BUILDING ACTIVITY.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4329, 31 August 1937, Page 5

BUILDING ACTIVITY.

Lever, for many years, has the building trade in Queenstown shown so much activity as it is at the present time. There are at least five major contracts in hand —two business or public buildings and four private Lou es—engaging close on twenty mem It is an astonishing fact, too, that the price of building- material has soared to heights never before known, even to an uneconomical degree—some ciaslses of material are said to have advanced 30-40 per cent on rates obtaining v .fl2 months ago. More new structures are in contemplation and it must prejudically alfeot- investment in this relation. Private houses are at a premium in Queenstown and it is reported that tenants could be found for at least five more families. The prospects are certainly bright for the town and with a revival of mining in the near future, business people should have no cause for complaint. a THE NEW POST OFFICE. In its new post-office Queenstown appears destined to have a building of outstanding merit. It's erection is proceeding speedily and harmoniously on the site of the present old pesifj office which has served Queenstown for many years. As> one enters Queenstown by road tiie post-office is one of the first localities encountered. It adjoins the Magistrate’s Courthouse and Municipal offices, and is close to the County Council offices. Both of these buildings and the main bridge in Ballarat street are built of local stone. In the vicinity and iso grouping with these buildings is Sit. Peter’s Anglican Church, which is built of a similar local grcy .stone. The Postal Department is to -be commended for choosing the same material as that of the church. It Is one of the oldest and hardest stones known to man. Greywackc, the stone referred to, is of grey colour and classed as a conglomerate—it will vary in colour as time goes on. The new building will be wailed externally with tills material interspersed with bands of white cement concrete, thereby economising on the material and erection, and giving a special significance to the whole structure. As will be shown directly, this concrete will be turned to a good purpose also in forming a building which will practically be immune to earthquake danger—a precaution of first importance, seeing Queenstown stands over one or more earthquake faults. It is a remarkable, fact that large rough boulders in tiie public park are being broken up and employed in the building of the new post office. The advantage of tills procedure is that the stone so obtained is of solid structure and even, clean colour, free from the- discoloration more prevalent in boulders of lesser size taken from the lake foreshore. The roof will be in keeping with the stone for it will be in green coloured concrete tiles. PRECAUTION AGAINST EARTHQUAKE. To provide against damage by earthquake, the building is being reinforced with steel rods embedded in concrete surface beams below the building across the surface _ of the ground. Further, the foundations are similarly strengthened and toughened in their lower parts. The main floor of the entire building is of steel reinforced concrete, strengthened by beams on its lower surface, carried in turn by steel reinforced concrete piers and columns. The stone and concrete walls of the exterior, besides the principal concrete partitions of the building arc all similarly toughened and strengthened by vertical and horizontal steel rods running 'through the body of each and tied with steel wire- at thear Intersections. The building will thus be practically monolithic and so reasonably resistent to earthquakes. As modern -structures of concrete have been found to crack badly in mo - t unexpected p laces' and ways due to expansion and contraction of the concrete, which has been found by experiment to be practically the yame as that of steel, provision lias been made for expansion joints placed vertically in the walls to enable this to take place without serious detriment to the structure. Tiie strongroom, which is of great importance in [a post-office, will be imst.rougly built of reinforced concrete, fitted with an Empire-made door of special design and security and with British-made steel shelvings. It is thus practically fireproof. THE APARTMENTS. The apartments of the new building include a large entrance vestibule, a large general office or mail room, the private office of the postmaster, a

large and well-equipped private-box room, separate entrance departments for the telephone, private sound-proof boxes for calls to other offices and places as well as those for persons, not subscribers, who wish to communicate with local residents, the strong room already described, a large storeroom, lavatory and fuel accommodation. The total measurement of the now building will be 55ft x 55ft over all and the height of the walls 12ft. The main entrance door which will be on the corner facing Ballarat and Camp streets, will be 2ft above the pavement, and the telephone entrance will be situated near the other end also facing Camp street. i The floors of the various will, be of an. even grade and furnished in the most modern manner, with non-slip tiles in the vestibule and private box room. Good rubber tiling will be put down in the public space and postmaster’s office. and plain concrete in the rooms used for rougher purposes. The floor will be overlaid with lino on wood in the remaining apartments. All will have a cheerful, and harmonious appearance. THE FITTINGS. The lutings in the building will he mostly of "natural coloured timber, principally blackwood and rimu. All will be arranged to suit their various purposes. The hardware throughout will be of the best quality, bronze finish, of uniform colour ana solid' material. Ample lighting, both natural and artificial, will be afforded in every part of the building. Electric plugs will be liberally provided throughout. HEATING ARE ANG EMENTS. The principal apartments will bo centrally heated by modern methods of hot water heating, while attention has been paid to adequate insulation of all hot and cold water pipes throughout. A MODERN BUILDING. The general appearance and style of the building is of a modern character, harmonising with the other buildings already in the locality and distinguished by a general lightness of treatment. A large open courtyard is reserved iu the front of the new on the Ballarat Street side. The old buildings will be removed gradually in such a way as not to interfere with the general and efficient conduct of the postal business while building operations are pro- | ceeding. NEW POSTMASTER’S RESIDENCE. At the rear of the new post-office, facing Camp Street, will be placed a new residence for the postmaster. This will compose six rooms, all replete with modern conveniences. It will be cut oil from the ground devoted more especially for postal requirements by a solid re:nforced concrete wall fitted with jarra gates for access from the street and house. A new picket fence, to be erected in front of the house, will be of jarra. DRAINAGE. An up-to-date septic tank will pro-, vide the sewerage from both buildingsi and will pass the affluent into the open brook which at present runs through the grounds. DESIGNER AND BUILDER. The architect is Mr Edmund R. WiLon, FRJ.B.A., of Invercargill, who recently designed and built the new Southland hospital. The builder is Mr L J. Breen, also ol Invercargill, .who worked on the nurses’ home in connection with the Southland Hospital. The sub-contractors are: General foreman, Mr G. Brocket!, masons. Messrs Clieyne and Routledge; joiner and glazier. Messrs E. Poole and Sons, Invercargill; plumber, Mr D. McLauchlin; heating engineer, Messrs A. and T. Burt, Dunedin; rubber flooring. Para Rubber Co., Invercargill; plasterers. Messrs Routledge and Smootby: fibrous plasterers, Messrs F. E. Biggs mid Co., Invercargill; painter, H. Robins, Queenstown. NO PROVISION FOR CLOCK. There appears to be one grave omission in the new post-ollice, namely, a clock. The present oliice has had an outside clock for close on 30 years. As far as we can understand, every modern post-ollice exhibits a. time-piece; it is really the eye of the institution and serves_ a most useful purpose. There is time yet to move iu this matter and it is here mentioned so that it may come 1 under the notice of the authorities.