BUILDING IN TIMBER

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 112, 4 February 1939, Page 12

BUILDING IN TIMBER

Minister Gives Reasons STEEL NOT OBTAINABLE The action of the Government in using timber for the construction of the Social Security Building destroyed by fire was defended by the Minister of Public Works, -Mr. Semple, yesterday He said circumstances had forced the Government into the use of wood when the building was planned. “The Government has no desire to erect timber buildings if it is at all possible to avoid doing so, and is pushing on as rapidly as adverse building conditions will permit, with the erection of permanent buildings,” said Mr. Semple. “The erection of a temporary building in the vicinity of the Government centre when the destroyed structure was commenced bad become imperative because of the utter inadequacy of the existing Government buildings and the impossibility of renting suitable accommodation. ‘.‘Offices were required for the rapidly increasing staffs of the various departments and the new departments that came into existence through the Government’s policy. The previous Government had shamefully neglected the building of Government offices. It had not kept pace with the demands of the Public Service even in its own day, let alone provided for an increase. “It is easy now to condemn the Government for the erection of a timber building, but at the time there was no other method of expediting the 'provision of the office accommodation of which the Government was desperately in need. Had that building not been burnt it would have provided accommodation far in advance in comfort and usefulness of any other Government building now in use.” Mr. Semple said that when the building was started a reinforced concrete building was out of the question. Apart from the difficult demolition work later, it would have been more costly, and it was almost impossible to obtain steel for reinforcing in a reasonable time. The decision to erect a timber-frame building was reached after a good deal of investigation and there was no reason to suppose it. was unsafe. The main Government building, which was of timber, had been in use for nearly 70 years. The foundations of the Aitken Street building were of reinforced concrete and approximately one-third of the area was covered by a concrete basement. The framework was of Australian hardwood, floor joists and exterior framing of rimu, and the whole was sheathed with matai planks covered by building felt which would have been plastered. For the purpose of ordering materials the building was divided into three blocks and one block was almost, ready for occupation. It had been subdivided for office use and the linoleum floors and painting were almost completed.

SAFETY PRINCIPLES Apparent Flouting By Government Dominion Special Service. AUCKLAND, February 3. Auckland authorities on building construction regard the conflagration in Wellington as disclosing almost a major scandal in the apparent flouting by the Government of safety principles that have been firmly established for many years.

It was stated that a large wooden office building of three or four stories, which during business hours would contain great numbers of clerks, could not by any means be made really safe against fire. The most that could be done was to provide complete electrical alarm and sprinkler systems, together with hoses on every floor, but it would be impossible to design efficient fireescapes because the* inflammable nature of the external walls would very probably make them unusable. In the second place, such a building, being a concentration of unenclosed inflammable material, would be a great danger to its surroundings. A fire in it would not be confined by brick or concrete walls, and there would be a terrific radiation of heat in all directions. That this actually occurred is indicated by the fact that the bitumen pavement in the street caught alight—a very unusual occurrence. One man ■ who knows Auckland well said he doubted very much whether any three-storied wooden buildings could be found in Hie central city area. He personally could think of none, and if any existed they must lie very old, for such structures had been barred for many years in tlie interests of safety. So far as can be. gathered, Hie Public Works Department and other Government authorities, such as Hie Housing Construction Department, have deferred to the by-laws of local bodies in the Auckland metropolitan area for a long time, and there has been no real cause for complaint. The only instance that is recalled of a protest being disregarded was about 20 years ago, when the Government insisted on building a two-storied house of wood and asbestos sheeting at Hie back of tlie Magistrates' Court for occupation by Hie caretaker.

In the report of Hie fire yesterday Mrs..W. Needham, 24 Wingfield ,Streel, was described as a semi-invalid. She is strong and healthy and took no illeffects from her ordeal.