ASBESTOS-CEMENT TREATMENT

Evening Star, Issue 22953, 10 May 1938, Page 3

ASBESTOS-CEMENT TREATMENT

FORMER OBJECTION MET Architects and builders are always seeking new materials and methods of construction which will reduce building costs, but in doing so care has to be taken to ensure that the strength of the building is not affected, A Melbourne paper points out that for many years the building material known as asbestos-cement sheets, manufactured under different trade names, has been on the market and has been meeting requirements for low cost and structural strength in the covering of walls of houses, factories, and other frame buildings. These sheets are manufactured from cement and asbestos fibre by specially designed machinery. The long, tough fibres of asbestos are evenly distributed throughout the cement, and form an interwoven reinforcement like steel rods in’ a concrete wall. Asbestos will not rot, rust, corrode, or burn, and cement has these properties, in addition to that of increasing in durability and. strength over a period of years. One of the great objections which homebuilders in the past had to the use of asbestos-cement sheets for walls was that they did not lend themselves to attractive building designs. This was because the sheets were made only in small sizes and both horizontal and vertical timber cover strips were necessary.

The objection has been overcome in recent years by the manufacture of the sheets in longer sections,' and the introduction of several types of cover moulds or strips in asbestos-cement. It is now possible for architects to design houses with an unbroken horizontal line effect for the walls. A house recently built in Hughesdale is a good example of the modern treatment of walls with asbestos-cement sheets. The long sheets were arranged so that most of the vertical joints were made at the angles of the walls. ' Where a certical joint was necessary in the middle of the wall, the face of the stud was grooved and filled with a waterproof plastic material. The ends of the two sheets were then butted together on the stud and pointed up with the same plastic, so that the vertical joint was hidden. The height of the walls was planned to conform with the stock width of the sheets, so that only three 'horizontal joints had to be covered. This was done with a narrow bead cover strip of asbestos cement, designed also to flash each sheet. The baseline of the house is of timber boards, which have been given a tarred finish. Large window flower-boxes on each side of the lounge chimney give contrast and interest to the main front. Pink bricks have been used for this work.

The wall sheets have been left in their natural grey colour. The window frames, front door, and fascia board, which conceals the roof spouting, are painted vermilion. The window sashes are cream. The roof is covered with tiles graded from a pink at the top to a deep red at the bottom. Both sides of the front door are flanked with two rows of glass bricks to the full door height. The front porch is paved with 9in by Sin terracotta tiles and protected by a flat hood supported by a pipe post. Casement windows, fixed on a special type of pivot, which allows a very wide window opening, are fitted throughout. The planning and design of the house have been influenced considerably by the shape of the building allotment, which has a frontage of 150 ft by a depth of 67ft. The large entrance hall has a recess for a hall table, with cupboards underneath. There is a large corner seat, over which a shelf is fixed for the telephone. A roomy coat cupboard is also provided. The lounge fireplace is fitted with a special type of stove, which draws cold air from outside the building. This air, after having passed through tubes at the back of the fire, is distributed. This arrangement 'ensures a continuous flow of air through the room without any draughts. There is an upholstered corner seat under the larger Opening off the lounge is a sunroom with large casement windows to floor level. A glass door opens from, the sunroom into the garden. The dining alcove has a fixed table with chromium steel legs. Tubular metal chairs are used to match. Between the alcove and the kitchen is a serving hatch. On the kitchen side of the hatch are large crockery cupboards. The kitchen is compact and well planned. The sink is set in a terrazzo work bench, and adjoining the raised, table-model gas stove are ventilated cool cupboards for food storage. A trades hatch opens from outside the building. There is a fixed electric light in the stove recess and over the sink. The laundry is arranged so that it serves as an entrance porch to the kitchen. It houses the boiler for the hotwater system.^ The two main bedrooms have a southeasterly aspect and large casement windows. A shelf is fitted in both rooms at window-sill level, and strip lights are fixed on the wall over the heads of the beds. Both rooms have built-in wardrobes. The third bedroom, opening off the dining alcove, has two bunks built against the wall in ship-cabin fashion The bathroom has a blue terrazzo floor, and the walls are finished in an off-white shade, with black lining. A atrip light is fixed over the shaving cabinet between the two small windows. Adjoining the room are a linen press

and a toilet, which can also be entered from outside the house. All the main rooms are lined with an insulating and acoustic board, fixed in long lengths with horizontal cover straps. In the lounge the walls are coloured biscuit, and the bedrooms pink. The mountain ash joinery has a plain, waxed finish in the natural colour. The kitchen is finished in cream and Indian red. The garage is a . separate building, and follows the same style of construc- , tioa as the house.