CONCRETE HOUSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 53, 4 March 1925, Page 8

CONCRETE HOUSES.

AN EFFECTIVE SUPPLEMENT. WORK FOR THE UNEMPLOYED. The Committee appointed by Mr. Whea/tley, the late Minister of Health, •hae presented its interim report on " new materials or methods oi construction which are or may be available for the building of houses for the working classes." The report, which deals with- concrete construction, was issued as a White Paper. Sir Ernest W. Moir, Bt., is the chairman of the Committee.

The report is summarised as follows: —"It is the considered opinion of the Committee that, broadly speaking, the variojus forms of concrete construction offer a very effective supplement to tihe normal methods of building. Not only is the house built in concrete satisfactory, but it utilises labour and material in plentiful supply. 'The Committee therefore recommend that local authorities should, wherever necessary, include in their housing programmes houses ibuilit of one of the various forms of_ concrete construction, a.nd t>y bo doing not only meet the demand for houses, but also abswb labour that is largely unemployed. " A large proportion oi the suggestions submitted to the Committee relate *o the application cf concrete to house building, and after examination ■of a great number of proposals the Committee are of opinion that it is desiraible to present at once a 6eoond interim report dealing with this form of construction."

The use of concrete for the construction of dwellings in the iform of pre-cast Mocks'is not a new or untried method, ettate the Committee. Bince the war large numbers of satisfactory concrete dwellings have 'been erected in which several methods of construction have •been employed. Most of these schemes, however, rely to "a lesser or greater degr.ee upon. Vke employment of those expert trades in the building industry .which are mosn sciarce land which are- essential to the' requirements of the present building! programme in materials of construction other than concrete. There is a sufficient body of experience to show ttoat comfortable, dry, and healthy dwellings, satisfactory in appearance, can be constructed of concrete. Suitable aggregates, representing fivesixths or more of the ingredients required are to be found in most districts. They require no ekiUfcd labour to prepare, end the quantity available is generally plentiful. The getting, crushing, screening, and preparation of the materials would afford occupation suitable for men now unemployed.

The Best Method. One of the beat methods, which in the Committee's opinion would substantially supplement the output of 'houses, is. the use, of concrete placed, or poured in situ 'between wooden or steel shutters. IPoured concrete of a special character in which the proportion of cement to suitable aggregate is reduced to 1 in 9 is incorporated in Qioueing schemes in Holland. Effective 'buildings have been const ructed, 'by this methodup to tbrefe storeys in 'height with walla only about eight inches thick, in which there is a high percentage of voids, and consequent lightness of structure. In these houses the walls are finished externally by cement rendering or roughcast, and inside I>y ordinary commercial plaster. These plastered surfaces, together witli poured, concrete, form the outer wall, and no air epace is required.

The report points out that, in order to minimise the plastering , as far as possible, in many cases a, fair finish can ■be produced 'by carefully 'stopping all holes, rubbing down and applying a cement wash with a brush, and. so preparing a surface sufficiently well to take paper or .distemper. Concrete floors, partitions, and roofs "have been satisfactorily constructed in some of the existing housing schemes in this country, and ■linoleum or cork carpet on concrete floors has been in use witli hard wear for upwards of 20 years in office blocks. 'Such floors may be more expensive than wooden ones, but they do not necessitate carpentry work, and the use of steel shuttering would probably avtoid the use of plaster work. Reliability of Concrete.

The committee urge that there should foe no prejudice aguinat a concrete building. Concrete is entirely reliable from a strength point of view. It can be mixed and placed either with the ordinary Shovel <er by mechanical appliances, and the .jwrating materials are thoroughly well distributed. The committee's conclusions are summed up as follows: — (1) That houses built of poured in situ concrete are .satisfactory 'habitations.

(2) That this method of 'building which economises in bricklaying and plastering enables a building to be completed rapidly and almost entirely by other than skilled labour.

(3) That various improvements have been introduced in the way of giving a pleasing outside surface and a smooth inside eurface to euoh buildings, with a minimum of labour drawn from the skilled building trades, and that further improvements in these directions should Be carefully etudied and assisted.

(4) That this method of construction promises more houses &nd more permanent structures than any other alternative to brick construction which it has had before it, and with the least call on the skilled building operatives. The maintenance costs of such hjMusp.s will compare favourably with those of any houses.