The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1931. BUILDING SUPERVISION.

Evening Star, Issue 20863, 5 August 1931, Page 6

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1931. BUILDING SUPERVISION.

“ More inspectors, greater building cost,’' may epitomise the reception some citizens will give to the building legislation just introduced into Parliament, Over-government and tho'cost of government are very much in the air at present, and so is the matter of the reduction of private as well as public costs. The temptation to jump at conclusions and complain that building legislation and compulsory State supervision just now are particularly inopportune must bo resisted, for the promise of “ better buildings at loss cost is held out. This emanates from a most reputable source—the Building Regulations Committee. It consists of thirteen gentlemen, comprising practising engineers, architects, and contractors, presided over by Professor Cull,’ of Canterbury College, with an official of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research as secretary. This committee, at the Government’s request, investigated the damage done by the Hawke’s Bay earthquake, and from tho lessons learned thereby made recommendations to the Government with a view to improving tho standard of building construction in the dominion in relation to earthquake resistance. Napier and Hastings after the disaster presented an open book to those able to read. There was displayed sound and unsound design, faithful and faulty workmanship, good and poor material. This was thrown into the holder relief by the intensification of the wave action of tho earth duo to tho nature of the ground foundations in tho business areas of the towns, where the main damago resulted. In Hastings part of that area is a wet pug clay with the water level near tho surface, and the rest is a blue running sand, also with water nob far below the surface; flic whole area having originally been a swamp. In South Napier the subsoil is silt. It is beyond the power even of bureaucracies to provide good foundation earth where Nature has provided bad; but it is not beyond authority to decree certain areas unfit for more than the lightest and most primitive typo of building. We have more than once heard it suggested that the Government should thus intervene in Napier, thus destining it to become merely tho port for a greater Hastings, bearing much tho same relation to the latter town as Port Chalmers does to Dunedin.

Bub even on good foundations it appears that far too many defective buildings are erected iu Now Zealand. Many of them are' had in design, in some cases tho materials arc not of tho best, and there may ho had workmanship, duo either to lax supervision or no supervision at all. -At present there is control over tho design, for all local authorities have their building by-laws; but it appears that in most it not all cases those are more or less out of date. Therefore tho Building Regulations Committee recommended a Uniform Building Code for tho whole of New Zealand. The committee went the necessary step further ami recommended measures to ensure its being enforced. The Government concurs. Unlike some other Governments, tho present one does not pigeon-hole reports of commissions of inquiry but takes prompt action on the advice given. In this case admittedly there is a slight variation. The Uniform Building Code becomes a model building code, which the local authorities are invited to copy. They are at liberty to frame their own by-laws and make

variations from tho model, bub such variations are strictly subject to Ministerial sanction; and, should tho local authority show signs of obstinacy in any particular, tho Government can enforce ou tho local authority the particular by-law it considers will meet the case. Tho standard by-laws will ho framed ou an earthquake resisting basis, but it is at tho local authority’s option to make them even more stringent where it considers earthquake risk serious. So much for the design, apart from the fruits of tho study which architects and engineers will presumably devote to those aspects of their calling which the earthquake emphasised. They may he required to furnish the local authority with far fuller details before a permit to begin construction is forthcoming. Then there steps in a very important and responsible functionary. Tho employment of a clerk of works has hitherto been optional with the owner of the proposed building. In future it will ho compulsory. H'°report speaks truly in inverse ratio to the conscientiousness of a clerk of works is usually tho pleasantness of liis job. It has not been unknown for tools or fragments of material to fall from heights suspiciously close to the person of tho clerk who is inflexible over such a matter as the amount of cement put into the concrete mixer. Henceforth he should have a bettor standing and enjoy a less nerve-rack-ing and less strenuous time; for ho will have the jegis of tho Government over him. If tho owner defaults in this matter tho authorities will provide a clerk of works, not to mention inspecting o.iiccrs for intermittent inspection. Already ono can almost hear wrathful or sarcastic sotto vocc remarks from contractors! But the committee found that “ some adequate supervision by tho State over building work throughout tho country was necessary.”

Inspectors must he paid, and the Bill provides for it by imposing a special fee of i per cent, on the contract price, part of which will go to the research on earthquake resistance. How then is tho cost of building to bo reduced? For one thing, tho committee says, by economising material. “ More science and less materials aro required in our city buildings,” says^its report, though it exempts from this stricture tho best buildings of recent construction, and it hastens to say that it believes there is in this country both the desire for improved building practice and the technical skill to achieve it. Tho predilection of tho committee for reinforced concrete over brick for buildings of any size is plain, and it prefers plain buildings to those heavily over-ornamented (a source of added danger in earthquakes), (< simple, cheap, and efficient ” being the slogan it recommends to designers. For private dwellings a maximum of three stories in brick is conceded; for business premises of any size and for public buildings reinforced concrete is urged. The problem of tho earth-quake-resisting brick chimney is admittedly knotty, and the committee neatly side-stops it by suggesting chimucyloss buildings, which implies central heating. In our winter many housewives will cordially agree. If rhe now legislation and its accompanying regulations follow closely tho committee's recommendations there will soon be another class of artisan requiring to bo licensed. Already wo have licensed plumbers and licensed drainers, and soon we may have licensed welders, wlio presumably will have to sit for examination. This is in anticipation of the rapid spread of reinforced concrete construction. Anyone who visits tho Waitaki hydro-electric power beadworks at a certain stage of their construction, and has been privileged to hear Mr Paokwood, the engineer in charge, explaining the function of each tie-rod in tho reinforcement of the concrete will appreciate the wisdom of the committee’s recommedatiou in this respect.