FIRE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS.

FIRE-RESISTANT BUILDINGS.

The Associated Fire Officers' committee, a Britisn organisation, has recently issued a series of new rules looking towards better fire protection. Among these are included provisions for buildings ot reinforced concrete—sometimes called ferro-concrete. These provisions are so very reasonable. as to tend towards a more general adoption of that method of construction in Great Britain. The metal rods or bars must be spaced not less than twelve inches apart, and must be imbedded in concrete, “so that no part of any rod or bar shall lie nearer the face of the concrete than double the diameter; such thickness of concrete must be in no case less than one-inch, but need not be more than two-inch." What is meant by “such thickness of concrete” is the thickness of the concrete outside the bar-'or rod Moors and roofs must not be less than five inches and three inches thick respectively, external walls not less than six inches, and party walls not less than thirteen inches thick in any part. The concrete must be of sand and gravel, or other suitable aggregate, that will pass through a threequarter-inch mesh, and good Portland cement, in the proportion of six hundredweight of cement to each cubic yard of concrete. Other rules refer to fines, inclosures for elevators and stairs, etc. The rules for ferro-concrete construction, it may be added, must be read in connection with the older rules for buildings of ordinary fire-resisting type, as some of these apply in both cases. Tlie fact that ferro-concrete buildings are now accepted by the fire offices at lower rates is distinctly favorable to this modem type of construction.

The Associated Fire Officers' committee, a Britisn organisation, has recently issued a series of new rules looking towards better fire protection. Among these are included provisions for buildings ot reinforced concrete—sometimes called ferro-concrete. These provisions are so very reasonable. as to tend towards a more general adoption of that method of construction in Great Britain. The metal rods or bars must be spaced not less than twelve inches apart, and must be imbedded in concrete, “so that no part of any rod or bar shall lie nearer the face of the concrete than double the diameter; such thickness of concrete must be in no case less than one-inch, but need not be more than two-inch." What is meant by “such thickness of concrete” is the thickness of the concrete outside the bar-'or rod Moors and roofs must not be less than five inches and three inches thick respectively, external walls not less than six inches, and party walls not less than thirteen inches thick in any part. The concrete must be of sand and gravel, or other suitable aggregate, that will pass through a threequarter-inch mesh, and good Portland cement, in the proportion of six hundredweight of cement to each cubic yard of concrete. Other rules refer to fines, inclosures for elevators and stairs, etc. The rules for ferro-concrete construction, it may be added, must be read in connection with the older rules for buildings of ordinary fire-resisting type, as some of these apply in both cases. Tlie fact that ferro-concrete buildings are now accepted by the fire offices at lower rates is distinctly favorable to this modem type of construction.