Studio: international art (37.1906)

Designs for a IVeek-End Bungalow

ESIGNS FOR A WEEK-END
BUNGALOW. (STUDIO COM-
PETITION A XXV.)

In this competition, to which a very full response
has been made, it is interesting to notice once
again that there is a fair proportion of foreign and
colonial competitors. The wonder, indeed, is,
however, that the number is not greater of those
who have submitted plans from the Colonies. The
bungalow is so essentially a building adapted to
the more open-air life of those countries owning a
brighter sun than that of our own land that a form
of house suited to these conditions is somewhat of
an exotic in England. True, some of our south-
coast watering places can show examples where the
stoep or verandah gives opportunity for the enjoy-
ment of the sea breezes, but amongst the designs
submitted, it is in quite a minority of them that
the most is made of this feature, which is really an
essential of the bungalow arrangement of house.
This is the case, for instance, with Bux (Fig. i),
who has provided a good spacious verandah on
three sides of the house. His elevations are
quietly treated, but he has, we fear, exceeded
the ^750 limit. The design of Crete (Fig. 2),
which is good and simple, could, on the other
hand, we think, be carried out for the amount,
but the rooms are rather small. The plate
line in the bedroom, moreover, is only about
4 ft. from the floor. Of the not very large number
who have arranged the whole house, including
bedrooms, on one floor, Mick (Fig. 3) gives a
good simple square plan admitting of access to
the verandah direct from the rooms. Orange
Tip, The Bittemite, Papillion and Ferrus have
also adopted this principle with more or less
success. Rustic Peggy (Fig. 4) helps his
excellently drawn set materially by sending
details. He also lights his hall by a high light,
but the corridor behind would be decidedly dark.
Country Life (Fig. 5) has a good, compact and
inexpensive plan, and, though he gets two bed-
rooms on the upper floor, the whole effect would
be low and pleasant. Nero II. (Fig. 6) provides
plenty of verandah in his carefully thought-out plan.
He does not send an estimate, but his elevations
and arrangements are simple, and his bungalow
could probably be built for ^750. Gaul (Fig. 7),
like the preceding three, has worked on a plan which
gives two wings set at an angle with the centre por-
tion where the entrance is arranged; but it is
doubtful if this arrangement is the best for a south-
east aspect. His treatment is original, especially
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that of the roof. The porch is obviously too
small, and there is not arranged near it cloak
room for the macintosh dripping after a long
country walk. We wonder how the hall in Wasp's
design (Fig. 8) is lighted. His verandah might
well be wider, so as to give opportunity, for in-
stance, for having afternoon tea under its shelter.
His ground-floor rooms are not high enough.
The service pantry is quite a happy thought.
Tyne (Fig. 9) has the good arrangement of
three bedrooms on the ground-floor well shut
off from the rest of the house, and the ser-
vants' bedroom in the roof reached by a flight
from the scullery. Little Willie's set (Fig. 10)
is vigorously drawn in brown ink; but, surely,
" Lounge Hall" is a rather ambitious term to
apply to a place 8 ft. 6 ins. wide. He provides
a good verandah, but a vestibule arrangement at
the entrance would be an advantage. White OwFs
gaily coloured drawing (Fig. 11) shows a pleasant
roof treatment. The beam in the hall, by the bye,
is supported on one end by a 4^-in. wall, which
does not seem to be sound construction; and the
door from the bedroom to the verandah is, perhaps,
a clerical error in drawing. The plan sent by Phil
(Fig. 12) is carefully thought out, but its com-
plication, we are afraid, means expense. Its eleva-
tions speak originality, but there is somewhat too
much length of V-gutter in the roof. The upper
verandah—or, rather, balcony—treatment of Erimus
(Fig. 13) is, like that of Gaul, a good feature.
His drawing, in brown ink and to quarter scale, is
good; and he provides an excellent verandah, and
his simple roof and chimneys would make an
effective elevation. The kitchen and larder
should have been placed on the north-east side.
Peter Pan's design (Fig. 14) is good and simple,
but he has a long V-gutter in the roof, and the
staircase is apparently unlighted. Nor do we like
the bathroom to lead out of the entrance vestibule.
Mike's plan (Fig. 15) is a good one, but is spoiled
by the smallness of the bedrooms on the ground-
floor, two of which are only 8 ft. wide. Otherwise
the design is simple and direct, and so inexpensive
that the competitor might have treated himself to
either hollow or 14-in. walls, and made his rooms
rather larger.

Besides the foregoing, there are among the nume-
rous other designs submitted a good few which con-
tain interesting features, notably those of Lothair,
Rustic, Sphinx, Outre, Too Little is No Wrong,
Metope and Sun, but our space being limited we
are unable to reproduce them along with the others.
The awards will be found on page 373.