of the policy motions before the AGM, but, fortunately, there was littledissent from the proposals that had found their way from NAM groups, congress workshops and individual members anyway. As the participants left Hull thefeeling wasthatNAM wassetforafurtheryear of consolidation and clarification of its policies and of increasing influence within and beyond the profession and theindustry, procedures to be able to intervene effectively of consensus was later endorsed by Congres in Council affairs. Secondly, it was consider Those of us who started NAM at Harrogate two years ago may recall the difficulty we experienced in giving our communal misgivings about the condition and direction of the profession a clear and valid structure from which could be developed aprogramme ofaction. Item 1 on the agenda of al meetings was - Our reason for involvement in ARCUK isthe desire totransform itinto areal agency of public accountability - led directly to consideration of the Monopolie Commission Report. There was general agreement that the Commission’s definitio of “public interest” was unacceptable, but that ARCUK was the proper context for the ensuing debate. The prima facie argument that dropping the mandatory fee would prejudice the living standards of salaried architects, was shown both in workshop and in plenary session to be false - anda motion covering al these area its reps out or alternatively of demonstrat- -ing support for the work already done. Nonetheless, there was a fear that our presence in ARCUK might in due course become aform oftoken resistancewhich could be used by the RIBA Majority to legitimise its actions in the name of democ- stacy. Then would be the time to leave. The group mandated to continue thiswork isexpected to begin meeting after unattached electorate the option of throwing Christmas. ee eee OnOe2 - Seeking links with other unions in the CONGRESS RESOLUTIONS Participantsresponded withunmitigated istobeeffectiveatorganisinglocalgroups 5 however,to Saturday's workshop yalongsid ional campai workshop reports: thatthereshouldbeasingleunionfor NAM‘S 3RD CONGRES Bo This Congress commends the com- pleted work of the Unionisation (Organisin; Committee and recommends and urges all workers in the private sector building design professions to join TASS—BDS, This Congress mandates aworking party to explore the potentail for an alliance between members of TASS—BDS and building design workers in thepublic sector trade unions, 2. This Congress accepts the monopolies sexism in advertising and the character- These workers and their unionsshould be developing in several particular areas; considered reasonable to at least give the isation of women and men in degrading stereotyped roles in the architectural trade press, | We therefore call upon NAM members to refuse to specify any products promoted through sexist adver- tising, and to encourage fellow architect- ural workers to follow suit. is Congress deplores sexism in all aspects of the building industry and approves the setting up of NAM camp- aigning groups to investigate and take action on the position of women in the industry and education, 5. This Congress supports the efforts of NAM members Tepresenting unattached hit on the Archi Regi ion Council of the UnitedKingdom. 6. ° i) This Congress notes thesavage attacks orchestrated by the National Federation ofBuilding Trade Employers and theTory Party against Direct Labour Organisations and Local Auth- ority architects’ departments, i)This Congress expresses its support for the democratic fight of the Direct Labour Organisations, ~ The sexist workshop was set up in Tesponse to a strongly felt need by NAM members for a group to look into the problems facing women both as students and working in offices. The workshop set itself up as a regular meeting for support and to be an active campainging issue group to look into sexist advertising anddiscriminationincollegesandin practice. It also intends to analyse and explain the reasons why there is such a discrepancy between the number of women who apply for and start degree courses and those who complete them and manage to find work in architects offices. There has already been one successfulmeetingonDecember12th and the next will be held in one month, on 12th January at 14, Duncan Terrace, London, N.1. _278 5215 for details. EDUCATION }SLATE 5page 8 The New Architecural Movement’s proposals for a National Design Service are based ona critique * of architectural patronage and its effects on architectural service to the public, architects working ar and the type and form of buildings which result fromit. We argued/for a design service which would be directly accountable to and controlled by the people in its locality. We suggested that neighbourhood based local authority offices should form the foundation of sucha service. While local government may be regarded asaninstrumentofsocialcontrolitisat the same time the main and often the only structure through which the majority of people can exert demands and gain access to land, finance and other resources neces- sary for their housing, health and education requirements. That is, local government provides these socially necessary services whichtheprivatesectorhasfoundtobe unprofitable. In many cases these services have been the realisation of policies of minimal prov- The powers that control the é¢ducation of architects formed the central theme to discussion in the workshop. Authority to control the content of courses and the standards of examinations seems to rest effectively with the RIBA, inspite of the large degree of autonomy theoretically enjoyed by institutions of education. The system of “exemptions” which validates academic qualifications, independentlygrantedbytheCouncil for National Academic Awards, the Universities and one or two diploma- awardingcolleges,asanindicationof a students’s “fitness for the profession”. ere by an RIBA-dominated ARCUK, through the visiting boards” and with the ultimate sanction of the withdrawal of recognition from schools whose standards are not acceptable. Qualifications from schools in this situation would no longer entitle their holders to qualify as architects. of conduct In-answer to some of the criticism made of SLATE at the recent NAM Congress, and subsequently in the trade press, we would like to affirm that SLATE has no intention of ‘going independent’. rather the Publication Group hopes to do more to further the specific campaigns to whichNAM hasputitsname,inlinewith suggestions made at the Congress, and also to faster communication within the Move- ment, To that end the group has adopted thefollowing code ofconduct toensure the proper carrying out o,of its business and to enhance its accountability: MEMBERS 1. Congress is to elect a minimum of six members to the NAM publications group, a further 50% of the number of elected members may beco-opted at any one time directly by the grou 2, Néw members elected to the publications ‘group are to comprisea minimum of 50% of old members remaining in the group. MEETINGS 3. Editorial meetings are to be held at\ least monthly 4, All editorial meetings will be open to any interested NAM members or SLATE readers, but voting rights will be reserved for group members. 5. At least two members of the publications group will attend each Quaterly Forum, one of whom will be an elected member, FINANCE 6, All £1-50 SLATE subscriptions will be handed over, on reciept, in.total to théSLATE }account, 7, For each issue of SLATE at least 25p from each NAM membership subscriptionrecievedwillbe paid to the SLATE account, 8. The SLATE fund amy be appealed to by any cause in order to float, in.the short term, events which cannot be funded by the NAM liaison group, providing funds are available, EDITORIAL 9, Members of the publications grou considerable inadequacies. the publication of pamphlets by NAM groups edit all material recieved, ‘sion remote from the desires of the people and also from the beliefs of the local author- ity workers who implement them. Against this background community architecture evolved as an alternative means by which people could express and sometimes achieve their requirements. More recently however, following cuts in public expenditure and a shift of resources away from the public sector into the private, particularily in housing, and housing rehabilitation, a new form of community architecture has appeared whichismerelyanextensionofprivate practice in a more socially acceptable guise - the basic structure of control of resources remains unchanged. Control over these resources isthe critical factor to which control over design is related. Whatever their social function and their corresponding faults, local authorities are public bodies accountable to the people. Accountability and control isthrough the democratic process and not through the workings of the free market. It is for this reason that local governemnt is considered to be the only appropriate veh- icle for a national design service. A prerequisite of a national design service would be the extension of the present dem- ocratic structures to include more fully people at local level. Although it may be argued that local government cannot be changed radically, history has shown that as the lowest tier of government it is suscept- ible to vigorous pressure from below. Local authorities can and have changed direction as a result of the collective demands of tenants organisations, local political parties andtradeunions. _ It is in these areas that NAM must organ- ise to promulgate its ideas for a design service with control over resources and design and construction teams by local residents. In the first instance however attention should be focussed on the existing design offices to establish the possibilities for radical change amongst local authority architectural workers. * “A National Design Service” 50p available tro’ ARCHIE TEKT Paper 2 May 1976 Paper 3 November 1976 NAM, 9 Poland Se London, W.1. Critisism came principally from two of the Dutch participants in the Congress, borh of issues of relevance to the Movement. whom had experience oc publishing in Holland. NAM, they said, appeared to Critiscism was alsovoiced. principally to clarify what the Movement stood for, or how itwas relevant to those whom itset out to inform and organise. This was not to say that they considered NAM to be on the wrong track, but they thought that Slate could go much further in both extr- acting and campaigning on the main points 11, All contributors have a right to see, on request, The difficulties of arraging programmes for students who wanted to develop skills needed to work for alternative “community” clients were also discussed. Experience at the Hull school show that a “liberal” unit system at least makes way for this interest to be catered for, but that the continuity and commitment needed for “‘live” projects is difficult to establish in relation to the school’s academic year and academic req uirements.Alsothedemandforahigh level of technical course content was at odds with the unit system, especially as establishedinterestswithintheschool itself were in some cases opposed to it. What isneeded isthedevelopment of a coherent critique of the goals and methods of current architectural education and the coordination of the efforts of all those who are attempting to practice alternative forms of education within the existing system. lack coherent policies, and SLATE did little by members of the publications group 12, All contributors have the right to withdraw their contribution, A feeling that “all’s well with Slate” may have accounted for the poor attendance at the SLATE workshop. A closer examination design as a cultural process, and may, of NAM’s programme and in helping it to developamorecoherenttheoryoftherole thepossibilityof‘interference’fromand, of the profession and the buildingindustry in society. Some part of this critiscism wouldbeanswered,theyfelt,ifSLATE made a point of concentrating on news relevanttoeachofthecompaigns being fought by the various NAM groups, with features to foster theoretical debate. Special issues to respond to specific events in the field would also help to disseminate thereby, the accumulation of a large degree of central power by, the Liaison Group wouldbeeliminated. This‘interference’ did not happen during 1977. The sucess ofSLATE restsonitsabilitytoattract readers outside the bership of NAM and its pricing and editorial policy must be determined in relation to this need. NAM’s views in the heat of the debate. Future areas of activity for the publ- icationsgroup,andforSLATE were discussed. The inclusion of reviews of buildings would be instrumental in break- ing the hegemony of the established architectural press, stimulating the devel- opment of a radical critique of building will take it in turn to co-ordinate each issue, ofthepaper’sfirstyeardid,however,reveal groupshouldalsodowhatitcantopromote 10,Thepublicationsgroupreservestherightto incidentally, attract more readers. The or members which take a closer look at the final draft of their contribution prior to piblication, = last year, of the constitutional relations of SLATE to the rest of the Movement. The group should be directly responsible to the AGM of the Movement for both the editorial content of SLATE and the financial arrangements for its production. In this way, those who p the paper would become directly accountable, and 13, Titles of any unpublished material and books recieved will be given in each issue, and this material will be available for examination, 14, The onus is0 the various NAM groups ,local and isshe, to. provide information for SLATE, for which it is bound to reserve space, . 15, The editorial policy of the publications group will be determined solely by them, as.delegates of NAM, continued from p 5 -SLATE’S code objections to schoolsofferingarchitect- -ural services to the community. A further meeting isplanned inFebruary which will discuss the papers being distributed for the York RIBA/SAC fe Further i ion and some of the papers are available from John Hurley and Gerry Metcalf at the Cheltenham School of Architecture. SLATE 5page9 The sexist workshop was set up in TesponsetoastronglyfeltneedbyNAM argued/foradesignservicewhichwould members for a group to look into the problems facing women both as students and working in offices. The workshop set itself up as a regular meeting for support and to be an active campainging issue group to look into sexist advertising anddiscriminationincollegesandin practice. It also intends to analyse and explain the reasons why there issuch a discrepancybetweenthenumberof women who apply for and start degree courses and those who complete them and manage to find work in architects offices. | There has already been one successfulmeetingonDecember12th and the next will be held in one month, on12thJanuaryat14,DuncanTerrace, London, N.1. 278 5215 for details. EDUCATION ESLATE 5 page 8 be directly accountable to and controlled by the people in its locality. We suggested that neighbourhood based local authority offices should form the foundation of sucha service. AN] Afeeling that “all’s well with Slate” may have accounted for the poor attendance at design as a cultural process, and may, The New Architecural Movement’s proposals for a National Design Service are based ona critique * of architectural patronage and its effects on architectural service to the public, architects working ar and the type and form of buildings which result from it. We MEMBERS 1. Congress is to elect a minimum of six members to the NAM publications group, afurther 50% of the number of elected members may be co-opted at any one time directly by the grou 2, Néw members elected to the siblcations ‘group are to comprisea minimum of 50% of old members remaining in the group. MEETINGS 3, Editorial meetings are to be held at\ least monthly 4, Alll editorial meetings will be open to any interested NAM members or SLATE readers, but voting rights will be reserved ioe group members, 5.Atleasttwomembersofthepublications group will attend each Quaterly Forum, one of whom will be an elected member, FINANCE 6. All £1-50 SLATE subscriptions will be 4 handed over, on reciept, in.total to thdSLATE |account, 7, For each issue of SLATE at least 25p from each NAMmembershipsubscriptionrecievedwillbe paid to the SLATE account. 8, The SLATE fund amy be appealed to by any While local government may be regarded asaninstrumentofsocialcontrolitisat the same time the main and often the only structure through which the majority of peoplecanexertdemandsandgainaccess withcontroloverresourcesanddesignand NAM’s views in the heat of the debate. Future areas of activity for the publ- icationsgroup,andforSLATE were discussed. The inclusion of reviews of to land, finance and other resources neces- sary for their housing, health and education requirements. That is, local government provides these socially necessary services whichtheprivatesectorhasfoundtobe unprofitable. In many cases these services have been the realisation of policies of minimal prov- Paper 3 November 1976 architectural press, stimulating the devel- The powers that control the éducation of architects formed the central theme to discussion in the workshop. Authority to control the content of courses and the standards of examinations seems to rest effectively with the RIBA, inspite of the large degree of autonomy theoretically enjoyed by institutions of education. The system of “exemptions” which validates academic qualifications, independentlygrantedbytheCouncil for National Academic Awards, the Universities and one or two diploma- awarding colleges, as an indication of a students’s “fitness for the profession”. ispericed by an RIBA-dominated ARCUK, through the visiting boards” and with the ultimate sanction of the withdrawal of recognition from schools whose standards are not acceptable. Qualifications from schools in this situation would no longer entitle their holders to qualify as architects. The difficulties of arraging programmes for students who wanted to develop skills needed to work for alternative “community” clients were also discussed. Experience attheHullschoolshowthata“liberal”unit system at least makes way for this interest to be catered for, but that the continuity and commitment needed for “‘live” projects is difficult to establish in relation to the school’s academic year and academic req uirements.Alsothedemandforahigh level of technical course content was at odds with the unit system, especially as established interests within the school itself were in some cases opposed to it. What isneeded isthe development of a coherent critique of the goals and methods of current architectural education and the coordination of the efforts of al those who are attempting to practice alternative forms of education within the existing system. whom had experience oc publishing in Holland. NAM, they said, appeared to lack coherent policies, and SLATE did little to clarify what the Movement stood for, or how it was relevant to those whom it set outtoinformandorganise. Thiswasnot totheAGMoftheMovementforboth whichitisboundtoreservespace, ision remote from the desires of the people and also from the beliefs of the local author- ityworkerswhoimplementthem. Against this background community architecture evolved as an alternative means by which people could express and sometimes achieve their requirements. More recently however, following cuts in public expenditure and a shift of resources away from the public sector into the private, particularily in housing, and housing rehabilitation, anew form of community architecture has appeared whichismerelyanextensionofprivate practice in a more socially acceptable guise - the basic structure of control of resources remains unchanged. Control over these resources isthe critical factor to which control over design is related. Whatever their social function and their corresponding faults, local authorities are public bodies accountable to the people. Accountability and control isthrough the democratic process and not through the workings of the free market. It is for this reason that local governemnt is considered to be the only appropriate veh- icle for a national design service. A prerequisite of a national design service would be the extension of the present dem- ocratic structures to include more fully people at local level. Although it may be arguedthatlocalgovernmentcannotbe changed radically, history has shown that as the lowest tier of government it is suscept- ible to vigorous pressure from below. Local authorities can and have changed direction as a result of the collective demands of tenants organisations, local political parties andtradeunions. ARCHIE TEKT It is in these areas that NAM must organ- ise to promulgate its ideas for a design service NAM cause inorder tofloat, in.the short term, group, providing funds are available, EDITORIAL 9. Members of the. publications grou will take it in turn to co-ordinate each issue, construction teams by local residents. In the first instance however attention should be focussed on the existing design offices to establish the possibilities for radical change amongst local authority architectural workers. * “A National Design Service” 50p available tro’ NAM, 9 Poland St)_ London, W.1. buildings would be instrumental in break- ingthehegemonyoftheestablished eventswhichcannotbefundedbytheNAMliaison Paper 2 May 1976 the publication of pamphlets by NAM groups edit all material recieved. 11, All contributors have a right to see, on request, 6 whichNAM hasputitsname,inlinewith Ws fae UA Se suggestions made at to faster communication within the Move- A ce hoe AT MY FROPESION considerable inadequacies. Critisism came principally from two of the Dutch participants in the Congress, borh of issues of relevance to the Movement. to say that they considered NAM to be on the editorial content of SLATE and the financial arrangements for its production. In this way, those who p’ the paper would become directly accountable, and 15, The editorial policy of the publications group will be determined solely by them, as.delegates of NAM. continued from p 5 the wrong track, but they thought that Slate could go much further in both extr- acting and campaigning on the main points SH Your mourn! 1VE Boe) BY ANASP /OF BING AN AMORA RESPONSES AND COLON 1588 OF | a In-answer to some of the criticism made ofSLATE attherecentNAM Congress, and subsequently in the trade press, we would like to affirm that SLATE has no intention of ‘going independent Si rather the Publication Group hopes to do more to further the specific campaigns to (OF RIDING THE of NAM’s programme and in helping it to developamorecoherenttheoryoftherole thepossibilityof‘interference’fromand, of the profession and the buildingindustry in society. Some part of this critiscism would be answered, they felt, if SLATE made a point of concentrating on news relevant to each of the compaigns being fought by the various NAM groups, with features to foster theoretical debate. Special issues to respond to specific events in the field would also help to disseminate thereby, the accumulation of a large degree of central power by, the Liaison Group would be eliminated. This ‘interference’ did not happen during 1977. The sucess of SLATE rests on its ability to attract readers outside the bership of NAM and its pricing and editorial policy must be determined in relation to this need. AND MaDe lt! opment of a radical critique of building the SLATE workshop. A closer examination ofthepaper’sfirstyeardid,however,reveal groupshouldalsodowhatitcantopromote 10,Thepublicationsgroupreservestherightto incidentally, attract more readers. The ormemberswhichtakeacloserlookat thefinaldraftoftheircontributionpriorto Ghacimifamalovcice da nrincia piblication, ¥ 12, All contributors have the right to withdraw their ibutic 13, Titles of any unpublished material and books recieved will be given in each issue, and this material will be available for examination, 14, The onus iso the various NAM groups ,local and isshe, to. provide information for SLATE, for by members of the publications group last year, of the constitutional relations of SLATE to the rest of the Movement. The group should be directly responsible ment, To that end the 8roup has the following code of conduct toensure the proper carrying to enhance its accountability: the Congress, and also out of its business and adopted SLATE’S code of conduct ——j objections to schoolsofferingarchitect- -ural services to the community. A further meeting isplanned inFebruary which will discuss the papers being distributed for the York RIBA/SAC fe Furtherinformation andsome of the papers are available from John Hurley and Gerry Metcalf atthe Cheltenham School of Architecture. SLATE 5page 9 education The education of architects must be more ranged about with myths and mystification, not to say ignorance, than any other issue in the profession. Just as well, it.would appear, for the RIBA, which iscurrently plotting another unilateral determination of education policy. Dave Breakwell, student mem- ber of the RIBA Council, sets the scene fortheforthcomingRIBA/SAC York Conference, in the first of a series of SLATE articles aimed to draw out the need for organised opposition to establishment education policies, DUG ANON THE NEW SYLLABUS NEWS FROM ae » Os 2 e It was announced at the RIBA Council meeting on 24th November that there is to be ajoint RIBA/SAC (Schools of Architecture Council) conference at York in March 1978 entitled ‘The Making of an Architect’, to review education twenty/ years on from the Oxford Conference. Despite RIBA claims that this conference is merely to discuss the situatian in education, it is almost certain that it will dictate the future course of educational policy for the next twently years. The same claims of ‘discussion only’ were made for the Oxford Conference’in 1958, yet educational changes since have come What has caused great concern amongst NAM, academics, students and even the RIBA council isthat this conference has been set up almost entirely behind closed doors by five people from the RIBA and’SAC, and before any discussion on the form of the conference has taken place all the conference arrange- -ments have been made and contributions invited. The only people entitled to go to the conference are the 15 contributors, about 25 practising architects (nominated by whom?) and the head, one student and one staff member from each of the look into the future direction of education. There were protests about the represent- -ation on the group (eg. no students) and it was later announced that the whole thing was to be dropped due to lack of funds(!) This was the last heard of it, even for members of EPEC, until it re-emergedas‘TheMakingofan Architect’. It would appear that the whole thing was constructed by Elizabeth Layton, an (unelected) RIBA staff member and Tom Markus, head of Strathclyde school and chairman of SAC with John Wells-Thorpe RIBA’s chairman of EPEC, G. Steele, also of Strathclyde and G. Aylward. It seems odd that there are two people from Strathclyde in this group, as the school has a definite educational direction that has been questioned by- some academics and students. Also both Marcus and Ms Layton could be described as having ,uncompromising’ views on education, and the latter, although in theory an administrator, seems to have considerable influence over education generally within the RIBA, although how and how much, no one seems able to find out. Of the 15 contributors, Iunderstand there are some interesting people, notably Jim Johnson of ASSIST, Colin Ward, long time anarchist and Judi Loach, a student. But each contributor has been instructed as to the area of his/her contribution, and any contribution ‘at odds with the spirit and intention of the Conference may be a> y TYPICAL! ONCE THEYVE Got THEIR FEES 39 schools. No provision has been made for the opinions of lay people, the construction industry, NAM or other interested parties. The latest development are that the RIBA council has referred the issue back to its Education and Practice Executive Committee (the body that ultimately controls education and who edited, [ Bannister Fletcher, that other architectural historian, turns in his grave as l cartoonist Lou Hellman traces the history of the Mother of the Arts im 1978. “Fell of my bike with laughter .........again” ...........Prof. Reyner Banham Post the coupon below or write to NAM 9, Poland Street, London, W.1. Iwant to be the first person on my block to get re-educated. Please rush me the 1978 New Architecture Calendar. _ Reluctantly, Ienclose £1.00, which includes postage and packing. should have known about it all along), and directly from decisions made there. that a recent SAC meeting at Liverpool asked for more student representation, But it would seem that the conference is already rolling and it would be extremely difficult to alter it now. As far as it is possible to discover, it seems that the conference has come about by somewhat devious means, At the beginning of 1977 it wa’ proposed to the RIBA’s EPEC that there should be a ‘Formation of the Architect’ group to SLATE 5page 10 All this raises again the question of the tole of the RIBA in controlling education, and it is hoped that the next issue of ‘SLATE’ will explain just how the RIBA controls education and the doubtful legal position of the RIBA in doing this. Meanwhile NAM is setting up an education group to decide policy on the conference and education in general. Contact person isHugo Hinsley 01-251 0274, Herewith subscription. LIAISON GROUP STARTS QUATERLY FORUMS Meeting for the first time recently, the new NAM Liaison Group set out its pro- gramme for 1978. Quarterly forums, called for by Congress, are to be held in Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Leeds. They are intended to form a milieu for the interchange of experiences and discussion between members and as a chance for interested people to get to know NAM. Social events linked to the forums are planned to raise funds for the Movement. Another new departure for 1978 is the allocationofthejobof‘lookingafter’ each of the various areas of NAM’s con- cerns to one of the Liaison Group members, The intention here is to oil the wheels of communication in the Movement and to ‘aid in the carrying out’ of Congress resolutions, ——$—$—$—$_$_< With an eye to the future, the Liaison Group has called for a NAM local group to host the 1978 Congress, scheduled for the 25th-26th November. The feeling is that the Midlands or the South West would do well as a venue, but other suggestions are welcome and the Liaison Group urges any group that wants to do as good, or better, a job as the Hull group in 1977, to get in touch as soon as possible. BIRMINGHAM GROUP FORMS A Birmingham group is under formation at the moment, and the first meeting will be held early in January, It is hoped to involve socialist planners, members of building co-ops, building workers and community groups as well as architect- ural workers and students, Possible issues for action will be proposals for the Inner-City Partnership committee, support for UCATT/Green Ban post office campaign and Alternative Strat- egy for Birmingham, advice and design work for community groups and co-ops, and a unionisation drive. It’s an ambitious programme and we need support. Ifyou are interested, contact Dave Breakell: C/O BUDA 173 Lozells Road Handsworth Birmingham 19 021 554 3278 (working hours) <ec2isSh22215 Z<=2 88 8 ai: iz Bat3 bogs O i,t. i$8 ve raves ae 58 O $2865 Case S c2nisebses Slater “worse than Astragal” WRITE TO SLATE‘, 9, POLAND ST, Name Address LONDON, W1. —_— $$ a] SLATE5page 11 Once upon a time there were no architects, planning officers or council estates. People were forced to live in unplanned caves, sub-standard tents or non- conforming huts, There were one or two monuments, like Stonehenge, but they were probably put there by visiting Martians .........+0.+ YOvNEVERSEETHEM AGAIN / —— London,W1. =i S| PROJECTS London. W1 NDS London, 3, HULL Roath, Cardiff ,NAM, 9,Poland St., ,Albany Rd., ,Weeton Lane, EDINBURGH Edinburgh, Pp: contact John Mitchell CARDIFF Kingston-u-Hull Regional College Hoby, Leeds 17 PUBLICATIONS LEEDS Ave., London, W1 LONDON London, NW1 ,25, St. George’s els Nottingham Grou; 14, Derby Grove, Lurton, Nottingham, LIAISON The Secretary, NAM, 9 Poland St., NDS, NAM, 9, Poland St., David Roebuck Editorial Committee. Anne Delaney, 196. David Somervell, 22 Panmure Place, Tan Tod, Hull School of Architecture, Pete Forbes, Parkview Douglas Smith, 17, Delancey St., From Charles McKean, Secretary of the ESSS NOTTINGHAM e—| of Art Brunswick Ave., Hull AVAILABLENIQW/ FromNAM RIBA Community ArchitectureWorking Group. In response to Slater’s pre-judgment (O not again!) of my book ‘Fight Blight’ herewith one of my own copies for teview (publisher considered the article implied an objective view or review a total impossibility), As for RIBA’s involvement, herewith latest paper from Community Architecture Working Group on the subject whichisby no means at odds with, say, report from the Cardiff Group. We would be interested in your comments (or the comments of the Cardiff Group). As for ‘back seat’ etc, do you really want turgid history of involvement in battles, co operatives etc in London and Glasgow? Did none of you ever read London Architect? As for ‘poverty programmes’ read Fight Blight, where identical point is made. Fight Blight written independently of RIBA, and had nothing to do with it. Slater’s almost worse than Astragal incommenting without information and in criticising from the sidelines. onsequently SLATE has to bear the financial loss of an unsold issue suppressed for no better reason than that it offended avested interest. The financial aspects of the affair repay further scrutiny: the NAM stand was provided at a very modest rate, while Turnham and Newall had ahuge -and expensive stand spearheading their marketing assault to try and brainwash specifiers to continue to use asbestos when al the facts point to its dangers. He who pays the piper... THEISSUEofSLATEspecially | Ironically,theSLATESpecialalso women’s action group grows A MEETING was held in Leeds on 22nd/23rd October of ‘Women in Manual Trades’, asupport and information group of and for women who work in traditionally male manual trades. Thirtywomenfromaloverthe country attended, representing car- penters, plumbers, mechanics, electricians, fitters, bricklayers, plasterers and gardeners. As women at the meeting, we found we shared many experiences at work and when applying for jobs or training. We encounter ridicule, abuse and victimisation, despite the factthatagrowingnumberofwomen are entering and excelling in these trades. The meeting concluded that there is an urgent need to fight for the right of women and girls to learna skilled trade. Careers Offices, Industrial Training Boards, employersandTradeUnionsmusttake Frade steps to combat discrimination including the provision of child-care facilities), otherwise the Sex Discrimination Act is meaningless. R Regional Groups for Women in Manual Trades are being set up. Interested women cancontactusat: 21 Bouverie Road London N16 SLATE 4 announced that thisissue would iliscuss the profession abroad, however due to the unexpected amount of material from the recent NAM Congress in Hull and the findings ofthe Monopolies Commission have decided:to deferittoalaterissue. NEXT | | contains a critique of the marketing of building materials, particularly the _financial clout of the status quo. SLATE IS UNDAUNTED! We bring you the suppressed i issue as a FREE INSERT to thisissue of Slate, and we ask you: i) to read the article ‘Asbestos kills’; i) to think very carefully about specifying asbsetos in the light of the horrifying facts contained therein; i) if you are forced to specify asbestos SLATE representatives on the NAM stand felt honour bound to the organisers of Interbuild to comply with their dem- ands; but although the SLATE Special prepared for the NAM stand at the International Building Exhibition in November was suppressed by the Organisers after unsubstantiated complaints from asbestos manu- facturers about its critique of the safety hazards ofasbestos. This unilateral censorship followed a visit to the NAM stand, on the first day, of arep from TBA, a subsidiary of the asbestos giant Turnham and Newall. After buying a copy of the SLATE Special he conducted along but friendly and intelligent discussion of the pro’s and con’s of asbestos. Ten minutes after his departure the Interbuild organisers arrived at the stand and demanded that the SLATE Special be removed from the stand for the re- mainder of the exhibition. They pro- duced no criticisms of the accuracy of the SLATE article, nor did they offer - asisacustomarycourtesywith offend. ing but not actionable material - to buy up the whole print. [ifyouwouldliliketboe amemberoftheNJewArchitectureMovement fillintheformbelowandsend ittogether with acheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00 (if you're employed) or£2.00 (ifyou’re arestudent, claimant orQAP) toNAM at9,Poland Street SUBS IBE! saa | London W.1. |name | ADDRESS | |TELEPHONE (HOME)’ I | : | withacheque/postalorder(payabletotheNew ArchitectureMovement )for£2.00toNAM at9, to think very carefully about which organisation you are prepared to = ; out tewhitoaneee one about the products it markets. ; was withdrawn they continued to dis- cussthefactsofasbestoshazardswith visitors to the stand. Remember - asbestos kills; and censors. (WORK) SLATE continues its examination of the | pofand Stret,London W.1. | prchitects. | NAME : | j_| |ADDRESS A a 1yy@- A SLATE 5page 12 4 |1wahessSLATEvogM Nemcii | its cu policies that determine the education o anything at all. Most of them will have been ‘om modelling agencies for the duration of on, or given a week's secondment from of the typing pool, in order to dec- rm's stand. fhe women that the e are of course the first stage, and rm in question would produce fairly cal documentation in support of their Butthe fact remains tl terest in the is expected to be generated not through the qualities of the product, but through y does this say rather a lot about e process of selling the product. ocumentation comes next , and perhaps products on the ba external, irrelevant sal specifying decisions. SERIOUS This is a very serious state of affairs for the building industry. It is achieving at least a proportion of its sales as a result of factors which have no relevance to the function which the product is Supposed to fulfil. This turns it into more than a serious problem for the tuilding industry alone. Over the last decade the industry's technical record has been calamitous. Cement additives, asbestos, (see NAM report - Asbestos Kills) plastics which proved lethal in fire - these are just some of the dozens of examples of products which have been specified - with disastrous economic and social fonsequences. None of them should have been marketed without a mich fuller understanding of their performances. Specifiers failed to ask - or get the answers to - the right question about these products until it was too late. Specifiers are almost certainly still failing to o they leave the onus.on the specifier to Rest’ digest, understand and apply all relevant standards and certificates, a DON'T specify ANY building material containing ANY kind of ASBESTO More and more architects are refusing to specify building materials con- taining any type of asbestos, despite a massive, slick and deceptive pub- lic relations campaign being waged by the asbestos companies and their propaganda arms, the "Asbestos Information Committee" and the "Asbestosis Research Council." after all, not in business to provide a social service to sell the best possible products: they are in bus- iness to make money. MANUFACTURERS The role and motives of the manufacturer are very imporzent. His first loyalty is to his financial backers - he must make a profit or they will take their money elswhere and ruin his business. So the pursuit of excellence in the products he markets is unlikely to be one of the manufacturer's major priorities. He is committed to sales and growth, end any technique, such as marketing, which i] help that goal. Persuading the purchaser is, in €as in other industries, the major priority, lity of goods is useful only insofar as they hieve that goal. If it can be achieved by mcens, such as marketing techniques, the manu- turer's needs are satisfied nevertheless. _ What the example of building materials shows us is the faidure of an economicsystem to produce the products appropriate to Society's needs. Society requires the right product in the right place © profit motive reduces the likelihood of this ; for manufacturers are busy trying to in- specifiers so that regardless of what is the roduct, theirs is the one waich clinches the whe cost of their doing so is passed on to the mer for reasons quite outside the intrinsic of materials or manufacture. Nobody stands to ‘cept the backer who stands to benefit from ._ acturer's increased profits, and the market ing industry which would otherwise cease to exist. What is necessary, obviously is a different system - a system whereby nobody stands to gain by one product being sold in preference to another, so that the specifiers choice is based on a rational comparison of the performance of different products unciouded by irrelevant considerations. There are already moves in this direction which show us the way forward, but there is still a long way The next stage, therefore, in reaching a technically edequate specification system One of these moves is to go. standards such as British in the use of defined Standards and Agreement iz to be eble to introduce a means reducts which are necessary - as opposed of course, do not cover the wor- and demolition sites but al renrasenn acniheorines several reasons they whereby peepeesent any niyz ike tl col do not he complete answer to the 2y to products which are merely profitable made available to specifiers. Again there © BSs and, particularly, Agrement are both "opting in" schemes which leave the onus on the manufacturer to co-operate: nly one agency which can afford expediency above quick profit - the © specifiers are not obliged to use only products covered by the quality assurance of a BS or Agrement certificate; state. The state, therefore, should be empowered to have at least a sizeable stake in the industry to be able to introduce building products which are necessary above being profitable. It seems equelly likely that a state sector would be unwilling to do so without also being able to 5. Asbestos is a hazard not o andfactoriesandonconstruction © BSs and Agrement certificates criteria within which products define s Satisfactorily,butthey shouldPeers makegooditsprobablelossesonthoseproducts do not define others which it may be subjected to; which private manufacturers avoid introducing currently by also controlling those lines the aah ae industry currently sells at a profit. NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT ri we are looking for a building materials daunting task; o BSs are defined largeley by the industries themselves, and only marginally by outside experts or specifiers. So current standards are something of a red herring — a very mild and inadequate form of quality control where other peoples' money - and lives — are at stake. Obviously much tighter quality control is needed. No product should be allowed on the market until all its performance parameters have been tested and documented by an impartial agency and the results are available to help inform specifiers. : A system such as this could have been evolved voluntarily by materials producers such that they agreed to introduce only tested do so; theirs is already a hard enough job, and firms' tarketing ploys are not encouraging a totally open technicalappraisaloftheirproducts.Firmsare, See products. t manufacturers have had this opportunity and have rarely taken it — they appear to need some prompting. The alternative, if they won't do it them selves, is statutory obligation. Building materials and methods are sufficiently vital to life and resources to make compulsory test— ing before marketing essential. But on its own this wonld rot be sufficient Under such a system the marketing of products, the irrelevent assertion of the super— dority of one product to another without comp- eriscn of their technical data, could still continue. Plainly specifiers must not continue to be misled in this way into making potentially disastrous decisions. What we need is a full and neutral product information system - a sort of superior Barbour index - which would make available all the performance details made available by the comp— ulsory testing system just suggested. This would allow specifiers to make a quite unbiased choice on the basis of the producttand its perf ormance alsone. Yet even assuming that products had to be fully tested before being allowed onto the market, and that specifiers were then able to choose between them solely on the basis of an impartial comparison of test results, the for specifying building materials still not be perfect. For manufacturers still, obviously, produce only those lines which made them money. There is no Guarentee that they would produce produce In other words » 43 now, the specifier would cften neve o0s€ between products which fitted his ents only imperfectly - not because chnically difficult to produce a more appropriate product, but simply because the prcefit margins involved discourage their developrent and marketing. Remember these FIVE POINTS: aus ey, which is more coon pace than the present profit-motivated responsive to society's , len each of the three requirements disc— + and the state empowered at the least, certain lines shunned flooring tiles, MESo6050666o0s00b0058 et.al.Forallasbestosproductsusedinconstructio NAMIE eierelewsisinte eee asbestos kills! 4. Even slight exposure to asbestos dust can cause slow and painful death not only from asbestosis (an untreatable form of pneumoconiosis), but of which asbestos is the only established cause, is "a painful, untreat- able cancer (of the membrane lining of the chest or abdomen) which kills by slow suffocation." It can be produced even by the slight exposures to which members of the general public are subject and usually does not also from lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers. Mesothelioma, develop until at least fifteen yeers after such exposure. 2. All forms of asbestos, including chrysotile (mined principally in Can- ada, Rhodesia, South Africa and the U.S.S.R.) and amosite (imported from South Africa and used for most thermal and acoustic insulation products containing asbestos), are highly dangerous and can be lethal, not merely the "blue asbestos" (crocidolite) which is no lonaer widely used in Britain in new construction. 3. The only safe level of exposure to asbestos dust is zero. 4. Current safety standards in British industry, even were they enforced, do not make the hazards negligible and, kers in the largely British-owned mines and processing plants in the nly to the people who work with it in mines so to the live and work. Due to weathering, abresion, maintenance, repairs and alterations, the people using buildings containing asbestos are also subject to the danger. countries from which asbestos is imported. people they come incontact with and to the communities in which they Asbestos cement flat and profiled sheets, tubes and pipes account for most of the asbestos used in the construction industry, but it is also used in a wide range of insulation and fire-resistant products, vinyl asbestos asbestos-asphalt roofing compounds, many sarking felts, n there are safe elter- ———— — — — — — _4¢ present by the industry. If you would like to become a member of NAM Payable to the New Architecture Move- £2 (if you! together with a cheque/postal order ment) for £5 (if you're employed) or Te a student, claimant, or OAP) to NAM, 9 Poland Street, London WIV 3DG. » fill in this form and send it Cece er ccwcccccccccccccs See eeeeeeeeTeEeL? CCCUPATLONG cteeaeeeeerie Paul Brodeur, Expendable Americans, The Viking Press, 1974. Pat Kinnersly's The Hazards of Work (Pluto Press, 1973) covers asbestos among many other hazards of work. On the British asbestos industry, refer to The Monopolies Commission report, "Asbestos and certain Asbestos Products," HMSO, 1973. Note also: 4. Cape Industries continues to mine "blue asbestos" (crocidolite) in South Africa and has, indeed, been increasing production. More and more of this deadly production is apparently exported to Third World countries where the trade union movement has not the power to get it banned. For additional: copies of this leaflet, ’ send a stamped addressed the New Architecture Movement, 9 Poland Street, London wi1V3D0G mer natives-(though glass or mineral fibres are probably not among them). Many cost no more. For others, the difference is insignificant compared to the medical and human costs involved in the continued use of asbestos. Don't put your faith in inadequate "standards" dependent upon unfeasible measuring techniques and understaffed and ambivalent énforcement agencies. Don't wait for your firm or department (or your client) to ban the use of all materials containing any kind of asbestos, or for the workers on site to refuse to handle them. Take the initiative! Don't specify any product containing asbestos and don't allow any on site. Get your colleagues, quantity surveyor and engineering consultants to do likewise. Strong pressure now from architects and other specifiers, along with the pressure already being exerted by organised workers in factories and on building and demolition sites, can help force the merchants of death out of the asbestos business. And don't worry about their "crocidolite" tears... ..ethe big asbestos companies are already diversifying into other products and may well want to "cut their losses" before a boycott obliged to spread to their other lines. To prevent of asbestos is potential unemployment in the asbestos industry, the companies vide alternative, safe employment rather than continue to subject their involved must be forced to pro- workers and the community at large to a lethal hazard. Don't depend on the asbestos companies and their propaganda fronts for in- formation. Refer instead to: Nancy Tait, Asbestos Kills: New Facts, 1977. (Available for 25p from Nancy Tait, 38 Drapers Road, Enfield, Middx EN2 BLU.) British Society for Social Responsibility in Science, Killer Dust: Asbestos and Its Substitutes, available early 1978. London W1V 3DG) (BSSRS, 9 Poland Street, The main sources of chrysotile asbestos, which accounts for 95% of world asbestos fibre production, are Canada, South Sfrica, Rhodesia and the USSR. Britain imports it from Canada and Soth Africa. It must be remem- bered, though, that Rhodesian exports, despite sanctions, have been known to reach Western markets under the guise of South African exports. MONOPOLIES COMMISSION REPORT What was the Commission’s brief ? UNDE To criticise the Commission for its brief is like criticising a giraffe for having a long neck. The brief is only as good as the enabling legislation, which derives from the What does NAM say? The Monopolies Commission isas aware as anyone that it is not an exhaustive consumer protection agency and that there exist many other institutions, both statutory and voluntary, whose aims are differently or more broadly defined in the attempt tc cover this vast territory. To investigate by means of the National Consumer Council or the Consumers’ Association whether architects services operated in the public interest with or without a mandatory fee scale would be a very different and daunting task - though none the less worth under- -taking for that. This however was not the job in hand. The other aspect of the Department's original reference worth noting is the way in which by using the title “architects’ services”, as opposed to, say, “architectural services”, the condition of amonopoly existing (i.e. 33.3% of the given market) isreally automatically fulfilled -and thus also the Commission’s mandate to invest- -igate. Compliance with the RIBA Condit- -ions of engagement, in which the Fee Scale lis laid down, is required by Rules 1.1 A cynical explanation for this tautology might be that after the inconclusive NBPI investigation of the mid-'60s (under the Wilson Labour Government!) theDepart- -ment were quite determined to make no mistake the second time. Cynical or other- -wise, this makes all the more stupifying the RIBA’s desparate gamble in February 1975 (viz. para. 14) of hiringa lawyer doubtless at considerable expense, to proclaim that since over two thirds of the profession were salaried and therefore not fee-earning monopoly conditions did not prevail. Like an experienced angler watching the futile wriggling of some wretched fish he enquiry. Slate readers may be aware that the Monopolies Commission’s nine proposals on “Architects’ Services” reflect to a remarkable degree the recommendations the-New Architecture Movement made totheCommissioninitsevidence. “‘The Case Against Mandato ry Minimum Fees”’. As we now enter the vital period of discussion and negotiation for a new fee system, we have prepared the following “Plain Man's Guide”’ to the Monopolies issue, which we hope will clarify some of the primary questions and raise the general level of constructive debate. pad 3.2, which all registered persons are enjoined to observe. ON ARCHITECTS’ SERVICES ASHRAELI FORWARD by no means indisputable maxim that in any The Monopolies Commission’s brief was brief indeed. It consisted of three sentences, prefaced by a reference to the enabling legislation*, and was sent to the Commission by the Department of Trade and Industry on 19th September 1973. The Commission was asked to investigate and report on whether a monopoly existed a' defined by the Act, how it operated, and whether it did so against the public interest. It was asked to limit its consideration to cover ‘conditions which prevail...... by virtue of arrangements.....whereby two or more persons supplying the relevant service charge fees calculated by reference to an agreed scale.” This simply meant that the Commission was not expected to under- -take a wide ranging review of the architect- -ural profession in all its aspects. Although naturally other aspects of practice were perforce examined in understanding how given market other things being equal, price competiton is good and its reduction or elimination is bad. No doubt, the concepts -lap but they are not synonymous, and ,if the Commission entered the debate by sthe former route, NAM may be said to enter by the latter. That the paths do not necessarily converge was, we hope, made clear in our Hull press statement. 1. The Mandatory Minimum Fee Scale should be abandoned in the public interest, and a new system devised. 3. The establishment of any new fee system must take place’ within a reconstituted ARCUK with at least 50% lay represent- -ation along the lines proposed in the NAM report. ** of “competition” and “public interest” over- 2. The Monopolies Commission\definition of the public interest is unacceptable to NAM asitequatesthiswiththefree market, and restricts the public to mean clients, not users. .NAM considersthepositionofsalaried architects will continue to be weak with or without a mandatory fee scale until they exert their industrial strength within the trade union movement. the fee system worked, it was the mandatory fee scale which the Minister wanted invest- gated. Lastly, the Commission was advised that it was only the services of persons registered under the Architects Registration Acts, 1931-1938, that were releyant to the *Sections 2(1) & 6, Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act 1948, as ammended and extended by Sections 1(3) & 2 of the Monopolies and Mergers Act 1965, **The Minister was then Peter Walker of the Heath Tory Government, the Undersecretary whose signature appeared on the reference rejoicing in the name of Mr. Coffin. rep eis has securely hooked - the Monopolies Report, para. 1.14) Cc ision was not i d. It pleted ving established, by October 1975, its brief and reported on 9th November, 1977 that over 90% of the suppliers of architects’ like the summary in NAM’s Report, though in notably inferior style. which were juxtaposed in fhe 2nd chapter of our Report (“The Fallacies and theFacts”) but al of which expose the difficulty of trying to link the obvious benefits to architects of fixed fee income with either the clients’ or the public’s interest. It is also notable how rapidly the solemn assur- -ances vanish when the RIBA postulates a market model without mandatory fees, All the so deeply ingrained qualities which a few pages earlier are deemed to create the very demand for architects’ services - THEMONOROLIESANDMENaERScoMnsioN and yet where printers and typesetters get good rewards because of their bargaining strength. 1977. services used the fixed fee scale and that there was therefore a case to answer, the Commission notified the monopolists of the issues they wished to consider in decid- -ing whether the monopoly operated against public interest. The response of the monopolists, that is to say the RIBA, FAS, IAAS, RIAS, RSUA and ina limited sense ARCUK, was coordinated by the RIBA, headedbythehaplessMr.AndrewDerbyshire-ingtotheircomplexity.Apartfromscale integrity,wisdom,altruism,etc.etc.,- ‘etn1ofheFT9 consequentlythenegotiationpositionof How did the e Architects’ Services Prin Patmos poms of Commission ° AReportontheSupplyof Architects’ServiceswithReference toScaleFes go about. it? As we noted in our Report, “‘Do not type - of other witnesses consulted. These in the main consist of clients rather than users, and it is-fairly clear that in many cases the ta’k of responding to the | Commission’s request for information was given to a professional rather than lay official.Inotherwords,itseemsJikely that the person answering for the corporate clients was often an architect himself. (See also below under “‘What did the users say?” Perhaps of more interest than this aspect is the argument that the very absence of user response reflects a real difficulty in linking these wider social interests with the mandatory fee scale in the manner proposed in the RIBA’s fifth assurance. (This assurance - which the client accepts in return for losing the right to negotiate the fee - states that “architects will work with a particular view it tends simply to state its disagreement without very full supportive reasoning. Those of us who prepared the NAM Report and who braved the perilous seas of a priori argument were frankly sorry to find no such rigour in the Commission’sstyle. Anyway, the Report consists of 8 chapters and 9 appendices, the latter being half as long again as the main text. The chapters cover 1. The Conduct of the {nquiry - a note on how information was gathered; 2. The Profession of Architect- -ure in the U.K. - which contains some interesting, if rather otd, figures on the growth in number of architects, their various types of employment, and the value of work certifiéd, (approx. £2,000 million in 1974); 3. The Scale Fee System - including a fascinating account of Govern- The importance of this allegation and its prominence in the RIBA report provoked our detailed critical examination (which is best followed by refering to our original text), but its overall thrust was essentially thatarchitectsarespecial,theirrelationship CommissionGoAboutIt?) . For the large or middle sized practice it would mean that in good times profits be minimal. The cost of the services will increase in good times because their will be more demand, and stabalise inarece The level of salaries then under the new system will be proportionally greater to the level of fees than under the old, and pass go.....Do not collect 6%”, whilst the Commissionisheadedby24appointed members, the main burden of investigative work isdischarged by the permanent civil servant officers. The group directing the enquiry into Architects’ Services consisted of eight members over the full period, and was chaired consecutively by Sir Ashton Roskill and Mr. J. G. Le Quesne, both Q.C.’s. Case Against Mandatory Minimum Fees” the employed to the employer would be similarly enhanced, Furthermore as industrial strength rather than the mand- -atory status of fees is the prime factor in salaried architects’ renumerations, there will be a commensurate safeguard against any decline in professional standards. Trade Unionism both in industry and within the professions - despite all media distortion - plays a major and decisive part in maintaining and improving the quality of the product. The small practice is likely to benefit under a new system, and it is hardly surprising that pressure is coming from the bulk of the practices in the regions for a more flexible system of fee scale. It will Despite the inevitable result the was also produced. Commission very properly began by After receiving and studying all the establishing the existence of the ‘monopoly’ written evidence the Commission conducted What did the In the aftermath of the Commission’s Report and in the present depression it is ‘demand elasticity’ not the assurances which is now the RIBA’s primary argument - though contrarily there is no mention of the service cutting that currently prevails by means of design speed ups, undermanning, 17guments. temp labour, etc., nor of the substantial and unsavoury “redundancies” that have occurred in the private sector despite the much vaunted balancing effect of fixed fees, by conducting a postal survey of one in seven of private practices in the U.K. 878 questionaires were despatched, of which 588 were returned, together With 729 letters Then followed the long period of gestation giving related evidence. Although this gave before the present report ‘Architects’ general information on revenue, the Services” was published on 9th November Commission also rightly considered it within 1977. RIBA say? their brief to examine the profitability of architects’ practices. But having commenced an investigation into the relationship| between individual project costs and profits in ten selected practices, it was persuaded by the RIBA to abandon the exercise as the results “would be unrepresentative”’. However, when challenged to produce its own survey, the RIBA failed to satisfy the Commission’s requirements, and so in the event no such survey was undertaken - a notable shortcoming of the final report. A more serious defect in our opinion, What does the Commission’s Report consist of? The Report is in some ways disappoint- -ing. Although the chapter structure is convincing and the presentation of witnesses’ cases exemplary, there is a clear disinclin- -ation to enter the dangerous arena of the The reasons given by witnesses in opposit make the small practice more competitive -ion to the RIBA position (which included with other suppliers of architectural services, the Consumers Association) almost all touch the market will increase and therefore the however. is the limited number -or rather ~argument. Where the Commission disagrees users say? We have already noted the semantic who had scarcely finished cleaning the egg of the advertising debacle off the back of his neck, before receiving the Commission’s custard pie full in the face. Their report was presented in the Spring of 1976 at the same time as the original NAM Report, “The reduction for repetitive house plans, our U.K. system is virtually alone in ignoring this sophisticated approach. In total therefore, the Monopolies Commission Report isa215 page document, and costs £2.85 from H.M.S.0, are apparantly to be abandoned directly the architect has the option of reducing his fees. This provoked our as yet unanswered question - are architects likely to cut their fees at the expence of their throats? (NAM Report, para 2.5). Alternatively, the only other explanation is that these assurances are not worth the paper they are not even written on. Cent TeRomeofComes Fd ‘eRe P7 Lownon MER MASESTY'S STATIONERY OFICE 5 wt 2. Many of the reasons given in favour of the existing scale fee system do not depehd on its mandatory status. 3. Most of the reasons given in favour have nothing whatever to do with the “‘five assurances’, or indeed any other RIBA a series of “public interest hearings” in which the monopolist is, in effect, cross- ined by sof the C isi The prot chinks is:that there is no way of knowing if anyone real is inside. The RIBA’s lengthy written document, which contained much repetition but no intentional jokes, leaves one uneasily pondering how the picture of perfection presented to the Monopolies Commission marries up with the palpable disillusionment and low morale throughout the profession. The keystone of their argument was what we in the NAM Report christened “The Hollow Bargain”. The RIBA alleged that it is reasonable for the client to forego the normal right to search the market for an acceptable fee because in return his architect offered him a series of assurances of integrity, unlimited liability, competence, loyalty and altruism. The second strand of the RIBA case was within the framework of a set of social and -ment involvement in the profession with the ‘demand elasticity’ argument. This -eration of the profession as a whole, and do believe in “professionalism” then now 80% of the profession are salaried compares is their opportunity for their practice to aesthetic values which ensure that the tegard to the fee system; 4. The Observance alleges that it is in the pfblic interest to insulate architects by means of fee control Commission attributes this to the poor David Waterhouse claimed at the recent industrial strength of architectural workers. interests of society, as well as those of clients are served by the best architecture that they of Scale Fees - the proaf that a monopoly are able to create.”) In examining the exists; 5. Architects’ Profits - only 24 Salaries paid to employed architects ARCUK meeting on December 14th that form, in the main, the costs of architectural the basis of the mandatory fee was not from the vaguaries of a market characterised dubious linkage between the assurances and pages!; 6. Evidence from Users of Services by sharp fluctuations in demand, but not by The Commission’s conclusion was that nearly “half the witnesses gave a view which services, the market for architectural “an architect should agree and charge the fixed fee scale - “The Hollow Bargain” and Others - gained from about {120 of the by an equal ability to modify supply. could be interpreted as definitely favour- -ing retention of the scales, dwith only about one-tenth against”, (Para. 98) However, this is less reassuring to the RIBA than it sounds, for at least three reasons: 1. Many of the witnesses seem to have been architects or advised by architects, and there therefore were judge of their own cause. services being determined by general level an adequate fee”, but is intellegent enough - our original Report expressed misgivings on precisely this point: “The final assurance raises questions relating to the 170 witnesses approached by the Commission Where elasticity of supply - for reasons of of ic activity of go it spend- -ing. Costs will be determined by the supply of and the demand for architects, the level of competitive salaries paid in the public sector, and whether architects are able to organise collectively. If you doubt this reasoning then look at the newspaper industry, dl idaly weak to know quite well that the present arrangement is not the only means by which this principle will operate. To “agree and charge an adequate fee” is a conventional 7. The Views of Bodies Representing Architects — comprising firstly the RIBA lengthy training, staffing methods etc., - cannot closely reflect that of demand, the measure of fee fixing maintains, we are told, case made on behalf of all the above listed public interest at large involving supra- -client matters beyond the terms of contract bodies, and secondly the case made by NAM, the profession’s capacity to survive a depress- to which themandatory element of the present arrangements is that are unenforceable on the basis of the the only objector in this category; and -ion in readiness for the ensuing boom. This leads the RIBA headlong commercial practice i ly, one can argue that fee scale and perhaps even at all.” NAM lastly 8. - Conclusi and R d -ations - the latter reading remarkably into a morass of contradictions, some of The appendices generally contain further details of subjects covered in the main text, together with the bulk of statistical inform- -ation. Of particular interest is Appendix 6 covering methods of charging for architects’ services in other countries. These show remarkable consistency throughout Western Europe and America in modifying the crude ‘x% of construction costs’ system by the classification of building types accord- of a suit of armour with no with their client is special, their market is special and that therefore their mode of payment should be special. Again, the interesting conundrum which emerges is how such a unique species could succeed in re-entering our rather untidy society in the style not proposed by the current RIBA Community Architecture working party which recommends not a re-orientation of: * architects but/re-education of the public. (See “Educate Public Says RIBA Group”, Building Design, September 30th 1977). The various categories of “users” who gave evidence may be summarized thus: Government Departments - DOE/PSA, DES, DHSS, UGC, the Home Office and the Scottish Office etc., Local Authorities, the New Towns Association, Associations of Metropolitan Authorities, County Councils Councils and UDC’s, Public Corporations - such as British Gas, the NCB and CEGB, the UK Atomic Energy Authority, British Railways, London Transport, British Airports Authority, GPO, BBC etc., the Housing Corporation and Housing Associations, Industrial and C ial i various manufacturing and retailing groups, and at very long last (listed under “other evidence”) The Consumers Association! consortia as being symptomatic. affect salaried The second alternative is less palatable The recurring metaphor is that of the Folies Bergere fan dancer who must dance with increasingly frantic ingenuity as one by one her fans are discarded. The final spectacle of the RIBA with no fans at all is however, less pleasing. on - one way or another - the main defect economic position of the employee will ° What did the Conundrum Partners are confronted with an unenviable dilemma between either going commercial or accepting, if there is one, a new concept of professionalism. The first alternative has long since been the choice of some practices and we can cite the advertising debate, the relaxation of the Code on fee tendering for swerve whereby the “public interest” is virtually confined to mean the users of services, at the expense of the users of buildings. (See under ““How Did the How will the newfeesystemoverseascontracts,andtheformationof of any fee scale, mandatory or otherwise, which bases fees on a percentage of constr- suction costs. As noted above, the UK is virtually alone in ignoring the amount and complexity of the architects’ work in determining his fee. The nub of the matter is that architects’ revenue must be based on fheir costs rather than on the capital cost of the building. Only then will the anomalies either of reaping vast additional fees on fluctuations for no additional service, or of making a pitiful living out of small but highly work- intensive commissions be ironed out. improve. architects? for the more staid and uninformed elements of the profession who apparantly consider NAM asa bunch of long-haired wierdos carrying guitars and wearing sandals. Salaried architects will rightly view the arguments that have been put forward by the RIBA with suspicion, since the:statistics Acceptance of the simple virtues of real published by the MMC show that under the service, accountability to the public and a present arrangements large profits have been social ethic seem beyond their imagination. earned and yet the average level of renum- If the principlals of private practice really bly with other p i The coincide with their principles. The partner’s under the present mandatory ad valorem scale the client has no more certainty of the fee than he has of the cost of his project. This hardly squares with the surety of an “agreed fee” that propogandists claim for under the present arrangement. Undera new system it is in fact more likely that a client will know in advance what fee will be charged, since the dramatic late additions for “fluctuations” will not be admissable. Similarly, the present “conditions” are so confused in attempting to make the scale of charges more appropriate to the nature of the project that interpretation has been as varied as chalk and cheese. A negotiated fee derived from the complexity of a project will enable the client to determine the fee that he will be required to pay and the confidence that it is an accurate reflection of the cost of services provided. Within the formal terms of reference of the Inquiry the user of architects’ products (as opposed to the users of architects services) has been virtually excluded. It is to the user of the product that we wish the profession to be accountable and it is society at large, the users of buildings, that we define the public interest and not only those clients who supposedly act on their behalf. Architects are ultimately accountable to their client because the client has the power to withold payment and in some case certainly does so. Clearly in the fear that his client has hasthe power to withold the fee an architect is less likely to give an inferior service to the client who has deliberately chosen to hire an architect rather than “‘an architectural designer”. If we argue on analgous principles but substitute the user of the product for the user of the service, then public account- -ability of the profession will become a reality rather than a dream. Whether it be the government’s proposed independent committee in the short term or a reformed ARCUK as proposed by NAM in the long term, is the agency that determines the level of the profession’s livelyhood and the method by which must be under the control porate ET se 2|| {9pity 2 93 square, London, WC1X 8EZ. Tel PAVLUITOPULMOS From Mr John Burkett Sir, The problem with lengthy ‘sorernmer -o7 of lay people. If there was widespread dissatisfaction with R]BA appointees little time to adjust their architects, then doubtless there would be Portland Place and Hallam Street gives ARCUK hats before entering the Council puppet status of ARCUK to be exposed - the the Council confined its evidence toa description of ARCUK’s statutory roles and the way in which its Code merely requires compliance with a recognised fee scale issued and fixed by others. Although ARCUK thus clearly supports mandatory minimun fees it argued, correctly in our opinion, that the onus, of proving them to be in the public bodies where the scales orginate. Hence it took a very minor part in the Inquriy. filled with life and breath. AN END TO ARCHITECTS' MONOPOLY It were abolished as 1972 there is a current ret... towards selection by merit rather than by fee competition. _To reach any other conclu- sion than that the current system of charging is by and Jarge in the public interest one would need to place very hea reliance on the contrary evi- dence from the smal] minority of private users and in parti- cular on the evidence of the New Architecture Movement whose “contact list” in June 1976 numbered just over 200 Persons drawn from al] areas of architectural] activity includ- ing the lay public, But this is precisely. what the Monopolies Commission has done and the conclusions that the: have reached are that th- ory -uli> . es <n it- neat report was presented to i. . ment and I trust that Parlia- ment will read it and ask the appropriate questions. Yours faithfully, JOHN BURKETT, 10-14 Macklin Street, London WC2B 5NF November 23. _ What was ARCUK’s position? is well known that the proximity of "There has not been any compulsory scale of fees fixed by the Institute and there never will be'' RIBA 1926 ee Its behaviour since the Commission’s Report was published has, however, been less consistent. The RIBA appear to have decided that ARCUK must now be used as another weapon in the undignified struggle to retain the fee scales at all costs. The previous rather disinterested tone has there- -fore been replaced by strident pronounce- -ments both in Council and to the press that ARCUK firmly believes the fee scales to be in the public interest, to uphold the quality of architecture etc. and that any registered person found ‘jumping the gun’ and reducing his fees will be in serious trouble. Fortunately the officials with whom we have been in contact at the Office for Fair Trading, have made it clear that they know what is ‘‘going on’’ as regards ARCUK and the RIBA. Nonetheless, it would be adyiseable in the remainder of the six month period of current negotiation to keep ARCUK under the most viligant observation, since the RIBA leadership is bound to try to to present the picture of an homogenous profession united in its opposition to the :Commission’s findings. To maintain avigilant and constructive posture in this regard is still more vital since for the reasons already given in our Report IT IS IN ARCUK THAT WE SEE THE WAY FORWARD. THE YTIMES pressure on the committee to apply economic (4, mber. However, surprisingly - or possibly sanctions and reduce the profession‘s income to suit the ‘quality’ of its products. Conversely, architects would be less inclined to provide poor service, if, to maintain revenue, they were forced to convince’ pecayse it was felt impolitic to allow the their consumers that it was worth paying for what only architects could offer. Only in this way does the Monopolies issue become relevant to the ‘user’, as against the mandatory fee geared to the ‘public interest’. The empty shard of that Sth assurance of altruistic interest mustibe| borne by the/constituent service to the community might then be ’ Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Andrew Brown/FLeP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource December 1977/January 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/589798156f4f0c19ff244db33dd23b42.pdf d7780dcdebd717c5538e20d97fa34d0f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 6 Subject The topic of the resource Education Special Description An account of the resource fk 31a A’S os ALE "62" THERADICALPAPERONARCHITECTUREANDTHEBUILDINGINDUSTRYD5 '78) theadventuresof 3yNeioa iss DOUGLAS ¢thetwofresherseosceeccee DOUGLAS WILL CATCH IT 1B PROF, MARKUS SEES NIM READING THAT SLATE, W. C. . BUYOnE le,V STILL|WISHIHAD ENOVEN CASH TO —~{ =_v= UsHALL! spe rh ae AND LOTS MORE WHoops'twe }cROmas! my WIND HAS SLATE'S FLOWN, WAFTEO ITMY TRUTN FULLY SAY { MAVEN'T GOT OHO!WHATSALLTINTS WAYBLESSMySouk/THISAO A FORBIODEN RADICAL RAG ABO? 11k CONFISCATE IT. ARCHITECTURE MMOEMENT MAS SOME VEAY @00O /OFAS AFTER ALL! { MWST SET A SUBSCAIPTION FOR [THE L/GRARY AND MYSELF I! al i for writing on dofsoft~(clean henco S fe, fern. of (1) n. {anp. ft, pree.} SLATE ISTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly and edited by the Movement’s Publications Group. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industryandtothegeneralpublicareinc- luded to stimulate general debate on a wide rar e of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the largest possible readership REPRESENTATIVES A network of 30 representatives has been tup throughout schools and large prac- al over the country. The only comm- itment of each representative will be to receive 5 copiesof SLATE every two months and to try to sell 4 of them, return- ing £1.00 to SLATE Al this should help SLATE acheive a far wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of rad- icals concerned with the industry and the environment WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more 57 members of the staff have already confirmed their interest in voluntary redundancy, and there has been “natural wastage”. But another 40 architects, 37 QSs and some engineers are expected to be out ofa job by the summer. Atthesame timetheToriesaretrying to reduce the GLC’s housebuilding pro- gramme by about half, to 2000a year. And all of these will be in inner London areas of existing stress, especially in housing. Gone isthe policy of trying to spread the housing problem between the deprived inner areas and the prosperous outer London suburbs. But according to architects within the department it seems unlikely that theTorieswillachievethescaleofrun- down at the rate they want. For the depleted workforce isalready having problems in meeting existing commitments. Working Party secretary Charles McKean to theArchitectsJournalinwhichheaccused 1200thisyear.Evenschemesatthetender NAM SWEEPS BOARD IN ARCUK POLL Those who fear that the NAM members writers , more ideas and more reps in order toproduceabetter,largerandcheaper ==————S=S==S=a_=_=_=_=== newsletter. If you would like to work for SLATE; become a rep., join the group, send in articles or suggest topics it should cbver then contact us soon Signed by the Society’s Honorary concernwillincludevirtuallyno ofanaggressivelycompetitivefirm = SecretaryHughKrallithasbeensentto The copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 24th March 1978 SLATE ispublished by the Publications Group of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9 Poland St., London W.1. (Letters should be addressed to the Publications Group) Printed by Islington Community Press, 2a St Pauls Rd., London, N1. Trade Distribution by Publications Distribution Cooperative, 27, Clerken- well Court, London, E.C.2 Tories’ knife poised over GLC architects speakers who are personally and actually involved in the inner city crisis and will be punctuated by slide shows glorifying recent formalist architectural triumphs. SLATE has acquired the early committee papers, which show that once again the conference isbeing planned virtually exclusively by architects for architects- the blind leading the blind. And far from being about the inner cities it will end up being about architects, too. The conference isplanned for agood image-building grass-roots venue, Liverpool. But the only local speaker yet proposed is the city’s bishop - no sign of even a trades-unionist, social worker or local industrialist, let alone a local resident. And between sanctimonious breast- beating sessions planned on such subjects marketing unnecessarily decorative furniture. Onasecond day devoted to housing the light relief- or reminder of what the organiser’s( and probably the delegates) persist in believing is the real business of architecture -isprovided by snaps of World’s End and Marquis Road, Self-help or co-operative housing, although on the agenda and rather more relevant to the conference’s nominal subject matter - tend not to be as pleasing to the eye. Editors of twoarchitectural journals, Monica Pidgeon and Peter Murray, have been involved withthe conference plans, presumably to ensure that even ifthe conference doesn’t convince the outside world of the architect’s social conscience it will at least sel the RIBA’s to the profession, But there’s another journal that won't be taken in -this one- al RIBA Council members. It represents, says Mr Krall, the conclusions of the Society’s Executive Committee on “the relative roles of the RIBA and ARCUK”. Other conclusions of this surprisingly radical paper are: “that responsibility for conduct, edu- cation, conditions of engagement, building contracts and scales of fees should be transferred to ARCUK; “that the RIBA should revert to its proper function asa learned society; “that the subscription rate should be altered accordingly, say £100 pa for ARCUK and £3 pa for the RIBA; “that any necessary legislation should be sought to this end.” In effect, the Society is agreeing with the first stage of reforms suggested by NAM for reconstituting the structure of the SLATE 6PAGE 2 SLATE 6PAGE 3 NEWSNEWSNIEW THE RIBA is ina state of confusion about how it should deal with the proposal thatlistsoflocalarchitects should be made ayailable at Citizens’ Advice Bureaux. This confusion came to light in a statement from RIBA Community Architecture Alan Lipman John Mu, Tore sep) 498 NAM of delaying the resolution of whether such a list would contravene the architects’ Code of Conduct. As members of the Architects Registration CounciloftheK (ARCUK ),someNAM members would have a say in the debate, but can hardly be accused of delaying tactics. when the ARCUK sub committee due to discuss the implications of the ‘lists’ was postponed by its chairman, himself an RIBA member. The meeting, due to be held on March 2nd, was postponed, according to the committee’s chairman, because “there was not enough business on the agenda”. The Slater writes: Either the RIBA’s lefthand,ifithasone,doesn’tknow what its right hand is doing or Mr McKean isbeing plain mischeyious. Which isthe more likely Iwould hestitate to guess, Stage are having to be suspended, due to a combination of changes in policy and problems with staffing. And things could get worse. Briefs are currentlyavailableforonly400houses for 1981, which should by now be at the drawing board if they are to stand a chance ofbeingcompletedontime. Staff at the department are very worried about their future and thatofthe department. But militant action has been more prominent among the housing managers who are also affected -by the Tories’ new policy of transferring management responsibility to the London Boroughs. They are operating an overtime ban and refusing to cover for unfilledvacanciesinprotest. But staff action is having little effect. The Tories have refused or ignored representations with the staff. They have, however,justacceptedthatthe fundamental four-division structure of the department must remain if confusion isnot to deteriorate into chaos. The irony of the whole situation is that the Tories have recently appointed Sir Frank Marshall to prepare a review of what the proper functions of the GLC should be. But they seem to have decided for him what sortof housing responsibil- 402 397 371 areanxioustoensurethatnewNAMrep- resentatives are returned at the next election and that the Movement as a whole should have a greater say in the selection procedure. W London RIBA slams RIBA! “ARCUK, not the RIBA, should be the mouthpiece of the architectural profession.” This view comes. astonishingly, in a paper not from NAM but from the West London Architectural Society, itselfa branch of the London Region of the RIBA. And because of al the disruptions, the Bop ,, lley Robi, Mipy 490 464 V4 level of housing starts could plummet to Not elected JohnAllen Mike Purdy David Robson ities itshould have. ° Typesetting by the Publications Group and Maggie Stack. Opinions expressed in SLATE are not ; necessarily the policy of the New Archi- tecture Movement unless stated to be so. NAM CANDIDATES haveswept the poll in the elections for the unattached seats on the ARCUK Council. Out of the nine available seats, eight were taken by NAM-affiliated candidates. Only one NAM candidate failed to be elected and, significantly, only he omitted to de- clare his involvement in NAM on the polling sheet. With votes cast up by 35%, this is a mass- iveaffirmationofsupportbyunattached architects in NAM policies. NAM can truly claim to represent the views of unattached architects on ARCUK. The only non-NAM candidate to be elected, Robin Phillips, has seven years standingontheARCUKcommittee,andis therefore thought to have been able to count on considerable personal support. Votescastwereasfollows: Elected areformingacartelonARCUK similarto that of the existing bodies may be pleased to learh that many of the NAM members RIBA innercity as-accordingtothecommitteepapers- the ‘Imageofthe City’ and ‘Working conference sop planned THE RIBA isplanningitsannual conference for 1978 on the theme of regenerating the inner cities, but this conspicuous display of public Communities’, there will be slide shows of buildings famed for their contribution to the inner city crisis as Foster’s Willis Faber, Piano and Rogers’ Centre Pompidou, and Farrell and Grimshaw’s Hermann Miller Factory, The only contribution these buildings have made to the inner city crisis is to helpperpetuateby,respectively,glorifying the imageof a firm of insurance brokers, by mystifying and formalising ‘Parisian’ culture, and by prettying up a factory 568 eran y 524 ne :aid RoebTM tanTod Ken Thorpe ck 522% 507 518 |scoop! NEYSNEWSNEWSNEWS) 2) NAM notguilty on RIBA-CABx charge (CIL: THE NEW TORY administration | in the Greater London Council isproceeding apace with itsplans to dismember the GLC Architects Department, and with it the GLC house-building programme. This time last year the Department employedastaff of 2855. But the Tories want to see this reduced to 2507 by this March. profession. Itundoubtedly accepts one tenet of NAM policy; that the RIBA remains, quite without justification, the power behind the ARCUK throne. NAM should beware, however, of deriving too much comfort from this apparent-if unlikely -source of support. For the motives of the West London Architectural Society do not appear entirely altruistic. “We see this as the only solution to the present anomaly as a result of which the profession isdefecting from member- ship of the RIBA while retaining membership of ARCUK and by so doing obtaining the benefits of the Architects’ Registration Act without paying the true cost,”’ they say of their proposals. In other words, members of the Society resent their hefty RIBA subscriptions being used to pay for services from which unattached members are deriving the benefit without payment. Looks like a touch of the old enlightened self- interest from our friends in the RIBA. RIBA insecond SAC conference volte-face The January Council meeting of the RIBA reversed its earlier decision and voted to send an official RIBA delegation to the Schools of Architecture Conference after al, inthelatestinstallmentofthiswillthey/ won't they cliffhanger. By the time Slate 5S had gone to press the rapidly changing situation concerning the RIBA/SAC Conference on education had altered in that the RIBA withdrew its off- icial report, but yet again the RIBA’s pen- dulum swung the other way. The background to this turn-around was that SAC(or at least its chairman Tom Markus) expressed the view that the RIBA had lost faith in SAC and was cold should- ering the Conference, because of its with- drawal. Inasurprisingly liberally-toned statement to Council, Gordon Graham explained that the RIBA had withdrawn because of misgivings about the organisa- tion of the conference, and that he would like to have seen a wider representation of views, even to the extreme of inviting NAM(shock, horror), adding that their withdrawal from the conference was in no way a condemnation of it. One would SLATE 6PAGE 4 ARCUK’s callousness aroused shock reactions among architects, who wrote in their scores registering their disapp roval. Eventually ARCUK Registrar Kenneth Forder said that the offending shares had been sold because they showed a good quick profit on the Stock Exchange. Yet the surrounding events make such a cosy account of the reasons for sale somewhat improbable. For just before Forder’s announcement the RIBA President Gordon Graham revealed that the Institute had sold its shares in South Africa. The RIBA does not appear to have evenattemptedtocoveritsactions with a smokescreen of philanthropy - and even if it had done no-one would } have believed it. For on what seems ! to have been the same day as the i Institute said it would sel its South African shares and examine its invest- ment portfolio, the Nigerian Gove ment announced that it would take a dim view of construction interests with political involvements with which it does not approve. Nigeria is of course to be the location of the next Arab-type construction boom, and al self-respecting speculating interests -including, itwould appear, the RIBA -got the message long ago that it was likely to generate more construction royalties than South Africa in the foreseeable future. Henceforth, the Nigerian Government has made it plain, it is calling the tunes for European construction interests to dance to. It does not appear unlikely that ARCUK as well as the RIBA (and thanks, maybe, to a tip-off?) got the message that, far from investments in South Africa being goodfinancialsense,theycouldturn out to be just the opposite. But where as the decision to buy shares appears to need ARCUK Council approval, the decision to sel can, apparently, be made by the Registrar. Constitutional? There is no doubt that a large number of architects were surprised to find ARCUK buying shares at al, let alone in South Africa. Why, they asked them selves, should a registration body specu late on the Stock Exchange with their money? And a large question mark looms over the involvement of the new Registrar Kenneth Forder in the whole affair. As if having been a magistrate in Rhodesia does not sufficiently discredit his credentials for the ARCUK job in the first place -not to mention suggest a personal disposition towards the South Africa affair - he seems to have been caught with his trousers down in the political climate in Southern Africa and Vorster’s continuing relentless handling of internal political dissent. Indeed, so well are South African shares doing that it is said that, rather than selling, stockbrokers Hill Samuel actually advised the RIBA to invest more in South Africa only a matter of a week before the Nigerian Government put paid to al that. The Financial Times Wee JUSTRIALS—Continued It fed Dt! eres “| Xe ARCUK and s. Africa the unanswered questions Whilst it appears that Mr Forder has attempted to gloss over this remark in private, he does not appear to have attempted to redress it in public. Which rather implies that he stil agrees with it. One savage irony of the affair is that, by and large, South African investments are indeed showing well on the Stock Exchange, due to the improvement 140 17,0] 29] 69 | 37 460 2 42/77 |% 6 3.8)13.7] 19] 43 | 30 3 3,614.0] 20] 36 | 2% a3 O.8)1 85/144 | 68 220 35{18) 24] S72] 33 Oe Va DEMOCRATIC DESIGN A New Role for the Local Authority Architect? CONFERENCE Birmingham May 6th 1978 ane ARCUK may havesolditscon- troversial shares in South Africa, but several consequential issues remain unresolved. The story so far: at the last meeting of ARCUK the unattached representa- tives were horrified to find, in the financial small print, the proposal that the Council should buy £158.10p worth of shares in Consolidated Gold Fields, a firm celebrated for bringing the prac- tice of ‘separate development’ to unfor- seen depths. The unattached group sought to Oppose the proposal on moral grounds, but were astonished to find their motion defeated by 26 to 7, with 13 abstentions. ARCUK Council members made it plain in debate that they con- sidered sound business sense beyond moral considerations.(See Slate 5 for a fuller report. - How can the local authority architectural worker influence office policy? -Is the present pervasive sense of remote- ness and powerlessness inevitable? -Are local authority architects’ departments second-rate versions of private practice? -Are building work departments similarly pale counterparts of the private sector? -Where do these ideas come from and why do they presist? What is the evidence? -Are local authorities apotentially radical structure through which architects can work for the public interest? - What personal experience of directly working to briefs prepared by local organisations can public architects share? -What new structures and methods of work should be considered? These are some of the questions which we will be consideringat the first NAM Public Design Service conference in Vay. For further information and application forms write to: s. | 53 - il SOUTHAFRICANS Ba 105 = | 47} 30, 370 1.3) 46] s9%| se? 107 t162.805|64 203 10. S| 47 |2 50 22/140) 3.2145 [iC “a 3.4) 67] 44] 62 SD I. 14145] 49/171 109 72 187 TEXTILES [12 1st Scene of SLATE'S first experience of censorship — NAM'’s stand at last November's Interbuild exhibition picture, John Allan \AlliedTextile| 67 28|2341201 © *rhine Per 7 VSNIEWS The Secretary PDS Group NAM 9 Poland St London W1 SLATE 6PAGE 5 NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS] SNEWS ONE have thought that any Schools of Archi- tecture Council that valued independence would have jumped at this chance todis- cuss education freely, but the SAC-primed council members and RIBA education hardliners moved that the RIBA send an official delegation and only the two student members voted against. So the slim chance of a wide-ranging and uninhibited discussion at this important conference disappeared. In fact, judging by by SAC’s attitude to the issue from the outset, it was never there at al. Over remarks in a trade press interview before he even took office. Mr Forder said he thought the un- attached architects ‘misguided’ in their attempt to attack the decision to buy. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of his comment (on which further comment isunnecessary) and his credentials at the time to judge the issue at al, the question was quickly picked up as to precisely what right he had to pass opinion on the matter in his profess— ional capacity whatever, After al Mr Forder is paid to serve the wishes of the Council. His job will prove rather difficult - or he will find it rather difficult to do his job - if he intends to enter into controversies within the profession. Sez The RIBA The RIBA’s education policy is formulated by its Education and Practice Committee (EPEC). This committee of seventeen people, which includes five heads of schools and two students, receives reports, papers and representations from individuals, special conferences (such as Oxford in 1958) and from theteneducationalcommittees responsible to EPEC. These committees cover the Visiting Board, the pattern of courses, practical training and Part 3, European Affairs and Research Steering. There is also an EPEC Steering Committee which (presumably) decides thegeneraldirectionof EPEC’s policy. This is made up of six people; Wells-Thorpe (Chairman of EPEC), Kenneth Campbell, Andrew Derbyshire (of advertising and monopolies fame), Bob Maguire (well-known architect and headofOxford Polyschool),Tom Markus (Chairman of SAC and head of Strathclyde school), Ken Martin (head of Liverpool Poly school). Recommendations from EPEC go to Council where, if agreed, become policy, and are put into effect by EPEC and its committees. The visiting board and the pattern of courses are the most important of the EPEC committees. The latter advises on the changes and addition to existing courses or totally new courses and decides if the RIBA is to recognise these. It is made up of the EPEC steering committee plus two members of ARCUK’s Board of Education (also RIBA members). The visiting board is a pool of twenty or so RIBA members, six of whom visiteachschooleveryfive years (and, increasingly, every two years after for a ‘checkup’). One of the six is from the region in which SLATE 6PAGE 6 the school issituated, one represents ARCUK and a school can request a student member too. At the school theyinspectwork,talktothehead, staff and students and snoop around generally. The end result is a corporate view of the board in the form of aconfidential report to the head of school, which makes recommendations on standards and conditions, and a recommendation to theRIBAonwhetherrecognition should be continued or not. The visiting board holds the same power over existing courses as the pattern of courses holds over new. or altered ones. Apart from recommendations, their weapon is the refusal to recognise a course. RIBA recognitionmeansthatacoursegives exemption from the RiBA’s Part I and Part Il examinations which have to be passed in order to take Part Il and become an ARCUK-registered architect. As an unrecognised course isprettyuselessintermsof‘entry into the profession’, by withdrawing recognition from a school or threatening to do this the RIBA can force the school to alter its course or face closure, although some schools (Hull, for instance) have resisted this pressure and survived to be returned to the f6ld. Limits to control The RIBA’s control is, however, strictly limited to some extent by the strength of the educational institutions. For instance, if the RIBA were to withdraw recognition from, or recommend a reduction of intake to, a university course it would be jumped on by the University Grants Council and university authorities, as any reduction innumberswouldreducethemoney going into the university and cause redundancies among the staff. The RIBA has been known to capitulate under such circumstances. But outside these restrictions by large institutions, the RIBA thas fairly comprehensive control. It argues thatinfactitsstandardsareeasily reached by the schools, and that outside the standards issue the school has a free hand. The point is, however, that the RIBA’s standards, due to its restricted view of the architects’ profession, are not necessarily those which are to the good of the profession orthecommunity asawhole. Further, upholding the RIBA’s standards can infer changes of anything from intake policy, to course content, to final examinations. It is, however, worth noting that because theRIBA’sreportisconfidentialitis easy for a school to blame the RIBA for restricting courses when it is in fact due to the school’s (or its head’s) lack of commitment. The RIBA policy Among present RIBA concerns the ‘size of the profession’ study is probably of most import and concern to radicals and educators. This study was written by Kenneth Campbell and Suggests various ways of reducing the size of the profession by reducing the numbers in education. These include ‘culling’ (ie booting out) after Part Iby imposing stricter standards for entry to Part I. This would leave students with a useless first degree, but was supported by RIBA regions and, although initially rejected by the RIBA, is rumoured soon to be put into effect by some schools. Tougher standards to be introduced by visiting boards and closer control of education by the RIBA were also proposed and supported by the Regions. The effect ofthisoneducationinprogressive courses in particluar is obvious, and althoughtheRIBAhasnotactedonthis as yet, stil stands as a proposal. The one proposal suggested by the RIBA and already put into effect by the Strathclyde school (Tom Markus) is to reduce the numbers entering schools from the sixth form. Without going into any detail, any reduction in numbers has seriousimplicationsforeducation.Itwill mean the sacking of staff and reduction of resources available to schools, probably the withdrawal of recognition from and closure of the more radical and interesting schools, and give the RIBA greater control over the content of courses. The overall effect will be to limit the rangeandchoiceof educati ilabl to students, and an even more select elite actually becoming architects. This demonstrates the RIBA’s blinkered approach to education, in that rather than attempt to expand the roleofthearchitectintomoresocially us¢ful areas, it merely seeks to reduce numbers, ostensibly to protect the salaried architect, but in tact to preserve the status and position of the principal. ARCUK and SAC The Architects’ Registration Council of the UK and the Schoolosf Architecture Conference are the other two bodies concerned with architectural education. SAC isabody set up seven years ago to offer a corporate view of the schools of architecture regarding educational policy. Itismade upofone representative of the students, one of the staff and the head of each of the thirty-eight schools, with an executive of seven members of each group (staff, students, heads). Itholdsannualconferencesand regional meetings. SACpridesitselfonitsdemocratic nature, theoretically representing staff, students and heads equally. In practice it does not quite work out like that, as there isatendency for staff to vote with their head of school (job security before principles!), for students to be disorganised and somewhat inarticulate, andfortheheadsofschooltohave somewhat greater influence within the RIBA due to their presence on EPEC and council. SAC has had a stormy relationship with the RIBA despite the heads’ influence. At the 1976 conference the students proposed that SAC should b a i ber ofARCUK and commit itself to returning control of education to that body. This was narrowly defeated, but it was agreed to set up a working party to investigate the education implications of the RIBA/ ARCUK setup. Unfortunately, the students have become noticeably less radical since then and the issue has dribbled away. A severe dent to the SAC’s credibilty came when despite the student body’s rejectionof the RIBA’s offer of representation on the visiting board, none of the SAC members said a word when the RIBA decided to find its own students by Screening and interviews. ARCUK, in the form of its Board of Education, ismerely arubber stamp for _the RIBA’s education policy. The situation is so farcical that the visiting board's pool of RIBA members “also includes members of ARCUK”(quote from EPEC document). So members who represented the RIBA on one visiting board can, as necessary, represent ARCUK on the next. To quote fror’ the SAC working party report previously mentioned (by John Frazer) “it isclear that the delegation of responsibility for architectural education from ARCUK to the RIBA was in defiance of the Architects’ Registration Acts. Itiscertainly oh andpossiblyinbreachofthelaw. jaw”. Action forNAM and individuals Ona political level, NAM’s strategy of seeking to achieve control of the profession by a democratic ARCUK obviously encompasses education. But asyetNAM hasnoalternativeeducation policy to offer as a co-ordinator of opposition to existing forms of education. This has been exposed by frantic efforts to organise some response to the forthcoming SAC conference, which has shown thata rational policy can only be achicved by research into the motivesandreasonsbehindourpresent system, resulting in a coherent programme and plan of action. This must be considered the first priority of the education group. For individuals, it is worth rememberingthatyoucanfindout your SAC reps are and let them know your opinions, If there is no SAC rep, and no established from of electing one. organise representation through any school society that exists or, at worst, call yourself the SAC rep and let the EDUCATING ARCHIE CONTACTS NAM Education Group: Hugo Hinsley 01 251 0274 RIBA Student reps: Judi Loach, 25A Bolton Gdns, London SWS 01 373 2763 Dave Breakell, c/o 173 Lozells Rd, B'ham B19 1HS SAC (general): c/o Dept Architecture & Bldg Science, Strathclyde Univ, 131 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 ONE 041 552 4400 x3001 SAC (students): Alastair Metcalfe, c/o Scholl of Environmental Studies, University College, London WC1 SLATE 6PAGE 7 EDUCATION SPECIAL The RIBA’s control over architectural education has become increasingly important since the late fifties because entry to the profession is almost exclusively through schools of architecture, enabling the RIBA to monitor intake, standards and the content of courses. At the Hull Congress the NAM education workshop expressed concern that there is ignorance amongst students and some staff as to the means by which the RIBA controls education, how itarrives at educational policy, other bodies involved in architectural education and how grass roots opinion can be voiced. This brief guide isby DAVE BREAKELL, student representative on the RIBA Council. (HOW THE RIBACONTROLS EDUCATION The RIBA has no explicit education policy as such. Its policy is made upof al the papers, etc, that have been set over the years, plus educational aspects of the RIBA’s general position, such as maintenance of the traditional concept of professionalism, of the hierarchical profession and continuing thepolicyof high academic qualifications for entry. Elizabeth Layton, head of the RIBA’s Education Department and advisor to EPEC, has the most comprehensive knowledge of RIBA education policy. This fact, allied to her intelligence and articulate debating ability, explains her considerable influence over EPEC in this area. The problems ofarchitectural education are often seen as either of ‘controlo’r ‘content’, an approach which results in attempts to reform one or other aspect The current squabble between the Schools of Architecture Council and the RIBA over the ‘Making of an Architect’ conference, which was outlined by Dave Breakell in Slate 5 (p.10), is important in that it serves to raise yet again the ‘education debate’ which is given a periodic airing at times of crisis or re- direction but is otherwise left to the internal ministrations of the RIBA, operation or boycott ifthere is support, or of asking the right questions and raising issues. The result of not organising is usually dead silence or the board delivering acomplete corporate lecture. It might be advisable to contact NAM or the RIBA student reps (who are sympathetic to NAM) to discuss issues. of the system. Here Hugo Hinsley, AA lecturer and member of Support argues that an analysis of every aspect of education is an essential starting point for any progress. of the present machinery of educational conditioning, It is the machinery we should examine, not the bickering. Structure The issue of education is inextricably linked with the beginnings and growth of the profession. It is vital to anew profession, in establishing credibility in society, and thus a privileged position for its members, to control entry into the profession and to set up an academic respectability for its field of activity. holding examinations (if it so chooses) or of recognising other examinations it thinks fit. In spite of a long struggle before the 1931 Registration Act, the RIBA did not succeed in persuading parliament that it should be the regist- ration body or that the practice of arch- itecture should be protected - the Act only protected the title ‘registered arch- itect’, later broadened to ‘architect’. However, the RIBA successfully circum— vented this failing by dominating the structure of ARCUK, to the extent that ‘unattached’ representatives on ARCUK, is the balance being redressed. It is interesting that there is now a ‘trong lobby in the RIBA for handing back the administration of education to ARCUK, as it costs around £40,000 a year. This shows partly how confident some in the RIBA are of being able to manipulate ARCUK, and partly how vulnerable RIBA feels to complaints from the mem— bership about ‘exemption fees’. These are paid by those joining RIBA and go towards its education budget. Those who register with ARCUK but ignore RIBA, as many younger architects are doing, pay only the registration fee One of ARCUK’s great weaknesses has always been that, though it is the stat— utory body, it has generated no finance to fulfill its obligations, preferring to leave them to RIBA. If ARCUK is to take on its responsibilities it will have to change, and NAM must keep up the pressure to make it an accountable and representative body. It is perhaps too cynical to say that ‘the RIBA is not interested in education and its activities in the field of education are a quest for status, both economic and academic status’ — but it is clear that the RIBA’s interest has not been impartial and has had a stultifying effect. The proposed York Conference into an elitist profession and to build up its model of a standardised, techno— cratic and stratified training process. By the time of the Cambridge Con- ference in 1970 the RIBA was confident enough to demand a ‘concentration of courses’ and the rationalisation of teaching into a few ‘large multi-discip- linary centres’ — and to flex its muscles over the ‘recognition’ of schools. Though having no statutory powers, the RIBA could effectively close a school by withdrawing ‘recognition’ of its exam- inations and so remove its sources of financial support. Between 1962 and 1970 the number of schools offering courses in architecture fel from 64 to 44, and most of the part-time courses were crushed. In the summer of 1971 the RIBA attempted, not entirely successfully, to close 5 more ‘unrecog— nised’ schools. York conference The ideas being floated for the York Conference this year, the 20th anniver- sary of Oxford, may continue the erosion of diversity, freedom and relevance to architectural education. There will be strong emphasis on the need for technology and scientific method, and a powerful lobby to remove the vocational first-degree course in preference for a general academic course, ollowed by a post-graduate course with a ocational and professional bias. “This rrangement would suit both major parties. twould give the schools the academic free- BCIAL kers even further and to continue the de- skilling of architectural production. Oxford established the sub-species of technicians or assistants -those who did not clear the hurdle of A level entry -and set up the architect as ‘team leader’ figure, though without consulting the other skills in the team. Now there are those who would like to see a master race of PhD architects se- lected (one wonders by whom) after Part 1, leaving a middle area of generalised “Bach- elors of the Environment’ who will, no doubt, make ideal bureaucracy fodder. This is a grotesquely limiting view of ed- ucation and of the role of those with archi- tectural skills in our society, but it is a natural step in the entrenchment of the profession. Even this brief synopsis of the ‘education debate’ shows that education isnot aperipheral issue but has avery central position. It is of fundamental con- cern to NAM, being the starting point of the present system for the production of architectural workers and for the definition of their status. We need to question not just the furm, content and administration of education, but also the assumed role of the profession. Neither education nor the structure of the profession nor the design and product- ion of buildings can be seen in abstract; they are al effected by the social, political and economic framework of our society, and a part of education is to consider and question this framework. Education is not just the imparting of skills and techniques in a supposedly neu- tral form. Whether or not there is a con- scious intention, education is also about Although the preconceptions exposed by this squabble should be looked at in detail and challenged by al people con— cerned about the production of architects The young RIBA first introduced an exam- many architects, let alone thegeneral dom and status they seek and provide the RIBA with a way of limiting entry to the _ forming and testing values and ideas. This in our society, this must not be allowed ination in 1882%‘ according to a standard to divert our attention and energies from to be fixed from time to time by the a more fundamental debate. The bickering Council” It is ARCUK, established in we are seeing is between administrators 1931, that has the statutory duty of public, have assumed that RIBA is a professional qualification rather than a gentleman's club. Only recently, through the efforts of NAM members as NEXT DAY AT THE RIBA srofession by restricting entry to the post- yraduate courses.’ The effect of such pro- yosals will be to stratify architectural wor- can be an attempt at social conditioning or it can aim to develop the tools for quest- ioning and change that are relevant to a ARCHIE TEKT|\ Everything okniger| LATER... so uniting EADLC ; How To PINKO (DGALIST RuppisH. (Give FLEECE BY a.TeKT): can be seen as the next step in controlling the education machine and thus the profession. A major break- through for RIBA was the Oxford Conference of 1958 which established the two A-level minimum standard for students, the dominance of full-time university courses and the run-down of part-time vocational courses. The RIBA sought to use education as a hurdle for 1978 EDUCATION school know (and therefore raise objections). SAC exists to represent grass roots opinion. If a visiting board is visiting your school, it will hold a meeting between itself and students alone. It is essential for students to prepare a strategy in advance, either one of non co- WHAT THE EDUCATION DEBATE’S ABOUT .togetherness... close commercial built with domestic social Gor iT T .\ LECTURE created a homes romaine TODAY SLATE 6PAGES SLATE 6PAGE 9 , ee wider analysis of the society we live and work in. It is not surprising that a profess- ional institution which has managed to attain effective control over education will have a strong bias towards the former of these two approaches. However, there are examples of schools, or parts of schools, which see their respon- sibilities as not just training for profession- al status but as providing education in its broadest sense. They have developed con- tacts with the world outside their doors and attempted to locate their work and their learning in a real-life context, and some have achieved alevel of socially responsible and accountable work. In Hurley and Metcalfe’s article “Appropriate social architecture as a radical alternative to normal professional practice are concern- ed at the RIBA’s swift move to en capsul- ate the field, anda critical analysis of the ‘community architecture’ bandwagon by Tom Woolley was featured in SLATE 2. A meeting of teachers and students at Glouc- ester to share experiences of new ways of working (reported in SLATE 5 page 5) has sent astatement to the RIBA Community Architecture Working Group resisting any attempt to ‘impose or even suggest a uni- tary approach to this, or any other, aspect of architectural education.........so called Community Architecture should not just become another subject in the curriculum. This would be to misunderstand the nature of the radical commitment required’. WHY ALTERNATIVES CAN'T COME FROM THE SCHOOLS Slater now worse than Scorpio! Dear Sir, Since inaccuracy, or at least blind bias, isthestuffofpolemics,Idonotexpect stories in The Slater to be correct, neither I suspect, do your readers. However, for the record, Iwould be glad ifyou would allow me to comment on your story “Tassgirl”’ (Slate 5) concern- ing Building Design’s refusal to carry an advertising brochure from BDS TASS. The BD advertising manager did not “String” BDS TASS along, nor did he say “no”, Thetruestory isasfollows: Itisa rigidly held po icy of mine that no advert- 6th March PUBLIC SECTOR ARCHITECTS FACE REDUNDANCIES -Members of the GLC Architects Department talk about the attempts by the new Tory Administration to devolve their responsibilities to the p private sector and to other local authorities in the GLC area. The demantling of the housing, architects and direct labour departments of the GLC may be the pattern other Tory authorities will follow after the May elections. 6.30 at 36, Bedford Square, London W1 One way for ‘progressi’n Architectural education which has been widely mooted is the inclusion of ‘community architectureo’n the curriculum. In this article Jim Lowe, who has experience of community projects in schools, outlines the problems of such departures from a political and an organisational point of view. | have without defining the term munity Architecture” attempted to look at the problems involved in engaging in any form of radical alternative within architecturaleducation. Thereisageneral confusion as to what is implied by Community Architecture’? — everyone has their own definition. I am certainly confusedastoexactlywhatismeantby the term, as this article may reflect. The article by Metcalf and Hurley(1) gives the only review of the current situation within architectural education. Certainly it illuminates the scale and diversity of involvement It is generally assumed that in any discussion centred around radical alternatives that the schools of architecture are actually suited to attempt this. But, Isuggest, it is important that we start by first questioning this basic assumption. Most documented projects appear to be concerned with helping the working class — the inhabitants of threatened inner urban areas, the housing poor, those denied help through lack of finance. Macdonald (2) Ifeel rightly questions whether the schools of architecture wich are middle-class SLATE 6PAGE 10 participate in the past may question why bother doing itnow. This general dissat- isfaction with modern architecture and participatory exercises is never going to be expressed in a call for changes in our institutions — changes come from within. Istipulated that if the offending leaflet was overprinted with an explanation we would send itout. However, TASS were All day, Birmingham. Detail from the Secretary, PDS Group, NAM, 9 Poland Street, London WI 8th May NAM London Group Meeting: THE ARCHITECTURAL PRESS 6.30 at 36, Bedford Square, London WI All events open to anyone to attend, unless otherwise indicated. UNPUBLISHED ARTICLES The following articles have been received by the editors but have not been included for lack of space. The editors appologise to the authors of the various pieces: ARTICLE ON THE ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSION AND EDUCATION IN HOLLAND ARCTICLE ON NAM HULL GROUP FIRST ARTICLE IN THE SERIES ON URBAN HISTORY ‘SLATE 6 PAGE 11 institutions, certainly in terms of intake and will continue to be so, are at at all able or equipped to form any lasting relationship with the working-class. He continuesbyadvocatingthatcoursesin timeandnothavingbeenexpectedto 6th May NAM PUBLIC DESIGN SERVICE CONFERENCE: A MAJOR CONFERENCE TOWARDS A NEW ROLE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY craft subjects and environmental education based in the inner city schools may perhaps be more likely to produce radical alternatives. I would also suggest the Workers Educational Association, which is sadly neglected, as another organisation that could provide the basis for community work. This would bye-pass the middle-class institutions. Therefore, for most students who do wish to involve themselves in radical alternatives Isee no reason why they must be carried out ina School of Architecture. The act of committment to the client is the proof offaithinaradicalalternative-not looking to see how it can be manipulated into is the educational value, in every way the you are dealing with. They won't be sympathetic and won't be prepared to read anything, they want to glance at drawings. It is not good getting angry about this. The system is there and you have to present work to it.” (3) Students who seek radical alternatives will have to draw up their own guidelines and establish the level of their i and commitment to their ‘clients’. Visit other groups involved in attempting radical alternatives in architecture — changes are possible, The following points were agreed bythe“Community Architecture”in Sthools of Architecture meeting held in Gloucester December 1977. 1.Community Architectureisaterm which increasingly signifies for many the institutionalisation of radical activity in architectural practice. . The RIBA should not impose or even suggest a unitary approach to this, or any other, aspect of architectural education. Diversity and flexibility for each school to respond in its won own situation is imperative. So oalled community architecture should not just become another subject in the curriculum. This would be to misunderstand the nature of the radical commitment required. continued on p15 unable to comply in the time So there!. Peter Murray. ditor. : Building Design. READING URBAN HISTORY availabl into the architectural course programme. Even though the academic institutions seemideallyplacedtoofferaserviceto community groups their timescale does not respect the needs of those groups — residents meetings, planning meetings still have to be attended despite long academic vacations. Involvement cannot end with the arrival of the end of the academic year. When the students move off, the ‘clients’ are always left to carry on. This continuity is perhaps the major difficulty facing the schools providing such a service to community groups. ‘live situation’ is a more valid and rewarding way of learning. If then, schools are to provideaservice,andIamstilluncertain in my own mind whether or not they should, let us look at the schools. The greatest obstacle to students wishing to carry out community projects are the schools of architecture themselves and the attitudes taken by a majority of the staff towards any form of radical alternative Most schools are so bureaucratic and courses so tightly structured as to make it impossible for students to engage in any community project work. Students generally have little SLATE 7 sees the start of an important new series of articles by John Murray on Urban History, which traces the evolution of theories of urban development since the early nineteenth century. This essentially teoretical series, which takes the form of a comentary on the work of various authors, will be accompanied by a book list, so that readers can follow the development of the ideas and arguments in the original texts. Architects along with the planners, public OF no say in their education. They have no health officers and engineers have been knocked off their pedestal, they have failed to provide the City beautiful and good. The dissatisfaction with modern architecture has led to the call for greater participation. Yet it should be remembered that people do not expect to be consulted and feel choice in selecting projects — when they undertake certain types of projects, the nature of those projects and their duration. Therefore, the structure and programming of courses within schools must be questioned. Flexibility and diversity is important in order that the educational programme can respond to the needs of the inadequate when faced with professionalism. Most people are unfamiliar with the idea of questioning planning decisions. They, like studentsar,e participating for the first there are problems. This is reflected in Tom Wooley’s advice to his student present- -ing his work for assessment within the relative freedom of the AA’s ‘units’ system. “..... in addition the work you do will often have to be re-presented for your AA portfolio. Other people who assess it will oftenbemoreignorantthanthelaypeople ratherthanaE DesignStaff. ARCHITECTS’ So far Ihave questioned the role of the institution and it may appear that I do not favour the involvement of the schools. If some schools are to encourage students to provide a service to community groups and there is a genuine involvement in radical alternatives then those schools will have to changetoallowthis.WhatIdonotquestion student at any time. Students must have a greater freedom in directing their own education. It is too casy to lay the blame on CNAA or university regulations for not allowing change. Itherefore would argue that for those students, and it is usually only a few, who wish to become involved in radical alternatives, then it is the schools that must allow them the opportunity to do so. This work must be seen and treated as a legitimate part of an architectural course. Further pressure is put on, particularly final year students, by the staff to undertake the ‘traditional’ complex design project asking where is the ‘architectural’ or ‘design content’ in community projects. The entrepencurial nature of architecture is rejected by many students who seek radical alternatives, and yet this right is denied them by the staff. There is too oftenafailuretostafftounderstandthe aspirations of students and to motivate them. Those who seek radical alternatives are too often penalised. This work must first be encouraged by the staff and schools and treated by RIBA visiting boards and external examiners as a legitimate basis for individual projects. If we consider that 80% of the built environment isresidential how many courses in architecture respond to the needs of that statistic or to the needs ofthecommunities? NAM London Group Meeting: Even where the school is structured to allow involvement in community projects} ising matter should appear in the paper MONTHLY MEETING 6.30 at 9 Poland Street, London WI 14th March AUEW/TASS London Building Design Staff Branch Meeting. PROFESSIONALISM? - A talk by guest speaker Anne Delaney 6.30 at PCLSU, 108 Bolsover Street, London WI 10th April NAM London Group Meeting: THE MONOPOLIES COMMISSION REPORT - AN END TO ARCHITECTURE AS WE NOW KNOW IT? 6.30 at 36, Bedford Square, London WI which the reader might confuse as editor- ial, and it was Iwho insisted that we should not mail the particular leaflet that BDS TASS had produced because of the way itwas designed. Since our names are similar, the circular looked as though it came from Building Design newspaper 7th March ~==NAM Feminist and Architecture Group. EDUCATION SPECIAL Education’ they quote their survey which revealed that 5 of the 38 schools operated some form of ‘community design’ live pro- ject work. One of their conclusions is that ‘to sustain the practice of social architect- ure and achieve appropriate confidence, education must include projects which are real, live and socially committed’. The RIBA has picked up some sense of these develop- ments and has adopted the term *commun- ity architecture’ to cover such activities in schools and in practice. Recognising a growth area, the RIBA has been eager to explore and define ‘communityarchitect- ure’ and to see it as an option among any architect’s polychrome skills. Those in the schools and in practice who are developing Organisers wishing to advertise their events in SLATE please note that due to printing and distribution schedule, events should be notified to the editorial committee three months inadvance ifpossible. \ WRITE TO SLATE‘, 9,POLAND ST, LONDON, W1. a Ss) 1 Councd regret that, ow: a areadanag Cockburn, published by Pluto Press paperback£2.95 royed’ bureacracy and the community, it is employedbytheStatetoreinforcethe particular social fabric that underpins moderncapitalism.Sheshowsinthefollow- ing extract how the widespread notion that ‘small isgood’ weakens the potential of community action for structural change: vate “There isin the idea of Community Action the idea of smallness up against big- ness. We are asked to think of the David of the small council estate taking on the Goliath of the town hall. ‘Small is beaut- iful’.Itisanimage which totallyrulesout the reality of class struggle in which huge and powerful forces are ranged against each other, not momentarily, but over centuries"” This book has arrived at a timely moment: We see a resurgence of interest in local democracy. Perhaps this has been precip- itated by an awareness that the local state has, in urban areas, failed in it’s allotted task of providing the essential facilities of housing, health, child-care etc. and how this failure has been compounded by a silent acceptance of cuts in government spending. Ifever you saw your local auth- ority as a model for the decentralised soc- ialist state that we're al working for then ‘The Local State’ is an eye-opener. It poses 2 questions that SLATE readers will need to confront: 1. Is the local authority Architects Department theembryo ofanation- alised or socialised design industry oris it the unwitting servant of the State ? eS ‘THELOCALSTATE’byCynthiafrombridgingthegulfbetweenthe‘newimp- London BDS branch of TASS got to hear about the project and their immediate reaction to the proposition was to ask whether the workers in the design con- sultancies concerned are unionised. No replies yet, but suspicions are that they are not. Will the Labour movement set aside its traditions of solidarity and dip its hand in its pocket to buy bricks, and pay the fees associated with them to non- unionised firms? The London BDS branch of TASS hopes not and would like to hear from any other trade unionists who feel as they do. WEALTHY Ifeel sorry for RIBA president Gordon Graham -he doesn’t get paid for his four-days-a-week stint at Portland Place. But Isuppose there issome consolation for him in that he can stil afford a chauffeur-driven Mercedes for that tedious drive back to his Leicestershire- based practice. Judging by the amounts of gin and tonic he gets through, he needs it. PRICEY Andreas Papadakis, entrepreneur-peddlar of architectural gobbledigook, has just launched the architectural glossy to end all glossies. Architectural Monographs, it’s called. Readers who are about to reach for their cheque books to sign away twenty- four pounds to Mr Papadakis for a four- issues subscription, might spare a thought for the fact that that little fortune would get them copies of SLATE delivered to -heir breakfast tables for the next TWELVE YEARS! Cheques payable to ‘SLATE’ please. | SS eaetie re a Rupertissingle,black,38yearsold.Hehas Hl 4 just successfully concluded aone-man picket outside Lambeth’s Rates Office. The Borough had refused to recognise Rupert’s living situation -ahouse shared with other single people, and had continually sent the rates demands for the whole house in his name. Holding aplacard saying““THE COUNCIL ISRUN BY FASCISTS’ and after 6 cold days of being gazed at by bemused passers-by and various officials they agreed to his demands (though not to his analysis of the political leanings of council officials), and sent separate rates bills. Rupert had realised that after letters and representations through very friendly councillors, that direct action was the only language that was understood. He had ques- tioned the inaccessibility of the modern local authority. Cynthia Cockburn’s ‘THE LOCAL STATE?’ looks past the baroque portals of Lambeth Town Hall and precisely enquires as to the nature and origin of that inaccess’- ibility. She concentrates on two movements that have transformed local authorities since the late sixties; Corporate Management and Community Development. Lambeth adopted new management techniques dur- in a spell under the tories and began to streamline it’s hitherto fragmented organ- isation. It started to measure its ‘effective- ness’by the the same means as would a large corporate business. The number of committees was reduced from 17 to 11 and they were interwoven into a tight unitary form that would be capable of integrated ‘intelligent’ behaviour. The author con- tends that these changes were promoted by central government committees ex- pressly in order to bind local authorities to the implementation of centralised policy. She then turns her attention to Commun- ity Development’ and describes how, far the offices of power: local or central ? Building design professionals in the public sector have emerged from the same educa- tional and class background as have the planning officials, corporate managers and public clients they deal with in their pro- London’s sunny Walworth Road- see the equally tasteful architect’s perspective above. Apart from the architectural merit of the project, on which this column would not presume ajudgement, one or two other questions spring to mind, the first of which is the siting of this monu- . By initiating or participating in community-based projects on the lines descibed in SLATE 2 are we merely helping to mould society into a form that is easily controlled and manipulated by central govern- ment; Do we thereby make the impl- ementation of state policy smoother by employing our professional status to‘legitimise’thesepolicies? OFFICIALDOM SACRILEGE | fessional life. Although they may squabble over planning apllications, regulations etc. Readers of the Association of Official Architects’ newsletter ‘Public Eye’ were treated to no-holds-barred attack on journalist Anne Karpf as they flicked through the pages of the paper’s December issue. Ms Karpf’s offence? She had the THE INCORRUPTIBLE— The RIBA bookshop seems to have a closed door to certain publications. Asked recently if the New Architecture Calendar was for sale, bookshop supremo Ron McKie said ‘no, but I’ve got a copy that Hellman sent me personally, it’s very funny.’ When pressed that as it was funny shouldn’t the bookshop stock it, he replied with ‘why should the RIBA support a subversive organisation that seeks to overthrow it?’ Obviously the calendar didn’t subvert him. On another occasion one of the suave assistants, standing near the ‘radical’ section, was asked for a copy of Nick Wates’ The Battle for Tolmers Square, ‘I don’t think we've got it’, Well, were they going to get it? ‘No’ said the ass- istant, looking through shelves stacked with Charles(RIBA) McKean’s Fight Blight and the odd copy of Colin Ward’s Tenants Take Over, ‘there’s not much demand for that sort of thing.’ “Any practitioner interested in | there is little doubt that they share the temerity to write an article for the AJ on ment to the power of labour. Why is it to receiving an invitation, and anyone |NAME, |ADDRESS. theiralignmentintheprivatesector. Steel,SecretarySAC...” | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fil in the form below and send it together | Unfortunately, perhaps, for the SAC some NAM members took this at face value and wrote away. The result? - nothing. Absolute silence. Whilst the Slater appreciates that thiscoynesscouldhavebeencausedby the chaos into which the organisation oftheconferenceappearstohavedis- i d I :your please. SLATE 6PAGE 13 | NAME. |ADDRE SLATE 6PAGE 12 a | | predominant interests of this social democ- racyofours.This‘oneness’isparalleledby Pressure groups in Architecture in which shedevoted1100wordstoNAM and only 250 words to the poor old, unpro- nouncable AOA. Gross injustice, screams Public Eye, we have 700 members where- as that bunch of upstarts only number 100. For those who, in spite of Ms Karpf’s Stirling efforts on its behalf, have never heardoftheAOA,itisa(very)small trade union for a small number of local authorityarchitectswho considerthat NALGOistooleftwingforthem,and which lodges at the RIBA headquarters be in Walworth, easily two miles from the motherofparliaments?Doesthismean,as many people already suspect, that the Party is quite happy to let Westminster and Whitehall get on with the job of governing without any democratic inter- ference? Well, at least land down there is cheap, which isas well because part of the fundsfortheParty’schangeofstatusfrom lodger at Transport House to owner-occu- pierinWalworthisbeingraisedby appealingtolocallabour isationsto buy bricks. It was in this way that the wanting more information about the conferencepleasecontactGordon in Portland Place. And why was it so un- fairly neglected in the offending article? Probably because it is a particularly un- original and reactionary body, feeding on individualistic architects’ unthinking fear of trade unionism and looking suspiciously like a branch of the RIBA set up to counter the growth of any idea or action which might prove embarassing to the Institute’s establishment. In fact the only positive thing that the AOA appears to stand for ithas borrowed from the Salaried Architects’ Group in the RIBA (see elsewhere in Ms Karpf’s article), the idea that the employed architects should enjoy ful professional status. No doubt the little bit of NAM-bashing in Public Eye was inspired from elsewhere too. Full marks then to the AOA for boredom and to Anne Karpf and her editors for recognising it. OWNER OCCUPATION AL AP AY lla Architects Russell Diplock Associates Local Labour Party and Trade Union branches have recently been circulated with a brochure about the proposed new Party Headquarters to be tastefully carved fromadecayingRegencyTerraceon FootnotetotheSACaffair:whilethewill we/won’t we RIBA/SAC tie-up cliffhanger for the York conference is well detailed in this and the preceding isuue of SLATE, one interesting addendum follows from the press release announcing the conference which carried this footnote: REVIEW tocat autHority? nN mans with acheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement )for £2.00 to NAM at9, Poland Street, London W.1. We must ask ourselves whether it is necess- ary tostep down from our traditional bourgeois Stratum and identify more closely with the struggles that this stratum has, up to now, ignored. [it you would Tikefobe amember oftheNew Architecture Movement filintheTormbelowandsend? | it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00( if | you're employed) or £2.00( if you're are student, claimant or OAP) to NAM at 9, Poland Street | London W.1. —-| SUBSCRIBE __NEWS FROM might be. As far as the review body w: concerned it was regarded as essential that it should represent consumer- as well as producer-interest. The draft proposals for the new fee arrange- ments centred on the principle that archit- ects should be remunerated on the basis of the amount of work they did ona project, rather than on the contract sum. Some members felt that the overall applic- action oftime-based charges to architects work implied that creativity is quantifiable, whereas, in fact, itisnot. The majority at Cardiff, however, agreed that a system that enabled the consumer to evaluate the amount of time spent on a job would be instrumental in dispelling some of the myths that clouded the production of designs and would improve the bargaining position of staff. An analogy was drawn between the proposed system and tendering procudures for building contracts: firms would quote for work on alabour, or democracy would not be enough. The The forum showed itself to be a very FIRST NAM QUARTERLY FORUM MEETS IN CARDIFF The highlights of the day were certainly the discussions on education and NAM’s eps in its involvement with the ies Commission The unattached architect-councillors on the Architects Registration Council of the UK (ARCUK) the great majority of whom are NAM mem- a response merely in terms of its legitimacy A stimulating debate on a mixed bag of topics resulted when NAM members met together in the Movement’s first quarterly overheads and profit basis. The ratios of forum at the end of last month. Held in Cardiff, the meeting attracted about thirty Tnembers from al over the country bers, had been successful in gaining an in- dependent voice in the forthcoming hear- ings with the Commission and had been called on to submit their suggestions for the body to be set up to review the pro- fessions fee arrangements and their pro- posals for what such new arrangements PDS GROUP DEFENDS LOCAL AUTHORITIES As the Hull Congress noted, Local Authority architecture departments and direct labour organisations (DLOs) have come under attack from the National Federation of Building Trades Employers (NFBTE) and the Tory Party. This may ave been the least popular resol- 1atHullasLocalAuthoritieshave been severely critiscised by NAM members las Tory Party members, albeit with itriol (notably Douglas Smith’s article in SLATE4) The Public Design Service group of tee that Local Authorities are idea that NAM’s best tactic at the present is to boycott the Conference met with general assent but some regrets, but the spectre of both the Conference and the RIBA’s persistent dabbling in “Community Architecture” had catalised the formation of a loose group of radicals in architectural therefore be not whether Local Authorities are desirable or not. but, what their potential is for change, and exactly how we would like them to be changed. The anti-Local Authority reaction is well known: Local Authorities are large bureaucratic institutions, interwoven with many similar institutions that abound in this country. However, history has shown that, as the lowest tier of government Local Authorities are susceptible to vigorous pressure from below, and are, indeed, more easily influenced than private industry and private professional practice (except by trade unionism). However much NAM members may at present differ on that point hopefully the form that an altered Local Authority system useful memium for the interchange of ideas, but most of al as an opportunity for members to come together on a Nation- al basis and reinforce the essential idea of the Movement as a whole. Attendance at the next Forum is stronly recommended to all, and is not restricted to members. and architects, the disbanding of architecture departments and DLO’s makes the objectives of accountability and control even further away. The fight for the architecture departments and DLO’s isabove alademocratic fight. It is a fight that is far from dormant, and it will certainly intensify at the time of the Local Authority elections in May. The PDS group therefore believes that NAM cannot sit back and just note the attacks,itmusttrytocounterthem. It Cannot just express support for the demo- cratic fight for the DLO’s. It’s support must be an active one. The first major step the NDS group is taking is the organisation of a conference (as mandated by Congress) in Birmingham on May 6th, to try and develop at least the potential for a joint action counter attack nature to become identified in Leeds with us. Four people in the group had initially met through their involyement in the renovation of the head quarters for the Red Ladder Theatre Company based in Leeds. (To be screened on BBC t.v.’s ‘Arena Theatre’ on 29th. March) , A third group has now formed as the LeedsbranchofTASS-BDS. After considerable effort in publicising the initial meeting, which included pushing leaflets around many private practices and even having leaflets inserted in the RIBA Yorkshire region monthly, there was a disappointing turnout which we feel was the result of only one of us actually working as an employee in a private practice (and that isin Hudders- field). Nevertheless Leeds now knows of BDS-TASS and our efforts may bear fruit in the future. * like *no politics here’ and *couldn’t you find something useful to do’. In most cases it was impossible to get to the staff without going through a principal or receptionist. these elements in the charge would indicate where good value lied. The sexism in architecture group has broadened considerably in interest and membershipsinceitsinitialmeeting. There TimeOutandAJ. isacollective feeling that the problems we should be looking at are more fundamental In debating education the meeting was clearly overshadowed by the forthcoming Schools of Architecture Conference (see elsewhere in this issue). Doubts were expressed over NAM’s capability to respond attempts are underway to reorganise. The tothiseventconstructively. TheConfer- Nottinghamgroupispresentlyveryactive encewastobeabouteducationpolicyand inarrangingtheforthcomingPublicDesign Future meetings will be advertised in ‘ ts of social control. But the grouphasalwaysheldthatLocalAuthorities shouldtakeislesscontentious. MostNAM amonglocalauthorityarchitecturalworkers, Now that we have two groups dealing with specific issues within the scope of NAM, the question arises, what is the role of the NAM local group? Do we publiciseNAMnationissues?Dowe create aforum fordebate on local issues or do we just continue in those with whichwearecurrentlypre-occupied? articlesonNAMactivities,bothnational intheArchitectsJournal19thOctober1977 are the main ,and often the only.structure through which the majority of people can exert demands and gain access to land financeandotherrescourcesnecessary Thedetailsofwhathasbeentermedthe totryandgiveformtotheconference, for their housing, health and education requirements. Indeed Douglas Smith pointed out that owner-occupation can only be made available to 50% of the population. The important thing to remember is that Local Authorities are not an arguable alternative in architecture but a necessity. The poini of contention must SLATE 6PAGE 14 National Design Service need a lot of working out of course, but it’s essential held-amongst NAM members. whilst in no way imposing a final outcome onit. At the same time it is hoped that sufficient numbers of local authority architectural workers will attend, to enable several more PDS groups to work jointly One initiative taken by the group to try and spread awareness of NAM’s existance was for each member to pur- chase and distribute two copies of SLATE. A further task undertaken was to visit many architectural offices in Leeds to try and obtain signatures for the petition against ARCUK investment in South Africa. This turned out to be arather fruitless task (apart from the and local. The problem stil remains, how- ever, of our lack of communication with the average conventional private practice. Further information for people in Leeds or anywhere in the North East can be ob- tained from: Norman Arnold 9 Midland Road Leeds 6 West Yorkshire p. 761-767 (2) R. MacDonald “Meaningful relationships with the Working Class” paper presented at ‘Community Architecturei”n Schools of Architecture Meeting Gloucester 10th December 1977 (3) T.Wooley “'Live Project Guidance Notes for Students” in paper presented at “Community : Architecture”inSchoolsofArchitectureMeeting Gloucester 10th December 1977 SLATE 6PAGE 15 members would think of, concepts such as accountability and user control, of ideas such as neighbourhood based design offices. tenants federations, appropriate trade unions and DLO’s. The group is discussing and investigating the issues as deeply as possible (1) G. Metcalf and Hurley “Appropriate Education” The reason that the PDS onded to the attacks on Local Authority architecture departments and DLO!s is that these attacks are in direct opposition totheseessentialprinciples. Thehiring education who are now meeting on a regular basis. The Meetingwelcomed the formation of this group, many of whose members are also in NAM and felt that NAM policy on‘education should be based on a thorough critiscism of the role of education in both the material and ideological aspects of the profession and should be worked out in cooperation with this new group. Oneof the other debates during the afternoon centred on the topic of union- The Leeds NAM group has been loosely in existance for about a year. It consists at present of seven members, although there are no formal membership requirements. Attendance at meetings tends to fluctuate and meeting dates have been erratic but we now try to get together on the first Tuesday of every month. Members of the group have avaried back- ground in private practice, employment on construction sites, involvement in ‘Women in Manual Trades’ ( formally ‘Women in Construction’), ARCUK Council, NAM Liason Group, design and construction work for theatre ity centres and ahousing co-op, landscape work and schools of architecture. * Some of these activities come under the umbrella of another informal organisation glibly labelled ARCAID. This group was reallythefore-runnertotheLeedsNAM group and consists mainly of NAM people. ARCAID helps grant aided organisations to finance, design and construct or refurbish accommodation for their use. Many of the projects evolved before ARCAID formed but subsequent adopt- being shown the door with comments ion of the name enables work of a similar than merely overt sexual descrimination in the profession, Rather they involve cruc-_ ially the relationship between architecture/ design and feminisma;n awareness that is not for women simply to slot into a male established profession, but rather to play their part critically, and with an under standing of themselves. Our first aim is to gather articles for a Slate 8 issue concentrating on Feminism and Architecture. So far, we have been considering the following aspects:- 1) women in education, conditioning and discrimination from school to college. 2) A feminist approach to design, an exploration of potential with reference to other and differently structured societies. 3) A historic understanding of the relationship between sex roles and building, in particular housing. 4) Women at work, discrimination in practice and the pressures of working in a male-dominated situation. Of the local groups, representatives came from Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Cardiff and from London, where strictly speaking,a local group scarcely exists but group has resp- after the conference. The support of and imput from other NAM members as usual will be essential. Dave Green, PDSGroup. February 1978. local authority offices), several of us Contact: Frances Bradshaw, 14 Duncan Terrace, London, N.1. Tel no. 278 5215. continued from| p11 On the subject of local issues, we feel that manyof us are already very active by actually working with grant-aided groups. Areas in which we will possibly become involvedcoversuchissuesaslocalhousing policies, local planning policies, the finance and organisation of building co- operatives, community facilities and tenants groups. Some work in the latter has already been done and we are in the process of drawing upa contact list of people on the remainder. Atpresentthegrouphasnoformal structure and no set policies. We appear to be of the collective opinion that import- ant issues will make themselves apparent given time and that we should not chase around ferreting out more than we could handle at this stage. We are at the same time systematically publicising NAM’s existence and policies on national issues. Leedsisfortunateinhavinganalternative fortnightly newspaper with awide circu- lation and it is intended to submit some 4. Those people who wish to engage in such activity must have the opport- -unity to do so. The development ofthisworkcanbeencouragedif Visiting Boards and External Examiners Examiners treat it both as a legitimate part of an architecture course and as REFERENCES a legitimate basis for individual projects. Local brances of the RIBA can support the work of schools, or at least not raise objections to schools offering servicestothecommunity. isation when some members critiscised NAM’s apparent policy to encourage the setting up ofspecialist Building DesignStaff(BDS) branchesinTASS. Theyregardedthis method as only a half-way-house to trade unionism, which they saw as an alliance of al workers, epitomised by the general branch. Other members, from the BDS branch in London, argued that themajor point of action for trades unionists was at the workplace and that this form of action was best sponsored by specialist branches. In the morning the Forum heard reports from various issue-based and local groups. a principles are clear and virtually unanimously out of local authority work to private builders THERE IS A SOOTHING POULTICE spreading over the south London squatting hot-spots of Villa Road (Brixton) and St Agnes Place (Kenn- ington). With the approach of local council elections Lambeth Council have decided to steer a safe course, avoiding adirect conflict with these vociferous groups, and are arrang- ing short-life license agreements. question of Local Authorities and their role in the provision of building and architectural services. Should Local Authority Architects’ and Building Departments be expanded? What services should they provide, and how? What is the scope for ensuring real user control over building design and development through Local Authority departments? Also in SLATE7, the first article ina major new series on Urban History. SLATE 6PAGE 16 NEXT ISSUE SLATE7 takesasitsthemethe LAMBETH BUYS OFF ACTIVISTS publicity. They have hitherto refused to accept any responsibility for the rehousing of single squatters: Their current offer is seen as a major victory although it is clear that the principle motive behind the appa- rent concession is the decanting of the south side in preparation for demolition License agreements are a less immed- iate prospect for St Agnes Place. After an attempt last year by council workmen to demolish these houses, halted by an injunc- Over 30 people are to be rehoused in other parts of the borough, from the south side of Villa Road with management hana- led by Lambeth Self-Help Housing Assoc- In the long term Lambeth are suggest- ing that these two squatting groups amal- gamate with Lambeth Self-Help and form a housing cooperative: head-aches over these activists would finally end and Lambeth’s squatting groups will take their first steps on the rocky road to the self- SLATE may bea very slick looking paper but we need money fast! Please send us your donations now! Cheques made payable to SLATE to lation. This offer came after 4 years of negociation, attempted evictions and wide management of permanent properties 9 Poland Street, W1. tion, the Housing Department are insisting that Lambeth Self-Help are registered as a conventional housing association before being allowed to carry out rehabilitation work Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March/April 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/f5ec814d03a6b2a0a972d668f6f20e96.pdf 59eafb57d83a5958c1510366392fcd28 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 7 Subject The topic of the resource Building for Whom ? Includes John Murray article ( first of 5) on Reading Urban History Description An account of the resource INAPROPRIATE POLICIES Local Govt. Officer: Here is the arm I have been asked to give you Working Man: But, Jneed aleg Local Govt. Officer: Yes, but it is more than my job’s worth to give you one of them, JIDNYOo 249 1AFO green, foto fat plate used ns roofing-material; plece of It usu. framed In wood used for writing on SAC conference fails to convince THE ‘MAKING of the Architect’ Conference at York in March, given the build-up of the biggest_ happening in architectural educa- tion since Oxford, fizzled out almost entirely, overburdened by the vastness of the task and the weight of paper that went with it. There were, however, one or two high points amongst the plethora of academic outpourings, apart from ARC’s interven- tion (see elsewhere in SLATE). The first pf these was a report by the Schools of Architecture Council working group on RIBA/ARCUK relations that came before the S.A.C. AGM preceding the conference proper. This proposed that the Visiting Board’s role should be advisory rather than dictatorial, applied only to Part I and Part III of the course, and that the validating body should be ARCUK and not the RIBA. The report went on to stress the need for a democratic reconsti- tution of ARCUK along the lines proposed by NAM. This brought howls of outrage from the RIBA ‘observers’ and even members of ARCUK council! However,amotionofnoconfidencein Professor Gosling, the leader of the working party, received no support. Gosling’s paper was unfortunately not discussed fully at the seminars, perhaps because it was reported that the RIBA had asked for it not to be brought up in the discussion groups. Other worthwhile papers were those by Jim Johnson and Colin Ward. Johnson proposed that schools should be involved in, and accountable to, the local commu- nity, with shorter but less rigid courses, a wider intake, and final examinations jointly by teachers and community representatives. Colin Ward discussed environmental education insecondary schools and questioned the need for Typesetting by the Publications Group and Maggie Stack. Opinions expressed in SLATE are not necessarily the policy of the New Archi- tecture Movement unless stated to be so. architects at al. Yet discussion around these papers achieved little. Dominated by academics and principals from prac- tice, the subjects were discussed in an abstract fasion divorced from the wider contexts of the social, political and economic frameworkof society and a radical role for architects within it, and thus became meaningless. The lack of any conclusive outcome from the conference or of any worth- while discussion within it, justifies NAM’s position of silence on the issue. But it was made clear that recommendations will be made after the next six months of ‘wide-ranging debate’, and already the S.A.C. regions have announced that they intend to hold more discussions soon that will make recommendations. The failure of York has made the educators and the RIBA even more determined to ‘get results’. NALGO blacks GLC housing transfers NALGO BRANCHES arehitting back at the plans of the Tory- controlled GLC to disperse housing functions -including design -to the London Boroughs. A recent circular to al NALGO branches from the Secretary of the GLC NALGO branch advised branch secretaries to tel their members “not to deal with work arising from housing estates transferred to your authority from the GLC until absolute guaranteesof job security and job salary protection are given to GLC employees affected”. As detailed in SLATE 6the Tories want a rapid rundown of the GLC housing departments. The circular advises that with over 200,000 properties affected *the process of the transfer of estates is likely to be a gradual one and branches will have to remain vigilant for a number of years”. GLC estates are found throughout the country, not just in London -for example its seaside retirement homes. BUILDING FOR WHOM? RESPOND TO PEOPLE’S NEEDS Estranged from the ublic and cradled by the ‘local state’, architects in the publilic sector face massive cuts in public spending. As a primer to the NAM PDS Grou s conference - ‘Democrati: Design’ -SLATE has brought togeth er five articles. Each examines a key aspect of the debate around the role played by the ‘other’ direct labour department -local authority architects. A PHOENIX FROM THE COUNCIL ASHES? -purple tock casily split oth plates; pleco of such mall rod of soft~ (clean or renounce oblign= ifcations hor greealsh grey; hence (Made) of~. 3. y.t. Cover with~s - .eS roofing; hence slat’en' n. (MB SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly and edited by the Moyement’s Publications Group. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are inc- luded to stimulate general debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the largest possible readership. REPRESENTATIVES A network of 30 representatives has been set up throughout schools and large prac- tices al over the country. The only comm- itment of each representative will be to receive S copies of SLATE every two months and to try to sell 4 of them, return- ing £1.00 to SLATE All this should help SLATE acheive a far wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of rad- icals concerned with the industry and the environment WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers ,more ideas and more reps in order to produce a better, larger and cheaper newsletter. If you would like to work for SLATE; become a rep., join the group, send in articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon. The copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 26th May. 1978 SLATE ispublished by the Publications Group of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9 Poland St., London W.1. (Letters should be addressed to the Publications Group) Printed by Islington Community Press, 2a St Pauls Rd., London, N1. Trade Distribution by Publications Distribution Cooperative, 27, Clerken- well Court, London, E.C.2 SLATE 7PAGE 2 A GLC architect describes how the decline of the GLC’s once-mighty department ischanging thinking among those affected about local governmentstructure. Tory crusade The architects department of the Greater London Council (GLC), once not only the largest but the most prestigeous local authority office in the country, is reaching apoint where itscontinued existence is in doubt. Two years of continued public controversy have so depleted resources and morale that, with the recent resignation of departmental chief Sir Roger Walters, there is inevitably speculation that it may go the way of Hillingdon, York and Oxford. The immediate cause of this crisis stems from the May 1977 elections which gave control of the GLC to anew Conservative administration. The GLC’s housing programme, which provided the largest part of the architects’ workload, was drastically revised in accordance with the new inistration’si P ation of its electoral mandate: “We regard it as a primary objective for the Council to direct resources into the inner areas where housing stress and dereliction are largely concentrated. To this end it is necessary for the Council to divest itself of committees at variance with its strategic role and which dissipate its resources in areas where other agencies are available to meet housing requirements.” In spite of the reference to currently fashionable ‘inner city’ theme theheartofthisnewpolicy quickly provedtobeelsewhere.Staffunions saw it above al reflecting the new Tory ideological crusade for owner- occupation, self help and private enterprise, as well as the traditional entrenched resistance of the outer London boroughs to the building of public housing for those migrating from the inner areas. Severe cuts The effect on GLC architects was severe. Firstly, an enormous cut in the quantity of work: from an annual programme approaching 6000 homes to one of 2000. Secondly there was a major shift in the type of work with an immediate stop on al work in the outer London boroughs (approximately 50% of the old workload). 500 of the remaining progr were al d to the Thamesmead development leaving a target of 1500 inthe inner city itself, which represents a cut of 50% even here. The balance in this reduced work- load has shifted heavily towards more small, more difficult and often polluted sites, and this has coincided with renewed accusations about the department’s productivity. It is an awkward,ifso farunacknowledged contradiction, however, for Consery- ative ideology that the Department has been able to demonstrate conyin- cingly an enormous fee saving over consultants for the past 15 years. The staffing cuts that have come with this cut in workload represent 15% ofthe total establishment. That figure however conceals the large effect on architects posts as a large number of the department's posts consist of building control and district surveyors’ staffs. The reduction in professional and technical staff in the new housing divisionsisinfact73%.Oneparticularly damaging effect of the new administration’s approach to staffing has been the imposition of traditional across-the-board cuts in al departments quite unrelated to workload and justified only by a conviction that any teduction is beneficial. For a department with both statutory (building control) and contractual duties like the Architects this seems utterly unacceptable. That it has been allowed to happen is seen bystaff as an indictment not just of the council, but also of chief officers. Similar feelings are prompted by the use of the voluntary redundancy provisions of the Employment Protection Act to shed ‘surplus’ staff faster than falloff in existing workload. The pessimism about the Department’s continuing viability isbased on the SLATE 7PAGE 5 NEWSNEWSNIEWS ATE SLATESLATESLATESLATE MAKING PUBLIC BUILDING Tom Bulley of Hackney Council Workers’JointTrade UnionCuts Committeedescribesactiontaken by NALGO and the building unions to protect and expand the work taken on by Hackney’s direct labour organisation. SLATE 7 PAGE 6 Union action Theunions’initiativesinresponseto potential reductions in the council’s operated with the building workers’ unions to prepare joint representatives to put to the council. On hearing of this initiative the Officers’ Management Team(iechiefexecutiveanddirectors) Tequestedameetingwiththeunions prior to the unions meeting with the council. The unions agreed, and it became clear to management that unions were aware of real problems and were putting forward constructive prop- osals. The joint union representations were put to the council unaltered on 31 May. Council members expressed their whole- stems from the May 1977 elections which gave control of the GLC to a new Conservative administration. The GLC’s housing programme, which provided the largest part of the architects’ workload, wasdrasticallyrevisedinaccordance withthenew administration’sinterpret- ation of its electoral mandate: “We regard it as a primary objective for the Council to direct resources into the inner areas where housing stress and dereliction are largely concentrated. To this end it is necessary for the Council to divest itself of committees at variance with its strategic role and which dissipate its resources in areas where other homes to one of 2000. Secondly there was a major shift in the type of work with an immediate stop on al work in the outer London boroughs (approximately 50% of the old workload).500oftheremaining only by a conviction that any reduction is beneficial. For a department with both statutory (building control) and contractual duties like the Architects thisseemsutterlyunacceptable.That ithasbeenallowedtohappenis seen by staff as an indictment not just of the council, but also of chief Officers. Similar feelings are prompted by the use of the voluntary redundancy provisions of the Employment Protection Act to shed ‘surplus’ staff faster than falloff in existing workload. The pessimism about the Department's continuing viability is based on the SLATE 7 PAGE 5 exercised by architects. It was the period when the criticism of some forms of public housing had reached levels that made councillors and housing managers into much less benevolent clients and serious critics of housing design. More fundamantally there was a perceptible move in housing policy away from the purely physical solutions to the housing programme that characterised the post-war era of slum clearance and reconstruction. Full analysis of the reasons for all these changes isbeyond the scope of this article. But it can be sensed that there were many complex political, ideological and economic trends being felt -some genuinely progressive, but others rooted in the developing economic crisis, particularly as it manifested itself in the crisis of public expenditure, in the land market, and in the building industry. New roles What is of immediate relevance is to analyse the responses of architects to these developments and to articulate new roles and new alignments. In the profession generally there is a pronounced and unattractive tendency to self-pity, to blame externals.. LOBBYING COUNCILS FROM THE INSIDE It seems necessary that while local ~ authority architects must be far more realistic about the limitations imposed by the context in which they find themselves, they must also realise the potential for development even now within the local authority structure. At the technical level there exist largely unrealised possibilities for exploring design and build, and inter-disciplinary integration with direct labour organisations and other consultants. The scope-for reforming the organisational structures isalso great. The existing hierarchical and narrowly specialist framework seems to be increasingly unsuitable, generating apathy and frustration. More open and democratic models are required which would increase contact between officers and councillors; and between officers and a wider range of popular representation. Local authority architects must take amuch more consistent interest in policy questions and particularly take up the defence of space and con- struction standards currently under attack, and above all the underuse of resources in the building industry. All these changes will have to be fought for: through unions, professional bodies, political parties, and within the structure of local government itself. SINE sure that the council is aware of the potential effects that changes in the building programme may have on the employment of building workers and staff in the Building and Architecture and Planning Divisions. This joint activity has helped to avert the immediate possibility of a major rundown of the building work, but there is stil much to be done to make sure that Hackney has a properly organised overall building programme in the years to come. SLATE SLATE SLATE SLATE SLATE level of building are beginning results. to achieve progr were al dtothe Thamesmead development leaving a target of 1500 in the inner city itself, which represents a cut of 50% even here. For the past year the building workers’ unions (UCATT, TGWU, EEPTU) and NALGO have worked together to exchange information about the building programme and to make The balance in this reduced work- load has shifted heavily towards more small, more difficult and often polluted sites, and this has coincided with renewed accusations about the BUILDING FOR WHOM? RESPOND TO PEOPLE’S NEEDS Estranged from the ublic and cradled by the ‘local state’, architectcs in thepubli lic sector face massive cuts in public spending. As a primer to the NAM PDS Group’s conference -‘Democratic Design’ - SLATE has brought together five articles. Each examines akey aspect of the debate around the role played by the ‘other’ direct labour department -local authority architects. A PHOENIX FROM THE COUNCIL ASHES? A GLC architect describes how the decline of the GLC’s once-mi department is changing thinking among those affected about local government structure. Tory crusade The architects department of the Greater London Council (GLC), once not only the largest but the most prestigeous local authority office in the country, is reaching a point where its continued existence is in doubt. Two years of continued public controversy have so depleted resources and morale that, with the recent resignation of departmental chief Sir Roger Walters, there is inevitably speculation that it may go the way of Hillingdon, York and Oxford. agencices are available to meet housing requirements.” In spite of the reference to currently fashionable ‘inner city’ theme the heartofthis new policy quickly provedtobeelsewhere.Staffunions. saw it above al reflecting the new Tory ideological crusade for owner- occupation, self help and private enterprise, as well as the traditional entrenched resistance of the outer London boroughs to the building of public housing for those migrating from the inner areas. Severe cuts The effect on GLC architects was severe. Firstly, an enormous cut in the quantity of work: from an department’s productivity. It is an awkward, if so far unacknowledged contradiction, however, for Consery- ative ideology that the Department has been able to demonstrate conyin- cinglyanenormous feesavingover consultants for the past 15 years. The staffing cuts that have come with this cut in workload represent 15% ofthe total establishment. That figure however conceals the large effect on architects posts as a large number of the department's posts consist of building control and district surveyors’ staffs. The reduction in professional and technical staff in the new housing divisionsisinfact73%.Oneparticularly damaging effect of the new administration’s approach to staffing has been the imposition of traditional across-the-board cuts in al departments In view of the serious threat that existedinMarch1977,NALGOco- Theimmediatecauseofthiscrisis annualprogrammeapproaching6000 quiteunrelatedtoworkloadandjustified growing realisation that theCouncil's commitment toretainaconstructional role, whether newbuild or rehab, through its own architects is at best lukewarm. Already amajor shortage of new briefs has developed. Having stopped al the outer London schemes | regardless of abortive cost, the Council has also stopped many inner schemes as well. So the fate of the GLC Architects Department isclearly linked in a special way to local political factors, including the role of the Council itself. Neither is it the only department affected or even the most severely so, assuming that the intended transfer of housing management goes through. Yet the relative ease with which this only recently respected department has been carved up, together with the pattern being established in other authorities already referred to, Suggests other les parochial factors at work. Even under the previous Labour administration, which was committed to an expanded housing programme, the Department became involved in bitter disputes of which the most important was responsibility for building defects. During this period, too, a major shift in inter-departmental influence began with the Housing Department taking on more and more of the programming and project management roles formerly MAKING PUBLIC BUILDING Tom Bulley of Hackney Council Workers’JointTrade UnionCuts Committee describes action taken by NALGO and the building unions to protect and expand the work taken on by Hackney’s direct labour organisation. SLATE 7PAGE 6 Union action The unions’ initiatives in response to potential reductions in the council’s level of building are beginning to achieve results. For the past year the building workers’ unions (UCATT, TGWU, EEPTU) and NALGO have worked together to exchange information about the building programme and to make a Se ee exercised by architects. Itwas the period when the criticism of some forms of public housing had reached levels that made councillors and housing managers into much less benevolent clients and serious critics of housing design. More fundamantally there was a perceptible move in housing policy away from the purely physical solutions to the housing programme that characterised the post-war era of slum clearance and reconstruction. Full analysis of the reasons for al these changes is beyond the scope of this article. But it can be sensed that there were many complex political, ideological and economic trends being felt -some genuinely progressive, but others rooted in the developing economic crisis, particularly as it manifested itself in the crisis of public expenditure, in the land market, and in the building industry. New roles What is of immediate relevance is to analyse the responses of architects to these developments and to articulate new roles and new alignments. In the profession generally there is a pronounced and unattractive tendency to self-pity, to blame externals.. LOBBYING COUNCILS FROM THE INSIDE ca = Itseems necessary that while local ~ authority architects must be far more realistic about the limitations imposed by the context in which they find themselves, they must also realise the potential for development even now within the local authority structure. At the technical level there exist largely unrealised possibilities for exploring design and build, and inter-disciplinary integration with direct labour organisations and other consultants. The scope-for reforming the organisational structures is also great. The existing hierarchical and narrowly specialist framework seems to be increasingly unsuitable, generating apathy and frustration. More open and democratic models are required which would increase contact between officers and councillors; and between officers and a wider range of popular representation. Local authority architects must take a much more consistent interest in policy questions and particularly take up the defence of space and con- struction standards currently under attack, and above all the underuse of resources in the building industry. All these changes will have to be fought for: through unions, professional bodies, political parties, and within the structure of local government itself. SANE sure that the council is aware of the potential effects that changes in the building programme may have on the employment of building workers and staff in the Building and Architecture and Planning Divisions. This joint activity has helped to avert the immediate possibility ofa major rundown of the building work, but thereisstilmuchtobedonetomake sure that Hackney has a properly organised overall building programme in the years to come. In view of the serious threat that existed in March 1977, NALGO co- operated with the building workers’ unions to prepare joint representatives to put to the council. On hearing of this initiative the Officers’ Management Team(iechiefexecutiveanddirectors) requested a meeting with the unions prior to the unions meeting with the council. The unions agreed, and it became clear to management that unions were aware of real problems and were putting forward constructive prop- osals. The joint union representations were put to the council unaltered on 31 May- Council members expressed their whole- hearted commitment to direct labour and the DLO, but saw that there were difficulties and agreed to follow through the unions’ suggestions for remedies to overcome the decline of the housing redevelopment programme (with the exception of one proposal which would involve the political difficulties with sregard to Hackney’s opposition to the Conservative Greater London Council), Work flow The building trades’ operatives’ main point was that the work of the architects’ department should be planned so that it could make available to the direct labour organisation a planned flow of work, taking into consideration the need to provide continuity of employment for the labour force. The unions agreed that there were difficulties and suggested that there might be a need for additonal staff. The point was made that advance design work on potential building projects could help overcome unavoidable fluc- tuations of input to the committed building programme. questions to answer, particularly with regard to the overall building management. At this meeting with council management referred to the Housing Investment Programme, which central government had introduced to allow greater central control over local authorities’ overall capital spending, whilst at the same time allowing local councils greater flexibility within the overall limit. Inasmuch as they were asking for the council to prepare a programme, the government were making the same demand centrally as the unions were locally. As they had responded to the authority of management Hackney’s management were thus able to assure the council that a programme was in pre- paration, but were not able to give details at that meeting. Now that the Housing Investment Programme bid has been submitted to central government, it is clear that the unions were right to be concerned about council building and the related employment. During the current year and over the next few years the HIP shows a massive shift of emphasis away from new building towards rehabilitation. It also shows a drop of about £4million in overall building work between 1977-78 and 1978-79. The inter-war estate rehabilitation programme will not nearly compensate for the rundown of development, and the council will need to step up its property acquisition policy very rapidly. The unions do not wish to spread wild rumours, but are aware that the effects of the newly-proposed HIP need to be worked out without delay. Working party The building workers at their joint works meeting with the council therefore suggested that a Joint Working Party ofcouncillors and trade union delegates (with Staff Side NALGO members from Building and Architecture & Planning invited) should be formed to investigate the building programme and to report its. implications to council ,particularly on employment. The first joint Working Party meeting was held in December 1977. It was seen that the council's political commit- ment to the DLO needs to be supported by an accurate knowledge of what is programmed and of what is actually happening, and of the implications for its workers (and all residents of the borough) of changes in its building programme. The Joint Working Party has a big job te do. The building workers’ unions initiative -the Joint Working Party -is a means of co-operating with the council to ensure the continuation of a building programme that will benefit Hackney with its products and services and will allow continuity of employment to its workers. The unions are pooling their knowledge through the Joint Unions Cuts Committee, which has set up a Building Sub-Committee to meet regularly and to exchange detailed knowledge of problems. These resources are being brought to Joint Working Party discussions from the union side. Councillors have shown committment to the DLO by setting up the Joint Working Party and working on it. “ ‘Fhe unions also put forward specific Suggestions of possible ways of bringing in work to compensate for the severe drop in the newbuild housing programme. These included ways that the council might be able to build advance factory units for leasing to small industrial firms, and suggestions that the council should draw up an adequate programme of property acquisition for rehabilitation and conversion in preference to encouraging large-scale housing association activity. At the joint building works meeting with the council on 13 September it became clear that although action had been taken on some of the specific requests, management stil had many LOBBYING COUNCILS FROMTHEOUTSIDE Extracts from an interview with Irene Brennan of Brent Federation ofTenantsAssociationsinwhich she describes the attempts made to involve the clients in the design of sdhemes produced by the London Borough of Brent. SLATE: How did you first approach the local authority ? “* We wanted to have an opportunity to seetheplansandmakecomments.Now, we have a negotiating procedure with the council which is a sub-committee of the housing committee which is called the Tenants Consultative Committee and so we raised it with them. The councillors themselves were fairly unsympathetic saying “you wouldn’t understand -there’s so many things to be taken into account” and they're al experts you know....but we pressed away. SLATE 7 PAGE 7 growing realisation that theCouncil’s commitment to retain aconstructional role, whether newbuild or rehab, through itsown architects isatbest lukewarm. Already amajor shortage of new briefs has developed. Having stopped al the outer London schemes regardless of abortive cost, the Council has also stopped many inner schemes as well. So the fate of the GLC Architects Department isclearly linked in a special way to localpolitical ; factors, including the role of the Council itself. Neither is it the only department affected or even the most severely so, assuming that the intended transfer of housing management goes through. Yet the relative ease with which this only recently respected department has been carved up, together with the pattern being established in other authorities already referred to, suggests other less parochial factors at work. Even under the previous Labour administration, which was committed to an expanded housing programme, the Department became involved in bitter disputes of which the most important was responsibility for building defects. During this period, too, a major shift in inter-departmental influence began with the Housing Department taking on more and more of the programming and project management roles formerly And then they said “OK we'll give you a training session and then we'll take it from there”..,.. eventually we al trudged up there and there were these matchstick models of al the developments that they weredoingintheborough.....whatitworked TheFederationgottheplansofFryant outaswasmoreofapublicrelationsexercise Wayandafterbeingsuperficiallyimpressed ment we wanted to see and then we wanted to see the plans before they went to housing committee so that we could comment and get our comments incorporated before it went to housing.And the officers were bas- ically saying “Well our staff won't stand for from the architects -it was ridiculous, six it and they'd leave -all this interference - sets of plans and 24 hours to comment on they won't tolerate it’. We thought we were them. Lucky for us we knew, between us, going to get nowhere! but then... every one of the developments and so we accumulation, In recent years it has stimulated At that point the Director of Housing inter- could comment. vened and because of some personal friction between Director of Development and him- self, decided to support the Federation in their claim to ‘say’ at these two stages. The plans come to housing committee for approval as, sort of, the client and they get seen about 10°30 at night after along meet- ingandthey’reuponthewall-itsopento the public but the public rarely go and any- way its on the floor of the council chamber and the public gallery is so far away. You couldn’t really get a good look at it..... the councillors would just walk up and have a participation, democratisation in some activities and financed community work and’ ‘radical’ professional agencies such as law centres. It is not inconceivable that changes in the provision of arch- itectural services will take place because own independent ‘expert? advice. of the widespread disatisfaction with the Many end up going to a liberal existing local authority and governmental socially conscious, or just straight architecture. forward commercial * community SLATE 7PAGE 8 SLATE 7PAGE 9 SLATE: Did you find different resp. onses at a lower level in the Architects Department? When we were talking to the people that were actually doing the designs we found that they were really nice people...,.the people on the drawing-board so to speak were really trying to help us......but it’s al the ‘dead wood’ above them that needs to be cleared away ! We had an architect in the federation and that was really valuable, if we didn’t have him they would just have said “for tech- nical reasons” or what have you..... having somebody who was aprofessional helping us to do what we wanted to do..... we were then able to draw up our alternatives which we A number of things need to happen if ord- were basically a street layout with improved look and that’s it, they had to decide from just a look whether they think its good or bad, and invariably they say yes -it looks very pleasant lots of trees, gardens -yes we'll have that! al of these very nice models and grand plans that were stuck up on the wall. Any- way after that whole exercise it got left and we were pushing and pushing and meeting the officers ourselves. Then what happened is, we have a law centre in Brent and so we asked the law centre to actually find out what were the planning procedures that were followed in the borough so that we could intervene and find out what would be the best time to put in our and so they worked on that and then something else happened which helped in the whole process of setting things up..... She then described how, by supporting the council in a contentious local open-space issue that eventually culminated in a pub- lic enquiry the federation were able to com- promise the council into putting forward Fryant Way, a small mixed development, as a first trial for the new consultative pro- cedure. “When we got the stuff from the law centre “we were in quite a good position to go back to them and we started then seeing the Director of Development and Chief Arch- itects and they were absolutely!.....you wouldn’t believe the comments they were making -“We have enough trouble with the councillors -they interfere quite enough”, “the timing of al this, we can’t afford any delays”, that was their main thing, delays - interference, they were the professionals we couldn’t possibly offer anything that the professionals didn’t know already... we explained what we wanted was to be able to come in at two stages: one was when the brief came out of housing and we want- ed to be able to say what kind of develop: and comment on it. Then the architects subcontractors and the quality of work is reproducing the conditions of capitalist of the architect’s department causes them with the carefully drawn plans they looked more closely and found major orientation and sunlight mistakes, ‘hankerchief’ sized gardens, no enclosed play areas, no shops with group car parking in front of the old peoples flats Based on his experience at Support, Tom Woolley ies the case for setting up alternative agencies runningin parallel with the radicalisation of the public sector. Alternative services orientation and enclosed play areas, a shop and a community centre. We felt that the community centre would draw people together. We then confronted the counc- illors with our suggestions..... but their whole motivation, because they’re from a different class perhaps -they just don’t think or feel the same way as people they’re designing for.....‘people must adjust”’..... well Ithought design was al about making something fit for the purpose your going to use it for.,....and what they were saying was everybody’s got to fit into our design. which isjust bad design to me ! After a minor concession of one shop the federation began to lose hope and they decide to approach the councillors directly in order to ‘equip’ them with their sugges- tions inary people are going to have a say in the environment. Fora start the officers have to show willing, willingness to listen, we should be able to sit round a table and talk about it. It would be much better to have street meetings and bring along the alter- natives -that’s another thing !people don’t know the alternatives, they ask for public fully this would also provide a precedent politicisation, changing the actual nature be followed by a more formal So what we've got now is a new procedure whereby Director of housing aquires some land and says “yes, we'll have that” and then draws up hisbrief and we see the brief council generally employ ? debatable !, we want a much larger direct works department SLATE: Why do you think that the Direct Works dept. would give you a better deal ? More control, Subcontractors often use lump labour and we're opposed to lump labour for a start, At least when you have the unions in you have a decent standard of work, doing agood job not just rushing in and out again, We haven't got that much muscle as tenan' but we have got avast of experi and a lot of ‘people-power' and we ought togettogetherwiththetradeunionists, like Isay we're trade unionists when we go to work but we're tenants when we come home. We ought to be concerned with one another because our inter- ests are really the same. Local State changes “with grants, self-help labour job creation or their own limited funds, the list is endless. do a set of plans that they wouldn’t norm- ally draw, and these would come to the federation and we'd send them back with our comments to the housing comm- ittee. When we eventually got the plans back’ to look for independent advice. Such organisations would no doubt support demands for changes in the provision of local authority architectural services but they cannot afford to wait. They can have more immediate success in finding resources to pay for their SLATE: How do you think thesystem of involvement could be imp- royed ? The system as its set up isn't working. The officers themselves don’t want it to work, ‘While I would support a long term campaign for the democratisation of ‘public’ architectural services I feel that it is important that we should realise that alternative architectural agencies can be set up right away. Such agencies opinion but people don’t know the altern- atives, They should bring along alittle diagram and little models (laughter) and get people to feed in ideas and say well “what do you like about this street ?””.... sit round the table and shove the models around and I'm sure that they’d come up with some- thing ‘architecturally feasible’, SLATE: What sort of builders do the for those calling for reform in local government. The two things should go in parallel, but both have obvious pit falls. Operating inevitably in the ‘private sector, the new architectural ‘agency could easily become a ‘com _ munity architecture’ practice in the ‘RIBA style, whilst those working for change in the public sector, involved in defence action against the cuts may see limited reforms as progress. of the professional role and winning changes in the role of the local state AS A RESULT OF PRESSURE FROM ORDINARY PEOPLE The demand for a new kind of architectural service already exists. Tenants struggling against defective council housing, other tenants criti- cising or campaigning for involvement in design, user organisations wanting to participate in or control the production or rehabilitation of facilities, orgavisations We have been trying for some time now to get the direct works department brought up to scratch, its understaffed. They do use Nearly al have some degree of can provide a model for the way the ideas of a ‘public design service’ might work in practice. By functioning success holds much greater potential for of practice as a loose association to organisation, that can be controlled by the organisations which use its services The services are charged for on the basis of time, how much it costs to run the agency and the incomes of its members. With the removal of the fee scale there will be no barrier to this. The only problem remains the appropriate legal alternative to partnership so that the client/user organisations can own and control the agency. Precedents for this in the Law Centre field do exist. As the agency developes it can publish its experiences and describe its techniques as they differ from the conventional professional approach, work that will help other groups. Demands made on local authorities by community organisations to pay the agency's fees will not always be successful but will lead to a questioning of the adequacy of the local state’s own provisions. Trade unions will also have to justify using non-unionised firms of consultants. Setting up such an agency would be hard work, ofcourse, with little job security or certain income and attract the dislike of professional colleagues. It is easy to see why many prefer the tedium and frustration of working through local government and trade union channels, passing resolutions land so on. But even here there are possibilities for more direct action. A small group of 5 or 6 local authority architects, if they stuck together when say, faced with redundancies, could start offering a service directly to the public from their office, If they won support from local working class organisations then their position would be a strong one. In fact the local state is continually changing and developing appropriate forms involvement with the local state and in ‘of institution to carry out its role of most cases their experience or opinion Such reforms imposed from above are architect’. As yet there is a complete unlikely to result in any shift of control lack of agencies which provide a of the process of the production of buildings to working class people or a ‘Greater understanding of the oppressive ideologies of profe i They will make the local state more effective however.Inmyview,(havingworkedfor Settingupagencies four years in local authorities and been an active NALGO member) this is the likely Qutcome of attempts to change local authorities. Setting up independent agencies right now on the other hand The experience of the members of Support is that it is possible to set up such an agency. A year of preparatory discussions, a further year continuing service backed by political committment to social cliange and are openly critical of the professional establishment. NEW CHANNELS FORUSER CONTROL SLATE: How sympathetic were the Councillors ? Well we were arguing that they didn.t have enough opportunity to study the plans and we'd be able to help them: They took this as an insult.....we weren't saying that they weren't looking at them carefiully we were saying that the whole system isn’t set up to allow them to do a proper job. And then they said “OK we'll give youa training session and then we'll take it from there”’,.... eventually we al trudged up there and there were these matchstick models of al the developments that they were doing in the borough.....what it worked out as was more ofa public relations exercise al of these very nice models and grand plans that were stuck up on the wall. Any- way after that whole exercise it got left and we were pushing and pushing and meeting the officers ourselves. Then what happened is, we have a law centre in Brent and so we asked the law centre to actually find out what were the planning procedures that were followed in the borough so that we could intervene and find out what would be the best time to put in our and so they worked on that and then something else happened which helped in the whole process of setting things up..... She then described how, by supporting the council in a contentious local open-space issue that eventually culminated inapub- lic enquiry the federation were able to com- promise the council into putting forward Fryant Way, a small mixed development, as a first trial for the new consultative pro- cedure “When we got the stuff from the law centre “we were in quite a good position to go back to them and we started then seeing the Director of Development and Chief Arch- itects and they were absolutely!.....you wouldn’t believe the comments they were making - “We have enough trouble with the councillors -they interfere quite enough”, “the timing of all this, we can’t afford any delays”, that was their main thing, delays - interference, they were the professionals we couldn’t possibly offer anything that the professionals didn’t know already..... we explained what we wanted was to be able to come in at two stages: one was when the brief came out of housing and we want- ed to be able to say what kind of develop- ment we wanted to see and then we wanted to see the plans before they went to housing committee so that we could comment and get our comments incorporated before it with our comments to the housing comm- ittee. When we eventually got the plans back” from the architects -it was ridiculous, six sets of plans and 24 hours to comment on SLATE: Did you find different resp. onses at a lower level in the Architects Department ? When we were talking to the people that were actually doing the designs we found that they were really nice people.....the people on the drawing-board so to speak were really trying to help us......but it’s al the ‘dead wood’ above them that needs to be cleared away ! SLATE: How do you think the system of involvement could be imp- roved ? The system as its set up isn’t working. The officers themselves don’t want it to work. A number of things need to happen if ord- inary people are going to havea say in the environment. Fora start the officers have to show willing, willingness to listen, we should be able to sit round a table and talk about it. It would be much better to have street meetings and bring along the alter- natives -that’s another thing !people don’t know the alternatives, they ask for public opinion but people don’t know the altern- atives. They should bring alongalittle diagram and little models (laughter) and get people to feed in ideas and say well “what do you like about this street ?”.....sit round the table and shove the models around and I’m sure that they’d come up with some- thing ‘architecturally feasible’. SLATE: What sort of builders do the council generally employ ? We have been trying for some time now to get the direct works department brought up to scratch, its understaffed. They do use subcontractors and the quality of work is debatable !,.we want a much larger direct works department SLATE: Why do you think that the Direct Works dept. would give you a better deal ? More control, Subcontractors often use lump labour and we're opposed to lump labour for a start, At least when you have the unions in you have a decent standard of work, doing a’good job not just rushing in and out again. We haven't got that much muscle as tenants but we have got a vast amount of experience and a lot of ‘people-power’ and we ought to get together with the trade unionists, like Isay we're trade unionists when we go to work but we're tenants when we come home. We ought to be concerned with one another because our inter- ests are really the same. NEW CHANNELS FORUSER CONTROL went to housing.And the officers were bas- ically saying “Well our staff won't stand for it and they'd leave -al this interference - they won't tolerate it”. We thought we were them. Lucky for us we knew, between us, Such organisations would no doubt support demands for changes in the provision of local authority architectural unions will also have to justify using services but they cannot afford to wait. They can have more immediate success in finding resources to pay for their own independent ‘expert? advice. going to get nowhere! but then..... At that point the Director of Housing inter- vened and because of somepersonal friction between Director of Development and him- self, decided to support the Federation in their claim to ‘say’ at these two stages, The plans come to housing committee for approval as, sort of, the client and they get seen about 10:30 at night after along meet- ing and they’re up on the wall -its open to the public but the public rarely go and any- way its on the floor of the council chamber and the public gallery isso far away. You couldn’t really get agood look atit..... the councillors would just walk up and have a every one of the developments and so we could comment. Many end up going to a liberal socially conscious, or just straight job security or certain income and attract the dislike of professional colleagues, It is easy to see why many prefer the tedium and frustration of working through local government and trade union channels, passing resolutions land so on. But even here there are possibilities for more direct action. A small group of 5 or 6 local authority architects, if they stuck together when_ say, faced with redundancies, could start offering a service directly to the public from their office. If they won support from local working class organisations then their position would be a strong one. SLATE 7PAGE 8 SLATE 7PAGE 9 After a minor concession of one shop the federation began to lose hope and they decide to approach the councillors directly in order to ‘equip’ them with their sugges- tions The demand for a new kind of architectural service already exists. Tenants struggling against defective council housing, other tenants criti- cising or campaigning for involvement in design, user organisations wanting to participate in or control the production or rehabilitation of facilities, organisations in the Law Centre field do exist. So what we've got now is a new procedure whereby Director of housing aquires some land and says “yes, we'll have that” and then draws up his brief and we see the brief and comment on it. Then the architects “with grants, self-help labour job ~creation or their own limited funds, the list is endless. As the agency developes it can publish its experiences and describe its techniques as they differ from the conventional professional approach, work that will help other groups. Demands made on local authorities by community do a set of plans that they wouldn’t norm- ally draw, and these would come to the federation and we'd send them back Nearly al have some degree of involvement with the local state and in most cases their experience or opinion of the architect’s department causes them organisations to pay the agency's fees to look for independent advice. Based on his experience at Support, Tom Woolley argues the case for setting up alternative agencies running in parallel with the radicalbsatt> n of the public sector. Alternative services ‘While I would support a long term campaign for the democratisation of ‘public’ architectural services I feel that it is important that we should realise that alternative architectural agencies can be set up right away. Such agencies can provide a model for the way the ideas of a ‘public design service’ might work in practice. By functioning success fully this would also provide a precedent for those calling for reform in local government. The two things should go in parallel, but both have obvious pit falls. Operating inevitably in the private sector, the new architectural agency could easily become a ‘com _ ‘Mmunity architecture’ practice in the RIBA style, whilst those working for change in the public sector, involved in defence action against the cuts may see limited reforms as progress. Local State changes In fact the local state is continually changing and developing appropriate forms ‘of institution to carry out its role of reproducing the conditions of capitalist accumulation. In recent years it has stimulated participation, democratisation in some activities and financed community work and’ ‘radical’ professional agencies such as law centres. It is not inconceivable that changes in the provision of arch- itectural services will take place because of the widespread disatisfaction with the existing local authority and governmental forward commercial * community architecture. architect’. As yet there is a complete Such reforms imposed from above are lack of agencies which provide a unlikely to result in any shift of control of the process of the production of buildings to working class people or a ‘greater understanding of the oppressive ideologies of professionalism. They will make the local state more effective however. In my view,(having worked for four years in local authorities and been an active NALGO member) this is the likely Qutcome of attempts to change local authorities. Setting up independent agencies right now on the other hand continuing service backed by political committment to social cliange and are openly critical of the professional establishment. Setting up agencies The experience of the members of Support is that it is possible to set up such an agency. A year of preparatory discussions, a further year holds much greater potential for politicisation, changing the actual nature of the professional role and winning changes in the role of the local state AS A RESULT OF PRESSURE FROM ORDINARY PEOPLE of practice as a loose association to be followed by a more formal organisation, that can be controlled by the organisations which use its services The services are charged for on the basis of time, how much it costs to run the agency and the incomes of its members. With the removal of the fee scale there will be no barrier to this. The only problem remains the appropriate legal alternative to partnership so that the client/user organisations can own and control the agency. Precedents for this will not always be successful but will lead to a questioning of the adequacy of the local state’s own provisions. Trade non-unionised firms of consultants. Setting up such an agency would be hard work, ofcourse, with little look and that’s it, they had to decide from just a look whether they think its good or bad, and invariably they say yes- itlooks very pleasant lots of trees, gardens -yes we'll have that! The Federation got the plans of Fryant Way and after being superficially impressed with the carefully drawn plans they looked more closely and found major orientation and sunlight mistakes, ‘hankerchief’ sized gardens, no enclosed play areas, no shops with group car parking in front of the old peoples flats We had an architect in the federation and that was really valuable, if we didn’t have him they would just have said “for tech- nical reasons” or what have you..... having body who was aprofessional helping us to do what we wanted to do..... we were then able to draw up our alternatives which we were basically astreet layout with improved orientation and enclosed play areas, a shop and a community centre. We felt that the community centre would draw people together. We then confronted the counc- illors with our suggestions..... but their whole motivation, because they're from a different class perhaps -they just don’t think or feel the same way as people they’re designing for.....‘people must adjust”’..... well Ithought design was al about making something fit for the purpose your going to use it for.....and what they were saying was everybody’s got to fit into our design. whichis just bad design to me ! SLATE: How sympathetic were the Councillors ? Well we were arguing that they didn.t have enough opportunity to study the plans and we'd be able to help them: They took this as an insult.....we weren't saying that they weren't looking at them carefully we were saying that the whole system isn’t set up to allow them to do a proper job. oeae ==) ee fh The effective splitting of the public sec- tor housing effort has also had the effect of diffusingpopularcriticismofhousingpolicy. illustratedbytheinstanceof Workers in private sector building design and construction engaged in producing Government financed housing are finding that an increasing amount of their work is for housing associations. Giles Pebody charts the rise of the so-called voluntary sector in Honea and examines the motives of the makers of housing policy in encouraging this trend. Policies of consecutive governments, both Labour and Conservative, have now ensured the housing associations a promin- ent position among the housing providers in the 1970's. The contemporary signifi- cance of their activities may be illustrated by some simple statistics: in 1975-76 app- rovals for housing association developments were for a total of 45,000 new dwellings, representing over 30% of the national Local yened to encourage their undertaking work that local authorities were reluctant or un- able to do at the time. Intervention came in the form of special subsidies for ‘repair and conversion’ projects, at more fayour- able rates than the ‘discretionary grant’ then available to private householders and landlords for house improvement work. It was on the strength of this arrangement that many of the major urban housing ass- ociations were floated and began to grow. As the provision of low cost rented housing isunprofitable only old-established and well-endowed housing associations could undertake limited unsubsidised deve- lopment funded by capital accumulated from rents from old estates and from char- itable sources. For growth in the sector to occur on any scale, direct government sub- sidies were a necessity. Up til the 1972 Housing Finance Act the only way that housing associations, other than a small num- ber of ‘cost-rent’ and ‘co-ownership’ socie- by their intrinsically better landlords than local authorities, which have far more active tenants’ groups. The policy of the removal of housing ass- ociation activity from the sphere of political control was specifically furthered by the 1974 Housing Act which concluded an era during which formal relationships between housing associations and the local authori- ties in whose areas they work were progre- ssively severed by subsequent Acts. Local authority nomination rights, mandatory for association projects funded by them under previous legislation, are now determined in- formally for Housing Corporation schemes funded under the 1974 Act. The Corporation does, in practice, ensure that association h pond with local housing pol- icies, but again, only on an informal basis under its discretionary powers. essentially inadequate to satisfy tenant needs in terms of accommodation, finishes and imaintainance standards. a Authority programme of 155,000 new dwellings .This comparison, however, does not describe the rapid growth of housing ties, could receive development capital from to create a subsidy system tailored more The distancing of one whole sector of state-financed housing activity association housing stocks, which far out- strips that of local authority stocks. The latter increased by one new dwelling for every forty of the existing stocks during 1976 while, in the same period, the rate for housing associations was, on average, one per eight . Third Force grows The rapid growth in both the number and size of housing associations may be the government was through Local Author- ities, who were empowered to make 100% loans, passing on any subsidies they them- selves were entitled to. This chain of fund- ing clearly hampered the development of housing associations as a ‘third force’ in housing independent of local authorities. The 1972 Act extended the powers of the Housing Corporation to enable it to make loans to al classes of housing associations and provisions were made for the payment of subsidies directly by the Department of the Environment(DOE). The Housing Cor- directly to its needs. These proposals were incorporated al but wholesale into the Labour 1974 Housing Act, which is stil in force. The generous provisions of this act ensured the subsequent rapid growth of housing associations by embodying the principle that a once and for al grant would be paid by the government to make up the difference between a loan which could be raised on and payed off from rental income, minus expenses, and total capital cost on a project by project basis. This subsidy, known as the Housing Association Grant (HAG) was to be supplemented by a Reve- — mediate position between private develop- ment on the one hand and Local Authority public sector housing on the other. In one sense this description iscorrect and that is in the sense that housing associations com- bine public sector finance with private sec- tor management methods. It has clearly been in the interests of consecutive govern- ments to foster the private sector ideology and practices of the associations, as a way of depoliticising the question of housing provision. Although they use public funds, the popular image of housing associations intervention at the national, and especially the local, level isone of the principal characteristics of the housing association movement. The Housing Corporation isan executive arm of the Department of the Environment, and the management committees of housing associations rarely have tenant members and even more rarely are tenant representatives elected to them. The implication of this extended bureaucracy isthat itserves prefer- entially the interests of the providers of housing to those of its users or consumers, as it offers no means in fact, to meet the state’s housing needs as well as those of their tenants. These two will not always be in harmony. HOUSING PANACEA — poration in an executive capacity .The Cor- poration also controls applications for HAG for individual projects financed from its fundsandinterpretsbothcostlimitsfor HAGslaiddownbythegovernmentand -TheStatehasslowedthegrowthofgrass- standardsinhousingassociation design and improvement standards for new ciations were concerned, however, was the subsidy system which it set up. This treated housing association and local authority housing alike, and incorporated the ‘free- market’ assumption that low-cost housing could be provided by the market without the need for subsidy. It was held that rents for government-financed housing would rise sufficiently to cover costs after ten years and so the annual subsidy set up by the Act would be progressively phased out over that period. Few housing associations were prepared to undertake large scale dev- elopment against such an insecure back- ground. Subsidies By late 1973 the Conservative Govern- ment had been made aware of the damage that the 1972 Act had done to the ‘third force’ and had drafted proposed legislation stil increasing costs has been to traced directly to government endeavours toestablishandendowa ‘thirdforce’in poration,acentralgovernmentagency,had nueDeficitGrant(RDG)toprotecthousing isasprivatecharitiesorjustbenignprivate throughwhichusersneedscanbe housing which would represent a coalition of public and private sector interests. The mid-60'ssawtheassociationssingledout for special treatment for the first time. The early work of housing associations concen- trating in run down urban areas had shown them to be amenable to then progressive ideas in housing and the government inter- SLATE 7PAGE 10 been set up in 1964 specifically to foster the growth of cost-rent and co-ownership societies.Thechoiceofagovernmentage- ncy to fund housing associations ensured direct government control of their activi- ties. The almost disastrous shortcoming of the Tory 1972 Act, as far as housing asso- association accounts from the fact that both their income and their expenditure are largelydeterminedbyfactorsoutsidetheir control. Housing Corporation Parallel with the development of the landlords, and their direct relationship with the State through the Housing Corporation permits and them to develop corporatemanagement structuressimilarto those in private enterprise with no demo- cratic interference. As long as the associations continue to deliver the goods, and they re- ceive disproportionate assistance in this task, defenders of capital can point them articulated and accomodated This, coupled with the almost total depend of housing iati onstatefinance,haspushedtheminto the position of executors of government housing policy above al. Deliberately or not, and pure considerations of the accountability of public expenditure apart, the state has acquired the means of SATE SLATE SLATE 7PAGE 1 housing jations has been a expansion and growth in authority of the out as that the private sector has a major role to play in the provision of hous- ing. Such an assertion is, of course, contra- dictory but it does serve to obscure the ac- tual crisis of the adequacy of the State’s housing policies, and of the accountability of its makers. Criticism regulating a growing sector of public financed housing with litle or no democratic interference at any intermediate level, and hence the potential of managing it directly in the interests of capital. The mounting criticisms of housing associations in terms of the housing they provide, the tenant groups that their work favours and their management practices may be analysed in terms of their role in the state’s housing policy. This argument iswell Housing Corporation. The Corporation, whose powers had been increased in 1972 , was further strengthened in 1974 and char- ged with registering housing associations. Only registered associations are eligible for HAG and are required to satisfy certain re- quirements laid down by the Housing Cor- and rehabilitation projects. The Housing Corporation itself has grown into a substan- tial bureaucracy with a network of regional offices. It is accountable directly to central government by way of the DOE and enjoys extensive discretion in the way it orders its affairs and carries out its work. From its origins in nineteenth century philanthropy, the Voluntary Housing Move- ment has developed into amajor agency for the provision of housing financed by gover- nment funds to the extent that the descri- ption ‘voluntary” has al but lost its meaning The generous and specific provisions of the 1974 Housing Act have had the effect of making housing associations almost totally dependent on government funds and have created a new way for the direction of State subsidies and investment into housing, par- allel to and substantially independent of the local authorities. Since the 1974 Act there is evidence of some transfer of funds from local authority housing into housing association work, witness the fact that in 1970 of a total government capital invest- ment in housing of £2025m, £74m went to housing associations whereas it is pred- icted that in 1977 they will take up £484m of the £1925m available for i (constant prices) . rehabilitation work. The HAG limits for rehab projects were first established in connection with a technical brief from the Corporation, but have now remained constant in the face Governments have claimed that housing associations offer the best of both worlds, public and private, coining the phrase ‘third arm’ to describe what is seen as their inter- from democratic contro] or political The 1974 Housing Act was hailed (by the DoE itself) as a ‘new charter’ for housing associations, who would then be able to play ‘an extremely useful partin meeting housin, needs’ (9). A more searching analysis of the ‘part’ now played by housing associations must ask whose housing _ needs are being met, Part of their job is roots tenants’ action among highly organised local authority tenants’ groups by ‘hiving off quite a high proportion of its new ten- ants into the new form of tenanthood. Organisation among housing association ten- ants is notoriously weak, witness the fact that of the associations active in London only one tenth have any form of tenants’ association. This weakness has been explained revised technical brief incorporating by the geographical dispersal of housing ass- lower standards in mid-1977. The ociation properties and the newness of the majority of their developments ,rather than produce, in many cases, housing of at least two years’of rapid building cost inflation. Rather than raise the HAG limits the Corporation issued a effect of lowering the standards and erence ee ASSOCIATIONS- THE HOLLOW (as i neeTYPSNM Notes 2 1,2: derived from figures in Mary Smith’s ‘Guide to housing’, Housing Centre Trust, 1977. 3: Housing Subsidies Act 1967 s12. 4!Housing Finance Act 1972. 5: Housing Act 1974 s13. Critena issued by Housing Corp, Jan 75. 6: ‘Guide to housing’, p214. 7:Derived from figures in ‘Guide to housing’. 8: Dudley Savill, National Tenants Organisation, atarecent National Federation of Housing Associations conference. 9: DoE circular 170/74. —eee RED CITY Review of Red Bologna So little new building interrupts the lines of the arcaded streets that form the historic centre of Bologna that visitors might imagine themselves to be in a charmed city, somehow spared the attentions of the profit-hungry developer. Yet Bologna is the capital of one of Italy’s most presperous regions but also it is a city which for more than thirty consecutive years has had a communist majority The renowned success of policies towards the city’s historic centre is only one aspect of the the story told by the authors of “Red Bologna”, which catalogues the achievements of Bologna’s left-wing administrators. The book enthusiastically (perhaps excessively so) tells how each of the problems identified in the city is analysed in terms of the “class struggle” through an intricate procedure of research and neighbourhood debate, expert advice and consultation. The policies which result are typically simple to understand but difficult to implement as they are often in uncompromising conflict with big business interests and the central government in Rome, which has been dominated by the right since the fall of Mussolini. Bologna’s town planning policy is based on the principle of equal access for al of the city’s population to its facilities. The council sets out to encourage uniform development throughout the city in opposition to the centralising effect of the land market and profit-onientated development. This process of decentralisation is enforced by the adoption of low planning densities in the city centre and a “positive system” for listing building. Only listed buildings may be demolished -all of which, unsurprisingly, are modern ones. Even if it is dealt with first in this book, the building fabric of a city isonly one part of the factors that condition its social life. Equally -radical initiatives have been taken in health care, education, traffic planning and welfare of al kinds. The Bolognese communists come out of the book’s analysis well, due in some part to the sympathies of its authors, but also to the humanity and sound social reasoning that forms the basis of their attempts to redress the excesses of Italian capitalism. Italy is not a developed welfare state in the sense that we understand it in this country. Most of the business of securing a healthy and well-educated population is in the hands of the church, private charities and insurance schemes. On the one hand this means that the Bolognese receive little encouragement from the central government, but on the other it leaves them free to determine their own local approach to policy and the control of services in a way which acentralised welfare state rarely tolerates. Yet, although Bologna’s situation is contradictory and unique, the attempts and successes of its council to apply progressive ideas in a practical context are refreshing and a potent example. Max Jaggi, Roger Muller and Sil Schmid: Red Bologna: Readers and writers Publishing Cooperative: 207pp, illustrates: £1 95 NEW ‘PROFESSION’ Review of Urban Design Forum This year’s new paper on the left specialising in architecture and town planning is a potential heavyweight called Urban Design Forum which sets out in the words of its editors, to “create links between the scattered Organisations and individuals active in this undefinable arena of interests”. The arena is Urban Design, a term conjured by academics to describe the post graduate courses they are running for architects and the like. Besides an inevitable bevy of articles setting out to define that undefinable arena of interests the journal also features more valuable pieces on the interpretation of the urban environment and on the contemporary fragmented approach to the analysis of the city and an article by Bologna’s city architect (yes—they stil have onel ) Urban Design Forum is published by a bunch of students and lecturers at the joint centre for Urban Design at Oxford Polytechnic. It is worth a read. Beware those attempts to define the undefinable and note how most of the authors describe themselves as ‘urban designers’ and one throwaway line in the editorial reads “ As yet there is no urban design profession and there are few positions for urban designers” It al adds up to make this journal look like an attempt to establish the bona fides of yet another ‘profession’ complete with al the paraphenalia of the ‘undefinable’ in train to enhance the mystique essential to any professional group. Urban Design Forum: published occasionally from the Joint Centre for Urban Design Oxford Polytechnic Nol February 1978 64pp. £2 .00 + 20p postage poration in an executive capacity .The Cor- poration also controls applications for HAG for individual projects financed from its funds and interprets both cost limits for HAGs laid down by the government and design and improvement standards for new and rehabilitation projects. The Housing Corporation itself has grown into a substan- tial bureaucracy with a network of regional offices. It is accountable directly to central government by way of the DOE and enjoys extensive discretion in the way it orders its affairs and carries out its work. major role to play in the provision of hous- ing. Such an assertion is, of course, contra- dictory but it does serve to obscure the ac- tual crisis of the adequacy of the State’s housing policies, and of the accountability of its makers. Criticism The effective splitting of the public sec- tor housing effort has also had the effect of diffusing popular criticism of housing policy. The State has slowed the growth of grass- roots tenants’ action among highly organised local authority tenants’ groups by ‘hiving off quite a high proportion of its new ten- ants into the new form of tenanthood. Organisation among housing association ten- ants is notoriously weak, witness the fact that of the associations active in London only one tenth have any form of tenants’ association. This weakness has been explaine by the geographical dispersal of housing ass- financed housing with little or no democratic interference at any intermediate level, and hence the potential of managing it directly in the interests of capital. The mounting criticisms of housing associations in terms of the housing they provide, the tenant groups that their work favours and their management practices may be analysed in terms of their role in the state’s housing policy. This argument is well illustrated by the instance of standards in housing association rehabilitation work. The HAG limits for rehab projects were first established in connection with a technical brief from the Corporation, but have now remained constant in the face of at least two years’ of rapid building cost inflation. Rather than raise the HAG limits the Corporation issued a [ivtouwouldTikefboeamemberoftheNewArchitectureMovementfilintheformbeloawndsend} Notes 1,2:derived from figuresinMary to housing’. 8:Dudley Savill, National Tenants ofHousingAssociations’ it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00( if you'reemployed)or£2.00(ifyou'rearestudent,claimantorOAP)toNAMat9,PolandStreet | London W.1. | NAME. | ADDRE | {| 1 representatives elected to them. ‘The implication of this extended bureaucracy isthat itserves prefer- entially the interests of the providers of housing to those of its users or consumers, as it offers no means through which users needs can be articulated and accomodated This,coupledwiththealmosttotal s If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fil in the form below and send it together | withacheque/postalorder(payabletotheNew ArchitectureMovement )for£2.00toNAM at9, Poland Street, London W.1. | NAME |ADDRESS. ments to foster the private sector ideology and practices of the associations, as a way of depoliticising the question of housing provision. Although they use public funds, the popular image of housing associations isas private charities or just benign private landlords, and their direct relationship with theStatethroughtheHousingCorporation permits and them to develop those in private enterprise with no demo- cratic interference. As long as the associations all. Deliberately or not, and pure The generous and specific provisions of the 1974 Housing Act have had the effect of making housing associations almost totally dependent on government funds and have control was specifically furthered by the created a new way for the direction of State subsidies and investment into housing, par- allel to and substantially independent of the local authorities. Since the 1974 Act there is evidence of some transfer of funds from local authority housing into housing association work, witness the fact that in 1970 of a total government capital invest- ment in housing of £2025m, £74m went to housing associations whereas it is pred- icted that in 1977 they will take up £484m of the £1925m available for investment (constant prices) . 1974 Housing Act which concluded an era during which formal relationships between housing associations and the local authori- ties in whose areas they work were progre- ssively severed by subsequent Acts. Local authority nomination rights, mandatory for association projects funded by them under previous legislation, are now determined in- formally for Housing Corporation schemes funded under the 1974 Act. The Corporation does, in practice, ensure that association schemes correspond with local housing pol- icies, but again, only on an informal basis under its discretionary powers. The distancing of one whole sector of state-financed housing activity from democratic control or political intervention at the national, and especially the local, level isone of the principal characteristics of the housing association movement. The Housing Corporation isan executive arm of the Department of the Environment, and themanagement committeesofhousing The 1974 Housing Act was hailed (by the DoE itself) as a ‘new charter’ for housing associations, who would thenbe able to play ‘an extremely useful partin Governments have claimed that housing associations offer the best of both worlds, public and private, coining the phrase ‘third arm’ to describe what is seen as their inter- mediate position between private develop- ment on the one hand and Local Authority public sector housing on the other. In one sense this description iscorrect and that is in the sense that housing associations com- binepublicsectorfinancewithprivatesec- tor management methods. It has clearly associations rarely have tenant members beenintheinterestsofconsecutivegovern- andevenmorerarelyaretenant meeting housing needs’ (9). A more searching analysis of the “part” now played by housing associations must ask whose housing _ needs are being met. Part of their jo! is, depend of housing iati | corporate management structures similar to ‘on state finance, has pushed them into conference. 9: DoE circular continue to deliver the goods, and they re- ceive disproportionate assistance in this task, defenders of capital can point them considerations of the accountability of public expenditure apart, the state has acquired the means of outasevidencethattheprivatesectorhasa regulatingagrowingsectorofpublic From its origins in nineteenth century philanthropy, the Voluntary Housing Move- ment has developed into a major agency for ociation properties and the newness of the effect of lowering the standards and stil increasing costs has been to majority of their developments , rather than produce, in many cases, housing the provision of housing financed by gover- nment funds to the extent that the descri- ption ‘voluntary’ has al but lost its meaning local authorities, which have far more active tenant needs in terms of accommodation. by their intrinsically better landlords than essentially inadequate to satisfy tenants’ groups. The policy of the removal of housing ass- finishes and imaintainance standards. ociation activity from the sphere of political the position of executors of 170/74. SLATE SLATE SLATE 7PAGE 1 government housing policy above q. revised technical brief incorporating lower standards in mid-1977. The in fact, to meet the state’s housingneeds as well as those of their tenants. These two will not always be in harmony. REVIEWS housing associations has been aconsiderable expansion and growth in authority of the Housing Corporation. The Corporation, whose powers had been increased in 1972, was further strengthened in 1974 and char- ged with registering housing associations. Only registered associations are eligible for HAG and are required to satisfy certain re- quirements laid down by the Housing Cor- Smith’s ‘Guide to housing’, Housing tre Trust, 1977. SHae Subsidies Act 1967 s12. 4 Housing Finance Act 1972. _ 5! Housing Act 1974 s13. Criteria issued by Housing Corp, Jan Tas 6: ‘Guide to housing’, p214. _ 7Derived from figures in ‘Guide Organisation, atarecentNational Federati REVIEW This process of decentralisation is NEW ‘PROFESSION’ Review of Urban Design Forum This years new paper on the left specialising in architecture and town planning is a potential heavyweight called Urban Design Forum which sets out in the words of its editors, to “create links between the scattered organisations and individuals active in this undefinable arena of interests”. The arenaisUrbanDesign,atermconjuredby academics to describe the post grad courses they are running for architects and the like. Besides an inevitable bevy of articles setting out to define that undefinable arena of interests the journal also features more valuable pieces on the interpretation of the urban environment and on the contemporary fragmented approach to the analysis of the city and an article by Bologna’s city architect (yes—they stil have onel ) Urban Design Forum is published by a bunch of students and lecturers at the joint centre for Urban Design at Oxford the meeting as a whole seemed to agree that DLO’s are a y pl to local authority architecture depart ments and are therefore an essential part of the PDS argument. On the running of the conference, the view was expressed by one wit that you can eat halfa packet of biscuits but you can’t eat a whole wheatfield! The conference will need to be very crisp as theareacoveredissolarge.Itishoped that the conference will spawn many different groups to work on the different aspects of the argument to develop the whole idea much further. With that aim in mind, we hope to see many of you at the conference -May 6th 10.30a.m.attheUCATT hall,GoughSt., Birmingh The agenda includ John Murray on the role of architects’ departments, Tom Bulley on his experience in Hackney, Pete Carter on DLO’s and Howard Smith on the views of the main political parties. PDS Group April 1978 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS COF THE WORST KIND) ‘tH RED CITY enforced by the adoption of low planning densities in the city centre and a “positive system’ for listing building. Only listed buildings may be demolished -all of which, unsurprisingly, are modern ones. Even if it is dealt with first in this book, the building fabricofa city is only one part of the factors that condition its social life. Equally -radical initiatives have been taken in health care, education, traffic planning andwelfareofalkinds.TheBolognese communists come out of the book’s analysis well, due in some part to the sympathies of its authors, but also to the humanity and sound social reasoning that forms the basisof their attempts to redress the excesses of Italian capitalism. Italy is not a developed welfare state in the sense that we understand it in this country. Most of the business of securing a healthy and well-educated population is in the hands of the church, private charities and insurance schemes. Review of Red Bologna So little new building interrupts the lines of the arcaded streets that form the historic centre of Bologna that visitors might imagine themselves to be ina charmed city, somehow spared the attentions of the profit-hungry developer Yet Bologna is the capital of one of Italy’s most presperous regions but also it is a city which for more than thirty consecutiveyearshashadacommunist majority The renowned success of policies towards the city’s historic centre is only one aspect of the the story told by the authors of “Red Bologna’, which catalogues the achievements of Bologna’s left-wing administrators. The book enthusiastically (perhaps excessively so) tells how each of the problems identified in the city is analysed in terms of the “class struggle” through an intricate procedure of research and neighbourhood debate, expert THIS LOOKS LIKE A GooD health and education requirements”, adviceandconsultation.Thepolicies Ontheonehandthismeansthatthe Polytechnic.Itiswortharead.Beware andalsothat“thefightfor(local Your Orne.seesAND whichresultaretypicallysimpleto Bolognesereceivelittleencouragement thoseattemptstodefinetheundefinable understandbutdifficulttoimplement fromthecentralgovernment,buton andnotehowmostoftheauthors abovealademocraticfight”. Reg) 7?ve sa, By i as they are often in uncompromising conflict with big business interests and the central government in Rome, which has been dominated by the right since the fall of Mussolini. Bologna’s town planning policy is based on the principle of equal ac SS for al of the city’s population to its facilities. The council sets out to encourage uniform development throughout the city in opposition to the centralising effect of the land market and profit-orientated development. the other it leaves them free to determine their own local approach to policy and the control of services in a way which acentralised welfare state rarely tolerates. Yet, although Bologna’s situation is contradictory and unique, theattemptsandsuccessesofits council to apply progressive ideas in a practical context are refreshing and a potent example. MaxJaggi,RogerMullerandSilSchmid: Red Bologna: Readers and writers Publishing Cooperative: 207pp, illustrates: £1 95 describe themselves as ‘urban designers’ and one throwaway line in the editorial reads “ As yet there is no urban design profession and there are few positions for urban designers” It all adds up to make this journal look like an attempt to establish the bona fides of yet another‘profession’ completewithal the paraphenalia of the ‘undefinable’ in train to enhance the mystique essential to any professional group. Urban Design Forum: published occasionally from the Joint Centre for Urban Design Oxford Polytechnic Nol February 1978 64pp. £2 .00 + 20p postage If Cynthia Coburn’s conclusions come dangerously close to “the rev- olution isthe only answer”, then Dave Green’s account of the PDS’s work smacks of an unthinking adoption of a ready-made ideology. The danger is thatunlessthePDSConferencecan convince the many who have experienced the unquestionable ineptitude and occasional brutality of local authority management that they are, in fact, a valid and potentially fruitful subject for discrete action by NAM, then it will fail and do much damage to NAM in the process. The danger isperhaps best avoided by promoting an understanding of the localauthority’sroleinastatewhich promotes the interests of Capital ahead of those of the majority of the population (as Douglas Smith attempted to show in SLATE 4) and then collectively deter- mining which of its functions are worth preserving and which need to be eliminated or drastically changed. In short, more thought, and less politicking about words like “democratic” until we know what they mean. Giles Pebody c/o Levitt Bernstein Associates 30 Oval Rd London NWI T SLATE 7PAGE 12 SLATE 7PAGE 15 SS [itu would Tikefboe amemberof theNew Architecture Movement filintheformbelow andsend | AT LEAST it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00 ( if | you'reemployed)or£2.00(ifyou'rearestudent,claimantorOAP)toNAM at9,PolandStreet | London W.1. | | NAME | \A | |IfyouwouldliketoreceiveSLATEwithoutjoiningNAM filintheformbelowandsendittogether| with a cheque/postal onder (payable to the New Architecture Movement )for £2.00 to NAM at 9, Poland Street, London W.1. | NAME. le through which the majority of people can exert demands and gain access to. resourcesnecessaryfortheirhousing, PLANTOEBUTILD Zs) authority) architecture departments is 17 PLACE, SiR! | <)} MEANWHILE NAM H.@. HAS PICKEDUPTHEDANGERSIGNALS.|gy70)YouR TI|1| Houses every- |Ne=THE | \ |RIBATS HAVE|_$E-0 Arrived! > eile \oorOFYOuR | HANDS — IWE HAVE | [GREAT | IKNONLEDAE.) 5 oS TYRANNY D | EVIL I) attEE | | | | | | L | | | | te ¥, : THE GREEN Ban Action Committee has made a full planning application to Birmingham City Council for the conversion of the Victoria Square Post Office to a sports and leisure centre (see also SLATE 4). Birmingham's Victoria Square Post Office has been under the threat of demolition, although listed by the DoE as a building »farchitectural and historic merit. Yet a plan has been approved by the Council which would allow developers to knock it down and build in its place a massive ymplexofhigh-riseofficeblockswhen 2millionsquarefeetofofficespaceare already unlet in the City Centre G.B.A.C.’s proposals to convert the Post Office complex to a leisure centre would do much more than simply meet eisure needs (where Birmingham fails surprisingly badly). It would bring life the heart of the city in the evenings indatweekends. Buildingworkershave been forced onto the dole by cuts in public spending that have brough the construction industry almost to a stand- stil. The Post Office scheme would pro- vide some of them with labour-intensive work, requiring far more skill than work Work on the conversion could involve young people leaving school and unable to find jobs. Funded by the Manpower Services Commission, they could be given training in many building crafts and in addition would be creating something of direct benefit to themselves as future users. The organisers of the campaign are not simply another conservation group, but aim to encourage working people to have a say in the kind of jobs they do, because these have a direct effect on the commu- nity and the environment. A Green Ban AT n most new building SLATE 7PAGE 16 is the action taken by groups of workers who refuse to work on socially or environ- mentallyharmfulprojects.TheCommittee massivepee suppOrEand believesthatonlybycreatingabroad alliance involving ordinary working people as well as dedicated conservationists, can effective action be taken to protect and improve the environment. The Committee’s proposals (with tech- interest SLATE8willbedevotedto the subject of women and architecture. The issue will discuss how the male stranglehold over architecture can be broken, with a resulting architecture which ismore responsive and responsible. DON’T DELAY — ORDER YOUR COPY NOW. 25p only! Letters, articles, ideas and helpers for the issye will also be welcome: contact SLATE at 9 Poland St, London W1. In the next SLATE -SLATE 8 WOMEN AND ARCHITECTURE The NAM women’s group organised a meeting in London in April. Thirty- five women, mostly previously unknown to the Movement, attended. As a result of this evidence of SLATE may bea very slick looking paper but we need money fast! Please send us your donations now! Cheques made payable to SLATE to 9 Poland Street, W1. 5 GBAC sends PO plans to Council Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May/June 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/13360b0d75e5f5322205a5394c5c9a1c.pdf 7d271c29e4df2c39beaabd8722149845 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 8 Subject The topic of the resource Building a Future for Women in Architecture Description An account of the resource A Feminism & Architecture Special Issue: BUILDING A FUTURE FOR WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE THE RADICAL PAPER ON ARCHITECTURE AND THE BUILDING INDUSTRY july/aug ISSUE § slite’, n., a, & vit. 1, Winds of grey, or bluish-parple rock easily split at smooth plates; picce of such ofinstinct. Themeetingwasattendedbypeople ©usednsroofing-material;plecoofIt ed In wood used for writing on neilorsmallrodofso~f(ctlean SAG,theRIBACouncilfactionthat sets out to represent the interests of salaried architect members of the Institute, has made substantial gains this year. They took five of the nine- -teen RIBA Council seats up for election bringing the strength to eight. All nineteen seats were contested by SAG who mounted a concerted campaign in the run up to the election culminating in the publication of an exhaustive 25 point manifesto. SAG also announced just just before the poll that if is to organise an exhibition of projects designed by salaried architects, on behalf of their employees in public and private sector offices. SAG's success has only gone a small way, however, towards redressing the in- -balanceofrepresentation on the RIBA Council. At least 70% of the Institute’s membership is salaried, yet out of the 67 councillors only eight set out to speak specifically for the interests of this majority. The only SAG candidate to head the poll inhis/herdivisionwasthewidelyknown chairman of the Group, Bob Giles, who was elected in the London Region. establishment view SAG's manifesto comes down firmly on the side of the established view of professionalism in Architecture. In some respects the Group’s opinions are more conservative that those of the RIBA Council itself. The manifesto, published albeit, before the most recent developments between the Institute and the Government, condemns the findings of the Monopolies Commission and declares that “there is no caseforrelaxingtheCodeofConduct...” although ...“‘the fee scale needs to be radically restructured...” (no specific proposals. Onthequestionofthepositionofthe salaried architect the manifesto isstrongest. “All partner practices” are to be encouraged and al architects should “share the risks responsibilities and rewards”, but in the meanwhile the job architect should be named in the building contract on the site signboard and in anypublicity. SAG also sets out ways to defuse the growing disenchantment with the prof- -essionshownbythemanyarchitectswho are resigning from the RIBA, adopting the approach to Trades Unionism to problems at work or arguing for radical changes in the architect’s role and relations with society through NAM. According to the 2 orcecif of or renounce oblign- ‘ ¢, -ercy,modifications Ssuch ns ocurin~; j]-~-club, mutual benefit society with small weekly and other building design staff, is the gradual introduction of new computertechnology. the discussion was therefore able to concentrate on concrete issues, as well asthepossibilitiesofcomputeraided design. The work done by trades unionists, especially from AUEW-TASS, in analysing the implications of this new technology has been of great importance In rejecting the ‘Luddite’ approach to computers. It would be wrong to go aroung smashing computers as they do have the potential to free us from boring jobs. At the moment, this results in workers being made redundant, but computers do provide a real possibility to shorten the working week for large sections of workers today. Fred Leplat. Fees- NAM report shows way ahead THEMONOPOLIES ISSUEHAS moved away from the ‘technical’ arena of the Office of Fair trading negotiations into oneof straight political lobbying. Although it is now certain that an Order in Parliament compelling architects to quote fees in competition will not be made for this session, the RIBA has no grounds for complacency. Its claim to serve the public interest and its manipulation of ARCUK are matters now squarely on the agenda of at least two government ministries. The question is no longer ‘will the status quocontinue?’ Itis‘WilltheRIBAsucceed in projecting upon it the illusion of real change?” contributio: i ~-colour(ed), (of) dark h groy; hence slat’x? a, ~. 3. y.t. Cover with~s hence slat/er' n, (ME Dear Editors, From the letter on possible PDS conflict inSLATE7it appears that our stand- point needs reiterating, though this time I'l try another angle. In our view, both Cynthia Cockburn’s book, and Douglas Smith’s article in SLATE 4 are excellent as far as they go, but they are both only half argu- ments, Both point out very well how the local state works ,but neither even starts to consider how it could work or how to change its workings. Their conclusions are merely implied and their arguments can thereby be taken as either standing for the A debate on the topic of computer aided design ok place at a meeting organised by ‘he London Building fom. of esclatstat*) (colloq.). Criticize ecrerely tn reviews), scold, rates ©, propose for office ete. Wenco + (2). fanp. t pree.} SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly and edited by the Movement’s Publications Group. Committee, introduced the discussion with slides showing the possibilities of computer aided design. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are ine- luded to stimulate general debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s | revolution (as the only answer ) or for attractive ideology Some commentators ascribe the rise of SAG's (sic) to the same urge for partici- -pation in decision making over questions affecting the process and product of thier work that has lead other architectural workers to take up Trades Unionism or join NAM. To some snmall extent this istrue, but the void that seperates SAG from the other tendencies is that the Group makes no attempt to analyse the relationship between the problems facing the salaried architect and the social and economic context within which the profession works. The profession isseen asanisolatedphenomenonfreetoarrange itsown affairs no matter what demands are made of it by society in the form of Government, the people who pay its fee accounts or who live and work in its products. This spurious ideology is clearly attractive to many salaried architects and SAG's manifesto exploits just this attraction, but would the Group’s policies stand the test of being put into practice? Or to daw out one specific contradiction, when SAG calls for the inclusion of salaried architects on entry lists for limited competitions, how would it respond to the competitions’ sponsors demandsthatthewinnersactuallysetup their own practices and carry out the work? “The problems with computers, said Cooley, is the way in which they are currently designed to intereact with humans. In theory the fast reliable uncreativeness of the computer is the perfect compliment to the slow unreliable but crzativehuman being. But, as anyone who has worked on, say, computer drafting will tel you, something between two or three hours in the symbiosis isthe maximum anybody can take. Instead of the computer being paced by the human. the human ispaced by the computer.” Computers have been able to take over some dehumanisingiandalienatjionbsg, but this has been done by the ad: ption and eventualeliminationoftheskillsinvolved. Computers and computerised robotic devices replace labour intensive production processes by capital intensive ones, shifting sections of workers to less skilled jobs, or simply to the dole queues. However, the consequences of computers do not stop here. As they are very expensive pieces of equipment, employers want to see such machines used round the clock to get the quickest returns on their investment. This iswhy, seven years ago, design staff at Rolls Royce struck against a move by management to introduce shift work on a new computer. liberation? All new technological inovations have views and activities to the attention ofthe largest possible readership. REPRESENTATIVES A network of 30 representatives has been set up throughout schools and large prac- tices all over the country. The only comm- itmentofeachrepresentativewillbeto receive 5copies of SLATE every two months and to try to sel 4 of them, return- ing £1.00 to SLATE Al this should help SLATE acheive a far wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of rad- icals concerned with the industry and the environment WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers ,more ideas and more reps in order to produce a better, larger and cheaper newsletter. If you would like to work for SLATE: becomea rep., join the group, send in articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon. The copy date for the next issue will be Friday 4th August 1978 SLATE ispublished by the Publications Group of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9 Poland St., London W.1. (Letters should be addressed to the Publications Group) Trade Distribution by Publications Distribution Cooperative, 27, Clerken- wel Court, London, E.C.2 SLATE 8PAGE 2 hopeless apathy which plays into the hands of those who now wish to see the role of the local state drastically reduced for ideological reasons directly in conflict with both authors, The local state issurely atwo-edged sword, and both its edges need exposing thenwecanseenotonlyhowitacts,but also how itcould act. To do this we need thought and research (which the PDS group iscurrently undertaking) coupled with a clear idea of how and why the local state should function. That idea for us isparticipatory democracy and although we cannot realise al its implications until itisputintoforce,itsmeaning isclear, Yours faithfully Charles McKean the potential of liberating us from dehumanising and alienating work. This shouldbepossibleiftheuseofcomputers ArchitectsonARCUKhavepresentedtheir | iskept to amodest scale, but when they are introduced solely on the grounds of business efficiency, this is unlikely. For designers to work on computers they can pace, it is necessary to destroy the myth that supposes that it you have al the data to hand in the computer, then you can design quickly and efficiently. Cooleypointsoutthatagooddesigner is good because s/he has a vast store of apparently ‘redundant and unclassifed knowledge in his/her head. This report “WAY AHEAD” to Roy Hattersley and John Fraser in the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection, Albert Booth in the Department of Employment and to Peter Shore at the D.O.E., and meetings are being arranged with these departments. A handbill summarizing the background and main thrust of “WAY AHEAD is inserted inthisissueofSLATE. “WAYAHEAD” itself — a major new NAM Report —is available from NAM, 9 Poland Street, London London W.1. Price £1.50. SLATE 8PAGE 3 manifesto, the way forward is to reconcile “the fundamental conflict between salaried Statusandthearchitect'sroleasanindepend- saysCooley -ant authority...” within the structure of the RIBA, The RIBA isrequired to intervenetosortoutthegreivancesof AMONG theyariouspointsof salariedarchitectswhocomplainthat concerntoarchitecturalworkers whowereworkingoncomputers,and their employer-architects are in breach of point 2.5 of the Code of Professional Conduct which lays down guidelines for the employment of one architect by another, and as far as the public goes, accountability to them will only be achieved by “identifying the actual building designer.” of the Lucas Shop Stewards Combine The manifesto makes no acknowledgement or mention of the problems of women workers in the face of the prevalent sexist attitudes in the profession. Beware CAD comes not from the computer memory but from wandering round the office library,talkingtopeopleordownon the job trying out ‘lashups’ on the basis VSM NAM Representatives of Unattached JVINEWSWIEWONE Dear Slate, Daye Green, for NAM PDS group With reference to my letter published in your last edition, Iwithdraw the comm- ents Imade concerning Tom Woolley. I misinterpreted adifference ofopinion, The SLATE Editorial group add their apologies to Tom for thepublication of the offending letter in the last SLATE, Printed by Islington Community Press, 2a St Pauls Rd., London, NI. S NEWS\\ Manifesto brings poll gains for SAG Typesetting by the Publications G and Maggie Stack. a Opinions expressed in SLATE are not necessarily the policy of the New Archi- tecture Movement unless stated to be so. NEWSNEWSNIEWSSURVEY Conference calls for L.A. reform PERILOUS ASAONGCU)s REALLYwo ritTee esnt ARCA? TeacHGinis SHOULOBEGiVENN (63aSG:Wooow®)RK directly by tenants and reporting directly to committee. Forty or so participants came to the Conference from all over the Country and most sectors of the architectural profession. to hear the proposals and arguments worked out by the PDS group over the last six months. An enlarged group will now take up an ambitious programme of further investigation formulation and publicity, Adressing the Conference, UCATT shop steward Peter Carter reminded the architects present of the role, and, possibly, the existence of building workers in the industry. One of the prerequisites of progress, he said, was thecooperationofbuildingconstruction and building design workers and in Local Authorities that meant between architects and workers in Direct Labour Organisations (DLOs). He outlined how, inspite of the benefits that DLOs bring to the people in whose areas they work and to the workers within them, they were currently being defamed by private sector interests. joint action principle perpetuates existing power structures and that oppressed groups such as women will only become liberated by policiesof‘positive discrimination’. In housing this meant housing run by and for women. More infromation of the Conference from: The Secretary, Seagull Housing Co-op, “Flat 4, 13, Colville Houses, London, W11. ttempts by a Brighton Housing Co-op to convert a house to accomodate ‘young singles’ and couples who want to live communally have been foiled by the town’s Planning Committee. Planning permission was refusedtotheTwoPiersHousingCo-op on the grounds that the cooking arrangements proposed were not acceptable. Communal kitchens are favoured by the co-op’s members but the Council insisted that it could not sanction shared cooking facilities in multi- occupied accomodation. The case turns on the definition of the term ‘household’ .The twelve prospective tenants did not, in the Council’s view constitute one, as there were too many of them. The Council prefers using its planning powers to foster nuclear families. At the same time the circular nature of the relationship between building and society means that attempts to demonstrate thepossibilitiesofanarchitecturewhere women are actively involved can be influential. It is therefore crucial that as.a Architect Tom Bulley (see SLATE7) took up this theme and described how he and his colleagues at Hackney Council were campaigning alongside the DLO fora planned workload forall the Council’s construction services. Earlier in the day John Murray gave a fascinating paper on the history of Local Authority architects department in an attempt to formulateacriticalanalysisoftherole of the departments in our society. This was complemented by a talk from Howard Smith on contemporary attitudes to Local Authority services among the political parties. Discussiononthefloorwasregretably curtailed by the busy day’s programme but there was time to hear views and experiences from several local authority workers and to SLATE 8PAGE 4 things about the first six months of the group's work. What we must realise is that women are in the strange position of living in a built environment which isdesigned and built primarily by men. To suggest that were it designed and built by women it would be different is not enough. The fact is that it reflects accurately the male structured Society,atpresentwomenwhohavebeen successful in the architectural world have been so by taking up the values and modes of identification of that society and have therefore largely succeeded only in continu- -ing men’s work. People who look for a buildingdesignedbyawoman:toprove how different is the female approach, and find in the lack of such buildings proof of their convictions that women have nothing to contribute to architecture, have totally work ,we are now specifically interested in using our architectural and building skills with and for women. who are look- -ing for a different approach to designing and building. (Contact names below) In our discussidns we have been looking at the following issues, and itisthese which the various articles discuss in depth. 1, Women in education. This is particul- -arly the seperation between design and technicaleducation;women findit difficult und usually impossible to gain experience on site, a grave disadvantage in giving confidence in technical know- -ledge. In schools there is little encourage- -ment for women to take architecture up orcoursesrelatedtobuilding.Condition- -ing of girls away from technical fields of knowledge starts in early childhood. However, perhaps positive discrimination in schools might change this bias. _ debate the perenial question as to whether localauthoritiesareindependentfromor integrated into the State apparatus. If they are integrated then would our efforts be better directed at central government or are local authorities an embrionic manifaestation of real local democracy. Happily this debate did’ not devide the conference so that it was impossible to form a consensus behind the preliminary proposalsofthePDSgroupwhichwere almost unanimously supported at the MECCANO end of the day. Theday’spapershavebeenpublished Socialist Planners publish papers 3 NEWS FROM THE CONFERENCE of Socialist Planners shows that the movement is growing steadily and taking lon'the task of analysing and disseminating the principles of socialism within planning and other related activities, Groups have been formed in places as far apant as Scotland and Hampshire, LondonandMerseyside.ANational Liason Committee consisting of delegates from the Regional Workshops is respons- -ible for coordinating activities and a news- -letter is now being published shortly, The Merseyside Regional Workshop have prepared papers on the issue of small firms and worker cooperatives. The paper on small firms looks at their role in the history and development of the capitalist economy and the reason why both the State and private capital are now promoting them Itwasthefirsttimethatsuchameeting had been held and it was set up in response to, among other things, the isolation felt bywomen inthemale-dominatedwotld of the co-ops. The call for women’s Co-ops is in opposition to the so-called First Co-operative Principle that states that co-operative ventures should be open to participationbyal.Womenatthe TerRific HAVING WOMEN AS @PREMITECTS »THEY KNOSoWM)H ABOUT Ki TCHENS Fh4 by NAM at £1 00+15p post and packing from NAM, 9, Poland St., London,W1. More information about PDS Group Tegular meetings from NAM-PDS, c/o JohnMurray,5,MiltonAvenue,London,N6., TBvriGAL_OLDHARRiDANTM | FESS VE FEMINIST1 2. Women at work. We feel that this is one of the most important areas of discussion because it involves the inter- -action with the real world, By compar- -ing different women’s experiences and discussing the way in which things could be organised differently. So far we have looked at the discrimination against women withintheeconomicsystemand the hierarchical organisations within architectural practices, 3, A Feminist approach to design, This covers a wide range of ideas, Susan Walker the relationship between housing and women’s role in Classical Greece; Denise Arnold looks at matriarchy and the importance of women taking the initiative for social change and Chris Knight demonstrates the importance of the communal role of women in early societies, which are al explorations in different directions, We hope this issue will encourage those women who feel isolated working in architecture to join us, for it is time women began to find their own identity in the built environment as they have begun to do so in other fields, hetragedyliesinhowweimpoverish ourselves as a s@ciety by not allowing women the opportunity to understand and control their environment. Who can tel how much of the barfeness of our built environment isdue to this fundamental lackofbalance. Webelievethatwomen have a crucial place in the contemporary worldof architecture and we have to see them take itup, SLATE 8PAGE S$ ee conclusion of a recent conference on Women and Housing Co-operatives. Called by the Seagull Housing Co-op the conference exposed many of the ways in which the existing structure of the Co-ops and the housing co-op movement fails to meet women's housing needs. DECENTRALISING Local Authority architects departments would be a major step towards the true accountability of building designers to the needs of local people concluded a national Conference called by NAM’s Public Design Service (PDS) group in Birmingham in early May.Such area design teams should be small and involve surveyors, architectsandengineersworking alongsideeachother,briefedSEeeConferenceargued,however,thatthisEsBUILDINGSITE2ANASS0CTATEBYSCREWINGCAN?TSTAND"THESE y or the first time the Government has been advised by one of its own bodies bodies to ban ceritin asbestos-based materials.TheAdvisoryCommitteeon Asbestos has recommended that it should be an offence to undertake work on another's premises involvong handling the materials, Materials to be affected by the proposed banarespayed asb and asb based thermal and accoustic insulation. Copies of the first report of the Advisory Committee on Asbestos are available form HMSO, price SOp. How AbSUROTS THe "THATGiRL2HAVE ANY ATA AL ABALiT STEVERSEEAWNBMARIONTA) This issue of SLATE marks the beginning of a conscious movement to recongnise and explore the potential of women in architecture, to acknowledge the prejudice which exists in the building world against the involvement of women and to seek out a true expression of their own identity. At the ’77 Congress NAM became tentativelyawareofagapinitsradical approach to architecture; that the ideas and experience of the women’s movement are as fundamental to the achieving of NAM’s group” we explore the alternatives both in aims as are those of the socialist movement, practice and in theory. The beginning of the and that they are intri ly bound togeth -the th icaldi ion is published here. What no one forsaw was that there would be While one result of the London Seminar so many people who would respond instantly (report in News from NAM) on Feminism with conviction to a feminism and and Architecture was to make us state architecture group. The bringing together of positively our commitment to practical these people has been one of the exciting 7 NuUNA ee | |Toioric 70 ALLOW WOMEN “To Stuly ARCHITECTURE,THEYREOWL LOOKING FOR A HUSBAND GQOURSESHEONLYGor7GE THe 6055 failed to understand that itisonly by work- -ing within the women’s movement and the Socialist movement as a whole to change the existing structure of society that such architecture can be possible. Pomen should be free to establish al- women housing co-operatives was one as One answer to the economic and unemploy- -ment problems of the declining inner cities and regions. The practical dilemmas which arise for socialists when groups of workers Propose coops in opposition to closures by private capital is the subject of the other Paper. Itargues that caution isneeded where State and other political interests are intervening to establish coops with the implicit intention of healing wounds and reducing conflict in the Capitalist system. Other topics which are being studied by the Regional Workshops include ‘The Role of Inner City Partnerships’ and ‘Planning and the Local State’, abrief analysis of the context in which most planners opfrate. |Further details from Box CSP, c/o 100 Whitechapel, Liverpool LI 6EN FEMINISM& ARCHITECTURE between the sexes in the practice of archit- ecture, a fact of which Iam personnally proud” and that “...the RIBA does not keep discriminatory records of the work of women architects”. This explains the scarcity of statistics, but those which do exist speak for themselves about the current position of women in architecture, 5% of currently registered architects in the UK are women. This is a bare 19% above the 1957 level, and the proportion has actually DECREASED by 0.8% since 1973, Is the situation changing? In 1977, women formed, 7% of al new ARCUK registrations: Of al student newly entering architectural courses in 1977/78, almost 16% were women, Compare this with UCCA statistics for ALL ful time students at undergraduate level (1975/76 figures) where, in the Arts, the proportion of women is 48%, and in Science, 24%. Tam not using these statistics to imply that women are discriminatied against in selectionforcoursesinarchitecture. It would be very difficult to demonstrate this even ifitwere true, and on the whole Idon’t believe itistrue. Women are discriminated againstlongbeforethis. WeARRIVEat the point of selection unequal, the product of 18 years or more ofa sodal condition- ing that does not encourage us to put a high enough value on the “career” part of our lives to warrant spending 7 years qualifying in order to fil in the gap between leaving school and haying kids. Any dis- criminationwhichmightbeappliedatthe pointofentry to the profession would in any case be pale in comparision to what has gone before, but would nevertheless, be particularly cruel for the women who happens to get that far. Imyself was the victim/benificiary of POSITIVE discrimination. At my inter- view, Iwas told (albeit charmingly), “Yes Ithink we'll have you. We need more womeninoursherryparties”, Which ties in with the second point Imade earlier, wherethAJfeounditnecessarytopoint out that women students in 1939 were hang- ing up “their own” work. Being accepted as an archi 1student is only the first step; The next isto be accepted as a SERIOUS architectural student. Now there As women, we face very particular obstacles to acheiving success in architect- ure, It is important that we get together to examine these obstacles and to make them visible to other women architects, to educators, to employers, and to the public generally. It is also important that we get together to examine what we mean by “success in architecture”. Nadine Beddington in her AD article, points out that “. there have been to date four women elected to (RIBA) Council . (and) two women vice would be raped in Mozanbique, fan Tod and Alan Lipman would probably be bayonneted in their backs in Botswana, and the rest would probably be quietly fed to the crododiles in Zambia, or would they prefere a gory sensational Uganda type death?:” Iget raped while the men get saved for the crocodiles. Sexism cannot be tackled in isolation, but only as part of a wider bigotry. It’s a man’s world... Even when qualified, of course, the problems are not over. Some would say they are just beginning. Straight from a school ing a letter from a group of us objecting to ofarchitecture astudent isyoung and inexperienced.If she isalso awoman, her problems increase exponentially. The part- ner, the teaboy, the contractor, will all be eagerly anticipating her first mistake. When it comes, as come it must, she will get some version of “what can you expect from a woman”, and youth and inexperience will not enter the equation. As one local arch- itect put it recently, we've had quite a num- ber of women working in our offices. Cer- tainly they tend to drop earrings down man- holes and that sort of thing on site”(Mr L. Mosely, PhD. B.Arch. FRIBA, Partner in H.M.R. Burgess and Partners, Cardiff speaking in a radio phone-in programme on architecture, June 1978.) Anne Delaney, a member of NAM and TASS and an ARCUK councillor writes about the problems women face in and after leavinga school of architecture. At present she is employed as a tutorial assistant in the Welsh School, where she did a Ph.d on “Professionalism in Architecture”. When the Architects Registration Bill was being discussed in parliament in 1931, one Labour MP had this to say: It is their great moment, for one day their schemes may find fulfilment in brick or concrete. Sex equality may give them thechancetheir arch- itect fathers have been waiting for, and a smash hit in the next compet- ition may bring them wealth and fameinanight. Sostiltheystrive, adding to the experience that will several points emerge. Firstly, what is this talk (in 1939) of “sex equality’? Secondly, why was it found necessary to point out that the work being hung by the “female alimni” was their own” (presumably it was not that of their “architect fathers”!), ARCUK investments in South Africa, the RIBAJ recieved the following reply from R.E. Cooper, Bulawayo, Rhodesia: but let it be remembered that the membership of the Royal Institute of British Architects numbers somewhere about 7000 architects, so that, by this Clause, complete power is given into the hands of that organised body of 7000, not merely of examination, but of moulding the carriculum and raising the standard of education so that no lad of my class will have any opport- unitywhateverofenteringtheprofession”. opportunitiestotraininthearchitectural Hansard. 17.4.31. Suchat accurate prediction of RIBA control over education, and such well- field. Aided ideologically by war p pagand to believe thay must “do their bit for the war effort”, and helped in practical terms But eight years later the country needed us all; the working class and even women were important to the war effort. The AJ makes its contribution to sex equality: “Meanwhile girl students play their part in the drive whilst training for those academic honours that will one day put aseal to their careers. At the Welsh School of Architecture T-square glamour looms large and the looms of near-graduate industry hum as never before. The female alumni have been hanging their own drawings for the exibition of the year. in the door of Portland Place. Forty years on without that ideological and pract- ical backup, how many women manage to Squeeze through? be their wavelength to sucess” AJ. 19th January 1939. Cut through the Pathe News prose and “T invite Ian Tod and his coterie to come out to Southern Africa, and see for themselves before getting involved in the politics of South Africa: and Idon’t mean the ‘whistle stop’ tour of two to three days. Although Ann Delaney When phrases like “sex equality” were being bandied about in 1939 it was true that a few women were being offered placed concern about the class composition by the sortof childcare and communal cater- may well be women whose sole purpose of architects should not go unremarked: ing facilities it sudenly and miraculous! neither should the assumption that concern became possible to provide at that time, a need only be expressed for the “lads” of the few women squeezed through asmall crack working class. in entering a schooolf archi is to look for a husband; there may well be women whose career ambitions stop at designing loft conversions from home dur- ing the children’s school hours; theremay well be women fired by the belief that their contribution to humanity will lie in designing the perfect kitchen. I haven't met any of those women myself, but they may well exist. The problem is,how can the rest of us begin to get taken seriously? «ust women who haye been througn a schoolofarchitecturewilknowwhatit feels like to have a scheme that would ben- efit from good constructive criticism, and to to get nothing but a pat on the head anda “very nice, dear”. In the 1975 degree Any statistics I give are going to be sketchy since women have until very recently been invisible in RIBA statistics, “Women in Architecture” has been a non-problem for the RIBA, as Nadine Beddington (RIBA councillor and one of four women on the 67 member ARCUK Council) iskeen to point out. In the “Women inArchitecture” issue of AD (August 1975) Ms, Beddington Stressed that “‘....the RIBA as anInstitute } 4 has never found it necessary to differentiate eee resultsforuniversityschoolsofarchitecture, SLATE 8PAGE 6 SLATE 8PAGE 7 in UK university departments of “engineering, presidents”. Is this what we mean by technology, architecture, and other profes- sucess? sional and vocational subjects” (GC 1975) Iam not seeking to increase simply the show that 100% of professors, 99% of readers NUMBER of women architects. Iam seek- and senior lecturers, 97% of lecturers and assistant lecturers, and 88% of “other” aremen. A quick scan of the staffs of university schools of architecture in the UK (Commonwealth Universities Yearbook 1977/78 reveals agrand total of8women (2%oftotalstaff). Ofthese,threearearch- servicewhichshouldbeavailableto itects. ing to increase the number of women architects who, in NAM’s words, “ are committed to radical change in the relation- ship of the profession to the public, and within the profession itself” and who consider that “architecture isapublic all sectors of s6ciety.” But even the life ofa “radical” woman architect is no bed of roses. After publish~ the proportion of men and women students in most degree catagories is very similar - except for the First Class Honourscategory, which contains almost 5% of men students (28 out of 603) and less than 1% of women students(ONEoutof110). Itseemsthat to be a good woman architect you need to be very good indeed. This tendency is not made any better by almost total absence of women in a position to affect teaching in a school of architect- ure, Figures for teaching and research staff [LFEMINISM &ARCHITECTURE ,e that makes us human —is actually the product of a social revolution which, w) itwaslargelycompleted 40,000 yearsag bears some remarkable structural similar. ities to the new process of technological and social revolution engulfing us all to. day, It puts paid to the theorythat ‘no revolution can change human nature’ by showing that everything human about our ‘nature’ was precisely the product of that immense social revolution in which our species was born. A form of ‘pop-anthropology’ (the boo! of Robert Ardrey, Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox are good examples) asserts that early humans must have organised themselves insomethinglikethemannerofbaboons, Yet when we examine the social lives of baboons and macaques, it appears that the very traits which primitive cultural ‘taboos’ above all rule out in social behaviour, these creatures indulge in to the full. Whereas human kinship systems strictly forbid a male from becoming the sexual rival of his father or mating with his mother or sister, young baboons quite regularly come into direct and open sexual conflict with their ‘fathers’ and often end up displacing them as the sexual partners of their ‘mothers’ and/or ‘sisters’. Among baboons and macaques, sexual relations are set up on a kind of ‘private property’ basis. The strongestmales,onthebasisofamoreor less violent free-for-all, end up with al the females (the biological ‘instruments of production’)belong,withtheiroffspring, to a few dominant males. All primitive kinshipsystems,ontheotherhand,func- tioncentrallytoruleoutsuchasexual A MARXIST-~STRUCTURALIST VIEW OF THE GENESIS OF CULTURE ins of Woman ir kinswomen's their Chris Knight isaresearch student working on human origins in the Anthropology Department, University College, London. He has also been collaborating in research into the social logic of spatial organisation under Bill Hillier at the Unit for Architectural for ‘when the chimpanzee with the desired Studies, Bartlet School of Architecture and tems bisected in this way are known as aye Grameen ual systems aie usually matri- Planning. food sees this request he runs off with the prizedpossession’(Fouts1975:380). Each animal is simply too egotistical - too wrapped up in its own private wants and desires-foralinguisticsystemtobeable to ‘work’. This individualism precludes the possibilityofanything cultural emerg- Kinship-rights are meal/meat-sharing rights. Men do have such rights on their own side. They do not have them on the other side. They havenosex-rightsontheirownside. They have sexual rights on the other side. biologicaloranatomicalaspectsofhuman evolution have been cleared up, the more puzzling have the social and cultural aspects seemed. Some of us in the Anthrop- ology Department at University College, London, now believe we may have made a be done. The same applies to kinship taboos’arealabout.Theyexpressthefact that people ‘belong’ to one another in an ultimately collective, social way ~ not as the private possessions of egotist- ical, dominant individuals (usually male). Finally, whilst baboons and macaques rival each other in a competitive free-for- al for food, al primitive kinship systems eliminate competition and enforce food- sharing and exchange, Far from being the same,baboon-likesystemsofdominance and primitive kinship systems bear an inverse relationship toeach other. The an- thropologistsMarshallD.Sahlins(1960) and Elman R. Service (1966) have long beeninsistingonthisfact. Nothingbringsoutthiscontrastmore clearly than a comparison of relations be- usbands whith to negate mate sexual dominance in general. Thesource of the womens breakthrough in the attempt to ‘crack’ this problem ~in principle, at least. It was really the origins of womankind on which the transition ‘from ape to man’ was based. GROUP oF ee PERIPHERAL traced until the limited number of possi ble Structural INVERSIONS fas been calculated and described. J{ (Left); lormal male-female It has long been recognised that the emer- genceonthisplanetofthefirsthuman iveagreementthatnoteventherudiments life-patterns represented a genuine social of culture are to be found among monkeys 9 fone| thatParonelittlecompetitionforspaceorfear MEAT gor of predators) approximate closely @this. Bé or apes. And this in turn was revolutionofsomekind(Sahlins1960; likehominidancestors whyourape- i 2 ee arem system. NEGATIVE: sexes gt intoallechivepolar-oppositegroups lominance Hockett and Ascher 1964; Holloway 1969). Despite the fact that human brains are little more than magnified versions of those of chimpanzees, the things which humans are capableofagreeinguponandcollectively constructing (dwellings, living arrangements, kinship-systems, linguistic structures and SO on) seem to havea life of their own of which there are no traces whatsoeveramong monkeys or apes. Despite their considerable ‘intelligence’,chimpanzeesarealmostin- capable of joint action or stable agreements between themselves (Reynolds 1976: 67 197). Even when they are to use American Sign Language which individual chimpan- zees can very well use in communicating with human beings — the use of language collapses when the apes are left to inter- SLATE 8PAGE 8 social revolution had to undergo a are going anywhere Levi- Strauss himself) consider themselves to be Marxist in one way or another. Acc- ording to Marxist theory, social conditions determine social consciousness. After arey- olutionary transformation of our social con- ditionsonaworldscale,wehumanbeings will not only act, but think and feelin a totally new way. The chief value of the study of human origins is that it helps us under stand this power of a revolution transforming the very depths of human consciousness. It shows that Consciousness itself ~ language, reason and everything ANIMAL alpha males. Many ‘baboons (grouna-livi caelomety, PathetogetherseekingSafetyinnumbers,so Se SLATE 8PAGE 9 act with each other. Should one chimpan- zee say, for example, ‘GIMME JAM’, its partner (who possesses the jam) understands perfectly well what is being said. But this abstract ‘understanding’ is not sufficient lineal For ‘total exchange’ (i.e. complete sexual and economic interdependénce) to prevail, the rules have to be: ; The problem of explaining the ‘origins of man’~ the evolutionary emer- genceoflanguage,tool-making,kinship systems and culture generally — has seemed insolubleeversinceCharlesDarwinbegan ingamongmonkeysor posingtheissueinscientifictermsovera apes.Alllinguistic hundredyearsago.Themorethephysical,structuresarestructuresofwhattheprimat-free-for-all,Thisiswhatso-called‘incest meal-sharingrights,alwaysbackuptheseee ologistVernonReynolds(1976:xy)calls ‘action’ ~ by which he means behaviour which is motivated socially and guided by Teference to collectively- shared under- standings as to what should or should not disputeswith ezspRusberidsorpoorhunters.lti this counter posing of en as brothers against men Structures, architectural structures and al other structures of that realm of “the art- ificial’ (Hillier and Leaman 1973) which human lifeinitsdistinctive wer is the Sexual solidarity expressedin Chet control of the circulation of thens labour- produce. Primate and human social origins cannot be features is, It is because ofan incapacity for collect- MALES. MOBILE AND AIT] A e structure ts POSITIVE tn that the before human culture Nearly al anthropologists nowadays who thatinternalcore ionaay emnereae)ERouiie examples. ¢NEGATIONOFNEGATION: could emerge. (rightuptoClaude tweenthesexes.Baboonsocialsystems (and, to a lesser extent, those of chimpan- Zees) are extremely male-dominated. This Human society emerged only when Sroupsoffemalessucceededinane in erms, seeking the favours of the al ha male Potala But’when (in hominid levolution) HUNTING became necessary, therefore unthinkableS”o the froup haa to split into two a3 the sons” istrue of many human cultures, too, but in the early hunter-cultures very powerful mai rilineal and egalitarian principles were acti andamuchcloserapproximationtosexual reciprocity seems to have prevailed. The idea that women once held political sway isa myth, but it isa myth which contains an important element of truth. The import Point isthat women could say ‘no’. rom them whenever anew hunting ex- dition was required. Once this power ad been gained, prostitution (xe. com- were not passive, ever-yielding, They immobilized bytheir fearof losing their slow- movin arems, would have always-aV- tobefoughtoverby rival males. They had their own solidarity the alpha males, ailable sexual objects ofa sexual kind. Men who wanted sex ed sexual ma parity producing the idual system” (es above But“these are conditional on men’s maki gifts’(above al, game-animals) bptheirwives, omen share bitsmeat ee eir proehetes ¢ against’ men (who, nevertheless veer: Tsasmuchttheyloseashusbands), Mén,being dependentontheirmothers/sistersfor & ( P. 78 Jevesare united. Gibbons (wbho live in trees, so “HAREM?OFFEMALESWITHOFFSPRING,The ales compete with one another in sexual etitiveSpyeat favour-seeking) .dbee: Bolished. ‘hene er, the females s$aid No to the hunters in this way, their own mnale offspring helpede: orce this ban. onal. . Sex wi each (matrilineal) thing tooffer. Thseept: would have had tounite with the hunter-males: SEX AND MEAT FOR ALL. re Z imbira village (Brazil:Gé pilansy.Thessimplmestplest CeConceivable ‘and obably the most archaic nship tructure is-one in which es hfere) the entireCay, 1sdividedintotwo toe and vice versa. lt is the men who are excha between the two Brow PS 2 rging halves. Here the the Fast dndery the ‘people of women; lencriss-crossfrom Castto West fest fo East, morni. Bena thegame animals Becnef}Btheir wives Puls, but havi kirtship rights and ileal aring rights wi inswomen Bac on their ow St circle. Hore they may eat meat which by CHRIS KNIGHT. with the male hunting bands whils retaining the power to eSevuail n el Ih ine huSsbands have killed. a he PYTh Gp could not get it by rape or intimidation, nor content as well -rules aimed at the preven- bysettingthefemalesoffagainsteachother tionofsexualprostitution.Humanculture inthe‘no’alreadydiscussed.Neitheris byofferingfavourstosomewhilediscrimin- cameintobeingonlywhengroupsoffem- thereanyneedforaseparatetheoryofthe | Cae swellequippe roofis + ating against others. The female community as a whole had to be satisfied, or else there was no sex. In hunter-cultures throughout the world, a collective hunting expedition is preceded by a ban on sex lasting one or more: days, which it is the prime respons- ales had won the power, collectively, to indicate ‘no’ in sexual matters to groups of males. Then, when meat was short, the women could threaten a ban on sex. If necessary they could deny themselves alto- gether to the men until the desired result origins of language, or of economic exch or of cultural kinship. These things would already already have been contained wi the capacity for refusal discussion. Once could be expressed in the context described this would itself have been the first appear- ance of language, of economic exchange, o kinship and so on. The evidence is that the most universal and ancient symbol of ‘no’ and hence the symbol of al human life its- elf-was menstrual blood, but that isano story. The crucial point is that culture was born ina ‘red’ revolution. Both sexes were involved in it, but it was upon the solidarity of the materially reproductive sex (the liy- ing ‘instruments of production’ ) that the trangition to humanity was based. The par- allels with today’s revolution should be cle: as you" 4 yFe ibility of the women to enforce. One of the was obtained. Sooner or later, the men most interesting recent reports in this connection is that of Janet Siskind(1973: 233), who describes how the women in one South American Indian tribe combat hunt- ing-laziness among their menfolk: ‘The special hunt is started by the women. Early in the evening, all the young women go from house to house singing to every man. Each woman chooses aman to hunt for her, a man who is not her husband nor of her kin group... The men leave the foll- owing day and are met on their return by a line-up of all the women of the village, painted and beaded and wearing their best dresses. Even the older men will not face this line without game...” would have had to get off their haunches and hunt. The very situation would have produced a fierce solidarity amongst the women. Any individual woman trying to ignore the ban would quickly have been reminded that her body was not hers alone to give. It belonged to her sex-group coll- ectively. Her sisters -once a ‘no’ had been decided on -would jealously have prevented her from seeking her own pleasure and breaking ranks. Her sexual value was theirs, not hers alone. All sexual morality began here. Male baboons cannot agree amongst them selves on anything. They are almost always fighting or threatening each other in some Inmostcases,thebanonsexwasliftedonly way,andatthebottomoftheirquarrels Lin, Wipeep, References ifthewomencollectivelyweresatisfiedthat lies,usually,competitionoversexualaccess Fouts,R.S.1975 thehunthadbeensuccessful.Rape,forthetofemales.Aslongashominidfemaleswere“CapacitiesforLanguageinGreatApes.’In TPS=Gatlin,‘Sh men, was out of the question: it was the women themselves who decided ‘yes’ or ‘no’. This seems to have been the most fund- amental of al the sexual rules of the ancient hunter-cultures of humanity. The women, collectively, had the power to say ‘no’. Part of the explanation for this power of refusal was a spatial one -in each commun- ity, the hearths and dwellings were arranged only a few yards apart or in compact clust- ers. The womenfolk were not isolated sex- ually from each other but formed a real community of their own, sharing the tasks of child-care, food-gathering, fire-tending, food-distribution and so on. Wherever hunt- ing was a highly-organised, collective, acti- vity this seems to have been the pattern. One archaeologist (Movius 1966: 321) has excavated the floor of what seems to have been a‘long-house’ 20,000 years old near the village of Les Eyzies in France. Many otherUpperPalaeolithic‘long-house’settle- ments have been excavated, including some of mammoth-hunters in the Ukraine (Klein 1973). In each ‘long-house’, the women folk-sisters,mothersanddaughters-would have had far more power than do women who are forced to live separately (which tends to be the case where male dominance is extreme), Female apes and monkeys lack the power or the solidarity to say ‘no’. Solly Zucker- man (1932; 233, 239, 285-6) noted long organised along similar lines, allowing them- selves to be used as passive sexual objects to be fought over by rival males, no enduring agreements between the males could have been reached. Solidarity between males de- pends upon either (a) their complete separ- ation from females or (b) the presence of females who have their own solidarity and who are, therefore, not going to allow them- selyes to be fought over individually as sex- ual ‘prizes’ for rival males. Among baboons some males -the ‘outcasts’ or ‘peripheral’ ones who have failed in the fight to obtain females -meet the first condition. These are the mobile males, and among our ances tors it would have been the counterparts of these who alone would have been in a pos- ition to begin hunting big game (the dom- inant males would have been placed at a dis- _Montagu,Ashley 1965 advantage when hunting became necessary, sincetheywouldhavebeenimmobilised precisely by their power -by their anxiety to guard their ‘harems’ of slow-moving fe- malesandoffspring).ButforaslongasthecnacianHorizonsattheAbriPataud,LesBaad co-operative male hunting bands were per- (Dordogne), and their Possible Significance,’ manentlyseparatedfromthefemalesex,the gern Anthropologist,vol.68(n.s.),pp.296- transition to human culture was ruled out. fh¢ The attitude of male peers at college was no more sympathetic, the women on the course being considered on the whole as mere decoration put there for the male students’ benefit. Such things as model- The ‘leap’ to culture took place only when the separation of males from females could be imposed, not by the dominance of a few ‘overlord’ males, but by the solidarity of the Reynolds, V, 1976 ‘The Biology sof Human Action.’ W.H. Freeman, Reading and San Francisco, : ; Working Women Susan Jackson, who is a registered architect working for the London Borough of Southwark discusses the difficulties of beingawomanarchitectina‘man’s world’. She previously worked in private practice for five years as an Associate. SheisalsoamemberoftheNAMFeminist Architecture Group and isBranch Secretary of the London Branch of BDS TASS. Sahlins, M.D. 1960 agotheparallelsbetweentheirsexualatti- femalesthemselves.Forthefemalesneeded ‘TheOrigofiSonciety’,Scientific Ameri Mostsecondaryschoolsdonot,intheir makingetc.weredeemedbeyondthecap- ‘careers’ advice service, include architecture abilities of the female students, and many as a possibility where girls are concerned. solicitous offerings of help were given. The Thestandardreactiontotheexpressedde- chanceforthefemalestudentstoworkas tudesandthoseofhuman‘prostitution’. notonlytoseparatefromthemales(whenSeptember,1960% Oe ‘protectors’. Theresultisthatsexualityis alternatingbetweenasexual‘yes’andasex- ‘TropicalForestHuntersandtheEconomy’. In Although female baboons are grouped to- forcing them to hunt ), but to unite with t gether spatially to form ‘harems’ under the them ( in order to obtain the sexual access Service, E.R, 1966 dominanceof‘overlord’males,thefemales andmeatrequired).Whenthefemalescould‘TheHunters’,PrenticeHall,NewJersey tend to compete with each other in sexual- ity, trying to gain favours from their male act in concert, periodically and collectively Siskind, J. 1973 sire ofa woman to be an architect is that the course is very long and that it’s a ‘man’s world’,Thecourseisnaturallyaslongfor a man as for a woman, but women are not expected to have career ambitions and collegeshouldmerelybeviewedasameans a group to produce a feminine approach to design was never given, and in fact the women tendedtoadoptthestanceofthe male student in being aggressive and ‘non- co-operative’ in order to be accepted at al bytheirmalepeers.Thefirstfeelingsof isolation arose then when the females sparred against each other, imitating the masculineattitudetotheirequalsthatpre- dominates in working life. SLATE 8PAGE 11 rules are sexual rules, and at the basis of alsexualrulesareruleswithaneconomic SLATE 8PAGE 10 for a separate theory of the origins of the incest-rule,foritcaneasilybeshownthat such a rule would have been contained with- Abst. Ream 1% since 1957. One is prompted to ask the question‘why?’ Personalexperiencehas shown that architecture is not considered yailed in many girls’ grammar schools in thelate50sandearly60s(andstildoesin many secondary schools today), when girls ual ‘no’, forcing the males to hunt for them and their offspring by placing a real social value on sex, the entire structure of human Gross, D.R. (ed). ‘people and Cultures of Native South America,’ Doubleday /The Natural History Press, New York, Compared with other professionals such as solicitors and doctors, the proportion of women in architecture issurprisingly low. 6%ofalarchitectsintheUKarewomen and the percentage has only increased by of finding a husband. This attitude pre- *cheapened’. The females make no collect- ive attempt to raise the ‘value’ of their owns sexuality. The earliest establishment of human culturedepended upon thereversal of this process. At the basis of al cultural come into being. There is no longer any need ‘The Social Life of Monkeys and "Ke culturalexchangewouldquitesuddenlyhave eas S1932 Paul, Trench, Trubner, London Tuttle, R.H. (ed.), Socioecology and Psychology of Primates, Mouton, The Hague, Paris, 1975, were encouraged to opt for teaching, nur- sing or university courses in the arts which more often than not resulted in them tea- ching on grad To opt for a ‘career’, rather than astop gap before marriage, was considered extremely unusual and was in many cases actively discouraged. Even ifthis first hurdle was jumped successfully the discriminatory attitude towards women as architects continued through college, ca with in my own experiencea tutor refusing to assess mine and another woman's work as he considered our presence on the course irrelevant. Hillier, Bill and Leaman, A. 1973 ‘Structure, System, Transformation: Sciences of Organisation and Sciences of the Artificial.’ Transactions of the Bartlett Society, vol. 9, PP. 36-77, Hockett, CF. and Ascher,R. 1964 “The Human Revolution.’ Current Anthropology, vol. 5, pp. 135-167. Holloway, R.L. 1969 ‘Culture: A Human Domain.’ az Current Anthropology, vol. 10, pp. 395-407. Klein, R.G, 1973 ‘Tce-Age Hunters of the Ukraine’ Ty oN A i University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London. "The Human Revolution’ WorldPublishingCo.,ClevelandandNewYork. N a profession women should embark on without expecting to make exceptional sacrifices in femininity and the stereotyped female ‘ambitions’ such as marriage and ‘family life’. Movius, H.L. 1966 ‘The Hearthe of the Upper Perigordian and Aurig- i ) hae . a: if CE APermabit 60 ct gaa At work it has’ been found that discrim- ination against women in the first two or threeyearsaftergraduation isconsiderably less than when the woman has been work- ing for some years and is attempting to increase her responsibility and realise the ultimate goal for many of a principal in Practice. In fact, many practices feel that newly graduated architects, whether male or female, are capable only of design work, butthisparticularprecepttendstoremain fixed in many men’s minds for the remain- der of the female architect’s working life. Women, being women, are expected to be totally incompetent as far as amassing and using technical knowledge. To some extent this is possibly the fault of the colleges in not concentrating on and giving students the opportunity to take practical steps to learn technical skills i.e. by working on building sites, with Clerks of Works, Engi- neers or Building Contractors. There is the feeling amongst women architects that they are in a position to com bat the istic ion of archi to builders and vice versa because of their less aggressive attitude and the fact that they refuse to accept that they are on opp- SLATE 8PAGE 12 osite sides of the fence. Coupled with this is the idea that a much closer relationship between designing and building must be instituted early on i.e. at college level by theprovisionofjointandexchangecourses. pointblank,thathewouldnotworkwith The opportunity for the student to work on a building site for a contractor and for thecontractortoworkinanarchitect’s office would go some way towards building an understanding on each others part, of the way the other members of the building team operate, This opportunity is very rarely realised and misunderstanding and conflict ensue. Aingusta : therefore superior to her, thus preserving their egotistic attitude of being the better architect; or the converse and act exactly as the men do by being aggressive and ‘mas- culine’,thusbeingacceptedasoneofthe “boys’ and by inference not a ‘real’ woman. Both these reactions take the direct comp- etitiveelementoutofthesituationand diffuse any overt male chauvinistic react- ions, but result in the men stil viewing the women, albeit subversively, as inferior. Immediately the woman architect openly asserts herself as an equal, particularly to her male peers, she elicits overt criticism of her capabilities both as a female and as anarchitect.Againtheattitudethatwas put forward at school rears its head, that a woman who wishes to pursue a male-dom- inated career issomehow unfemale -not a whole woman. It is interesting to relate here my own experience in a private firm of architects where yearly interviews were conducted by the partnership, with the members of staff, ostensibly to assess how each individual ‘fitted’ within the office structure. The men were asked whether they were satisfied with the work they were doing and what their ambitions were with- in the firm. Iwas asked whether Iwas ‘courting’ and ifso whether Iwas contem- plating getting married within the next year or two! My ambitions to further my career were not even discussed. happily be reduced and the work-load stil coped with. But this then touches on the whole dichotomy of reduction in the work- ing week equalling a reduction in the work ing wage, which a subject that should be covered more fully another time. A subject which is brought up frequent- ly at union meetings etc. now, is the pro- vision of nursery and creche facilities at places of work. This does, however, tend to be part and parcel of the same attitude thatwomen arethetendersofchildren, and the facilities would be there primarily for the working married woman who wishes to have a full-time job and stil look after thechildren.Thewholequestionofjob- sharing in child-rearing has not been touch- ed and should be discussed further. The prevalentviewisstilthatthemanisthe bread-winner and the woman works merely tosupplement hisincome. This isaview that must be changed completely in order for women to be accepted, particularly after they are married and have children, as equal to men. One way of overcoming the problems of ‘family’lifeisbywomenworkingcollect- ively. There have been instances of al wo- men practices where the child-care has been shared by the architects. The one reason why that particular form of practice seemed to fail was because the women were notin a position to ‘solicit’ clients to get more work. Men have the advantage, in the pre- sent architecural structure, of having their ‘club-land’ circuit to provide them with contacts that will afford them new projects. Women are denied access to these inroads to clientele and have therefore anuphill struggle to obtain work ofany appreciable size. In the present male-dominated busi- ness world women are at a distinct disad- vantage. Until there are equal numbers of women clients and until the whole business venient brackets to suit the present socie- tal structure. Many women today feel tot- ally isolated from their female peers and as a result feel intimidated by them, pro- ducing a competitive element into their social framework. As Chris Knight has said, Women worked together for the com- munity, they were the backbone and driv ing force of the communal village life, and for women to regain their consciousness as whole women and as equal members of society they must once more work togeth- er.Womenarchitectsareinapositionto begin making moves towards this end by questioning the precepts by Which the co- mmunity’s buildings are designed and in particularhousing. Theseparationoffam- ilies into individual units isolates the wo- man and prevents her from taking a ful partin‘community’life.Thelinesofthis defined space need to be smudged. Some- thing along these lines has been attempted in the provision of ‘semi-communal’ hou- sing for the elderly, but this has tended to be for supervisory convenience rather than the desire to provide more socially accep- table living space in the community. Theroleofwomen asbuildingusers must be looked at more closely than just whether the housewife can supervise the children at play while she incessantly washes up. Each time awoman architect designs living accommodation she must ask the question ‘why must al housing be geared towards the man who works and the woman who keeps house?’ Until the whole concept of housing and community struc- ture ischanged women are still going to be considered a secondary workforce and a mere servicing agency for the male popu- lace. It is perhaps questionable whether women architects as a group can initiate the revolution that can bring this about but they can at least make some ripples on the lake of male complacency. SLATE 8PAGE 13 Many female architects start their prac- ticallifeatadisadvantageinthatmostmay tea-makingetc.especiallyifthesecretary never have been on site before graduation, unlike male student architects who freque- ntly work on building sites in theirholidays during the college course, and have learned a certain amount about the way sites are run and the hierarchy that operates there. A woman’s initial visit to a building site as a job architect presents several obstructions that may take a long time to overcome. In al cases a lot di ds on the p iti involved. The woman architect has important letters to type; and being _ constantly teased about her femininity and her attitudes to sexist calendars etc, pinned around the office. On the surface many men can appear to accept the woman arch- itect as their equal but this veneer eventu- ally cracks to show the in-built prejudice that prevails within the profession. This attitude, of course, not only applies to credibility rating has a low as far as site staff and op- the hi profession butotherareasof eratives are concerned, particularly if she work that have hitherto been considered male preserves. is panied by her (invariably male) boss. She is frequently assumed to be his secretary and gets the statutory wolf wijs- tles and ribald chauvinist remarks thatare Many women architects who have been put into this position react in one of two ways. They either use their ‘femininity’ to the extreme by acting dumb, weak and sigely so that men feel ‘protective’ and levelled at any woman who ventures near a building site. There have been instances, albeit rare, when the contracts manager has stated, a woman architect, but on each occasion decided otherwise on being shown that a femalearchitectisjustascapableasamale. But a much more wearing situation exists for the majority of female architects, who have to bear the brunt of insidious chauy- inism, that manifests itself in constant sup- ervision by a male superior no matter how competent she is; being gradually shoulder- ed with ‘housekeeping’ operations such as ey os ae _ We The attitude of many partnerships, and indeed most places of work, to women get ting married brings up the topic of part-time working, both for men and women. In todays patriarchal society, unfortunately, the onusof bringing up children falls squa- rely on the shoulders of the women, work ing ornot. The instant reaction of many bosses to a woman contemplating marriage is one of ‘oh, she will soon get pregnant and leave to look after the children’ and is thenceforth discounted as a viable working force within the office. of ‘job-getting’ is radically changed, women architects will find it much more difficult to obtain their own clients than will men. The idea of setting up a women’s coll- ective design and build team has been dis- cussed at the NAM Feminist Group meet- ings, as there are now emerging special groups of women who require a particular empathy from the architect should they need one, which men will find difficult to provide. From these small beginnings wo- men architects will be able to put forward their own particular ideas and philosophies on the provision of buildings for women and through their efforts become accepted not as female counterparts to the existing male architectural profession, but as a sep- arate force presenting radical solutions to problems that have heretofore not been considered except from the male point of view. Strong feelings have been put forward by women architects that the whole atti- tude of the architect towards providing design solutions to certain problems has become stereotyped and that the ultimate There are very few offices that offer the opportunity for women or men to do part- time work, and those that do tend to regard the part-timers as less than efficient archi- tects. There is a strong case for salaried architects to push for part-time working for everyone should they wish. It has been Suggestedthattheworksituationbeingwhat usersofthebuildingsareslottedintocon- it is at present, the working week could Archie Tekt Women inAntiquity evidence from prehistory is wholly depend- eee FIG 3 Coloritow “HOUSE conn Lex M. values varied. Literary circles in fifth- century Athens paid close attention to the physical and moral distinction between men and‘women, Plato, Timaeus, V, J, speaks of the thorax as divided into two parts of greater and lesser value, as houses are divided into men’s and women’s quarters. If moral weight was attached to opinions like this, we should expect to see some physical expression of it in house design. Security was also a problem in a crowded city that attracted many foreigners. Xenophon’s strictures on the provision of a strongly guarded door at the entrance to quarters occupied by female servants Occonomicus, IX, 5 are directed at a wealthy urban householder witha large number of servants. But in smaller settle- -ments such as Priende, Olynthus and Delos, these considerations were not so important and it is hard to see them consistently reflected in the architecture. Susan Walker isaprofessional archaeologist whose interest in architecture and social Organisations stems from three years spent in Greece researching on Roman buildings concerned with urban water supply. She is currently working on a museum exhibition of daily life in classical antiquity with responsibility for cases dealing with women agriculture and country life, and industry and transport. It is very difficult to make a useful correlation between the design of domestic houses in antiquity and the role of women in societies of widely differing structure of which we havea far from perfect knowledge. Part of the problem is the lack of hard evidence: archaeologists searching for patronage have tended to concentrate their energies on the excavation of spec- -tacular ceremonial and civic centres at the expense of unprepossessing domestic quarters. When domestic housing has been excavated, it has usually proved difficult to determine the exact function of rooms we are dealing with societies that used, for the most part, portable furniture. How can we reconcile this evidence with the knowledge of the social position of women that emerges from the literature and from inscriptions? Because we have to contend with so many different social formations, with problemat- -atic gaps in our knowledge, it seems best to attack the problem within strict histor- -ical confines. Ihave chosen to discuss classical Greece here because there is sufficient evidence from a number of sources -ent on the data and interpretations of modern archaeologists. And they, for the most part male, have not addressed them- -selyes to the question of the role of women in the societies whose remains they so carefully examinec If no one asks the questions, the answers will not come of their own volition out of the earth. Once excavated, the site is lost. From classical societies we have a few references to the way in which women spent their lives, and more accounts of how men wished these lives to be spent, and we eRe JeE pee FIGS season and used as decorative insulation Where did they do al this? Xenophon tells us how Isomachus showed his house to his bride. “ the rooms were built simply with a view to their being the most advantageous receptacles for the things that would be in them..... The bedroom, being in an interior part of the house, invites the most valuable bedcovers and implements; the dry parts of the house, the grain; the cool places, the wine; and thewelllightedplaces,theworksand implements that need light .” The excavators of houses at Olynthus inter- -preted some large rooms as places set aside for household work: an alcove close | SLATE 8PAGE 15 —! | \ have figurative illustrations that support the verbal picture. These are valuable aids to the interpretation of remains on the ground. But their are further pitfalls. Most of the surviving evidence informs us of the livesofrelativelyrichcity-dwellers. In rural areas, women worked the fields as they have done throughout history. Representations of these’ are rare: one of awoman sowing appears on ablack- figure cup of sixth-centuary date and some terra-cotta models show agricultural scenes —this isamedium that was considered appropriate for genre scenes from everyday life. There, is too, a gap between the origins of our evidence. Literary, pictorial and epigraphic infornfation comes from fifth-centuary Athens: the best archaeological evidence comes from fourth-century Olynthus in “orthern Greece, Colophon and Priene in \sia Minor, and from the island of Delos. \ny arguments that are carried from one -ield to the other are weakened by chrono- -logical, climatic and social variations. The discussion must be based on the evidence for the role that women were expected to fulfil, and on other considerations that influenced house design. Paramount among these was the seperation of domestic and public life. While men went about their business freely, most upper- class women remained within the confines of their homes. There was a strong concern for security, not only of property but also of the moral well being of the female members of the household, both free-born and slaves. This concern isportrayed in classical literature and reflected in house design, Naturally, the strength of these J tobuildupareasonablyclearpictureof bsAtHiEmanufactureofclothandthepreparation the serious constraints on their liberty: it might be more encouraging, from a of food. They produced clothing for their feminist point of view, to study prehistoric societies in which women appear to have enjoyed a more active role, but the SLATE 8PAGE 14 do c 40 2e Feng) vi 3om. Fig 2, ROOMS WITH SQUARE *ANDRON OR MENS DINING ROOM. families and the hangings and tapestries that played an important part in the furnishings of a classical house, since they could by easily stored during the hot With due consideration for these values, and for the conditions of climate and street environment, ancient houses (like many more modern Mediterranean counterparts) tended to look in on themselves. (Fig. 2) They had few windows giving onto hot, quality that is often symbolised by a basket noisyanddustystreets.Entrancesoccupied onclassicalvases)someofthismayhave asmall proportion of the facade. Rooms were generally disposed around an interior courtyard that often contained the house cistern or well, Most courtyards were lined by a verandah on at least one side that offered a sheltered area for work or relaxation. In some houses, especially those in the country- -side, a tower was incorporated in the structure as an additional security measure. Household servants sometimes lived in these towers. Demosthenes, XLVII, 56 Against Evergos, tells us of an aristocratic Athenian woman lunching with her children in the courtyard of her house. She is surprised by an intruder who makes off with most of her furniture, which is her property. But the female servants manage to save some of the goods by barricading themselves with items of furniture into the tower room where they lived. (Fig. 3) Within the house, upper-class women were expected to supervise the servants, perform and/or supervise tasks associated with the during the winter. Xenophon, Oeconimicus 7-10, advises an active role in weaving at the vertical loom, in folding blankets, and in kneading dough for the mistress of the house who isinclined to ill-health through leading a sedentary life. (Fig. 4) The ideal wife was also supposed to see to the orderly organisation of furniture and property (a been their own. They were, besides, Supposed to superintend the upbringing of their children, who probably had more cpntact with the household servants. FIG 4 a o io mn o ~° wo ° B. AVENUE AVENUE to the kitchen (Fig. 5) could have held a vertical loom of the type that is sometimes illustrated on vases. Loom-weights, however, appear in nearly every room of nearly every house. Mortars were found in the kitchens, in the courtyards, and in the work-rooms. Grain-mills were set up with similar disregard for the appropriation of particular rooms for specific functions. Lysias, I, 9, suggests that women lived in seperate quarters on the upper storey. While there is some clear evidence for this from earlier Aegean cultures (e.g. the Minoan palace at Zakro in Crete, the Mycenean palace at Pylos in the south-west Peloponnese), litle eydencyofsuchaic hasoe a recovered from clasical sites. Itwou! however, have been easyy to segregate such quarters if they were only built over ‘it the rear of the courtyard: this might have beenthecaseatVariorOlynthus. (Fig.5) If there is no clear evidence for the seclusion of women in a defined area within the house literary accounts reveal that they were excluded from the men’s dining room or andron, a room that is easily recognisable in the field from its relatively generous proportions and rich appointements. (Fig.2) Spartaeesanextraorduiary statewhose HES i FigS saidthattheirstrengthwasthecauseof view with some rather loose interpretation. For the genoral backgroundse,e R. Austin and P. Vidal-Nagyet, An economic and socibl history of Classical Greece. 1977 — translated sources with ajudiciously sceptical commentary. W.K. Lacy, The Family in Classical Greece 1968 — useful, but beware of the term ‘family’ in the modern sense of nuclear family. On houses sce Jones, Graham andSackett, An Attic Country House (Thames and Hudson) offprinted from the Annual of the British School at Athens, especially p. 430-8 and D.M. Robinson and J. Walter Graham, Olynthus VIII: The Hellenic House (Baltimore, 1938). For useful lists of various paintings that show women performing household tasks, sce T.B.L. Webster Potter and Patron inClassical Athens 1973. Some unexplained examples illustrate features on the women’s moyement in modern Greece in the current issue ofSpareRib(No,71)Youcansetheminthe flesh in the vase rooms in the British Museum; these are currently being refurbished, but look in the galleries downstairs for a few examples, There are also grave reliefs from Attica that demonstrate the close relationship many women had with their personal maids and the nurses of their children. Women in modern Greece have not fared much better than their classical pre- -cdecessors, expecially in rural districts. See John Campbell, Honour, Family and Patronage, and Juliet DuBoulay, Portrait of a Greek Mountain Village 1975. Fig, 1 Worm sowing. Froma sixth-century blackfigurecup. Fig.2Olynthus.Bloocfkhousseswithinthe citystreetplan. Fig3 Qolophon, W. Turkey, House complex with tower Fig.4Blackfigurelekythosbythe“‘Amusis construct or understand. Spatial morphology defines and restricts social patterns as well as being defined by social processes. The social cohesion of the Sioux Indians was broken when their sacred circles of tents were replaced with rectangular houses in straight lines in the same way as the tight-knit communities of of the East End of London. The social consequences on the mount- ain people of Colin Turnbull when they were removed from their usual environment were disastrous. So, far, the womens liberation move- ment has tended to concentrate on womens role in the world of production. ‘Western womensliberationhasbecome associated with the right to work. = This has produced a home, work dichotomy and splits male and female to opposite sides of the economic spectrum: men have become associated with production, and women as managers ofa consumer support system. Women even in the profession have found it difficult to compete with men. They are stil regarded as managers of the domestic support system, and womens work there is seen as invisible and unpaid. Women have not had wives. This split of home and work away from exchange value labour is characteristic of industrial society. _Itisnot primordial An african women stil manages a large part of the economy of the entire society athome. You would not ask her to ‘go out to work: She participates in the handicrafts,agriculture,commandsthe transformatory processes, turning the energiesweredirectedtowardsthe maintenance of a crack military force Children of both sexes submitted to vigorous athletic training; effeminancy in either sex was strongly discouraged. Spartanwomenwerenotedfortheirstrength totheirisolationfrommenasagroup, and good health; they were highly esteemed _ rather than (as in the case of Athenian asnursesbecausetheygavechildrena women)withintheconfinesoftheextended natural, unpampered upbringing. (Plutach, _ family. published periodicals and articles and held workshops and given talks on their work. She is an Architect and last worked for Solon Housing Association. Iwould like to continue what Chris Knight has written about the role of women in human communities past and present to suggest questions we may ask to define pointsofreferenceforadiscussionofa ‘matricentric’ viewof architecture. Ido not meantocontrastmatriarchywithpatriarchy. rawintothecooked,jierbsintomedicine than their Athenian sisters, and were not obliged to spend their days in sedentary household tasks. Some ancient writers held that they dominated men; Aristotle and Rome, Toronto 1977 — This is a collection of ancient sources in translation, with minimal interpretation. Sarah B. Pomeroy, Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: women in Classical Antiquity — awider Of the country house at Vari. Ishould like to thank Ian Jenkins for his helpful criticisms of this article, the comparison must be between rule and anarchy, between the presence and absence of domination”, as Bookchin has said. A criticism of patriarchy and its world view must of course embody the class struggle but it will seek to go beyond defining the world in terms that are western, bourgeois and rooted in a capitalist mode of prod- action. Capitalism and the ‘society of spectacle’ are late stages of the wider problem of patriarchy. Certainly, the town has become ....‘transformed into an SLATE 8PAGE 16 Sparta’sultimatedownfallasamajor power. As women concerned with house design and social organisation, we may legitimately ask ourselves whether the strength of Spartan women was not related Denise Arnold is exploring cultures, religions and settlement patterns with matrilineal social organisation to see their implications, past and present. Belonging to the NAM FeministGroupsheisalsoamemberof ‘MatriarchyStudyGroup’whichhas - todefinewhatmaybemissing. Lycurgus14 Theylivedapartfrom their SUGGESTIONS FORFURTHER READING husbands, who visited them secretly by night.Theyclearlyenjoyedmorerights Lefkowitz,M.F.andFant,M.WomeninGreece Fig.6Reconspltanranudcsectieonadcal “the very essence of the matricentric world isthatitvitiatesruleassuch......polarities ter Painter” Athens, ct. S60B.C ing. Thevaseisinthe Museum, New York. ing wool jitan Todayweliveinapredominantly patriarchal world. The lines of descent by bloodandpropertyandinculturalpropo- -gation are patrilineal, i.e. they pass through cannot be found between patriarchy and themaleline.Weusuallytakeourhusband'smatriarchyastwodifferingformsofrule, names at marriage and pass his name on to our children — our world is defined by his. Residence rules in our society are blurred but the husband stil tends to own the household property, and women are isolated from each other, and rear their children away from their mother’s, sister's and brothers, with one man in a nuclear family. A potentially unstable sexual pairing becomes reinforced by ideology and economic dependence of the women as the basis for the upbringing of children. Fig.5PlanofhousESesH4,atOlynthus A Matricentric View from the domestic realm. Our planning laws, housing acts, building regulations, mortgage arrangments and architectural education reinforce these cultural and patriarchalvalues.Itisdifficulttobegin raw materials into clothes, baskets and pots, andisalsoinvolvedinmarketing: Briffault has assembled numerous examples ofwomen’sroleasarchitectsandengineers, ‘The huts of the Australian, of the Andaman islanders, of the Patagonians, of the Botocudos the rough shelters of the Seri, the skin lodges and wigwams of the American Indian, the blackicamel-hair tent of the Bedouin, the “yurta of the nomads of Central Asia, are al the exclusive work and special care of the women.......the earth lodges of the Omahas . The “pueblos” of New Mexico and Arizona . are built exclusively by the women? Amongst the Pueblos ......‘when first a man was set by the good padres to build- ing a wall, the poor embarrassed wretch was surrounded by ajeering crowd of women and children, who mocked and laughed, and thought it the most ludicrous thing that they had seen that a man should be engaged in building a house’. The activity of housebuilding has become efficient instrument of production and industrialised and removed completely from consumption, (Choay) . “a great consumer the world of women, into the hands of market, a vast workshop, an arena for experts who may break up the last remain- ambitions in Haussman’s works, but the -ing kinship systems without realising that they are doing so. “These would-be male separatists have extended the sphere of themen’shutsthroughmonopolyo,f theperpetuationofaclasssocietydespite Inasociety,however,wheretheJomes- priestly, scribal, administrative, political and weapon-bearing roles,” (1) Our settlement patterns therefore give preeminence to the realm of the men’s huts, whether the office, the factory, club or pub, at the expense of the world ofwomen’shuts,andalpower,production, andthemechanicsofpatriarchaloppression decision making, and ‘ritesof life’, birth, learning and initiation, healing caring, sickness and dying have now been excluded dynamics of patriarchy are more far-reach -ing than the mode of production and this does not seem to the instrumental factor in major social upheavals, nor in the examples of a patriarchal takeover. tic mode of production is the dominant mode, where society isorganised around reproduction as much as production, and respects the ‘reproductive factor’ glossed over by Marx and other economists, then the nature of houses and settlement patterns wouldbeverydifferent. In the primitive economy, Sahlins has shown that the household represents the determinate mode of production with an SLATE 8PAGE 17 The totalitarian aspects of Haussmann’s work in Paris are well known but the implic- ations of architecture in restricting the form- ation of kinship systems, in social organisation are less well known. Women in mass-prod- uced housing schemes live in jspaces and environments which they did not conceive, appropriate technology and division of labour. Itsowninnerrelationsarethe principle relations of production in that society. How labour is to be expended, the terms and products of its activity are in the main domestic decisions. These decisions are taken primarily with a view towards domestic contentment. It is the ‘affluent society’, not of over- production, like ours but of underprod- uction and of desiring little. human organisation with division of labour andcollectiveeffortandparticipationin work and ritual, awareness of the human life cycle, body cycles and seasonal rythms. The womans menstrual cycle seems to have been a major factor in understanding and articulating these rhythms for survival, for understanding when to seek game in hunts and plant seeds with early forms of agricul~ ture, and for regulating human sexuality, lunar and solar calendars were integrated into the built form for primative time- keeping, together with manipulation of the surrounding landscape in the later megalithic culture to define the most important modes of the seasonal year.(8) It seems that our word ‘civilisation’ derives from ‘moon-experience’ because the settlement as well as into its social and religious institutions, The alignment of the town or house reconciles it with the axes of the universe. ‘The rehearsal of the foundation cosmogeny in regularly recurrent festivals defines the pattern of the seasonal year and its commemorative embodiment in the monuments of the settlement: (Il). how women lost the west? REVIEW OF FROM TIPI TO SKYSCRAPER This book, published in 1973, discusse women in architecture in the United States and is of interest and importance to anyone concerned with the subject in this country. eeTT eee ee REVIEW Doris Cole: From Tipi to Skyscraper: iPress Inc: 1973: paperback; about £2 75: obtainable from Compendium Bookshop, Camden High St., \London, NWI. The domestic mode of production has a technology of similar dimensions ....‘the basic apparatus can usually be handled by household groups; much of it can be weilded autonomously by individuals. Implements are homespun, thus simple enough to be widely available. Productive processes are unitary rather than decomposed by an el- of its inti lationship with hrough union invol ,pressing for body.(9) The collective of omen would define their own emotional and spatial needs. Menstrual huts were set apart from the main residential areas so that women at their ‘sabbath’ could rest and look inwards. The libertarian world view has always emphasised the idea of the autonomous household and the ideas of self sufficiency and asimple technology. The womens movement isbeginning todebate these issues in the context of the ‘ecological’ movement (ecology means di of the house) andof a critique of ‘Marxist economics closer integration ofinternal processes which ignores the question of reproduction with external environment. The evolu- (economic means the law of the house.) See also para. (5) and (6). As women have been removed from the part-time working or for creches at work or collective child care at home, but we must be clear about the positive aspects of the matricentric world ifwe are to see which are are genuinely ‘re-volutionary’ in Hannah Ahrendt’s terms and which are merely fo correcting and improving the situation upper class women found a chance to apply by attracting more women to the profession. their knowledge to the plight of the Doris Cole starts with an account of disadvantaged. However, these social services women’s roles within the frontier traditions were still considered ‘women’s work’, still emphasising the sexual divisions and it was only in the utopian communes outside conventional society that men and women were able to attempt to work and live together as equals, structures alike, to make the profession more responsive to both its own constituents and the diverse client groups in society. Historically, the American woman is conditioned for this role......" This book is invaluable as it attempts to place the involve- -ment of women in architecture within a social context, although it could have benefited with being linked to the fight for the female suffrage and included an account of how these more privileged women regarded the struggles of, for instance, the women in the garment industry. The main thesisof the book isthat from pioneer days women have been responsible for the well being of their family in the first instance, and thus ulimately the nation, which is something to be proud of. It neglects the question of women’s respons- -ibilities to themselves and their own develop- -ment in that sense. Of course, 1would not argue that these things are seperate but if oneif looking for astudy of how women operate in this profession, this book fals aborate division of labour so that the same interested party can carry through the whole procedure from the extraction of the raw material to the fabrication of the finished good. which existed up until the end of the C19th as part of the westward expansion of the settlers from the Atlantic coast. The nomadic and rural life was shared by both pioneers and Indians until the spreading urbanisation destroyed them. She argues that in both cultures women were active contributors as the conditions of existence were too marginal to support any idle group. receive a formal architectural training, ‘productive’ processes of life, so men have been removed from the realities and emotions death, and so on would be reintegrated of the ‘reproductive’ processes, of birth and into the domestic realm. Would they also Vol. 1p. 443-45 (4) Sahlins, Marshall. 1972 “Age Economics" of women through the collectivisation of alienatedlabour’.(7) If we attempt to define a matricentric view of architecture we must take al these things into account. Chris Knight has written about the importance of the collec- tive of women in early human societies. Recent archaeological work has shown that from a very early period in the Palaeolothic thereisevidenceofstabilityofsettlements, far more highly developed among the SLATE 8 PAGE 18 Matrilineal households tend to be larger and require higher ‘space standards’ than patrilineal societies (10), there iscommunal cookingandablurringofboundariesbetween References between inside and outside, public and privatespheres. Theretendstobegreater I ledge of natural ph ja and (1) Paton, Keith, 1978 “Which Way Home” PaperstotheWorldCouncilofChurches (2)Reuther, Rosemary. 1976 Talk given to the SCM Conference inManchester 1976 (3) Briffault, Robert, 1972 The Mothers, ‘London Hardly any women entered the field of professional architecture, partly because of the restricted opportunities for them to tion of culture may require the external- isation of internal processes but does it form a sane society? With a matricentric view, the rites of passage of life, birth, London, George Allen & Unwin 3 volt, She maintains that the Indian women were the architects of their communities, often designing and constructing dwelling units, as well as designing and producing related objects such as blankets which determined their wealth. Women also designed, fabricated, erected and owned the tipis which were remarkably adapted to the lives of the Indian communities. cultural preservers The role of women in architecture was which were mainly due to ingrained social prejudices. Itwas not until 1916 that a school of architecture for women was started, almost inadvertedly by Henry Atherston Frost, a young instructor at the Harvard School of Architecture. Ihave said ‘not until’, but in comparision with the situation in Britain it was really remarkably early. The history of the Cambridge school forms a very intriguing part of the book with a description of Frost's short of expectations. It makes references approach to design and constructiont,he be reintegrated into the built form? The earliest cities often acted as total mnemonic symbols. (memory systems) London Tavistock Publication Ltd. 1974 (5) Delphy, Christine. 1970 “The Main Enemy, @ materialist analysis of Women's Oppression” childhood. Present alternatives such as Marxism, far from liberating women, has abandoned the female realm altogether in favour of the male realm of alienated labour. The citizen througha number of bodily (6) Conference of Socialist Economists pamphlet In Ruether’s words itis-‘the emancipation 2»,ercises such as procession, seasonal festival: No, 2. on the “Political Economy of and sacrifices identifies with the sense of Women” 1977 placeofthetown,withitspastandpresent. (7)Reuther,R.ibid. integration of land design, isi Indiansthanamongthepioneers,although policy,andthewayinwhichaveryhigh to on the suitability of the su studyofdomesticarchitecture,ofa‘feminine taste’ and refers to ‘this female attitude’, also quoting Frost as saying “ women seem to be as yet not as creative in their design work as men are”, but does not discuss the value of such statements. It could be inter- -preted as implying that these statements are true hecause of women’s conditioning. It would be interesting to see a study of how theworkandapproachofwomenstudents in schools today differ from that of male studentsandjudgeiftheirisanyvalidity in Erikson’s theories of Inner Space. However, that might be for the future, for the present, “From Tipi to Skyscraper is a fine and stimulating study which should prod us (and specifically NAM’s Women’s Group) into a good deal of solid discussion and research. SLATE 8 PAGE 19 It is a process both concilitory and integrative. Rykwert’s conclusions from his examination of early Greek and Roman towns reinforce these ideas. The acting out of the foundation (10) Ember, Melvin, 1972 An “‘Anrchaelogical of any settlement (or temple maybe, even a mere house) becomes the dramatic represent- ation of the creation of the world or the Indicator of Matrtlocal versus Patrilocal Residence, U.S.A. American Antiquity, Vol. 38 Nos.2 1973 humanbirth.Thisdramaisintegratedinto (11)Rykwert,Joseph1970“Theideaofa Town" London Faber and Faber 1976 As we seek to end alienation at work and to and to ity in our work- ing domestic lives we may look to anthro- pology or to the distant past for examples Civil War, women from the Northern States set up the US Sanitary Commission (1861) went to the front line to inspect and super- -vise the choice of sites and to enforce healthy conditions within the camps. Those women’s experiences in the war gave them confidence in their abilities in that larger domain which many of them longed “Both women and men architects are confronted today with this choice: they can continue to support, by becoming part of, the office pyramids until the architectural profession is so weakened in purpose that it looses its value to society. (And this has already begun to happen ), or they can attempt the difficult alternative of restruct- of alternative possibilities before us. may explore new kinship groupings or be forced like the battered wives to rediscover the benefits and trials of collective living. There will be a variety of paths to our goals, The study first documents the historic contributions of women in American architecture, secondly, analyses the under- -lying social and economic reasons for the present situation; and thirdly proposes ways for. In the industrial regions, middle and -uring the profession, schools and office ~ expedient or reformist solutions. London Women's Research and Resources Centre. 1978. Originally published in France in 1970 (8) see Dames, Michael. 1978 The Avebury Cycle. London, Thames & Hudson. 1978 (9) Shuttle, P. and Redgrove, P. 1978 “The pioneer women were also trying toprovide more confortable and healthy houses and communities. However, as the frontier closed their ‘proper social role’ became confined to the home and church, and they were given the role of ‘cultural preservers’ by men, They turned their mindsto‘domesticscience’which included “architectural style, good taste, economy, physical and mental health, supervision of workers, structure, site selection, heating and ventilation, plumbing furniture design and fabrication; and of course, efficient plan arrangements.” These women were grappling with the current technological and social innovations while the men were discussing styles of architecture. At the same time, that women like Catherine Beecher were dedicating them- -selves to transforming domestic duties into the profession of domestic science, others like Harriet Stowe went beyond their own homes. Many women found that they had to go out to work for the money and chose teaching, social science and nursing. Seeing the havoc of the proportion of graduates managed to combine marriage and professional work. an unfulfilled dream In 1942, Harvard’s Graduate School of Design opened its doors to women and the Cambridge School was closed. Doris Cole conclued this section of the book with “Theideaofaschoolofarchitecturesolely for women is perhaps out of date, nor was itthefinalaimoftheCambridge School; but the School’s aim of encouraging women in architecture is stil an issue and a dream that has not been fulfilled.” The most relevant part of the discussion takes part in the final chapter of the book which examines the role of women architects today and the way in which women have moved outwards from domestic architecture to handling building projects of al types. However, the actual carer prospectsfor women have not improved; indeed, women are more disadvantaged compared to men than they were 30 years ago. Doris Cole discusses the current re-evaluation of the proper concerns of architecture and the office structures and hierarchies in which most architects work. Wise Wound” London Gollancz 1978 Reading Urban History Progress emerged, in response to those fears, several discrete specialisms, Urban, econ- omic, industrial, social, army and navy histories took their place alongside polit- ical history as distinct subjects in their own right. [11] : Furthermore, historians themselves had to face a profound conflict, The idea of progress which had underpinned the validity of their moral judgements no longer appeared satisfying or respectable, Ithad become tainted with historicism. (the beleif that social and cultural phen- omena are determined by history). Oh the other hand, without any alternative, there was a danger that history would be vulnerable to an invasion by sociology orMarxism orboth. In 1944, Butterfield pleaded for a return to the old methods “Those, who perhaps in the misguided austerity of youth wish to drive out the Whig interpretation are sweeping Facts According to EH Carr, “history is a record of what one age finds worthy of note in another” [1]The facts of history are thus simply those facts which historians have selected for scrutiny. The process of selection itself is dependent on the goals of the historian and his society. Few nineteenth century historians considered that there might be a dichotomy between facts and interpret -ations. The role of history was to establish the facts. The collection of historical facts was assumed to be a similar venture to the accumulation and classi- -fication of physical and biological data undertaken by scientists of the same period. Historical facts were believed to be analogous to the facts of natural science. That is to say, they were verifiable empirical realities. Historians therefore undertook the enormous task of assembling facts in the belief that when their work was complete a definitive history would be the result. The historians’ approach also coincided with the positivist methodology of the natural sciences which maintained that hypotheses would rise automatically from a study of facts .Scientific explanations consisted of a collection of chainsofcauseandeffect.[2] has pointed out to the editor of IBP Bulletin (not Peter Murray) itis amusing, if not frightening, to see how the reporting in the journalists’ in-house sheetis just as one sided as the stuff they tum out for public consumption. And what happened to the event in the other papers? It may not have been as exciting as the latest press release from the RIBA or some Government department but then how often are the informers and formersofprofessional Opinion subject to scrutiny and discussion in public? Once is obviously too often as far as the architectural magazines are concerned. “The historians interpretation of the past, his selection of the significant and the relevant, evolves with the prog- ressive emergence of new goals, Whilst the goal appeared to be constitutional liberties and political rights, the hist- orian interpreted the past in constit- utional and political terms. When economic and social ends begin to replace constitutional and political ends,historiansturntoeconomicand progress,themainstreamofBritishhist- bypartsofthepaperwhichsaid.well, fromthisyear’sRIBAConference In short, it was the empirical approach which refused to recognise that a theory must be implicitly assumed in order that certain facts should be selected instead of others: SSE social interpretations of the past” [9] By the second half of the nineteenth century the continuing growth of popul- ationin uready crowded cities and the fear of a breakdown inmorality health and of the social order itself, led intell- ectuals to become preoccupied with the working class as a social problem. This in turn led to three main approaches, The first was a reaffirmation of the values of individualism, stressing the role of self- help, philanthropy and education. The second approach, that favoured by the Fabians and social imperialists, attacked laissez-faire capitalism because of its inefficiency and waste. Itargued for greater state involvement, comprehensive and disinterested central government, and greater colonial exploitation. The third approach, the “new liberalism” as Stedman Jones calls it, combined both approaches and advocated a form of welfare state linked to compulsory self-help. All three approaches shared the common trait of linking social theory to detailed propo- Sals for social reform [10] Up to the first world war, however, it was stil difficult for a British historian to conceive of historical change except as change for the better. But after 1918 Britain moved into a period in which change was associated with a fear for the future, * Where previously there had been one monolithic political history there now ory according to Stedman Jones[13] has remained steadfastly empirical. The new goal, it will be suggested, is social justice. In the next essay it will be argued that this is a necessary defence of the existing socialorder. © REFERENCES: 1, E) H., Carr - “What is History” 2. E: Hobsbawm -“Karl Marx’s contribution to histiography” in “Ideology in Social Science” ed R. Blackbum p.266 3. G. Stedman Jones -“The Poverty of Historicism” from R: Blackbum p.113 4. H.J.Dyas (ed) -“The Study of Urban History” p 364 5. ditto ibid p.365 6. G. Stedman Jones op cit p. 97 7. ditto ibid p98 8. ditto ibid citing Charles Kinsley in 1861 they were about the close liaison between the editorial and advertising departments of the architectural papers. Phil’s analysis was obviously not far wide of the mark if the apoplexy it induced in several of the journalists present is anything to go by. Needless to say the meeting got no coverage in any of the papers that were referred to during its course, inspite of the little cohort of architectural hacks that marched up from the bar in the wake of the great editor, for al the world like a White House press corps that hadn't hada story for six weeks. But it did get coverage safely out of the public’s eye in a little journal called IBP Bulletin which circulates exclusively among the hacks themselves. This paper isthe organ of the little known International Association of Building Press to which they al belong and whose chairman isno other than Peter Murray. The article on the NAM meeting written by none other than Jan Vulture, a name for misogynists to conjure with, is only remarkable for its extended references to the Great Editor/Chairman himself at the expense, of course, of the prospectus intended to give a true fortaste of the event? Most likely. POOR ARCHITECTS? Another nail in the coffin of professioanl independence a few weeks ago when the RIBA accepted a£10,000 handout from the building materials producers. Seven big firms put up the money to float a special Trust Fund to “foster greater co-operation and mutual understanding in the world of building”. Half of the Trust Committee's members are nominated by the sponsoring firms, and for their trouble they are also getting free space at this year’s RIBA Conference to show their wares. Not bad going for the materials producers, who are, incidentally, economically the most powerful and monopolised sector of the building industry: not only do they get reasonably-priced advertising but they also have a say in how the money they have paid for itisspent. Itshouldn't be too muchof a surprise then that half of the Trust Fund has been allocated to help 50 ‘poor architects’ (the AJ's phrase) to attend this year’s RIBA Conferencewheretheywillsee,among other things, the displays of the seven philanthropic companies. Well. SLATE 8PAGE 21 “Those who tried to create theory out of the facts never understood that it was only theory that could constitute them as facts in the first place . Events are only meaningful in terms of the structure which will establish them as such.” [3] It may be noted that this nineteenth century resistance to explicit theories was still evident at a conference of British Urban Historians held in the 1960s. Many of the participants felt that hypotheses were synonymous with prejudices and argued that ,,“‘we are trying to empty out our preconceptions”[.4] Kellett for example insisted On the primacy of the facts: “Whatever we do must be founded upon an adequate block of promising’ source material . and this is what every historian must start from, no matter what instructions or thoughts may have been put in his head” [5] Judgement and Individualism ‘thehistorian,havingascertainedand marshalled the facts, could then proceed to evaluate the evidence. The values under- SLATE 8PAGE 20 -pinning the interpretations were those of the historian’s own society. Moral judgement was substituted for theories, which were regarded as dangerously speculative[.6] Closely associated with this was the belief in the free will and moral responsibility of the agent. EH Carr has suggested that since, in the early stages of Capitalism, production and distribution were largely in the hands of single individuals, the ideology of the new social order emphasised individual initiative: “History thus concentrated on the deeds of great men and the institutions which they created, modified or resisisted[”7’] Neither the subject of histary nor the historian were recognised as being products of their own societies. History became the study of great men subjected to the moral judgements of other great men, Charles Kingsley in his inaugural lecture as Professor of History at Cambridge in 1861 stated: “To tum to:the mob for your theory of humanity is about as wise as to ignore the Appollo and the Theseus, andtodeterminetheproportionof the human figure from a crowd of dwarfs and cripples” [8] ' The first essay in this series suggested that the dominant and most influential approach to Urban History in Britain is empirical, that is to say, it is based on knowledge derived from observation. It was contrasted with the ‘theoretical approach which is based on knowledge obtained by the conscious application explicit theories, The most important and well developed of the second is to be found in Marxist histories: The characteristics of empirical historiography were described as follows: a belief in the primecy of observable facts; implicit theories containing assumptions about the goals of Society; the individualisation of history and the isolation of the area being studied from other contemporary and historical events except by way of cause and effect. Empirical urban histiography itself evolved from the‘liberal’ approach to history which emerged in the nineteenth century. EE THE LIBERAL APPROACH Added to this was a sense of history as progess. Progress, that is, not only in the transmission of acquired knowledge and skills from one generation to the next, but as a part of ajourney towardsa finite destination, E-H. Carr suggests that this optimistic view which originated in the Jewish-Christian tradition was adopted and secularised by the rationalists of the Enlightenment. History then became progress towards the goal of the perfection ofman’s state on earth. It'will be seen that this has largely remained the view of many modern historians. Only the defin- ition of the goal is disputed. In 19th century England the goal was liberty and the rights of the individual (Kingsley at least did not equate these with equality) MURRAY BALLS AND ITS DERIVATIVES a room which cannot fong remain empty. They are opening the doors for seven devils, which, precisely bec- ause they are newcomers, are bound to be worse than the first. Whig hist- ory was one of our assets - it had a wonderful effect on English politics” Butterfield need not have worried, ~ Peter Murray, editor of Building Design stretched his critical faculties to the ful when he described a paper written for the SLATE committee by Phil Windsor as a “load of balls” at a NAM meeting recently, and then proceeded to threaten legal action against anyone who repeated the “allegations” he alleged that it contained. This petulant yet touching display of modern sensitivity, and moral contradiction, was prompted Despite the influence of the conservative Namier and the socialist Tawney, both of whom rejected fact accumulation, moral- izing and liberal variants of the idea of Ts this unfortunate little drawing of a room full of faceless architects taken 9.E.HCarropcitpps110-111andp.124 more positiveaspectsoftheevening's 10. G. Stedman Jones op cit p. 103 11, EH.Carr op cit p. 138 12. G. Stedman Jones op cit p. 106 citing ~ Professor H, Butterfield in “The Eng- lishmanandhisHistory”1944 13, ditto ibid p. 110-111 conversation. (see elsewhere in SLATE). Ms Vulture’s concluding platitude about how useful the meeting had been for the journalists there typically ignores thefactthatoverhalfthosepresentwere lay people who made, between them, the most trenchant points, but then, perhaps, she did not notice. As Phil Windsor SLUTWAC NEWS FROM of insisting on exclusive coverage of buildings they illustrate or describe. Fascinating though they were.the FEMINIST DESIGN AND BUILD GROUP PROPOSED PDS GROUP LOOKS FORWARD After the May 1978 PDS Conference and the publication of “Democratic Design” the enlarged PDS Group isnow trying to undertake further research. Most of the ideas developed over the last six months need examples and case studies to back themuporchangethem.Abroadquest- ionnaire iscurrently being drawn up. The areas we need input 'tolare:- a. office hierarchies and office democracy b. job architects working directly with users c,thierelationshipofjobarchitectsto departmental and committee structures d, the action of L.A. architects over finan- cial constraints and standards 2, the history (formation and growth) of departments .thepotentialforgreateraccountibility fyou could help us with information in iny of these areas or wish to help us in any way please contact through PDS Group, c/o 5, Milton Ave London N.6, post part one (year out) architecture student required to work in small inner city community practice in Birmingham. Starting salary:£2500pa. apply in writing to: B.U.D.A, Lozells Social Development Centre, 173, Lozells Rd., Birmingham B19 1HS tel. 021-554 3278 | special C) otier! A free copy of the NAM Handbook to al new NAM members. if you’ve decided not to join NAM. ORDER FORM toNAM9,PolandStreet,London,W.1. PleasesendmeacopyoftheNAM Handbook to Name . Ienclose S0p; —_—__ SLATE 8PAGE 22 [iytouwouldTiketboeamemberoftheNewArchitectureMovementflIntheformbeloawndmad} ittogether with acheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00(if | you're employed) or £2.00 (if you're are student, claimant or OAP) to NAM at 9, Poland Street | London W.1. | |NAME. | SOp THE PRESS COMES TOA LONDON MEETING Threats of libel action were uttered at the NAM London Group’s third open meeting held in May on the subject of architectural journalism. They came duringa lively debatefollowingthepresentationtothe meeting of paper by the Slate Committee critiscising the dependence of the trade journals should be taking up. The Slate Committee expressed its preoccupation with the process of development design andconstruction,arguingthatdesign workers should become awareof the economic process of which they are part and the nature of work in the whole process of building production, especially on the site. This emphasis was countered by the critiscism that Slate neglected the critiscismofbuildingsassuchandthatit ignored the importance of the completed building in the lives of the tenants or workers who used it. Slate should redress this imbalance, and in so doing may well help promote a more relevent form of archietctural cristiscism involving more non-architects. The meeting was held at the Architectural Association and attracted an audience of about 45 people. It is hoped to publish a modified version of the paper in a forthcoming issue of Slate. 1978 CONFERENCE Cheltenham is to be the venue for the 1978 NAM Annual Congress, booked for the weekend of the 10th-12th November. Suggestions for topics, speakers, and workshops for this the Movement’s fourth annul congress should be sent to the Liaison Group, NAM, 9, PolandSt.,London,W1, Moredetailstofollow. E1979 The open meeting was set up to look at the position of women architects at work, because the group felt that this subject has been, and stil is, totally ign- ored by the profession as a whole. Thegrouppresentedapaperwhich covered the following subjects: 1. Women in education 2. Feminist approach to design 3. An historical study of sex roles 4. Women at work 5. Women in the building trades Duringthediscussionwhichfollowed it became clear that definite action should be taken to try and change the present situation, not only of women at work, but in the attitudes taken towards women in architecture and construction, 7.00 p.m: Wide interest was expressed in setting THE NAM press on advertising revenue, Presented by Phil Windsor the paper Future meetings of the group will be held fortnightly and will be advertised in the architectural press and Time Out etc. Contact: Frenas Bradshaw,14,DuncanTerrace, London, Ni 01-278 5215 Julia Wilson Jones, 48, Sutherland Sq., London SE17 01-702 7775 Sue Francis, 9. St. George’s Ave., London, N7 !01-609 2976 HANDBOOK ...contains information on al NAM’s activities. argued forcefully that because all the trade papers rely almost exclusively on advertising revenue they had to adopt conservative editorial policies and to support the myths of professionalism. Not so retorted an equally forceful Peter Murray, editor of Building Design, and proceeded to defend what he saw as the progressive editorial policies of his paper. Of the four other invited guests Crispin Aubrey, news editor of Time Out agreed wholeheartedly with the paper, describing how his magazine had recently increased its sports coverage precisely because it would attract increased advertising revenue. Martin Spring of Building and Patrick Hannay of the Architects Journal were more circumspect agreeing with the substance of some of the critiscisms made of the magazines but not the analysis underlying them. John Mc Kean, in a carefully considered reply asserted that much more room was left for manoeuyre by the editors before they actually offended advertisers beyond sufferance and wondered why the Opportunity wasnottakentopursue more progressiveeditorialattitudesof the sort Phil had mentioned. After the five invited guests had offered their opinions on the paper the detate was dominated for a while by the dozen Or so journalists in the audience who had come along either out of curiosity or solidarity with their colleagues as they fended off some penetrating questions from others on the floor about various aspects of their work. A favourite topic was the process by which an architect gets his buildings published, which lead freelancer Sutherland Lyall to denounce Poland Street, London W.1. |=wane the practice of some of the magazines allegations, denials and gossip exchanged between the journalists and, to alesser degree, regretfully, the rest of the audience, ' There was an excellent turnout for the did seem for a while to lead the evening into a blind alley. Fortunately few people lostsightofthepurposeofthemeeting and the closing half hour or so was spent in constructive discussion of the issues that 2. Perception of Space 3. History of women in construction 4, Feminist approach todesign 5. Education 6. Legislation The setting-up of the groups will be dis- cussedfurtheratthenextopenmeeting of the Feminism and Architecture group , to be held on monday 3rd July at the Architectural Association Starting at NAM Feminism and Architecture open meeting. About 60 people came to the meeting,mostlywomen architects. upafeministDesignandBuildgroupto take on projects specifically for women’s groups. |ADDRESS. | I | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fill in the form below and send it together with acheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement ) for £2.00 to NAM at 9, J SLATE 8PAGE 23 It is hoped to set up a series of study groups to research certain topics. Among the ideas discussed were: 1,Women & the press nn ae Anybody with ideas for the 1979 NAM Calendar, or who wants to help with layout, design production or distribution of the Calendar, please contact the Liaison Group, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1, Ane | their say GOVERNMENT policy on housing came under attack recently from North London tenants. At a public meeting called by four Islington co-operatives about eighty tenants got together to express their opposition to the system and levels of cost limits imposed on rehabilitation projects. Most important of the objections to the system was that it tended to force down standards. Insufficient capital was available for most projects and this resulted in the production of undersized flats with inadequate services, More important, some contended, was that essential repairs to the houses were neglected in order to save money. This caused serious inconvenience to the tenants when defects recurred and was also counter- productive economically as piecemeal repairs in occupied flats are expensive. All in al the co-op members felt that their future was insecure, Replying to the criticisms, David Smith of the Department of the Environment (DoE) made several unpopular assertions He claimed that the cost limits were not too low as‘only 15% of the schemes subject to them were actually referred to the DoE as being in excess of them. People expected ‘rehab’ housing to achieve Parker Morris standards but this could not be done. Besides, he said, the evidence that 80% of people wanted to be Owner-occupiers SLATE 8PAGE 24 ! and that space standards were 30% lower in the private sector, confirmed that Parker Morris standards were too high. The Government's aim was to spread the money “thinner and further’, Several tenants took up the question of the referral of projects over the limits and argued that the reason that the referral rate is so low is that Housing Associations are genarally more concerned with speeding up the devlopment process than they are with standards. They cut spzce, services and repair standards before submitting schemes for approval in order to avoid bureaucratic delays. That was why cost limits appeared adequate. Cost limits in rehabilitation are the subject of a campaign being mounted by the North Islington Co-ops. The public meeting was the second event of the campaign which was launched by a demonstration and mass lobby of Parliament late last year. Other questions raised by the tenants were connected with the way in which the limits tend to favour small units, why standards vary from borough to borough and even street to street and why access from flats to shared gardens is often impossible to arrange within the limits. Representatives from the Housing Corporation, the Greater London Council and Islington Council also attended the meeting. INSUE Co-op meeting called ARCHITECTURAL practices run as worker cooperatives are to be the topic of a special one day workshop planned for the autumn, Sponsoring the workshop are the Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM), the London Building Design Staff Branch of the union TASS and certain of the unattatched councillors on ARCUK. ICOM would like to hear now from workers in any practices that are already run as worker cooperatives or which have ambitions to become cooperatives. Contact Dave Marshall, ICOM, 31, Hare St., London, SE18. NENT Private sector interests in the building industry are mounting a massive campaign to vitiate the idea of the nationalisation of the building industry. SLATE 9 examines the activities of The Campaign Against Nationalisation in the Building Industry (CABIN) and asks the question what would nationalisation really mean to the workers in the industry and the consumers of their products. Housing policy~ tenants have Also in SLATE 9, PartIII of John Murray’s series on Urban History. SLATE may be a very slick looking paper but we need money fast! Please send us your donations now! Cheques made payable to SLATE to 9 Poland Street, W1. SS Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July/ August 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/141ac8f3955ce7b7b2a6f6f950d54f4d.pdf 6513d262bfd0949b3f0d0a93b76137e1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 9 Subject The topic of the resource Direct Labour Description An account of the resource wil bes m C atpine TarmAc. Bovis | wll meey U he ie THE FIGHT FOR CONTROL OFTHE BUILDING INDUSTRY SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly and edited by the Movement’s Publications Group. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are inc- luded to stimulate general debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movements views and activities to the attention ofthe largest possible readership REPRESENTATIVES 4 network of 30 representatives has been set up throughout schools and large prac- al over the country. The only comm- it of each representative will be to receive ) copies of SLATE every two months and to try to sell 4 of them, return- ng €1.00 to SLATE Al this should help SLATE acheive a tar wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of rad- icals concerned with the industry and the environment WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more ' Camden comes down on Hunt- ley street AT 6 AM. ON WEDNESDAY 16th August between 250 and 650(reports vary) police, mostly Special Patrol Group, with riot shields, bulldozers, pickaxes and bailiffs evicted 160 men, women and children from flats in Huntley Street, London WC1. It was the biggest ever eviction of squatters in Britain and, more signi- ficantly, the first mass eviction since the introduction of the Criminal Tresspass Law in December last year. Thirteen people were arrested and later charged under the Act although theoretic- ally al 160 people could have been charged U.S. Cu ion indu reacts to uet a writers more ideas and more reps in order simply for building barricades. A court NAM’S FEMINISM AND Archit- ecture group haye been asked by the Policy Studies Institute to submit information on job opportunities for women and their general posit- ion in the architectural profession to the Equal Opportunities Commi- ssion at a meeting scheduled for mid October. A survey was carried out ten years ago on women in higher management and professional positions and a report was eventually published entitled “Sex, Career and the Family ”. Specific reports were then issued on certain of the professions surveyed but one was ot published on women architects. THE UNITED STATES HAS TAKEN a major step forward for sex equality |in its construction industry by prom- oting legislation which obliges emply- ers to take “affirmative actions” in taking on women. These regulations, drawn up by the Department of Lab- our, have already become effective and require a goal for the industry to ensure that 3.1% of it’s labour force force are women by the end of 1978 compared with the current 1.2%. It is intended that the goal will rise to 5% in 1979 and 6.9% in 1980. These prop- osals having not been welcomed by Assoc- iated General Contractors (US's equivalent of our National Federation of Building Trades Employers) who are quoted as saying that the goals are “unrealistic” and would occupy eyery place in their Bureau of Apprenticeship Training schares. Lea Wests C£ aS by An occasional publication produced by Students and staff at the Architectural Association aimed at giving a wider cir- culation to political economic approach- es to urban problems and policies. Issue no 1 contains a paper by James Anderson entitled “Engels’ Manchester: Industrialisation, Workers Housing and Urban Ideologies”. Issue 2 - “Building Capital and Labour” contains a paper by Chris Cripps on the historic devel- opment of British construction capital- ism and unions, a paper by John Rogers on current tendencies in the U.K. con- Struction industry, as well as the full version of Malcolm Bezant’s paper on P.E.L.A.W. summarised in this issue of SLATE. Both issues are available from Plan- ning Publications, Architectural Assoc- iation, 36, Bedford Square, W.C.1. at 75p each plus 15p P+P to produce a better, larger and cheaper newsletter. If you would like to work for SLATE: become arep.,jointhe group, send in articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon SLATE ispublishedbythePublications Group of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9 Poland St., London W.1. (Letters should be addressed to the Publications Group) Printed by Islington Community Press, 2a St Pauls Rd., London, N1. Trade Distribution by Publications Distribution Cooperative, 27, Clerken- well Court, London, E.C.2 Ste’, n., m., & vt. 1, Minds of grey, Diuish-purple rock easily eplit « smooth plates; plece of cuch ¢d ns roofing-material; pleco of it med in wood used for writing on vencit or small rod of soft~ (clean id oresclf of or renounce oblign- lack, -blue, -grey, modifications sua8cohccurin~;J~-<club, benefit society with small weekly contributions; -~-colour(ed), (of) dark Mulsh or greenish grey; hence slit’x? a, ou}. (Made) of ~. 3, ¥.t. Cover with~s .» (ME clate, fem. of esclat suatt) . hearing was held on the 21st September and has been adjourned until the 4th December. Coinciding with the first court hearing, Dutch squatters demonstrated in support of the Huntley Street squatters by attempting to board up the British Embassy in the Neth- erlands. Fifty seven demonstrators were arrested,heldinjailforfourdaysandthen released without being charged. fight for rehousing. Despite the arrests the Huntley Street squatters were not totally unsuccessful in their fight for rehousing. Camden Council has housed al families in permanent acc- ommodation and single people have been promised alternative shortlife housing. Unfortunately fifty people are stil waiting in a temporary crash pad squat in Fitzroy Square because the typists strike at Camden has dly held up di ingfrom the flats allocated to the squatters. Camden Council has also been prompted to recon- sider its policies for housing single people and promises a new policy shortly. Above al the squat has demonstrated that squatting can continue despite the Criminal Tresspass Law. As the slogans printedonthecorrugatedironafterthe Elgin Avenue eviction in 1975 said: ‘It’s not what THEY say but what WE do that counts.” ). Criticize acverely revicws), scold, rates ©. Propose for oifico etc, Hence 7 WITH A GUN IN ONE HAN D. Xl) n. (app. f. pree.} NEWSAYVAMANEWSKY staff association lacking ‘bite’ A FEELING OF POWERLESSNESS oyer the six recent redundancies at Sir William Halcrow and Partners’ architectural section has caused many of the 700-strongstaff association to question its effectiveness and ability to go beyond liaison on ‘safe’ issues. Halcrows is a large multi-professional practice of engineers and architects number- ing over 2500 persons.The six were selected, so HSA were told, on the basis of their low ‘performance rating’ (an ongoing subject- ive evaluation by the management). This criteria was used to trim Halcrows sails to the slim pickings blowing in from the middle east these days: Arab investment capital has been increasingly diverted to the advanced nations from their native countries and Halcrows commissions have declined in consequence. The staff have also been informed that their productiyity is below par although it was not made clear how exactly this had been measured. Complaints have also been madebyHSAthatsomemajorjobshave been farmed out to outside practices: they have been told that this isbecause these are‘non-profit’ jobs. The motives of the practices in question must indeed be high ! The 6 were al unqualified lower/middle grades salaried staff -a characteristically vulnerable section of the architectural labour force. Many have already left of their own accord and the round of goodbye parties has apparently began to take its tol, on the Halcrovians (ed- perhaps this adds a novel nuance to ‘natural wastage’). The upper levels of architectural staff are naturally subdued in their criticism of the redundancies owing to the fear of their own security -a serious consideration for the older staff. HSA has set up a working group to review it’s relationship to management and they are eager to take a more positive role in the practices’ future. Recruitment to HSA has been fairly slow (25% at present) amongst employees and UKAPE have also a 15% membership. Both feel hampered by their size- without a significant proportion of the staff neither is likely to acheive recog- nition and without recognition their appeal is limited. NAM ®group meets E.O.C. womens gq tas hesWg re Archie meets the SAI unattached news Monopolies Issue A delegation of representatives of unatt- ached architects met with the Minister of State for Prices and Consumer Protection, John Fraser on July 26th to discuss the implementation of the proposals in Way Ahead’. Also attending the meeting were government legal advisers and the Office of Fair Trading. The proposed fee system was discussed in some detail and it was explain- ed to the Minister that by abandoning the ‘ad valorem’ system and replacing it with the unattacheds’ proposals, a system of standardised elements of service and rec- ommended ranges of cost afforded a safe- guard to the public against unreasonable price increases and a check to the profess- ion against unhealthy price cutting. By combining the widespread overseas prac- tice of charging on the basis of the cost of the service with the familiar UK procedure of secret tendering, ‘Way Ahead’ offered | London W.1. | NAME ADDRESS. London W.1,| the best solution to the Minister's criteria of benefiting the public interest whilst be- ing non-injurious to the profession. The unattached stated that they accepted the recommendations of the Monopolies Comm- ission and that the Minister should now re- quire ARCUK, the statutory body, to am- end its rules forthwith so as to permit un- attached architects to freely quote their own fees. The unattached left the meeting confident that the Minister would no longer permit the Monopolists to persist in con- straining those who had no wish to perpet- uate the monopoly. Corporate Advertising Corporate advertising by the RIBA is to be strenuously opposed as itdiscriminates against unattached architects. Either re- gional directories should be published by ARCUK covering all architects whether employers or employees or if the RIBA goes italone the unattached representatives will recommend to their constituents to advertise individually. Limited Liability Unattached representatives are in favour of architectural practices being Limited Companies believing that the interests of the public and of employees are better pro- tected. Employees can gain statistical know ledge of the practice yia the Companies Act and the client would no longer be mis- lead into believing that practices liability is at present unlimited whereas it is limited by the level of professional indemnity. Education The unattached representatives are to press for representation on the BAE visiting boards and as part 3 examiners from which they have previously been excluded. AP) to NAM at 9, Poland Street | Discrimination inEmployment Opportunities Following representations made to the Registrar and an informal approach made to the Department of the Environment, the Local Authorities Conditions of Ser- vice Advisory Board with the NJC have issued a directive to al Chief Executives that membership of the RIBA confers no additional qualification and that advert- isements should only refer to ‘architects’, The unattached are now trying to ensure that similar advice isgiven to other public bodies and private practices and that firm- er action is taken by ARCUK itself. Since the RIBA ‘closed shop’ discriminates against the other associations in ARCUK the Councils of the AA, FAS, IAAS and STAMP are being approached requesting their support on ARCUK. Rule 2.5 and Spare Time Employment The unattached are trying to get ARCUK to issue guidelines to employers to the effect that they are breaking rule 2.5 ifthey attempt to prevent their employees from practising on their own account in their Spare time or entering architectural com- petitions. 1979 Unattached Election Persons interested in standing for the 1979 election to ARCUK should contact the un- attached representatives, c/o 25, St. Georges Avenue, London N7, as soon as possible. You must be a ‘registered person’ and ‘un- attached’ (i.e. not a member of any of the associations listed in Schedule 1 of the Architects’ Registration Act 1931) The present representatives have determined that their tenure should be restricted and that one third of the unattached councillors should decline nomination each year. DIRECT LABOUR below and send it together SLATEat 9,PolandStreet,| | | | | 2POLAND STREET LONDON WI [itvouWouldikeiboe memberoftheNewArchitectureMoveniearfilstheformbelowand ond? | it together with » cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00 ( if | SLATE may be a very slick looking paper but we need money fast! Please send us your donations now! Cheques made payable to SLATE to 9 Poland Street, W1. you're employed) or £2.00 (ifyou're are student, claimant or O, | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fill in ths form |withacheque/ordpero(spatyaablletoSLATE )for£2.00to LIFTING THE ROOF OFF CABIN. TWO VIEWS OF PELAW. INTERVIEWS: COUNCILLOR TRADE UNIONIST, WORKER taking the roof off CABIN In the publication Building Britain ’s Future the Lab- resents a ready source of public finance which achedarchitect,NAMmem-ourPartyoutlinedtheirproposalsforextendingpublicbuildingemployerswouldliketoturnintoprivate MPshavelodgedobjectionsintheHouseofCommonsproposalsdonotgofarenough.Toomuchempha- berandNALGOdepart- controlovertheconstructionindustry.Buildingem- profitandinvestment.Operationally,theattackwas Suggestingthattheircampaigncontraveneselection Sisisplacedonmakingdirectlabour,andtheprop- Andy Brown is an unatt- Although CABIN claim no political allegiances, their links with the Tory Party, who fully back their campaign, are thinly veiled. A number of Labour Many unionists feel, however, that Labours’ mental representative who ployers became panic-stricken. They launched the works for the London Campaign Against Building IndustryNationalisation spearheaded by the NFBTE and the FCEC. £4m was spent before itbegan to flag last Spring. osed National Building Corporation, competitive with the private sector and not enough on the qualitative and organisational benefits that could tesultfromextendingpubliccontrolovertheind- TheirnextstepwastofocusontheMaylocal withwhichtocampaigninsupportoftheirownfin- electionsand,onceagain,DLOsweresingled-out BoroughofLambethArch- (CABIN)andprovideditwithanunlimitedbudget itects’ Department. ancial interests. CABIN was set up by the construct- ion industry’s two main employer organisations, namely, the National Federation of Building Trades Employers (NFBTE) and the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (FCEC). Their stated aim is to ensure that the proposals never get into Lab- our’s general election manifesto. for particular attack. Most of their efforts were dir- ected at London where 5 out of 14 boroughs select- ed for intensive campaigning were gained by the Tory’s from Labour. This was to be, in the words of Sir Maurice Laing, a ‘practice run’ for a Tory victory at the next general election. TheseatsonCABIN’sdirectingcommitteeare1976[eWIMPRYeeTa) procurementagencyfordirectingallgovernment ais filled exclusively by big-shots from the construction industry’sprivatesector.Full-timechairmanisnone 1976|WOODROW _f2In contracts, which now total 60% of the country’s buildingwork. Another proposal, to take architectural education out of their assumed control and place it in the hands of the Qonstruction Industry Training Board must also be vexing the RIBA. At present, they are conducting a study of local authority architectural practice. It cannot be long before the RIBA are provoked into taking a pro- CABIN stance. other than Sir Maurice Laing, who is also chairman of the building contractor John Laing& Co. Other members include Peter Marley, ex-president of the NFBTE, Clifford Chetwood from Wimpey, Frank Gibb from Taylor-Woodrow, Bil Lindsell from Mowlem and, last but not least, John Armitt who has been ‘loaned’ by John Laing & Co. as permanent director. Six full-time staff have been engaged to work under John Armitt Building Britain's Future sets out a number of proposals aimed at improving the performance, stability and standards of the construction industry. They include the establishment ofa National Con- struction Corporation based initially on the take- over of one or more major contractors, a Building Materials Corporation to be formed by taking over certain manufacturers of basic building materials including fletton bricks, glass and plaster, all of which are currently monopoly controlled, a register of em- ployers and employees to be held by the Construct- ion Industry Manpower Board in order to help pro- mote better working conditions, safety standards and trade union organisation within theindustry, and the expansion of local authority direct labour organisations (DLO’s) with the introduction of in- dustrial democracy in their management structure. CABIN's initial response was to concentrate an attack on DLOs. This isnot surprising. Ever since substantial direct labour departments were set up, over 50 years ago, they have been subject to height- ened attack during the periodic slumps in the con- struction industry. Work carried out by DLOs Tep- 1972 1976 1972 {In 1976[LAING isa] PROFITS BEFORE TAX 1972 & 1976 £s millions Ee toe Festa 1972 [ttm] EE] CABIN have now decided to concentrate on 80 marginal constituencies. They have shifted the emphasis of their campaign to an all-out attack on Labour’s nationalisation proposals. Advertising space | has been reserved in local and national newspapers. Both campaigns against DLOs and nationalisation, although presented separately, are clearly two parts of an overall strategy by private sector employers to extend control over public sector work. 1949, any expenditure which is designed to promote one candidate over another is outlawed. Predictably, CABIN claim that they are not campaigning on a constituency basis but, rather, on a regional basis, although it is interesting to note that a bulletin issued by the FCEC to their members in June describes the ‘marginal campaign’ and stresses that it was going to be ‘very political in nature’. More recently, CABIN have given themselves a face-lift. They have brought in Sue Lewis-Smith, a Wimpey employee who contested Nuneaton for the Tories in 1970, to improve their public image. Sim- ilarly, they have re-titled their ‘marginal’ campaign, the ‘local area’ campaign. TheunionsarehitingbackatCABIN.Thetwo big construction unions, UCATT and TGWU, have both published pamphlets replying to their campaign and supporting, in principle, the Labour Party's proposals. UCATT have made it their policy, through a resolution passed at their annual congress, to cam- paign for nationalisation. They have produced 500, 500,000 leaflets entitled Building Britain’s Future: the UCATT View for mass circulation. Of course, CABIN might quite simply haye given a large donation to Conservative Central Office, but — even with allies in the shadow cabinet like Sir Keith Joseph, former director of his family firm Bovis Hold- ings(building contractor) and overseer ofTory policy — they could not be sure that their money would be spent in their direct interest. Moreover, a0 overtly party political stance would probably cost them the support of those building contractors WhO, - whilst agreeing with CABIN’s overall philosophy, prefer not to bite the hand thatfeeds them —that - ofthe Labour Government. insteadsthey are spending considerable sums of money on publicity gimmicks and glamourous post- ers, stickers, polythene bags and balloons carrying _ i slogans like ‘Say NOto Building Nationalisation’ and “Keep Britain’s Builders FREE’. A public opinion poll has been undertaken. which boasts, ‘if we take away the don’t knows’, that 85% of the public, 877% of construction industry workers and 74% of Labour’: omists. In it they analyse the industry and present Own supporters are against nationalisation. Details of how the poll was conducted do not seem to be available. The right-wing Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) have prepared an ‘independent’ report for CABIN which attacks public ownership by saying that the Labour proposals will not work and are too costly to implement. It has been reported that an anticipated £1m is available to CABIN for when a general election is called. Jaw. Under the Representation of the Peoples Act «tt fete t £ arguments and detailed factual information supp- orting the expansion of direct labour and transfor- mation of the industry to the advantage of work- ers and tenants. The main thrust of their criticism of the industry is directed at the contracting sys- tem. Casual employment, high levels of unemploy- ment, limited training opportunities, unsafe work- ing conditions, high profits, monopolistic price rings poor quality and expensive buildings are all cited as ils haunting the construction industry as a res- ult of the contracting system. In contrast, many large contractors are shown to have made record profits in recent years (see chart). ustry. Meanwhile back at Portland Place, architectural employers at the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) are sitting on the fence even though, with the slump in the private sector, they must be as greedy for public sector commissions as their building employer counterparts are for contracts. They must be particularly worried by the proposal in Building Britains Future to establish a public The Direct Labour Collective, a rank-and-file inter- union group, have published a 100-page pam- phlet entitled Building with Direct Labour prepar- jed for them by the Conference of Socialist Econ- Q. What have Ronan Point and CABIN in common ? Michael Ball isan economist who has been doing research on the construction industry fora number of years. He is also a member of the Direct Labour Collective. 1. WHAT PELAW IS AND HOW IT WORKS PELAW is an experimental Design/Build unit, part of the London Borough of Haringey’s DLO. Like any other direct labour organisation, it can only work for it’s parent authority. Form- ally it is part of Haringey’s Building Works Divi- sion but in practice functions as an independant unit working largely in Housing Action Areas. PELAW began operations in 1975 with a des- igner- manager a foreman-manager and fonr or five manual workers and a single contract. Today it has a capacity for about 12 concurrent projects and an annual turnover of around £600,000. At present the total workforce is about 60 including 10 staff and about SO tradespersons and labourers. Specialist work is subcontracted. Many problems have been experianced with subcontractors, and PELAW hopes to have it’s own electricians in the near future. Contracts are allocated to PELAW by the hous- ing department. Intheory this should be in accor- dance with the annual programme drawn up by the unit, but PELAW has encountered some diff- iculties arising from variations in the flow of work. A steady supply of work facilitates programming and allows more efficient use of laboubry reduc- ing the ‘bunching’ of trades in particular contracts About a third of PELAW’s work has to be tender ed in order to prove it’s competitiveness with private builders. Most of the jobs are conversions of individual large terraced houses into two or three self-con- tained units. The conversion cost for a single property would probably be around £20,000 to £25,000, and the time for completion generally around 6 months. Overall responsibility for PELAW rests with its manager who is responsible, through the Building Manager, to the Borough Engineer. The Borough Engineer forms the link with the elected members’ -the councillors who make up the Highways and Works panel which is a sub comm ittee of the powerful Planning and Development Committee which also controls the Architects Department. ; Internally PELAW isdivided into two functional units and a plumbing unit, each of these having its own foreman. Other supervisory posts are those of general foreman, who oversees the whole manual workforce, and working charge-hands who number more or less one per site. This structure closely resembles that of any other building enter- prise with the four foremen being members of staff along with the designers, surveyor and man- ager. Running parallel to this structure is the ‘partic- ipation ° element in the scheme. There is a month- ly meeting of the PELAW team -the staff (10) plus 6 elected representatives of the manual work- ers (3 from each unit) following by a meeting of each unit. 2. DIRECT LABOUR IN HARINGEY The London Borough of Haringey was formed in the reorganisation of London Boroughs in 1964. Haringey began life with a Labour administration and a considerable direct labour force inherited from the merging authorities - 400 maintenance workers and 220 engaged in capital works. In 1966 a scandal erupted over alleged mis- appropriation of funds on a major capital works project which led to an enquiry and the dismissal of senior council officers. The Tories gained con- trol and seized the opportunity to close down all capital works. When labour regained control agkin in 1971 a small group of councillors, along with the Borough Engineer, felt that direct labour was a more satisfactory method for producing council housing. In the preceding years there had beenashift in housing policy nationally towards upgrading the existing housing stock. Rehabilitation implied a smaller scale of building operation which was emminently suitable for a small direct labour unit. However, the discontinuous nature of rehabilit- ation work makes normal incentive schemes diff- icult to operate and calls for a high level of super- vision. Th e profit-sharing participation scheme devised was seen as a means of increasing incentives reducing demarkation between trades and reducing Supervision. : _ After nearly four‘years, the scheme got off the CABIN SMOKE / SCREEN Jimmy McAlpine inrelaxed mood, Of the attempts by Local Authorities to reform and improve their Direct Labour Depart- ments the PELAW experiment at Haringey is possibly the most advanced. With PELAW Haringey have attempted to introduce the principles of industrial cooperatives into the or- ganisation of a part of their DLO. This approach has its benefits and its drawbacks and here, after a description of PELAW’s organisation and methods, Mal Bezant and Robin Suttcliffe exchange views over the prospect of the more widespread adoption of PELAW’s model. Picture; Associated Newspapers. ground with an experimental unit restricted to a |workforce of twenty. While the more idealistic amongst its supporters saw it as an experiment in workers self management, others accepted it as an experiment in cost-effectiveness and applauded the extension of the profit motive into direct labour. 3. PAY AND CONDITIONS PELAW has no independant source of capital. All its finaances are controlled by the local authrity in much the same way as any other direct labour organisation. Wages and slaries are paid by the Council and all employees are subject to the same conditions of service as their equivalents in other At the heart of CABIN’s campaign to discredit Direct Labour and vilify the idea of the nationalisation of the building industry is a report prepared for them by the Economist Intelligence Unit. This report commissioned to add academic respectability to CABIN’s ideas is ridden with inaccuracies, assumptions and bias writes Michael Ball. ; Co-operative Direct Labour? The Labour Party last year published Building Britain’s Future. Amongst other,well-publicised po- icies, nationalisation of a few of the big building con- tractorswasproposed. Thisfrightenedthecontrac- tors, so the two big employers organisations (NFBTE and FCEC) set up CABIN -Campaign Against Buil- ding Industry Nationalisation -with an initial £4m budget. stil, it does not explain the real nature ofbuilding jobs. Most workers are hired to doa particular task on site for as long as they are needed. The job could lastforoverayearbut,atitsend,workersgenerally have to find a new job. This is casual employment, as can be seen from the low level of redundancy pay- ments in the industry. Even the EIU has to admit that that few workers get redundancy pay. i Contractors have always been generous supportérs of the Tory Party and right-wing groups such as AIMS CABIN has now earmarked most of its money for 80 marginal constituencies to aid the Tories in the forth- coming General Election. CABIN has lobbied MPs and local councillors, and conducted a mass public- ity exercise throughout the country, and also hired the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), well-known €conomic consultants, to produce a 280 Page report for CABIN. In it Labour’s plans for nationalisation come in for attack, as do the proposals for decasual- isation and planning state construction programmes. TheEIUclaimsthatLabour’sproposalswillcost : Suchdifferencesareneverexplained. £1870m to £2745m with additional annual running costs of £395m to £522m. The EIU’s objections to Building Britain’s Future basically have nothing to do with facts andfigures. Even though it paid for the study, CABIN claims not to have influenced the conclusions reached. Asa Subsidiary of the night-wing Economist newspaper however, the EIU was hardly expected to support. Labour’s proposals. Building Britain’s Future att- empted to highlight the crucial problems facing the They rest instead on the claim that building is a com- petitive industry and that competition is necessary for efficiency. Public ownership, it says, will not be competitive, so it will not be efficient. Meanwhile it ignores the increasing evidence of price fixing and Corruption in the industry. construction industry, and it Suggested remedies for overcoming them. It did this by examining certain key features such as casual employment, slumps in output, building monopolies and subcontracting. To an extent, its analysis is limited because it didnot consider the fundamental causesof these problems. This is reflected in the limited nature of its policies. It did, nonetheless, attempt to show that theprob- lems of the industry are not isolated but interlinked In the EIU report no overall picture of the industry Most features of the industry, including employ- ment and working conditions, are the result of eco- nomic forces operating within building. They exist because of the contractors’ need to make aprofit, isigiven. Instead it tries to show that no real prob- lems exist, apart from government intervention. It tries to prove that the factual statements in Building others have to pay the cost. Incompatible conflicts of interest exist, the outcome of which depends on the ownership and control of the industry. The EIU try to show that a state owned building firm-will make huge losses. The only way they do this is to Say that working conditions will improve; costing £147m 4 year if the top ten firms are taken over. This sum isnotbased on evidence about conditions and their costs. It isjust dreamt up to create a loss. In any case, nationalisation does not necessarily result in better conditions. These come through trade un- Britain's Future are wrong. It claims thatworking conditions are good, that health and safety is not al satbad, that employment is not casual, etc. It tries eeSe eeowned,theindustryisthe uaa as al workers in nationalised industries The whole nature of the building process is the. FTheEIU’sdescriptionofthefactsishighlyslanted TealiSsue,atpresent,thecontractorsdominateand Numbers are produced to show that most workers stay with the same firm for more than one year. This 1s supposed to prove that most construction work is not casual. These numbers completely ignore the Lump and most subcontractors’ workers. But, worse determine al of it. Public Ownership can confront these issues. Unfortunately for the building employ- ers, the smokescreen of the EIU report cannot hide The EIU’s explanation of high levels of unemploy- ment iseven more incredible. Unemployment ishigh as many of the unemployed, it suggests, cannot keep ajob down becauseof their temperament, lack of ability or other personal failings! Forgotten is the fact that more construction jobs have been lost in the past four years (over 300,000) than there are build- ing workers registered unemployed. Elsewhere, numbers appear to be invented. When trying to play down the importance of the Lump, the report claims there are only 70,000 -90,000 Lump workers. Yet elsewhere, it claims that there are 200,000 Lumpers! the holes in their arguments, nor the need for change in the construction industry. article istaken. Robin Sutcliffe is director of PELAW. He was previ- ously involved in the estab- is simply the difference between the estimated value of the work done and the final cost. Association indivduals concerned would be transferred to the e appropriate Council departments. So, in the case of manual workers, ending of their secondment would mean transfer to Building Works ‘proper’. In PELAW, inter-trade cooperation means the lowering of demarcation lines. While in general tradesmen would expect to stick to their own type of work, thay might be expected to do some work normally carried out by other tradesmen,¢.g., a carpenter may have to do some plastering or painting. In addition, craftsmen are expected to do some of their own labouring while labourers carry out some of the skilled work. economy. PELAW does not challenge Capitalist norms, it consolidates them more firmly in the sphere of direct labour. council departments. All PELAW ‘staff’ (i.e. al non-manual workers) receive the appropriate salary for their grade. Manual workers have a guaranteed bonus of 50% of the nationally agreed local authority basic rate, and labourers receive the same pay as tradespers- ons. This gives al PELAW workers a broadly similar guaranteed wage of around £90 a week before tax. of DLOs, PELAW’s advocates would argue that it strengthens the case by proving the profitability of Direct Labour. However, many aprofitable DLO has fallen to the Tories’ axe (Wandsworth for instance, featured elsewhere in this SLATE )and incidentally many others have been chopped by Labour too. Far from being a counter attack on Direct Labour’s qssailants of the CABIN variety, PELAW has conceded the major points of their critiscisms. It accepts the need for DLOs tobe judged ona ‘profit or loss’ basis and further concedes that the way toincreased profitability is through the increased efforts of building workers. Most of the ‘progressive’ building industry trades unionists with whom Ihave worked have been struggling to get rid of al incentive schemes.,as the best way of safeguarding their own health and safety, while also producing good quality housing for their fellow workers. While Iwould not think that even the more idealistic supporters of PELAW believe they are building socialism in one DLO, they do, nevertheless believe that Capitalism can be dismantled brick by brick. Unfortunately, reformist approaches to the housing problem and the construction industry In addition to the guaranteed wage or salary, al PELAW members share in the ‘profits’ made on any particular contract. 20% of the profit is retained by theCounciltooffsetlosseswhichmightoccur.The GA remainder isdistributedto al the PELAW members who worked on that particular contract. The ‘profit’ shares are calculated according to the number of hours contributed to the job by each individual and paid at the same hourly rate for manual workers and Mal Bezant is a sociologist with experience of the Building Industry. While at the AA Graduate School last year he wrote an exten- sivepaperonPELAWfrom staffalike.Thetotal‘profit’and‘loss’onanycontract which the first part of this porters as a radical experiment by a progressive Labour council. They rest their casejof\the supposed benefits for its manual workers through its ‘profit-sharing’ and ‘participation’ schemes. |Despite the Left-wing pretensionsofmanyofPELAW’sadvocates,itcame into existence as a political compromise with the assistanceoflocal politicians ofalcolours. All PELAW members are employed on ‘secondment’ from the appropriate department. Although nearly al employees are recruited externally, they are, in fact ‘on loan’ from other ‘departments, so that The argument for PELAW’s inception was essentially a managerial one — that conventional incentive schemes are difficult to operate in rehabilitation work. ‘Profit sharing’ and ‘participation’ wereseenasamoreeffectivewayofboostingproduc- cannotsolvethecontradictionsofthemarket tivity, reducing supervision costs and encouraging inter- trade cooperation. How have these benefitted! PELAW’s manual workers? lishmentofSolonHousing secondmentcouldbeterminatedatanytimeandthe PELAW’s workers receive a better guaranteed weekly wage thafi most DLO building workers and the ‘profits’ after long delays, have begun to be distributed. Profits are paid out on an individual basis according to the hours put in on a particular contract and hence may be asdevisive asany bonus system. Unlike abonus scheme, where rewards are at least roughly calcualbe in advance, and received in the pay-packet two weeks later, the amount of profit to be shared, if any, is indeterminate until thejfinal accountforia job isdrawnjup some months’ Robin Sutcliffe Imust begin by making it clear that the views ex- pressed in this article are my personal views and not those of the London Borough of Haringey. In al industrially developed countries (both East and West) there has been an increase in central management and planning of economies and industry. One problem which has resulted has been the diffi- culty of creating an economy and industry capable of responding to the needs of both consumers and oroducers. PELAW is an experiment which attempts to resolve he conflict resulting from increased efficiency of scale reducing the sensitivity ofan organisation to the leeds of its workers. The mechanism of participation allows PELAW members agreater degree ofcontrol of their work experience and environment. It also attempts to respond to the needs of it’s consumers throughaclose relationship with client departments, which is possible for a direct labour organisation within a local authority. This isparticularly so within” Housing Action Areas. In PELAW the mechanism of profit sharing en- sures that any profit resulting from increased effort isshared equally between al members who contri- buted to it’s production; thus avoiding any possibility of exploitation whilst encouraging productivity. Designers have been brought into PELAW to red- uce the line of communication giving the designer and producer the opportunity of direct dialogue. Whilst this has created some interesting tensions, it has also increased standardisation and reduceddelays. One of the fundamental principles established in setting up PELAW and essential to it’s success has been an insistance on 100% Trade Union membership. In a co-operative structure the role of the shop stew- ard issometimes ambiguous. He isoften called upon to act.as the spokesman for the workers on site, and the views that he has to express are sometimes con- trary to the views he would be expressing in the trad- itional role of shop steward. It is therefore, essential that they are speaking from a position of strength. I Personally do not believe that this dilemma weakens the Trade Union movement, but that it’s resolution is essential if trade unions are to contribute to the control of production. In setting up PELAW there have inevitably been many disappointments, and many questions remain to be answered. One of the most bitter disappoint- ments has been the extent to which external influ- encies and controls have prevented members from being able to control both their own work experience and environment. We have also been disappointed that, whilst progress with rationalisation has been made, it has been slow and limited. Two questions are often raised in relation to PELAW. The first is to ask whether this type of re- form withina capitalist economy delays fundamental change? Idoubt ifrevolutionis just around the corner and therefore feel that PELAW represents as funda- mental achange asiscurrently possible. The second is to question the fairness of requiring DLOs to compete with the private sector in view of the commitments expected of local authorities as em- ployers. This requirement could result in weak DLOs being wound up on the basis of inefficiency. Ithink that ifPELAW or any other DLO isdemonstrably successful financially then the arguments in favour of direct labour become irresistable. It is because of this possibility that private enterprise has become so hysterical over possible legislation extending the areas in which DLOs might work. If they cannot be demon- strated to be financially successful in competition with private enterprise then society must know what the cost of building in safe conditions, with decent facil- ities, training schemes and so forth really is. Finally, however limited the degree of control afforded to the members of PELAW, however great the unresolved dilemmas facing trade unions, Ibe- lieve that PELAW does represent areal improvernent in the work experience of it’s members and the end product for it’s consumers and this applies here and now, not as a possible result of some future society. later, Hence some of the insecurity of the contracting system istransferred toPELAW’s workforce. Inaddition PELAW isdevided into two main functional units thus enabling managementito encourage(competition between units in much the same wayithat conventionalseparation into‘gangs’mightbeexploited. is The main sources of conflict in PELAW have been the recruitmentoflatourandthedegreeof participation. PELAW’s manager, RobinSuttliffe, holds the ___ traditional right to hire and fire ?He has been keen to hand pick the ‘guinea pigs’ for his experimtnt while some of PELAW’s workers have pushed, unsuccessfully for recruitment through trade union branches. PELAW isvariously described asa “cooperative” ‘partnership’ or ‘participation’ experiment. By differing degrees it may be al of these, but what it does not have isworkers’ control. Nor does ithave the independence usually associated with cooperatives. Executive authority rests internally with the manager and externally with Haringey’s councillors. Some PELAW workers disputed this point and ended up on the receiving end of ‘management prerogative’ when their shop steward was sacked and their unit closed down. Nevertheless, despite its many ‘imperfections’, Robin Sutcliffe would claim it as a step in the right (?) direction. In his view PELAW would form part of a strategy of creeping socialism which goes as far as one might expect in the present circum- stances, while, at the same time, being in a positign— to defend itself from attack by an incoming Tory council should therejbe a change at the next election. Inthecontextoftheoveralldeobverathtefeuture and is a strong supporter of DLO’s. Mr David Krause, Director of Construction Services at Lambeth also attended the interview to advise on tech- nicalquestions, industry has been unable to meet the requirements of the country as awhole, particularly as far as the provision of housing is concerned. We can no longer build for profit only. It is a question of building for social need and that requires the ability to turn res- ources when necessary to homes as opposed to off- ices or hotels or whatever else private industry may looktowardsforproWefexipertie.ncedaverybad situation in the early 1970's when we were unable to get private contractors to build public housing at all. We are still suffering from that, so I look forward to nationalisation taking place. SLATE: . Have you any reservations about the Labour Party’s proposals for the nationalisation of the construction industry? TED KNIGHT accountablteo the public, to district and in¢ernal aud- itors to make sure that rate-payers money is safe- guarded. No private building organisation isever sub- ject to the amount of investigation that we are. Ido not beleive that the accountibility issue is one which private enterprise can defend SLATE: How can the nationalisation of the 10 largest building firms be correlated with an extension of direct labour organisations? TED KNIGHT: Ithinkthatthereisaneedforanationalisedindustry centrally to work with local authority direct labour organisations, and there will have to be an integration between them. Isee no great difficulty in that. What it will enable us to do is to a planned programme of building between the national corporation and the local authorities. One of the difficulties at the present ontractors. There is a problem of relating trading ecounts within a framework of municipal account- bility. Here in Lambeth we do produce an annual eport describing our financial position in relation to the works which we carried out. We would hope to ring about eventually a trading account as recomm- nded by SIPFA and by District Auditors. What we re opposed to is rates which are decided by outside ‘ontractors which we are bound to. What we are in lavour of is an accounting system which will indicate hether we are carrying out works efficiently and onomically. XN ye A es some changes in the format of nationalised industries with much more consumer and worker control. We are looking for a more accountable and democratic form of nationalisation than we have at the present moment. SLATE: How would you answer CABIN’s accusation that nationalisation will lead to inefficiency and lack of accountability to the consumer? TED KNIGHT : Idon’t beleive that to be so. The nationalised ind- ustry isaccountable through parliament and through the pressure that consumers bring to bear. As to private enterprise being accountable, they are only accountable to the share-holders. Their priorities are determi>ed not on social requirements but on what is profitable at any particular time. We have found in our local government experience|that private ent- erprise is prepared to take risks which endanger the ation would work out aplanned programme which would enable the DLO to take its place in local work as well as the corporation. There would be overall control because presumably the national corporation would be as subject as we are to internal audit. We would also be able to expand the DLOs when there is a coordination and integration of work with another building organisation which is not liable to go out of business at any time. SLATE: What are the adyantages to a local authority of having its own direct labour organisation? eas such as preventative maintenance for our uilding people to be in at the design stage to give the nefit of their experiance. It is no good architects lesigning without the feedback that the builder is exp- Tiencing on the practical side. In addition, in most of ur major areas of rehab work the project team has gular meetings with residents associations in’ that irea. AVID KRAUSE: itisextremely important that the architect has Sufficient time to deal with design requirements. [think that the most importat role for an architect isin that area. Ithink that sometimes this overrun into! administration and fine detail is thwarting the arch- tect and he isdoing work that he needn’t necessar- not viable when compared with private firms. We have to tender for al our jobs and as I've said we showed a surplus in the years 1976-1977 ofa net saving at tender stage of £4million. That’s of course only one factor, there are other benefits which DLOs can bring and these have been pointed out to the council by the union, I'l say more about those later. No its Tory party policy, they're against the decasualisation of the building industry. DLOs are an obstacle to this and also an obstacle to the’ Ted Knight, Leader of Lambeth Council. A Labour Councillor’s View In the face of national pressure to wind down Direct Labour, Lambeth council has recently declared its intention to expand its DLO. In this interview Ted Knight, Leader of Lambeth Council since last May, explains why his council has taken this decision and why he is per- sonally of the opinion that all council building should be done by Direct Labour. rs. The standards of work that we get from our DLO re certainly not inferior to private contractors and e would say are much better. In fact quality control xercised by our own DLO ismuch greater. farepLet SLATE: continuation of building operations. We are contin- SLATE: Couldyoudescribebrieflythesituationin Wandsworth? Councillor Ted Knight is leaderofLambethCouncil WhatisyourgeneralviewoftheLabour uallyhereinLambeth,forexample,balingoutprivate contractors because they have stretched their resour- ces beyond their capabilities. No-one has been aware of this because there is no accountability We are often in competition with people who are just attem- and prospective labour parl- iamentary candidate for Hornsey. He was formerly chairperson of Construct- tonServicesatLambeth Ithinkit’sanecessarystep.Theprivatebuilding ptingtobuywork.Wedonotdothatbecauseweare ide,capitalworkstenderincompetitionwithoutside Forthepastsevenyearswehavehadalabour Party’s proposals to nationalise at leastpart of the construction and materials industry? AVID KRAUSE: LOs operate as a service department on mainten- The DLO in Wandsworth started in 1897 and is the oldest building works department in England. TED KNIGHT nce work with stringent controls by audit, the other council and in May this year the Tory council took over. Prior to the seven year period of labour control the Tories had run the DLO down to 200 and sold off equipment such as tower cranes, dumpers etc. at less than half their value. During the period of lab- our control the department was built up to a good viable unit of approximately 1000 which had shown asurplusintheyears1976-1977. When theTories took control in May they stated that their policy will be to completely disband the construction division and run down the maintenance division from 450 to approximately 150. The Tories have Stated that this time they will make aproper job of running down the department completely instead of leaving a basis for the next labour council to SLATE: What are the Tories’ reasons for closing down the DLO at Wandsworth? isationinthecurrentsense.Iamnotinfavourof manyinstancestothedisadvantageoftheDLO’s. idalessartificialdivisionbetweenourbuildingside STAN BUSH: merely a bureaucratic change of ownership but want We would hope that a nationalised building corpor- idour architects. We are looking in anumber of Its purely Tory policy, its certainly not that we're D KNIGHT: awhole. Idonotmyselflookforwardtonational- momentisthattheopentenderingsituationworksin elookforwardtoagreaterdegreeofcooperation Ihave no strong reservations about the proposals as TED KNIGHT: Ifavour DLOs because froma local authority point of view because they are accountable to the elected members and to the ratepayers. We are able to have a flexibility in our building programme by using DLOs hot only with elected members but with residents and we are not subject to outside market forces. We have suffered extensively in this borough over the last ten years due to the failure of private contract- AAVID KRAUSE: LATE: ‘ould you prefer DLOs to be organised as o5 any of us would like to see the eventual kingofcouncilarchitectsandworksdepart- builditupagain. ents into design and build teams. Would ‘ou be in favour of such a development? lydo. The building side should provide the practical Service. The architect should perhaps spend more time Onthe first part of what he has to do in consultation associations sc that design standards more and more meet the requirements of the people. ct at Wandsworth ab Stan Bush, Wandsworth DLO shop Steward. he local authority has the immediate facility of a ge labour force to meet any emergency that might ise. They are*able to give a 24-hour emergency rvice. We have something like 50,000 works orders year going through and you could never get a priv- Extracts from an interview with Stan Bush heating fitter and full time conyenor for UCATT, Wandsworth Borough Council DLO in which he describes the Tory Councils efforts to disband the DLO at Wandsworth and discusses the implications of this type ite contractor to meet that situation. of action in the context of CABIN’s cam- , paign. .Service departments (e.g. architects who charge the council the cost of the service) ir as .trading departments (who operate profit and loss like a contractor) Pee a CORPORATION 1139 SLATE: What action are you taking to fight the Tory council’s policies? STAN BUSH Nine weeks-ago we shut down the George Wimpey site in Battersea which employed approximately 80 men. We had definite evidence that they were em- ploying lump labour. There were only two lads there who were directly employed by Wimpeys al the rest were subcontractors using lump labour. We'd lost that tender by 5%. Its only by using lump labour that private contractors could have got the tender. We know for a fact that by working under the same conditionsasDLOsprivatecontractorswouldhave to raise their prices by some 30%. : Eight weeks ago we shut down aJ L Eve Construction job in Garrett Lane, Tooting. This was exactly the same principle again, we lost the tender by some 14% and then we find out they're using lump labour, the bricklayers and groundworkers were lump labour. We've shut down these sites by DLO mass pickets using 200-300 workers on the gate until they remove the subcontractor and abide by the working rule agreement. We're fighting for our own jobs with our own labour and at the same time not stopping any of our own jobs. To stop our own jobs would be playing into the hands of the Tory council. SLATE: Are you getting support from any of the public sector unions? STAN BUSH: The GMW pledged support they’ve got some 3000 manual workers on the council. NUPE haven’t been in contact. NALGO had a ballot for strike action by al the white collar workers employed in the building works, but it turned down strike action. However, they have offered support in other areas such as not supplying work to the private contractors and with- holding payment for work done. We also get support from workers on private sites. At the Wimpey job in Battersea on the first morning of the picket there were some 20 lads from a local Fairweathers site who are 100% against the use of subcontractors lump labour on any site. SLATE: What further action will you be taking in the future? STAN BUSH: Afortnightagoatafulcouncilmeetingwegavethe WhataretheUnionsdoingtocampaign namesofthreecontractorstotheleaderofthecouncil forthesurvivaloftheDLOs? We've given him 14 days to remove these contractors off the tender list. We had written and signed state ments that one contractor approached directly em- ployed workers from the council asking them to go sick and work for them on a cash in hand basis, evi- dence that one was actually using council labour by this method and that the other was using lump labour: |there has been the growth of what we call rank and Rank and file building workers have responded to the threat to the DLOs by enhancing \their organisation to campaign for a growing awareness of the importance of Direct Labour: to their fellowworkers. CLAWS (Confederation of Local Authority Works Stewards) was set up just over a year ago to do just this. Here SLATE interviews the Chairman of CLAWS Peter Carter. file organisation. Especially since the growth of CABIN we’ve had to develope acampaign of explaining to workers within the local authorities, the difference between working within DLOs and working for Wimpeys, Bryants, Laings or any other of the major contractors. So we've had to develope the process of consciousness raising. And we've arranged lots of meeting al over! Britain| we've formed an organisation called CLAWS, which isa national organisation set up to defend the Direct Works departments. It was set up two years ago. CLAWSpublishesitsownpaper‘DirectWords’; seniorUCATTshopsteward For All SLATE Why do trade unionists in thebuilding industry support DLOs? PETER Well, the first thing to say is that it offers a far more secure employment for our members than employment within the private enterprise system. Trade unionists have long fought for nationalisation of the constructio industry, and the Direct Works is, inprinciple, the beginnings of that process. The Direct Works departments work for the community and trade unionists are very interested in their members using their labours in a socially useful way for the servicing of the community, by doing maintainance work and building houses for people, and not for profit. Certainly from a trade unionist point of view we're very pleased that local authority direct works departments aren’t involved in the construction of office blocks or environmentally harmvul projects. the point is that with the direct works, we, ts Ihave said, haye got public ownership inembryo, very successfully in may parts of the country and for trades unionists within them not only do we have decent pay and conditions, but, also, ifyou wotk for Direct Labour you stand a better chance of living a lot longer because the accident rate is far lower than that in private enterprise. Direct works train the vast majority of apprentices for the industry and, in additio) take their quota of physically handicapped people. So| there! you see you've not only just got ajob bu you've got ajob where you can use your labour in a useful way, along with acommitment to the community. Within that commitment, of course, the direct works departments are sympathetic towards the trade union movement and trade unions can therefore grow and develope. Their consciousness can be directed over a whole range of social issues because of the continuity of employment that is associated with working in these departments, whereas, under private enterprise, as is well known, continuity is a very rare occurence. My name is Peter Carter. I am a bricklayer by trade, a member of UCATT Midland Regional Committee, and a SLATE the other hand we have to build these hospitals and pay al sorts of things for care, asa direct result in the first place of the money not being invested in a proper type of enviroment for people to live in. So, in my view you can’t have housing for profitability.if you are going into the profit market, and you're taking on housing, then you're creating slums of the future, and you're turning people into animals as we see can happen with the type of architecture and buildings that have beenbuiltinordertohousethepeople.So,Ithinkit shouldbeasocialserviceandnotbeontheprofit PETER Well, first of al, we realised from bitter experience, that if the leadership of the unions are left to their own devices they produce the opposite effect to what their members desire. So, over a period of years, Direct Works isthat itaffords every opportunity for the workforce, Labour councils, architects,” planners, tennants, the community in general, to be able to form their organisation within the framework of it in order to decide such issues aS high rise flats; to decide to {insulate buildings with 4 inches instead of 2 inches of has joined with tenants, MPs, councillors, environ- -mental groups and so on in a campaign to combat the attacks being made on Direct Works departments The third point is that we are really getting into action now. For instancei,n the authority where I work, Sandwell, the Tories have come back into power and have given away 200 modernisations. They took these modernisations of the Direct Works, put them out to tender and only last night we were told that Wimpeys have got the 200 modernisations. They have never done any modernisationbefore..TheirMImanagersaregoingto community? the the Direct Works lads on the job and asking them how at Sandwell DC public works division. it operates and so son. On topof that they put in a tender figure of £7200 for modernising whereas the Direct Works were doing them for £6300. So, you sec, these are the sort of things we are bringing together. We are having ajoint demonstration with tenantsagainsttheCouncilaroundthetheme*Hands large,justtodispelanydoubtsaboutDirectWorks, of the Directs’ This is telling the Tories, of course, ‘Hand back the modernisations’, ‘no contractors in the borough’ and ‘end the sale of Council houses’. These are the four demands and the Labour Party, the workers and the tenantsare jointly inyolved in this demonstration. And we do hope, of course, eventually our national leaders will get up off their arses and call, as many branches have asked them to for a national demonstration and lobby of Parliament as soon as it reassembles. Those are the sort of th that we are doing. Its not an easy task because the local authority workers have been the least active in terms of struggle in the building industry, as in the 1972 strike, when the local authority workers never came out. This has been the regular pattern over the years. The struggle has always been from the workers employed by private enterprise. That isnow beginning to cahnge. This is an important change because we are having to develope much more of a political struggle. Its not just a question of wages and conditions.Whenyouarefightingyourlocalauthority you'refighfortainenwgwayoflife.Youtrefighting fortheindustrytobepublicallyowned.Therefore raising the workers’ consciousness is our prime task, which cannot be done’jover night. SLATE What do you see as the future potential for DLOs? What principles should they be based on? their tenders are far cheaper and of a far better standard of workmanship than private enterprise SLATE: you anything to say on the point that at the moment they compete with private con- Have tractors on the same kind of profit basis; do you feel that’s the right way to approach it; or should they be seen more as a service to the Yes, well there are two points here. On question of modemisation and maintenance, there is very little open tendering with the private con- tractor. The tendering for work is mainly done on the new building, e.g. houses, schools and so on. There is no tendering for maintenance and by and The second point is,like the health service,hospitals, education and so on, housing should be a social service. The built enviroment should be a right of thepeople. After al, the works of William Morris, ‘useful toil versus useless labour’ is a classic example of how the built enviroment is so fundamental and crucial to people. Their daily habitat in relation to the way they develop. On the one hand you allow the system to build these cronic houses for cheapness, and yet on market. thatthebeautyof The other point is, of course, DLOs: Benefits private sector obtaining more work, particularly when work isshort. The work they envisage the small maintenance force of around 150 doing is likely to be work that aprivate contractor would turn down, awkward non-profitable work or emer- gency work, that sort of thing. Well, Ithink, the future issue facing the DLOs isone as the springboard for Nationalisation of the industry. At the moment the are 575 local authorities throughout Britain that are organised or have their own Direct Works departments employing up to 25% of the total workforce in the construction industry, something like 220000 operatives. Now the beauty about this isthat itisnationalisation, or public o' hip, in a very decentralised way. its not over centralised like the Gas Board and the Electricity Board. Here you have public ownership that is locally controlled through democratically elected councillors, apublic ownership that is accountable to the public at large. Direct Works, at the timeof local elections, usually becomes abattleground between Labour and Tories interms of the rates and al that sort of theing. So yo have a public forum as wal around the Direct Works. They are publically accountable. The books are there for people to see and they are answerable to the community. This is the type of nationalisation that Ithink we should be developing.| That is, locally based, ‘small isbeuatiful’ asthe saying goes, rather than the big, over centraliesd type of nationalisation that we have got at the moment. Claudene Eccleston, aplum ber, is one of four women tradespersons working for Camden DLO. skilled, having a craft, having tools brings men much nearer to nature. The relationship with nature is so important. That gives them, in the proper conditions, the ability to learn the appreciation and the relation- ship between al the beauties that this system has destroyed which we should be working to bring back. And Ithink that with Direct Works there isno limit to what you can begin to develop. Camden D.L.O. A Plumber’s View SLATE How many women work for Camden Direct Labour Department, and how much contact do you haye with them? C LAUDENE There are four of us; two carpenters, a labourer and myself. We work at different depots. Some of us haye met because we are friends, but not through any genorosity of Camden Council. Although the convenor’s steward has been making quite a lot of effort recently to try to organise a meeting of the four of us. Idon’t know what response he’s had from the Management. But, Ihave been told by Management time and time again, that they don’t want trainees, and that Iwas forced upon them by the Union. The union are keen to employ more women in the building department. SLATE: What do you think the main differences are between working for Direct Labour and pri- vate enterprise? CLAUDENE: Iworked for a private firm as a painter and decor- ator. Iwasn’t treated any differently by the men on site. Igot into the job alot easier than Idid into this one. The only differences were the working condit- ions — safety-wise it was rediculous. You were ex- pected to work on very dangerous scaffolding. There was no union, itjust wasn’t tolerated. There were little perks like long tea breaks, turkey’s at Christ- mas, that kept people anti-union. Although the money was excellent. In terms of efficiency, Direct Labour is much like any other firm. There is proportionally more manage- ment and there is so much administration and bur- eaucracy for ordering materials for example. But that is not necessarily the inefficiency of the foreman or whoever,it’s just acombination of things. SLATE: Are there any advantages, as a woman, to working for Direct Labour rather than a pri- vate firm? Review of ‘Building with Direct Labour’ by the Direct Labour Collective. “The profit and loss fallacy is not indulged in at Battersea. Igather that it was quite understood in Battersea that good materials, good and expeditious workmanship and proper conditions of labour were the points to be aimed at, and whether the eventual cost came out above or below estimate the comm- unity benefited thereby in the end.’ So wrote Mr. Williams, an architect, in 1898. Times have changed in Battersea, now Wandsworth, and for the first time in almost a hundred years the future of the Wands- worth Direct Labour Department is in doubt. Local building contractors, among whose number is the Leader of the Council himself, have found a willing ally in a new Tory administration pledged to dis- mantle the Wandsworth DLO. In the late nineteenth century, recall the Direct Labour Collective(DLC), authors of “Building with Direct Labour’, the question of how local authority building was to be carried out was a key political question. Little changes. Faced with widespread corruption and inefficiency among private contrac- tors, the young councils were then as now, charged with the responsibility of fairly administering the vast proportion of building carried out with public money. The unpopularity among private contractors of the answer of the ‘Progressive’-controlled councils in setting up their own building organisations, is readily understoodye,t Battersea, for example, carried out al its building by Direct Labour for many years. Recent propaganda attacks on Direct Labour Organisations by the building trade employers fed- erations are no more than an updating of a struggle which is as old as local authorities themselves. The sharp decline in private sector orders for building is the underlying reason for the employers’ present campaigns argues the Direct Labour Collective, be- cause ‘in simple economic terms, they want more work’, and that means local authority work. The demise of the DLOs would bring twofold benefit to the private sector: they would get the moderate paign against Building Industry Nationalisation) and its forerunners that DLOs are less efficient and more expensive than private contractors are squarely rebutted with extensive empirical evidence no less particular than that used by CABIN. The contrac- tors argue that competitive tendering is the best way to ensure efficiency and value for money in building To the contrary argue the DLC the principle effects of the contracting system, discontinuity of work and the pricing of tenders according to the market for work and not the cost of production results in a steadily decreasing quality of building and reliabil- ity of programme and a worsening of conditions for building workers. CABIN’s campaign against the concept of any form of public ownership in the construction indus- try has raised the question of the comparability of the two sectors. Many of the defenders of Direct Labour have responded by accepting the contractors’ definition of accountability, through the market, the tender sum and the administration of the building contract, and urge the transformation of DLOs into council-owned contractors, so making it straight- forward to prove their competitiveness and value for money. Such achange would, however, destroy many of the potential and actual advantages of a Direct Works Department allocated work directly and charging for it at cost. Submitting the DLOs to similar sorts of conditions as exist in the private sector would result in the same low standards of workmanship and conditions of employment as persists in the world of the contrac- tors. But, however,reassuring the principles of Dir- ect Labour, the problems of organising work where the profit motive is supplanted by concepts of qual- ity and service are immense, witness the occasional scandal that emerges from the Direct Works Depart- ments. This question is too large for even an exten- sive and well conceived book such as ‘Building with Direct Labour’ to tackle, but aquestion that must be high on the agenda of workers throughout the construction industry. The Direct Labour Coll- ective is a group of people working on Direct Labour and the building industry because of the current importance of this pol- itical issue for the labour movement. The Direct Labour Coll- ective :Building with Direct Labour :published by the Housing Workshop of the Conference of Soc- falist Economists (CSE): 116pp, illustrated price £1.75(incl p+p) from CSE, 55 Mount Pleasant, London WC] or 65p for orders through Trade Unions ete. Claudene Eccleston, Camden DLO plumber. the ones who decide whether or not they like you. They assume that the men won’t like you. I’m more of a threat to the Management than to the workers. Most of the men welcome women in thebuilding trade, as long as it’s not their wives or girlfriends. In the intensifying propaganda battle now raging over the future of the DLOs the DLC’s new book provides insight into the way that the Construction Industry is organised and its current crisis as well as a multitude of potent arguments useful for support- ers of Direct Labour. The claim of CABIN (Cam- insulation, contributing to energy saving: to decide SLATE: REVIEW: thetypeofopenspace,tres,necessityofwater,nurse-Yn 4+made you decide towork forCamden ries and so on. The many things that go up to making Direct Labour? the enviroment. The other point which is even more important to me CLAUDENE: isthequestionofthebuildingindustrybeingrelatively J)4socialist,andcertainlybelieveinDirectLabour. labour intensive and stil retaining its craft skills. You If Thadn't have got ajob with Camden Iwould have knowyoucanlookatanyotherindustryinBritainand appliedforajobwithanotherDirectWorksdepart the skill has gone. Its been taken over by machine. But ment. When Itook up plumbing Irealised Ipreferred in the building industry, less than it was thirty years ago maintenance work, you know. I really had in mind thereisstilanelementofcraftandart/andskilllandlits hospitals,schoolsorthecouncil.Thereweren’tan that we need to build on. We need to retain that, to im- incredible number of vacancies when Ileft my TOPS 9 prove that, because the contribution one makes towards training course. Ithink Imust have applied for fourty thebuiltenviromentisverymuchdependentonones jobs,altofirmswithvacancies.Theyalturnedme counter. | C LAUDENE: At the moment, the Council have a scheme whereby if you have worked for two years continuously you are entitled to four weeks maternity leave, and your job is kept open for you. It’s obviously different for women working as typists thanif your on a building site until your eight months pregnant. So, obviously maternity benefits are worth less to women builders in the long run. None of the private firms Iapplied to offered this. But, then, they had never employed women. percentage of Local Authority new and much larger women most of them. The men on site accept me, andarevery friendly. They are protective — in certain ways over protect- ive, but at least that is positive. The Management are information proportion of maintenance work handled by the DLOs, and ,more important, they would be free of the checks on their tender prices that the DLOs’ costs offer. own dability|and skills to make that contribution. Being down, including Camdert initially. Idon’t know why. Claudene Eccleston, aplum ber, is one of four women tradespersons working for Camden DLO. SLATE How many women work for Camden Direct Labour Department, and how much contact do you have with them? C LAUDENE There are four of us; two carpenters, a labourer and myself. We work at different depots. Some of us have met because we are friends, but not through any genorosity of Camden Council. Although the convenor’s steward has been making quite alot of ator. Iwasn’t treated any differently by the men on site. Igot into the job a lot easier than Idid into this one. The only differences were the working condit- ions — safety-wise it was rediculous. You were ex- pected to work on very dangerous scaffolding. There was no union, itjust wasn’t tolerated. There were little perks like long tea breaks, turkey’s at Christ- mas, that kept people anti-union. Although the money was excellent. In terms of efficiency, Direct Labour is much like any other firm. There isproportionally more manage- ment and there isso much administration and bur- eaucracy for ordering materials for example. But that is not necessarily the inefficiency of the foreman or whoever,it’s just acombination of things. SLATE: Are there any advantages, as a woman, to working for Direct Labour rather than a pri- vate firm? C LAUDENE: At the moment, the Council have a scheme whereby if you have worked for two years continuously you are entitled to four weeks maternity leave, and your job is kept open for you. It’s obviously different for women working astypists than ifyour on abuilding site until your eight months pregnant. So, obviously maternitybenefitsareworthlesstowomen builders in the long run. None of the private firms Iapplied to offered this. But, then, they had never employed women women most of them. The men on site accept me, andare very friendly. They are protective — in certain ways over protect- ive, but at least that is positive. The Management are the ones who decide whether or not they like you. They assume that the men won't like you. I’m more of a threat to the Management than to the workers. Most of the men welcome women in thebuilding trade, as long as it’s not their wives orgirlfriends. Claudene Eccleston, Camden DLO plumber. REVIEW: isthequestionofthebuildingindustrybeingrelatively I'masocialist,andcertainlybelieveinDirectLabour. insulation, contributing to energy saving: to decide the type of open space, trees, necessity of water, nurse- What panda you decide to work for Camden ries and so on. The many things that go up to making the enviroment. Direct Labour? The other point which iseven more important tome (7atpENR: counter-_ labour intensive and stil retaining its craft skills. You the built enviroment is very much dependent on ones own ability|and skills to make that contribution. Being skilled, having a craft, having tools brings men much nearer to nature. The relationship with nature is so important. That gives them, in the proper conditions, the ability to learn the appreciation and the relation- ship between al the beauties that this system has destroyed which we should be working to bring back. And Ithink that with Direct Works there isno limit to what you can begin to develop. If Ihadn’t have got ajob with Camden Iwould have jobs, al to firms with vacancies. They al turned me down, including Camdert initially. 1don’t know why. 7 But, Ihave been told by Management time and time again, that they don’t want trainees, and that Iwas forced upon them by the Union. The union are keen to employ more women in the building department. information SLATE: eee Ee Whatdoyouthinkthemaindifferencesare Review of ‘Building with Direct Labour’ by the Direct Labour Collective. “The profit and loss fallacy is not indulged in at Battersea. Igather that itwas quite understood in Battersea that good materials, good and expeditious workmanship and proper conditions of labour were the points to be aimedat, and whether the eventual cost came out above or below estimate the comm- unity benefited thereby in the end.” So wrote Mr. Williams, an architect, in 1898. Times have changed in Battersea, now Wandsworth, and for the first time in almost a hundred years the future of the Wands- worth Direct Labour Department isindoubt. Local building contractors, among whose number isthe Leader of the Council himself, have founda willing ally in a new Tory administration pledged to dis- mantle the Wandsworth DLO. In the late nineteenth century, recall the Direct Labour Collective(DLC), authors of “Building with Direct Labour’, the question of how local authority building was to be carried out was a key political question. Little changes. Faced with widespread corruption and inefficiency among private contrac- tors, the young councils were then as now, charged with the responsibility of fairly administering the vast proportion of building carried out with public money. The unpopularity among private contractors of the answer of the ‘Progressive’-controlled councils in setting up their own building organisations, is readily understoodye,t Battersea, for example, carried out al its building by Direct Labour for many years. Recent propaganda attacks on Direct Labour Organisations by the building trade employers fed- erations are no more than an updating of a struggle which is as old as local authorities themselves. The sharp decline in private sector orders for building is the underlying reason for the employers’ present campaigns argues the Direct Labour Collective, be- cause ‘in simple economic terms, they want more work’, and that means local authority work. The demiseoftheDLOswouldbringtwofoldbenefit to the private sector: they would get the moderate percentage of Local Authority new and much larger proportion of maintenance work handled by the DLOs, and ,more important, they would be free of the checks on their tender prices that the DLOs’ costs offer. In the intensifying propaganda battle now raging over the future of the DLOs the DLC’s new book provides insight into the way that the Construction Industry is organised and its current crisis as well as 4 multitude of potent arguments useful for support- ers of Direct Labour. The claim of CABIN (Cam- paign against Building Industry Nationalisation) and its forerunners that DLOs are less efficient and more expensive than private contractors are squarely rebutted with extensive empirical evidence no less particular than that used by CABIN. The contrac- tors argue that competitive tendering is the best way to ensure efficiency and value for money in building To the contrary argue the DLC the principle effects of the contracting system, discontinuity of work and the pricing of tenders according to the market for work and not the cost of production results in a steadily decreasing quality of building and reliabil- ity of programme and aworsening of conditions for building workers. CABIN’s campaign against the concept of any form of public ownership in the construction indus- try has raised the question of the comparability of the two sectors. Many of the defenders of Direct Labour have responded by accepting the contractors” definition of accountability, through the market, the tender sum and the administration of the building contract, and urge the transformation of DLOs into council-owned contractors, so making it straight- forward to prove their competitiveness and value for money. Such achange would, however, destroy many of the potential and actual advantages of a Direct Works Department allocated work directly and charging for itat cost. Submitting the DLOs to similar sorts of conditions as exist in the private sector would result in the same low standards of workmanship and conditions of employment as persists in the world of the contrac- tors. But, however,reassuring the principles of Dir- ect Labour, the problems of organising work where the profit motive is supplanted by concepts of qual- ity and service are immense, witness the occasional scandal that emerges from the Direct Works Depart- ments. This question istoo large for even an exten- sive and well conceived book such as ‘Building with DirectLabour’totackle,butaquestionthatmust be high on the agenda of workers throughout the construction industry. The Direct Labour Coll- ective is a group of people working on Direct Labour and the building industry because of the current importance of this pol- itical issue for the labour movement. The Direct Labour Coll- ective :Building with Direct Labour :published by the Housing Workshop of the Conferencoef Soc- jalist Economists (CSE): 116pp, illustrated : price £1. 75(incl p+p) from CSE, 55 Mount Pleasant, London WCI or 65p for orders through Camden D.L.O. between working for Direct Labour and pri- vate enterprise? A Plumber’s View CLAUDENE: Iworked for a private firm as a painter and decor- effort recently to try to organise a meeting of the four of us. Idon’t know what response he’s had from the Management. LATE: know you can look at any other industry in Britain and applied for ajob with another Direct Works depart= the skill has gone. Its been taken over by machine. But ment. When Itook up plumbing Irealised Ipreferred in the building industry, les than it was thirty years 480 snaintenance work, you know. Ireally had in mind j there is stil an element of craft and artland skilllandlits hospitals, schools or the council. There weren't an that we need to build on. We need to retain that, toim- ;--redible number of vacancies when Ileft my TOPS prove that, because the contribution one makes towards training course. Ithink Imust have applied for fourty feminism & architecture THE FEMINISM and Architecture Group has had a fantastic response from women aloverthecountry.Todatewehavea contact list of over 90 people, mostly women Several women in the group got togeth- er to produce a panel for the exhibition put on by the International Union of Wo- men Architects in Paris at the Centre Pom- pidou. The panel caused a stir on the op- ening day as it was virtually the only one of its kind at the exhibition. Many people expressed enthusiasm and hoped that more panels like ours might appear in future ex- hibitions. Atageneralmeetingofthegroupon the 31st. August it was decided to set up issue groups on the feminist approach to design, the design and build cooperative, education, and psychology and spatial perception. The aim is for each group to haveitsownsmallermeetingsandtopro- duce discussion papers to be presented at open meetings The education group isproducing a video to show to schools, and they will also be discussing al aspects of education from junior schools to technical colleges and schools of architecture and action that may be taken to destroy stereotyping of male and female roles The design and build cooperative is well and truly off the ground having received its first commission from Clapham Women’s Aid, to convert five houses into a women’s refuge for sixteen families and a playhouse which will provide creche and playgroup facilities not only for the refuge’s families but for families in the immediate neigh- borhood. The group will not just be dis- cussingthecurrentCWAjob butwillalso meet to discuss the future structure of the cooperative, the problems of unlimited liability, and the obstacles to setting up a truly cooperative design and build practice. A general meeting of the Feminism and Architecture Group was held on October 2nd. at which the constitution of the co- operative was discussed. The discussion was by no means final and further meetings on the subject are to be arranged. If any people are interested in joining in these discussions would they contact: Sue Jackson: 703 0911 18 Ph 5SINANTEVEN public design service group: latest moves ‘athe SLATER| | z 5 = S derstand that the RIBA are also submitting their own proposals. A full review of the PDS Group’s report ‘Community Architect- ure -A Public Design Service?’ will be prin- ted in the next issue. Unionisation and the Consultants’ Offices Rejecting criticism that they ignore issues in the private sector, PDS Group members inHaringeyhavegainedthesupportofthe local Trades Council in a bid to add a clause to Haringey Council’s criteria for the app- ointment of private consuitants. This clause would require consultants on the approved listtosignadeclarationthattheyallow their staff complete freedom to be members of trade unions. This, they suggest, will en- able architectural workers in the consult- ancies to appeal to both the Council and to the local Branch of NALGO in the event of victimisation for union activities. A progress report will be covered in the next issue. Reorganisation in Haringey Spare a thought for architectural workers in Haringey Borough Architect’s Service. Proposals produced by the Chief Executive for the reorganisation of the Department were voted out by the staff. At a series of departmental meetings the staff produced their own proposals for the reorganisation of their own department. These are curr- ently being considered by other Council Departments. Reorganisation in Lambeth The liaison group held an open meeting on the Sunday morning. It was a brief : chief aims is to make the Council’s services ‘more accessible and responsive to the needs of local people’. Local people, Councillors and Council staff have al been invited to contribute to the investigation. PDS Group members and NALGO staff re- presentatiyes in the Department of Archi- tecture haye submitted a report which pro- poses a Council design service in line with the ‘Interim Proposals’ put forward at the PDS conference held last May. With Ted Knight as Leader of the Council itmaybethattheproposalswillreceivea warm reception. The findings of the Special Review Commi- ttee are not expected to be announced until next summer. ae example of the new French Architecture Sociale, all the rage on the Cote D’Azur this year and funded by an experimental programme under the EEC’s Common Agricultural Policy to channel investment into retirement homes for sheep. Says architect J-L. Demagogue, pictured in front of his hill-top, post modemism- -style masterpiece: “ Designing for sheep is a challenging and rewarding new field for the, social architect. Their natural social instincts make them appreciative ofthecommunal andsemi-communal zones I like to design, and their docile and undemanding natures mean that I can experiment with advanced construction techniques for the benefit of progress in the building industry.” M. De gue waspreviouslyinvolvedinthedesignof system-built high rise flats in the Ville Ennuieuse district just outside Paris Footnote: French police are currently investigating an increasingly widespread form of fraud, poignantly dubbed La Moutonisme ( sheepishness )as homeless families roam the streets of larger French cities in flocks, on al fours, wearing sheep skin coats turned inside out. Pernod-sur-Mer, France BCaMb a CPE i oI | iBhi ke le\O ~ ey eh TNS leeds group forum The topic of the Saturday session was the NAM constitution. Everybody felt that they wanted to get something sorted out so that the annual congress would not be- come embroiled again in the anarchic, des- tructive kind of discussion that has taken place in previous years. Ten people attended the Leeds Group Fo- rum-asmallernumberthanhadbeenex- pected, but nevertheless enough to provide a range of opinion. The Forum was held in the Red Ladder Theatre Building in the outskirts of Leeds. The building used to be a derelict church hall; it has been taste- fully conyerted with a great deal of care for use as a rehearsal space for the Red Ladder Theatre Group. Some of the Leeds NAM Group worked on this project in a ful time capacity, and it gave a good feel- ing to be meeting in a building which em- bodies some of NAM’s ideals of collective design/work. Ittookussixhourstothrashoutaflex- ible minimal constitution. This, we agreed, would be changed as little as possible; we also devised a set of ground rules which could be revised as the Movement develops. We were exhausted by the end of the meet- ing, and could hardly stagger to a nearby | restaurant; however, we felt pleased that we had managed to produce a document. forum, but a productive and an enjoyable one. It would be good to see the move- ment hold more meetings like this. Lambeth Council have set up a Special Re- view Committee whose task is to examine THE PDS GROUP have submitted areport and make proposals for the overall reorganis- THE SLATER ON HOLIDAY to Reg Freeson, in reply to his request for ation and running of the Council Director- ideasoncommunityarchitecture.Weun- ateandCommitteesystems.Oneoftheir Ourillustrationshowsamostimpressive vo SULTS| ITY IN THE ENV CO bds.tass = newearchitecture movement $th coneress cheltennany & e - feminists & alternative practice education details: 9 poland st londonwt building industry nationalisation novnp Z,7A Ap. == cit > (1%n 00[AA 2 u : we aa?.,,> —- The PDS groun have continued to develop the concept of a Public Design Service, maintaining that local authority practice, if suitably devolved,contains the potential to initiate a publicly accountable form of practice, and held a major conference in April, in Birmingham. 'Community Architecture - A Public Design Service?', a report recently submitted to the Minister of Housing, providing a detailed critique of the RIBA stance, will shortly be available. Congress commences on Friday evening with introductions which set a context for the weekend's discussions, placing NAM into perspective in the profession and industry. Should light relief be needed, you can always escape into the wide tree-lined streets, promenades and parks of Cheltenham, and enjoy its Regency architecture. Developed primarily as a spa town, taking the waters did not agree with everyone, however, as a tombstone in St. Mary's churchyard attests:- "Here lie I and my two daughters Who died from drinking Cheltenham waters. We wouldn't be lying in these damp vaults." If we had stuck to epsom See you in Cheltenham. Book as early as possible please. salts Slate continues to grow in strength, providing an invaluable service to the movement, and a means of communication for all radicals in archiyecture and the building industry. On Saturday the various issue group reports provide introductions to the workshops taking place during the morning and afternoon. After the plenary sessions the evening will be left free for informal meetings and get-togethers; an open Constitution meeting is already planned, and meetings for feminists and Trade Union members have also been suggested. Sunday morning will commence with reports from the Liaison, Slate and Constitution sroups, followed by a debate on the structure of NAM, no doubt centering on the constitution. The Congress will be concluded on Sunday afternoon by the Annual General Meeting. Workshop discussions are loosely organised under the headings of Education and Ideology, and Alternative Practice and the Profession, issues which have been under discussion in NAM for some time, directly or indirectly. The question of Building Industry Nationalisation will also be raised, Speakers from outside NAM will be invited. Thus the workshops are intended both to advance the level of discussion and information to date on NAM issues, and to examine future areas of work which may be undertaken within a NAM perspective, and links which may be forged with other groups. A constitution for NAM will provide the central internal matter for discussion. Draft proposals and papers have already been circulated and have been the subject of the recent Leeds forum. A standing Constitution group will be formed during the congress, which will present a final draft to Congress at Sunday's debate on NAM structure. This year's Congress is to be held in Cheltenham, at the School of Architecture, Gloucestershire College of Art and Design, Pittville, Cheltenham, over the weekend 11th,11th, 12th November, a southern location being thought appropriate after previous years in Harrogate, Blackpool and Hull. The conference fee will be £6.00, £4.00 for students and claimants. This fee covers conference documents, a free copy of the newly published Handbook, and meals on Saturday and Sunday. Bar facilities and snacks will be available in or adjacent to the conference hall, throughout the congress. Accomodation arrangements have been left more to the individual than in previous years. An information sheet piving prices and locations of cheap local hotels will be included in the conference briefing, enabling you to book in advance, or on arrival. Alternative sleeping bag accomodation will again be available at a nominal charge, but please book well in advance for this. As the college is somr distance from the centre of Cheltenham, transport will be provided from the station on Friday evening and Saturday morning, and for the return on Sunday afternoon. The Conference Papers will include papers for discussion and reports by the various issue groups on their past year's activities. In addition the 1978/9 NAM Handbook provides a concise introduction to NAM, and a survey of work undertaken by all issue and certain local groups. Congress is central to NAM's democratic structure, the means by which the work of issue groups is endorsed and tasks for the coming year determined. It serves to bring the membership together, to discuss and develop existing areas of activity, to introduce new issues and attract new members, and take care of internal matters by means of the Annual General Meeting. Significant developments have taken place in several areas of NAM activity over the past year. The ARCUK group have strengthened their representation on Council, and have produced suggestions for a new fee system, and changes in the Code of Conduct, in ‘Way Ahead', in addition to their report to the IMononolies Commission, 'Do Not Pass Go'. Both documents contain analyses of the implications that the Monopolies report and allied developments could have for the future of all salaried staff. The Feminism group has developed rapidly, with regular well-attended London meetings, and the probability that a co-operative practice will emerge from this group. NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT 4thANNUAL CONGRESS CHELTENHAM 78 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource NAM SLATE Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Undated