HOUSES OF THE FUTURE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 71, Issue 6140, 24 September 1945, Page 4

HOUSES OF THE FUTURE

SCIENTIFIC WORKER’S VIEWS LITTLE CHANGE LIKELY The house of the immediate future in New Zealand is unlikely to differ very greatly from the house of •the present. That is the opinion of Mr J. L. Mandcno, of the Dominion. Labatory, Department of Scientific and industrial Research, after a- year’s study abroad, in the course of which he visited leading building research institutions in Britain, the United States and Canada.

Mr Mjandeno saw a great deal of interesting experimental work, but nothing likely to bring about specticular changes here, at least for many years. The completely plastic house he regards as impractiable meantime, first because of the high cost, secondly because plastics at present available will-not stand up to the weather satisfactorily. Brick, timber and concrete will, he believes, remain the most important building materials. The use of plastics will be confined to fittings and, at fairly high cost, interior wallboards.

Incidentally, Mr Mandcno learned that in Cauda, where a certain; type of clear plastic pipe has been used for plumbing during the war, leaks have been traced to mice, who find the material apetising.

In the United States Mr Mandeno saw the great progress made in the prefabrication of houses, work in which many big firms are specialising. In San Francisco, for instance, starting from a bare section, a house was erected, fully equipped, furnished and occupied in 34 minutes. That, of course, was obviously a stunt, but it indicated what could be done. The idea was that a man would be able to go into a shop and buy his house “off the shelf.” He might say, “I’m getting married this morning, and I want a house on my section this afternoon.” Some experts were even toying with the idea that houses would eventually be so cheap that owners would be able to change their models every 10 years or so, as they did with their cars. That, however, would be something for the far distant future, if at all, Mr Mandeno said. The United tSates faced a housing problem comparable with that of New Zealand, for the solution of which it was estimated that 1,200,000 new houses would have to be built each year for the next 10 years.

Mr Mandeno spent several months at the Building Research Station, Watford, conducted by the British Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He was greatly impressed by the high quality of the' work done there, but most of it was of a technical nature, of litle direct interest io the layman. A minor aspect was the re-discovery of methods of preventing fireplaces from smoking. There is no magic device which can be attached to chimneys to cure the trouble. The whole thing depends on the correct design of the fireplace, according to principles laid down in the latter part of last century by a Count Rumford. Unfortunately for many people, the count’s sound advice haul been largely forgotten; it has now been re-discov-ered and is being publicised.

In view of the current shortage of coal, New Zealanders will no doubt be interested to learn of the work which an English organisation has done in the* production of a more efficient fireplace. In the past it has been recognised that the best of grates will throw put intp the room not more than 20 per cent, of the heat generated by the coal, the rest going up the chimney. Latest research has resulted in the design of a grate which effectively throws out 35 to 40 per cent, of the heat generated.

In the United States, Mr Mandeno found considerable attention was being given; to methods of harnessing solar energy for heating houses and water supplies. Some schemes were only in the experimental stage; others were practicable, and the necessary equipment could be installed at reasonable cost. They would, Mr Mandeno believes be worth consideration in New Zealand. Even if they did not completely replace other heating systems, they would at least result in a considerable saving of fuel. It has been shown, for instance, that a scientifically constructed grid of pipes, exposed to the sun on the roof of a house, yields copious supplies of water at over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, more than hot enough for bathing purposes. If hotter water is required, the temperature can be boosted up by normal means. At the University of Colorado, Denver, experiments are being made with central heating, by blowing air through a simply constructed sun trap on the roof and circulating it through the house. The sun trap consists of a wooden box, covered by a special arrangement of glass plates. It operates on the glasshouse principle, and considerable heat can be obtained even on a dull day. Alt other research institutions scientists are considering collecting heat during the summer and storing it for use in the winter. That this can be done has been proved experimentally, but the cost wijl probably be too high for practical application. In one case sun-heated water, stored underground in a huge, heavily insulated steel tank, provided heating for a house throughout the winter. Another idea is to blow hot, summer air through a trench packed with rocks un,dcr the house; the rocks absorb the heat, which can be imparted to cold air before it is circulated through the house in the winter.