USE OF PUMICE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26229, 13 August 1946, Page 2

USE OF PUMICE

DEVELOPMENT IN HOUSING LOWER CONSTRUCTION COST “With the importation of 28,000,000 board feet of Canadian and United States timber, it is confidently expected that housing construction will reach the Government's estimates early in the coming year,” said Mr P. G. Connolly, M.P., in an interview with a Daily Times reporter yesterday. Mr Connolly added that within the Dominion a new system, known as “ Fabricona,” had now been introduced. Everyone knew that there were hundreds of square miles of pumice country in New Zealand, but few were aware that pumice concrete had been in use for 2000 years and that some of the original buildings were still in existence. “The first house under the new system has now been constructed for the Housing Construction Department, and, with the exception of the windows and the doors, prefabricated pumice slabs have been exclusively used,” said Mr Connolly. “The small amount of timber used will allow many more alltimber houses to be constructed. .With the reinforced pumice slabs and out and in corners pre-cast, the completed interior and exterior walls, as well as the room partition walls, were erected in three days, utilising the labour of two tradesmen and two builder’s labourers.” The slabs were sealed during the erection of the building with a patented cemet sealer, Mr Connolly continued. The chief advantages of pumice were its light weight and very low thermal conductivity—the latter ensuring a cosy home in all climates. For heat insulation it was exceptionally good, and, being incombustible, it localised outbreaks of fire. To expedite the building of “Fabricona” houses a company has recently been formed in Auckland, with an objective of six houses a day, rising to 10 a day after six months’ operation “ Careful estimates show that this type of house, compared with an alltimber house, is £240 cheaper to construct, and with prefabrication on a large scale it is estimated that an even greater saving would be effected,” Mr Connolly said. This new prefabrication system using first-class building material within New Zealand, would help therefore to house the people in homes which would be permanent and borer proof, with a minimum of maintenance cost, reduced insurance rates, and reduced depreciations.