building of the type described houses rather under 2,000 adults or well over 2,000 persons. The allowance of 24 square feet per adult represents a considerable degree of over-crowding but this had to be accepted, as has been seen, in the light of the grave emergency which these measures were designed to
overcome.
39. Each long arm of the H is divided into equal bays by means of reinforced concrete bearing walls at ten foot centres. The bearing walls are seven inches thick at the ground floor level and five inches thick above the first floor level. Reinforced concrete floor slabs span between the cross walls, except at the end bays in which staircases are provided. The access balconies are reinforced concrete cantilevers with four-inch reinforced hollow concrete block balustrades. The spine partition running the length of each long arm of the H is of four-inch hollow concrete blocks with the upper courses built honey-combed in order to provide through ventilation. The cross-piece of the H, comprising the flush latrines and open washing space, is of reinforced concrete frame construction designed independently of the long arms in order to obviate the danger of contraction cracks. All reinforced concrete work is vibrated and a nominal 4:2:1 mix is used. Test cubes taken during construction showed the following result: -3,000 to 4,000 lbs. per square inch crushing strength at thirty days. All concrete block walling is built fair face, while all concrete is left exposed from unwrought shuttering. The balcony fronts, the end walls of each block and the exterior walls of the latrine blocks are finished externally with cement paint.
40. When the eight proto-type buildings at Shek Kip Mei had been completed and occupied they were subjected to very careful scrutiny, in order to determine what improvements in design should be made in the light of experience. Surprisingly few suggested themselves. It was decided that future buildings could reasonably be of seven storeys instead of six and should have flat roofs strengthened and fenced so that they might add
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