TUNNEL SHELTER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 24, 29 January 1942, Page 8

TUNNEL SHELTER

UNDER THE TERRACE

ARCHITECT'S PLAN

The closely-related problems of provision of air-raid shelters and of dispersal of people froxn the crowded mid-city are, in Wellington, particularly difficult. Between Cuba Street and the Government Buildings, on the flat east of Wellington Terrace, there are on a busy day up to 30,000 people in " shops and offices and in the streets. The exit roads are few and all climb steeply from Lambton Quay and Willis Street. Of buildings suitable for conversion into shelter buildings there are not more than 50 or so capable of offering, even after costly alteration and strengthening, safe protection from bomb or shell fire, and particularly from heat and smoke should serious fire break out. A proposal has been made by Mr. F. de J. Clere for the driving of a tunnel or temporarily disconnected lengths of tunnel under the line of Wellington Terrace to provide shelter for a very much larger number of people than could possibly be provided for in city buildings, removed from fire, heat, and smoke dangers, and to serve when peace returns as the foundation of a city asset of great value. Mr. Clere has practised in Wellington as one of New Zealand's leading architects and has a most complete knowledge of Wellington city and buildings in the mid-city area. He believes that a system of tunnel shelters could be constructed as rapidly and with less expenditure of manpower and materials than shelters and buildings which would be worse than useless after the war.

Mr. Clere, sen., is at present absent from Wellington, but his proposal was broadly outlined by Mr. Herbert Clere to a "Post" reporter today. It would be neither necessary nor possible to carry out more than essential construction, leaving the remainder till post-war years. Short drives from Willis Street and Lambton Quay, and lengths running off to the several gullies west of The Terrace would enable people to reach the shelter of the tunnel and to disperse further west.

Mr. Clere said that after the war the tunnel or chambers might be used as public garaging or the tunnel system could be continued to provide a traffic way to relieve Lambton Quay and Willis Street. PROS AND CONS. Mr. Clere makes these points. The cost of alterations and strengthening of buildings to provide building shelters is to be shared between the Government, the City Council, and building owners and their tenants, generally speaking, in the following proportions (for shelters for staffs of the particular buildings): Government, 50 per cent.; City Council, 25 per cent.; owner, 25 per cent.; with variation of percentages if shelter is also to be extended to the public.

(The regulations provide that the owner may recover from the tenants contributions towards his share of the cost of building shelter, in proportion to the benefits obtainable by the tenants, by an increase in rental of up to 10 per cent, for a period of ten years.)

'•That is," said Mr. Clere, "the community as a whole pays. In any event, buildings can provide shelter for mere hundreds out of many thousands who will need shelter from fire, as well as from the air or shellfire. if the city is attacked.

"Alteration of buildings will mean most serious disruption of normal activity within each building during j construction throughout the war period (for the strengthening will entail great structural additions in most cases) and during demolition and reconditioning. After the war, not only iwill the work done be valueless, but will cost many more thousand* of pounds to remove. "Steel, cement, or heavy timbering essential to strengthen buildings will drain the already short supplies. Steel is virtually not obtainable. There is strong opposition to the building shelter proposals from a number of owners upon whom shelter requisitions have been served, and this is likely to delay essentially urgent progress of work for the protection of life." THE TIME FACTOR. Mr. Clere is of the opinion that for the same number of people safe shelter under the tunnel proposal can be given at least as rapidly as the provision of less protective shelter in buildings in the midst of the vulnerable area. Admittedly the disposal of spoil would present some difficulty, except by haulage out of the city area. Thf| same man-power, he considers, could provide greater and safer tunnel shelter — At less ultimate money cost (having regard to post-war reconditioning) . With far greater safety for more people, particularly from heat and fire gases, than can be given in shelters in modern buildings, surrounded by bad fire hazard buildings. There would also be provided foundation work for either a system of public garaging or tunnel highway.