NEW BUILDINGS FOR LOWER HUTT

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 46, 18 November 1936, Page 17

NEW BUILDINGS FOR LOWER HUTT

Unique Features of Ford Factory PART OF NEW ZEALAND WORKER An important addition to the industrial area of Lower Hutt has been made iu the establishment there of the motor assembling factory of the Ford Motor Company of New Zealand, Limited. It enhances the Lower HuttPetone area as one of the main industrial centres of the Dominion. r lbe efforts of numbers of firms and many New Zealand workmen have been called upon to complete the task. 145,000 BRICKS Approximately 145,060 bricks, supplied by the Amalgamated Brick and Pipe Company (Wellington) Limited, have gone into the building. The effect is somewhat novel for New Zealand, which has been shown a few things by Canada in this respect. From the point of view of light the building is much ahead of many New Zealand factories, and shows the work up to the best advantage. Many of the piers, which in such buildings are sometimes unsightly, are decorated by brickwork. The way the bricks have been worked into patterns in the Ford building makes the result very attractive. Oue of the advantages of brick work is that it will never discolour with age, and this is important in large cities afflicted by smoke, fog and dust. Iu fact, brickwork stands up to the test of colour bettor than almost any other known material. CONCRETE ROOF TILES Over 5660 concrete roofing tiles, made at the company’s factory in Petone, have been put into the Ford building by the Hume Pipe Company (Australia) Limited.- There are between 30 and 40 types of tiles used, aud the biggest measure Bft. by 2ft. and weigh between 300 and 4001 b. This is the Canadian style, and the roof has, of course, been specially designed to take the load. BIG GLAZING CONTRACT Between 65,000 and 70,000 superficial feet of -.J-ineh rolled Cathedral glass has been put into the building by Alessrs. Auld and Gleeson, AVellington, glass, oil and colour merchants. It is one of the largest, if not the largest, glazing job done in the Dominion. The greater portion of the walls and roof have been glazed, and thus a good, even light is provided throughout the interior of the building. The painting was done under the supervision of Air. W. H. Firth, hundreds of gallons of aluminium aud other paints being used. French polishing of the interior fittings of Queensland maple is also a feature. STEEL WINDOW RUNS

Steel windows made in units of about 26ft. long by 6ft. high and assembled to allow their being joined togethei' in one continuous window provide something new to New Zealand in the Ford building. The contractors for this part of the work were the Duthie Steel Casement Company, Limited, Wellington. The magnitude of the job is to be appreciated when it is realised that the runs are about 400 feet loug. Six hundred and thirtythree units, covering 64,000 square feet, were required for the total number of runs.

The continuous opening sash is the style adopted by the Ford Company in Canada and the United States of America. These continuous windows are operated by tension rod gearing and motor with automatic stop control. One motor on the wall opens, say, 460 feet of window—both on the sides of the building and the roof. In area the job is one of the largest done by the firm, and has the effect of giving the maximum of lighting and ventilation at the same time. The contract was executed in six weeks. STRUCTURAL STEEL AU the structural steel work iu connection with the general contract was done by the Wellington Structural aud Reinforcing Steel Company, Limited. This firm, which early this year took over the structural and reinforcing steel business formerly carried on by the Fletcher Construction Company, Limited, lias premises which are equipped for general ironwork as well as for all classes of structural and reinforcing steel work. Reinforcing steel in straight bars from stock or on indent enn be provided, aud the 14r-m specially undertaken the bending of reinforcing steel to engineers’ and architects’ requirements. It carries large and comprehensive assorted stocks of reinforcing steel.