294 



SOMR lirN'ICIPAL ENGINEERING PROBLEMS IN THE TROPICS 



Points of a 

 dwelling for 

 Europeans 



Fouiidaiions 



So far as circumstances admit, the following points should be observed in the con- 

 struction of dwelling houses for Europeans in the Tropics : — 



(a) The walls should be protected from the sun by verandahs, especially if they are of 

 brick or stone, and have as few openings as possible if not so protected. 



(//) Verandahs should be not less than 10 feet wide, preferably of timber as being 

 cooler than brick or stone, brought down to within from 4 feet to 7 feet above the 

 floor level, with an air space between roof covering and lining and ventilated at 

 the top. 



(c) Eoofs of house and verandahs should be thick enough to stop both the heat and 

 light rays, and be lined if constructed of timber. 



{(1) Rooms should be arranged as far as possible so that each gets a share of the 

 prevailing winds. 



('-) Colours should be employed to wliicli our eyes are naturally adjusted, such as 

 tlie greens, dark yellows and browns, white being avoided, especially for outside 

 decoration, as the glare from it in the Tropics is terrible. 



The foregoing points were fully dealt with in the paper on " Dwelling Houses " referred 

 to, and a suggested plan was given which, with slight modification, the authors have had an 

 opjiortunity of carrying into effect for the Gordon College Staff Eesidences. Fig. 91 shows 

 the details of one of 'these bungalows, and Fig. 87 is a photo of the north elevation of the 

 other. Side verandahs, especially on the west, would have been desirable, but the 

 necessary space was not available. 



The general type of building in the central area of the city is shown in Fig. 82, which is 

 a view from the War Office looking down Mosque Avenue towards the Mosque. It will bo 

 seen that the flat roof is almost universal. In dwellings these flat roofs form convenient 

 sleeping places during the hot weather, but to keep them quite watertight during the rains 

 is a matter of some difficulty. 



As the mosquitoes are kept down by the Sanitary Service Mosquito Brigade, mosquito- 

 netting is not required on the door and window openings, but sun shutters or "louvres" 

 are fitted on all windows. The kitchen, servants' quarters and latrines in European 

 houses are generally detached from the main building, the latter being against an 

 outside wall to facilitate removal of the buckets. 



It is difficult to get a good foundation on alluvial soil, such as Nile mud, unless 

 there happens to be a fair proportion of sand mixed with it, which reduces the expansion 

 and contraction. Section 41 (Foundations) of the Regulations referred to specifies the 

 maximum load to be put on such a soil. The foundation should be carried deep 

 enough to avoid the surface cracks, and reinforcement may be necessary in some cases 

 to prevent cracking of the walls. 



Garden irrigation channels should be kept well away from all walls, as, if too near, 

 they may aii'ect the foundation and cause local subsidence and consequent cracking. It 

 may be here noted that the great variation in temperature appears to be deleterious to 

 work built of very rigid materials unless special precautions are taken. 



IV 



W.\TER- Supply .\Nn S.\nit.\tion 



Distribution 



Prior to the introduction of tlie present water-supply in 1909, the needs of the 

 population, both native and European, were provided for by water taken from the Nile 

 and distributed by means of water bags slung on the backs of donkeys, or by water 

 drawn from shallow wells. Khartoum is now supplied from deep wells, the pumping 



