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Design Review: Volume 4, Issue 4 (August-September 1952)

Beauty in Engineering

Beauty in Engineering

Works, striking in their forms and of a strange but exciting rhythm, can at present be seen in some of the large hydro-electric constructions built by the Ministry of Works.

The Maraetai power project on the Waikato River was in a most interesting stage some months ago. The photograph of the powerhouse and dam (III. I), which was taken in January of this year, is a particularly good example. The shapes have an amazing likeness to some of the monasteries built since the 10th century on the Greek islands in the Ægean Sea. Simopetra, on Mount Athos (III. 2), is one of these monastic structures.* A picture of the dam with the transformer platform and the penstocks (III. 3) reminds us of the fantastic perspectives the Piranesi Brothers conceived during the time of the Baroque in Italy. Illustration 4 shows a typical example of this kind of picture.

Much of these architecturally most impressive concrete structures will have to be submerged so as to serve their purpose. However, the shapes are much too exciting to be passed over unobserved.

There is much matter for thought in these gigantic projects beside their engineering functions and problems which in themselves are of a magnitude without parallel in New Zealand. Our engineers are proud of their work, and rightly so. But is it only the material side of their designs they are so proud of? Does one think only of kilowatts when confronted with such engineering works?

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