1920.] 



Experimental Cottage Building. 



217 



architectural staff, but in the case of hve cottages, based on 

 one of these plans, the work is being carried out to the special 

 designs of the Department of Scientilic and Industrial Research. 

 Direct labour has been employed for the erection of all the 

 cottages except two, these last being erected under contract 

 on proprietary systems of concrete block construction. 



The accommodation provided in the cottages is similar in 

 all cases, consisting of parlour, living-room, scullery, bath- 

 washhouse, larder, fuel store, etc., on the ground floor, with 

 three bedrooms over. Of the 32 cottages, half will be con- 

 structed in brick on normal lines, forming a standard of com- 

 parison for those built of other materials. The remaining 

 16, which may be classed as more directly experimental, are 

 as follows : — 



1. Building in Pise de Tcvre. — The work at Amesbury consists of 



three single and one pair of cottages, all two-floor buildings. 

 The walls of one single cottage are complete, and the structure 

 is being roofed. This is the first two-storied pis6 dwelling 

 erected in England. The pair of cottages is in course of con- 

 struction, and the foundations of the two single cottages have 

 been completed. Experiments with various materials for 

 rendering the external face of pise walls have also been carried 

 out. 



2. Building in Chalk on various Methods. — The subsoil at Amesbury 



is chalk, and experiments with this material comprise : — 

 (a) A cottage with cavity walls, built of blocks made of 



chalk and cement. 

 {h) A cottage with walls of chalk and cement rammed 



between shuttering. 



(c) A cottage with walls of chalk only (chalk pis^) rammed 



between shuttering. 



[d) A cottage with walls of chalk and straw (chalk cob) 



built without shuttering, 



3. Building in Concrete.— 



{a) Two concrete block cottages with hollow walls, erected 

 under contract by two proprietary firms, using new 

 types of blocks and methods of construction. 



(6) A cottage of monolithic reinforced concrete construction. 



4. Building in Timber. — 



{a) A pair of timber-framed cottages faced with elm weather- 

 boarding. 



[h) Two army huts converted into permanent bungalow 

 dwellings. The huts were obtained direct from th'e 

 contractor's yard, in a new and unused condition, but it 

 would appear that no economy can be obtained by tlie 

 use of these huts for pcmianent dwellings. 

 In aU the cottages some interesting features in construction 

 and fittings have been embodied. Experiments have also 

 been made in exploring the practical and economical possi- 

 bilities of subsidiary processes, on which, during wet weather, 

 less skilled labourers can be kept employed under cover. 



