SCHOOL SHELTERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24217, 7 March 1942, Page 8

SCHOOL SHELTERS

AIR-RAID PROTECTION SURFACE CONCRETE TYPE ERECTION IN AUCKLAND The first surface shelter to be completed under the scheme for protecting primary school children in certain areas of Auckland is at the Devonport School, where nine units, capable of holding 450 children, are being erected by the Auckland Education Board. This type of shelter, which complies with the requirements of the standard code adopted in New Zealand on the basis of experience in Britain, is regarded as very suitable for schools because the children do not have to descend stairs or ramps, but walk straight in. The shielded entrances admit a fanamount of light into<the interior. Another advantage is that a minimum of space is required and the shelters can bo erected conveniently close to school buildings. Each shelter unit is 40ft. long, 4ft. 6iu. wide, and sft. high. The walls are either of standard concrete building blocks set in cement mortar to give a thickness of Jfciin., or of mass concrete 14in. thick. The roof is a reinforced concrete slab sin._ thick. Steel rods are embedded vertically in the concrete block walls at intervals of sft. and tied to the roof reinforcement. An entrance is provided at each end and there are wooden benches seating 50 children.

Similar shelters are being provided at the Stanley Bay, Vauxhall, Napier Street and Parnell schools, and probably others will be furnished with them later.