HOUSE OF THE FUTURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25579, 5 July 1944, Page 6

HOUSE OF THE FUTURE

PREFABRICATED METHOD POST-WAR BUILDING In an address to members of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, the Builders’ 'Association and the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Architects’ Institute yesterday afternoon, Mr R. C. Love, of Wellington, described the construction of prefabricated or “ panel ” houses, and discussed their possibilities as a solution of the housing problem. Mr Love said that the “panel” type house was constructed of the same materials as the standard house, and when completed was more sturdy and equally as lasting. Dealing with the provision of new materials, he said that considerable progress had been made in the development of stressed skin plywood in the United States, and this product was now being manufactured in fairly large quantities in New’Zealand. It was, however, not yet available for house construction, on account of the demands of the armed forces. In an effort to accelerate the building programme in the North Island, Mr Love added, the Housing Department architect had evolved a sectional or panel type house, which could ne largely made in the factory. Builders had received the scheme with mixed feelings and opinions. His firm in Wellington, Mr Love said, had reorganised its factory to produce panel houses at the rate of two a week, and its experience after completing 30 houses was that the factory could produce houses much faster than the existing labour could erect and finish them. Need for Co-ordination

The firm’s effort to mass-produce houses.had been largely nullified, however, by the shortage of material. He explained that the sudden change from defence construction to house buildingfound the timber yards with depleted stocks of dry timber, and as the new demand was for large quantities of high-grade heart timber any effort at mass production was practically impossible. He was convinced that the scheme, if organised on a sound basis, was capable of producing more houses in .less time and at a cheaper price thah the standard construction in general use.

Mr Love discussed means of putting the system for factory-built houses effectively into operation, and said that the 50 builders at present engaged in housing construction in Wellington were each adopting the method which seemed best suited to the facilities and man-power at his disposal- Certain material was in short simply, and this meant that the builders were spending a large proportion of their time endeavouring to obtain material. Each bought any of the short supply goods in whatever quantities he could, and endeavoured to hold some in reserve. The net result was that large quantities of necessary material were lying idle while many contracts were at a standstill. There was need for coordination of effort. The Small Builder

It might be suggested that co-ordi-nation would eliminate the small builder, but, on the contrary, he added, the whole of the erection and finishing could be carried out by groups of builders under contracts, and he was sure they would he in a better position than under the present system. Transport and supervision would be reduced to a minimum, and loss of time through wet weather would be. completely elimnated. He was ’convinced, Mr Love concluded, that where houses were required in large 1 numbers factory-built houses could be provided, and would effect savings in labour, material, and costs. In spite of the efforts in certain quarters to keep to the old idea, progress could not be stopped, and the house of the future would be built by machinery. In conjunction with the address, a film was screened showing the various operations in the manufacturing and erection of prefabricated houses.