UNSAFE BUILDING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 222, 19 September 1929, Page 13

UNSAFE BUILDING.

"SCANDALOUS DESIGN." COLLEGE CLOSED DOWN. ARCHITECT GIVES REASONS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WANGANUI, this day. The governors of the Wanganui Technical College were given some illuminating information a'bout the state of the college buildings to-day. Mr. R. Savage, of the Education Department's architectural branch, said the deficiency in the thickness of the walls was 4J inches, or half a brick. One 2in rod was used in the reinforced concrete band on the first floor. The main weakness of the 'building was that there were no proper ties. The designing of the roof trusses was really scandalous, three-inch nails being used to tie trusses together. The designing was so bad that it was practically impossible to get a tie anywhere. Of the floor joists, the least said the better. The bearing load of the floors was only 50 per cent of what it should be. In one part of the building part of a rafter was not supported at all on the wall plate. The 'brick work of the building was remarkably good, and this wets thought to be a redeeming featuro. The Director of Education, Mr. T. B. Strong, said the Department would do its best to provide suitable temporary accommodation, and a number of marquees with boarded floors had foeen sent for. The pupils "of the school have been dismissed till the Beginning of next week, and given sufficient home work to keep them occupied for a few hours each day.