PREFABRICATION IN PRACTICE

Korero (AEWS), Volume 2, Issue 11, 5 June 1944, Page 16-17

PREFABRICATION IN PRACTICE

From Floor to Roof in One Day A KORERO Report Is it possible to erect a house in a day ? We may be able in the near future to answer “ Yes ” to this question. Prefabrication is bringing big changes to the building industry in New Zealand. Some of its possibilities may be seen from the pictures on this and the following pages. These pictures were taken at the Waddington Estate, Lower Hutt, where 650 State houses are being constructed from panels and sections prefabricated in 'factories away from the actual building-sites. The house shoAX’n in these pictures was erected to demonstrate the saving in time and labour on the site achieved by the new methods. Allowance should be made, of course, for time and labour used in making the sections in 14 factories. The foundations and floor-joists were already on the site. A complete house, in ready-made sections, was loaded on to a truck in the factory at Miramar and erected on the site in a few hours. It was intended to complete the tiling of the roof in the same day, but the materials for this work were held up. The builders are confident, however, that it is possible to erect a complete exterior shell and roof in one day. These photographs show what was accomplished on the building site from 10.45 a.m. to 3 p.m. There are dozens of houses in this particular State housing scheme in various stages of completion. Work is being pushed ahead with the erection of as many outside shells and roofs as possible. The builders will then be able to work under cover on the interiors during the winter. A feature of these houses is the straight floor. This is laid before any interior walls are put in. The prefabricated interior partitions . are then nailed to the floor and are independent of the roof trusses. I. The panels for the complete exterior shell of the house are loaded on to the truck at the prefabrication factory at Miramar. 2. The truck arrives at Naenae and the sections are ready to be unloaded piece by piece for erection. I 3. A general view of the site showing the foundations and floor-joists already complete. In the right background are the roof-trusses which have been mjide in the workshop on the job. 4. The first panel off the truck is the first to be erected. Work begins in the left-hand front corner and proceeds clockwise round the house. 5. As the truck moves along the panels are taken off in order and erected. 6. The site of this particular house is in a crescent. You can see the variety of design in the other partly-finished prefabricated units.