April_1965 — Page 19

FACTORY MADE HOME

FOR ASIAN

CLIMATES

FAC

"ACTORIES in Britain are producing

the entire components of a permanent home, now being export- ed to all parts of the world but de- signed particularly for erection in tropical and sub-tropical climates.

——

The homes of two to four bed- room types with modern internal fittings are shipped in sections for complete assembly on site. They were initiated and planned origin- ally by the Ministry of Public Build- ing and Works for specific housing

schemes overseas and have been de-

veloped for export generally by the Arcon Group, of London, through its consultant architects and engin- pers, A.M. Gear and Associates.

Taylor Woodrow (Building Ex- ports) Ltd. are the marketing agents, and all the components are made by ponsor-members of the Arcon con- sortium who include

Henry Hope and Sons, I.C.I., Turner and Newall, Stewarts and Lloyds, and United Steel.

The Arcon house is basically a steel-framed, self-supporting struc- ture, clad and finished in materials which are free from maintenance, resistant to termites, and give a high standard of insulation (U-value of 0.14).

New Materials

Two new materials have been found to be particularly suitable for the house (1) a wood-wool slab for walls and partitions, to which is permanently bonded a p.v.c. decora- tive foil; (2) aluminium profiled roof sheets, flashings and trim, which are roll-formed or bent from pre- painted aluminium.

The Forest Products Research As- sociation, the Natural History Mus- eum and the Commonwealth Scien- tific and Industrial Research Organ- isation, Australia, were consulted about the resistance of the wood- wool to termites.

The study of finishes was aimed at providing internally predecorated surfaces and externally pre-decorated and protected surfaces to reduce work on site. For the same reason electrical and plumbing services are supplied by the manufacturers in complete kits with all plumbing pre- and pre-formed in marked

cut

lengths and electric wiring assembled in harnesses for pulling through to switch and outlet positions.

Rectangular hollow steel sections are used for the columns with a tied roof truss of rolled steel joists. The standard span is 24 ft. and bay lengths are 12 ft. or 16 ft.

Metal trays, 2 ft. square, insulat- ed above and the ceiling.

pre-decorated, form A 1 ft. modular plan- ning grid is used for the panels, giv- ing flexibility of internal planning without any alteration to the factory production lines.

The roof sheeting and wall slabs are produced in a range of colours and all surfaces, interior and ex- terior, can be washed down.

Easy Handling

For air conditioned houses, British Standard windows with hot dip gal vanized steel frames are used, be- cause of their resistance to corrosion. Where air-conditioning is not includ- ed, the windows are moveable glass louvres with 6 in. blades, the louvre frames being also of galvanised steel.

No indigenous materials are quired except a concrete foundation slab.

re-

Arcon claim that since all the components are designed to be easily handled by two men and erect- ed without mechanical equipment the two-bedroom house can be erected by six men in two 40-hour weeks, and the four-bedroom in three

Far East Architect & Builder April, 1965

12-σ

Bedroom 3

Bedroom 10 ||

12:0

Arcon house

weeks. A flexible system which can be used for offices, schools and other amenity buildings has also been de- veloped by the group.

two-

Cost of the houses ranges from £2,150 sterling f.o.b. for the bedroom type

to £3,500 for the large four-bedroom type.

The first 100 houses now in pro- duction are for personnel of the British Broadcasting Corporation on Ascension Island in the South Atlan- tic. Others have been ordered for Islamabad (new capital of Pakistan) and for the British Honduras.

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1

WM

Bath

Kit alon

Kušrading 192

Modern kitchen interior

12-0*

Layout of three-bedroom unit

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