BUILDING HAZARDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22622, 27 April 1948, Page 6

BUILDING HAZARDS

COOK HILL STRATA REPORT HELD OBSCURE SITE ON FLATS WANTED Terms in which a report on the soil conditions on the Cook Hospital site were submitted by the soil bureau of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research were considered by members of the Cook Hospital Board, at their monthly meeting yesterday, to be not very helpful or informative for laymen. The report dealt with the soil composition with relation to the advisability of constructing heavy buildings on Hospital Hill, and in its conclusions stated: “The sequence of soil types over the lop of the Hospital Hill area are consistent and follow approximately the ground contour. They have been related to the general situation on the northern boundary of the Gisborne flats and to Bluff Hill. Napier. “The pumice member is for the most part a fine loamy sand more or less cemented. It. has good bearing properties for static loads, and is sufficiently well consolidated to resist settlement under seismic vibrations. “The elnv soils of the undermass which may come close to the surface if building on the 8-acre block area is proceeded with, impose a limit of about 0.7 ton ner sq. ft. on the footing pressures. This does not. anpear to be a serious restriction to the building designer. Building Loads' Minor Effect “These clay soils have been sufficiently well consolidated by natural processes to render anv additional consolidation due to building loads as of a very small order. “Density of the pumiceous sands is less than that of the underlying clays, but it is doubtful whether the seismic properties of the Hospital Hill area is rendered any worse thereby than those of the alluvial Gisborne fiats. “Limitations of building heights on the site will be imposed by earthquake considerations, rather than by soil bearing properties, and a similar situation will hold for Bluff Hill, Napier.” So far as he was able to learn from a close perusal of the report, the only points which were clear were that any

buildings should be kept back from the edge of the hill, and that earthquake risks would limit the construction of multi-storeyed buildings, said Mr- H. H. Barker. In these points the new report confirmed the conclusions to be drawn from the earlier geological report. He moved that iri view of these conclusions the Minister of Health be asked to give urgent consideration to the acquisition of a suitable area for future construction of a new maternity block on the town level. Mr. H. H. Dods seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.