NON-BRICK HOUSES

Grey River Argus, 22 June 1925, Page 3

NON-BRICK HOUSES

HOMES OE COXCRETE ,\XI> STELL Ever since the war ended there has been a world.wide quest for a type of dwelling house which will meet new conditions. In England experiments on a mammoth scale have been con. tinuously conducted. Builders, architects, ami inventors have produced numerous new materials and schemes. I he great problem at the outset was to find a. substitute for brick. This was required for several reasons, chief among which were the scarcity of bricks, the extreme shortage of skilled labour and the relatively high cost. M hat was wanted was something adaptable to mass production—soph l . thing that made a small call on skiH-'d artisans ami could be done bv unskill, ed workmen; something cheap and cap. able of being erected quickly. Yet tics new house had to be aide to withstand the rigours of the English di. mate, and had to comply with the modern demand for "something d’f. fercHt”—the old style of rows of trim but cramped brick cottages, built to the one monotonous design, was -mt of favour. The result of the quest, or the progressive result—for new schemes are constantly being trim?- — is of interest ami importance to New Zealand, which is also confronted w : ’h the housing problems, although the conditions an* different. A catalogue of new materials perimonted with would be a verv bulky document. To mention only those which have alreadv been erected on a fairly considerable scale, there are houses of concrete, t'mber. steel, - balk, ami of mixed materials. known :is ‘ ‘ Prefact n. ’ ’ “ Fnrtocrete, ” ami " Nissen.l’et r< i n. ” the latter consist, ing chiefly of ferro.roncrete slabs. Houses have also been made of slate, and so ne of cork. These are numbered among a list of over L’<»o new methods of construction, and new materials submitted to a Parliament ary committee of investigation. PREJUDICE AGAINST WOODEN HOUSES. Eliminating the brick house, lor which there is a traditional preference. anil which remains in highest favour among those who can afford it, the most important alternatives are the wooilen, concrete and steel strucures. The wooden house has always been a charming feature of rural England. but in the cities it has i • er Lad a vogue equal to its established position in Australia. Houses of oak. teak, and cedar have a reputation for great durability. Many of the oldest existing houses in London are of timber. Some of those in High Holborw, built *n 1672, are to.day in first-class condition. The tough English timbers cannot now be obtained in sufficient quantities, but experiments and experience show that the common soft woods possess all the strength requisite for framing, and tor interior purposes the denser soft woods, such as p..;c, v i, 'Columbia pine, are b ■ing used, builders endeavouring Io erect concret° houses at prices substantially

""' V "Xpeet >n „.-,v Imuses, and inferior wu .| ; '■•"•"’•ip Ims been ,| 1( . ri . sll | t . ~ V . I "',nd 11, at. generally spoking. t |,e ; "-St of concrete is about the Time ns sj <">' brick work on small .schemes. but "| l! becomes increasingly economical as J 1 1" "I' ho,mas built increases . to the repented K ame ' shuttering. In the nmt<.”1 F 1 upkeep and repairs cm,,-role is de. ’ I fi iii t ely cheaper. J "kim-tmii Io concrete houses is I' that it presents dull,, mmmlomms "I’l'onranee. To overcome’ lids, expori. meats were made with rolo-ir wash. ; l ’" 1 ,llis system was fmim| |,c too . costly. Colouring mediums are now ' M' 1 "' 1 ' ' during ! the mixing process. Certain colours I J are injurious to the setting qualities ■ ind ultimate strength <.f ih,. roncre'e. - ’’llf >"'l oxide of iron, yellow chrome, vermilion, and some other eolouring ’ Her several important housing , -"hemes these matermly have been r used, and it is claimed for the timber r house that it is durable, at’rarliv' in appearance, and t horoiighb,- suited to , the English (dimate. But the preju. i diee against it is strong. There is a widespread opinion that wooden houses cannot be kept vermin proof, . and for that reason many housing au_ . thorities turn to somethin:: else. i For exterior ‘-’leathin'j Ihe British Columbia red cedar, either in weather. ’ boarding or shingles. i< employed. I THE CONCRETE 1101 SL. By far the most popular alternative to brick is lhe concrete house. Concrete, as was recently pointed out, is by no means a new invention. It was, in fact, the material of some of the greatest works of antiquity. The present condition of such struct ores as ? the dome of the Pantheon, in Rome. . and some of Hie Mediterranean bar. I bours is evidence that its use was well I understood by ancient engineers and ‘ builders. It may be said that con. ■ erete came back into its own during ’ the Avar, when it was turned to war - purposes. H was a natural process to ’’ extend its uses ’in peace. ' For a time it was considered that • coucret(* houses were the real solution r of the great problem. T ’’ !<> fhe pre- ■ sent concrete is certainly the oiilv al. - ternative method of construction re. • cognised by the Government as hav. s ing the same durability ami ellecli\e s life :is brick work. Under lhe Addi- ' son scheme more than 2(1 0(10 coiiciete - houses were erected, and a great num. 1 ber are now under construction. Most - requirements tire apparently tuisv. erml. ' Cnskillml labour is largely employed, s and materials are available in abmtd. ■ anec.'and vonerete Imuses van be built more rapidly than brick. Bui, altm experience, leading authorities have com,, to the eonchtsiem that concruio should not be regarded as a cheap substit". : 1 Most, of iltc niis. takes it is said, have been due >0 mediums are harmless, and ate us, f l with very goml elfm-t. t'obmr sehetm 5 can also be obtained by using dilferen' j coloured aggregate in the finished fac ~| the concrete, suitable materials be ,ing powdered Portland stone, ted or I green granite chippings, or line ernsltod I spa. I I lixperts tire satisfied tlmt pre.east | coucret,. blocks or slabs ami piers are safer than systems involving the pour. ling „f concrete into shuttering. on [account of the difficulty of adequately I supervising the mixing of concrete. I Pro cast concrete can be tested before (being fixed in the building, and detective blocks or piers condemned; where, as in the “poured” concrete method the work cannot be removed once it p.ns been poured. i i It is the general opinion that the i , , i, nll «o iris taken a definite plaee in England and will survive the ( present abnormal conditions. lhe

•••I ami absorbs less skilled labour than ih“ brick house, and yet rcn.aies tistic in ilesign ami pleasing in appear ancc. ’ ? DD’rits chimed are that concrete is ‘‘cheaper, sounder, more quickly creel. STUUL HOUS US. The newest tvpe to come into priiin. iner.ee is the steel house. This is more, completely a factory production limn anv other, and the Duke of Alholl contends tlmt it offers the most effective means of providing suitable dwellings in Dirge numbers in th" shortest lime. Twn principal types have been adopted. I’he ‘‘Weir’’ type is a house which has a wood frame as its structure, carrying steel sheets secured to it on its outer side and an asbestos or other lining on i* side. The ‘‘Atholl’’ type has stool sheets or plates as its structure. to which arc secured the necessaiy scant, r ling for the support of the inner lin- I ing. The steel sheets forming lhe outer face of tin* Weir house have a thickness of 1 hree.eighths of an inch, while those of the Atholl house are 2_l6th of an inch. To prevent rust, the steel sheets have a coat of paint preservative. On the inner surface of the Atholl house a coating of granulated cork provides additional insulation. For the inside walls and ceilings asbestos sheets, or compresed and specially treated boards of a thickness up to 1 hroe.eighths of an inch, a.re used. Tn order to meet the objection associated with wooden houses in England—the danger of vermin—attempts arc being made Io substitute a cement material for supports for the inner lining. Provided they prov<‘ satisfactory to live in, the outstanding merit claime 1 for the steel houses is tlmt I they can be produced quickly by factory mass.production methods, using a considerable proportion of unskilled labour, and erected, rapidly without regard to weather conditions. The making of houses of steel is still in the experimental stage, and the invention is not yet a serious competitor of concrete as an alternative to brick. The conspicuous and gratifying result of the attention given to housing since the war is that the working classes of England are gradually Being accommodated with homes fit to Hive in, states the Melbourne ‘‘Age,’’ after dealing with the various materials bein*- made use of. All houses Luilt under the, numerous Government and council schemes introduce features to the poorer people before I the war. The stage has not yet been reached when official schemes require the provision of a bath-room, but in he designs adopted by the Govern. ■ lent it is included ‘‘according to cirThe standard size of all T.ioms has been increased and the de. siijns are planned on a scientific basis, guaranteeing the requisite snn and air. The minimum frontage for a par. 1„ ,T” house is now 21ft. and, most in.oortnnt of all. a serious attempt has bc y made to render the houses cheer, fuljand attractive, instead of gloomy num monotonous, whatever thi ma teriV used in construction.