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REAL ESTATE
AND
NEW YORK, AUGUST 23, 1913
THE JOINT COMMITTEE'S CODE AMENDMENTS
I Opposed to Restricting Wood Trim to Buildings Under 100 Feet High—Would Limit I
I Hollow Block Walls to Forty-Two Feet of Height—A Chance For All Good Materials. |
THE Joint Committee on City De¬
partments has transmitted to Chair¬
man /f. W. Herbst of the Committee on
Buildings of the Board of .\ldermen its
recommendations for changes in the
proposed l)uilding code. This commit¬
tee consists 'of delegates representing
New York Chapter of the .â– \nierican In¬
stitute of Architects, the Building Trades
Employers' .\ssociation, thc .American
Institute of Consulting Engineers,
Brooklyn Chapter of the .\merican In¬
stitute of .Architects and the New York
Society of Architects, New York Board
of Fire Lhiderwriters and the National
Board of Fire Underwriters, with twen¬
ty-four members in all, who have been
making a study of the code. George B.
Ford is the chairman.
.\s the result of the series of meetings
which the Joint Committee has just com¬
pleted, it expresses appreciation of the
work done by the Aldermanic commit¬
tee and states that in a general way it
favors the Amended Code, subject to
certain modifications.
One of the most important recom¬
mendations made in the report is
tliat the code should contain a statement
at the outset that the provisions are to
apply to buildings hereafter erected and
not to existing buildings unless specifi¬
cally mentioned. In at least one in¬
stance in the existing code a doubt as to
whether the provision referred to exist¬
ing buildings, or to those wdiich may
hereafter be erected, has been the cause
of prolonged litigation. In the proposed
code there is a similar doubtful provi¬
sion.
The Joint Committee also recom¬
mends the insertion of a statement to
the effect that where there is a change
of occupancy, alterations to existing
buildings need conform to the .Amended
Code for the altered or added parts only.
In reference to the proposed further
restriction of the use of wood trim in
thc construction of buildings, the Joint
Committee takes a stand with the as¬
sociations which have already entered
objections thereto. It agrees with the
representatives of the Allied Rea! Es¬
tate Interests that self-closing doors on
elevator enclosures are dangerous, and
it reaffirms its former opinion that more
liberal concessions should be made in
favor of gypsum blocks.
Definition of a Fireproof Door.
1 he amended code defines a fireproof
door as one constructed of incombusti¬
ble material. This would in eflfect de¬
stroy the kalamein industry in this city.
The Joint Committee recommends a sub¬
stitute definition, as follows: ".\ fireproof
door is a door which when completed is
non-combustible and fire-resisting as
approved liy the ofticial or ofificials whose
approval is required by any law or or¬
dinance."
From a number of tests that have
been made the Joint Committee is con¬
vinced that even in the greatest crowds
it is impossible to get more than one
hundred pounds per square foot on
stairs or landings. Hence it is recom¬
mended that thc reequirement in section
18, paragraph 3, be reduced from one
hundred and fifty to one hundred pounds
per square foot as the measure of the
strength of stairs, platforms and land¬
ings in buildings less than thirty-si.x
feet six inches high.
Paragraph 4 of this samc section vir¬
tually prohibits the construction of un¬
enclosed stairs in any building other
than dwellings unless constructed of in¬
combustible material. As a substitute
the Joint Committee proposes the fol¬
lowing paragraph: "Not more than two
stories in any building shall be con¬
nected by an open well or stairway en¬
closed by approved fireproof partitions,
other than those provided for in the
other paragraphs of this section." For
the reason tliat in hotels, public build¬
ings, department stores, etc., it is often
desirable from the standpoint of effect
and usefulness to have a monumental
stairway between two floors, the dan¬
ger from such a stair is not considered
great enough to compensate for its ab¬
sence, from a practical or architectural
standpoint.
Fireproof Doors and Windows.
The Joint Committee has recommend¬
ed the addition of two entirely new
paragraphs to section 25, as follows:
".All windows and doors in public cor¬
ridors in liuildings more than one hun¬
dred feet in height shall be of approved
fireproof material — or doors, sashes,
jambs and bucks shall be protected with
metal—and openings glazed with wire-
glass, with panes not more than sixteen
inches wide.
"All exterior windows more than one
hundred feet above the curb, except
as otherwise required in section 25, shall
have frames and sashes of incombustible
material, or wood protected with metal,
and the upper half of each window shall
be glazed with wire glass in panes not
exceeding sixteen inches in width."
These requirements the committee be¬
lieves to be essential for the reason that
the Fire Department cannot fight fires
from the outside more than ninety or one
hundred feet above the curb. A mush¬
rooming out of fires on upper floors is
a common occurrence. This provision
will largely prevent the difficulty. It is
absolutely e.-;sential that corridors above
one hundred feet from the ground be
completely non-combustible, in the opin¬
ion of the committee.
The difficulty of constructing bay, or¬
iel and show windows without a backing
of wood, except at prohibitive cost in
most cases, prompts the Joint Commit¬
tee to object to section 31.in thc Amend¬
ed Code, which requires bay, oriel and
show windows to be constructed entirely
of incombustible material.
The committee would prohibit shingle
roofs outside as well as inside the fire
limits.
Particulajly urged is a new provision
that any floor beam in a Building of
Class E be capable of sustaining a live
load, at its center, of at least four thou¬
sand pounds, because of the difficulty of
preventing tenants from placing excep¬
tional loads, such as safes, or heavy files
in tbe middle of a floor area.
Hollow Building Blocks.
Under the Amended Code hollow
building blocks of hard-burned terra¬
cotta or of concrete may be used for en
closure, curtain, bearing or non-bearing
walls of buildings when not exceeding
fifty-two feet in height or four stories
The Joint Committee favors reducmg
the height to forty-two feet and advises
that no make of hollow building block
should be used in fireproof buildings un¬
til* they have successfully withstood a
two-hour fire test as specified for par¬
titions by the American Society for
Testing Materials. It has been predicted
by no less an authority than the Super¬
intendent of Buildings in the Bronx, Mr
Henderson, that permission to use hol¬
low blocks for bearing walls would give
rise to a higher rate of private house
construction in the suburbs. Hollow
blocks may also be used for the founda¬
tion walls of buildings of a certain
height under the .Amended Code.
Fire Walls.
The Herbst code provides in section
96 that fire walls shall be built of con¬
crete at least twelve inches thick laid in
Portland cement. The Joint Committee
advises that such walls be laid in brick
or any eqt"iivalent material and thickness
as may be approved by the Superintend¬
ent of Buildings. The Herbst code pro¬
vides that fire division partitions may
lie constructed of only brick terra cotta
blocks, or concrete; the Joint Commit¬
tee advises instead that partitions maj
be built of brick eight inches thick, ter¬
ra cotta blocks, concrete blocks or solid
gypsum, or metal lath and plaster if
solid and three inches thick. There
should not be more than forty per cent,
of openings in any such partition, in
any one story, says the Joint Committee,
and all such openings should be protect¬
ed by approved self-closing fire doors
normally kept closed, or fixed fireproof
shades with wire glass.
In a note the committee expresses the
view that solid gypsum blocks four
indies thick stand thc test in case of
fire as well, for the purpose of the fire
division, as terra cotta or concrete
blocks. The members of the commit¬
tee are also convinced that fixed fire-