Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 96, no. 2469: Articles]: July 10, 1915

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REAL ESTATE AND NEW YORK, JULY 10, 191.5 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■M^^^^^^^ .....Illi.......1.......iimili.....MllllMllllliillMIBB^^^^^^^^^ NEW REVISION OF THE BUILDING CODE A Review and Explanation of the Parts That Have Been Com¬ pleted and Enacted—Three New Chapters Passed This Week ■■miaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiM^^^ WITH the articles passed by the Board of Aldermen this ■week the revision of the Building Code has so far pro¬ gressed that practically one-half of the work has been entirely completed. With the preliminary work that has been done on the balance of the articles perhaps three-quarters of the work of revision is done- The three articles which were passed this week relate to masonry construc¬ tion, fireproof construction and rein¬ forced fireproof construction, and are designated as Articles 13, 16 and 17 re¬ spectively. They will go into effect three months from the date of their passage or on October 6, and will be found printed in full in the official pro¬ ceedings of the Board of Aldermen. The work of revising the code has been in charge of the Building Committee, which has had the assistance of Supt. R. P. Miller, who has drafted the articles which have been reported out by the committee in the form of ordinances and they have been passed by the board sep¬ arately. They will eventually be com¬ piled all in one code- Masonry Construction. Article 13, on Masonry Construction, is one of those that were passed at the latest meeting of the board. The most striking change perhaps, and one over which there was more or less contro¬ versy, is the provision allowing the use of hollow building blocks for the exter¬ ior walls of buildings of less than forty feet in height, and in buildings of skel¬ eton construction the use of hollow terra cotta blocks provided they are faced with at least four inches of brickwork. The present practice as to the thickness of walls is continued with some few minor changes, except that in buildings of skeleton construction 12-inch walls may be used throughout the entire height of the building. Article 16 is a new article providing for Reinforced Concrete Construction. The provisions of this article are in sub¬ stance those of the e,\isting rules of the Superintendents of Buildings, and with the exception of somewhat larger loads allowed on spirally reinforced columns, no change is made in the present practice. Article 17 on "Fireproof Construction contains provisions which in previous at¬ tempts at revision have generally given the most trouble. Most of the provisions of the article represent existing prac¬ tice, though not all embodied in the old law. The greatest interest in this art¬ icle naturally centers around the forms of construction permitted for fireproof floors. Brick arches, constructed as heretofore required, are provided for. In the case of terra cotta arches the required depth of the arch blocks for flat construction has been somewhat re¬ duced from the present practice, but an increased depth in the blocks and an in¬ crease in the thickness of shells and webs is required according as the load to be carried is increased. Arches of terra cotta reinforced with steel, not heretofore recognized in the law, are now provided for. RUDOLPH P. MILLER, C. E. Who is drafting New York City's new Building Code. For concrete floor arches both stone and cinder concrete are accepted, a differ¬ ence, however, being made in the carry¬ ing capacity of the arches when these two inaterials are used. Under this article it is no longer necessary to de¬ termine by test the carrying capacity of cinder concrete arches when they vary in span and in thickness or the amount of reinforcement, as a method of calcu¬ lating the strength of these arches is provided. This allows both owners and contractors a greater freedom in the use of cinder concrete- Other forms of construction which are not provided for may still be used under this article, provided they meet the fire and load tests prescribed in the article. No material change has been made in the existing practice as to the use of fire- proofed wood in buildings over ISO feet in height, the only difference between this and the old law being that here¬ after the sleepers, door bucks and grounds when not exposed on any side need not be treated to make them fire¬ proof. Articles Previously Enacted. The articles that have been previously enacted, in revised form with the prin¬ cipal changes in the same, are as fol¬ lows: -Article 2 on Materials of Construction governs the strength, weight and quality of materials. The specifications for each material are brief and expressed in plain language. Wrought iron is not provided for, as it is no longer manu¬ factured for structural purposes, but second-hand shapes of this material are permitted when iu good condition. The article provides for tests under the di¬ rection of the Superintendent of Build¬ ings for new materials or materials not provided for specifically in the chapter. For several of the materials of con¬ struction unless the rules of the suoer- intendents prescribe specifications the standard specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials are desig¬ nated to apply. Among the materials of construction provided for in this new code and not heretofore recognized are hollow building blocks, both of terra cotta and concrete. Article 3 prescribes the working stresses for the different materials of construction and the minimum loads that must be assumed for floors used for different purposes. Generally speaking the working stresses heretofore pre¬ scribed are continued. In the case of timber, however, the working stresses on the timbers ordinarily used are raised above those of the old code. The stresses prescribed by the old code -were so low that in several of the boroughs of the city they were, as a matter of practice, disregarded, and stresses used which had been prescribed by the old law of 1892, but which were inordinately high. If it had not been for the fact that floors in residence buildings are not loaded to the extent assumed by the old building code there might have been ser¬ ious results from this practice. The in¬ crease in the working stresses is offset in the matter of residence buildings by a reduction in the live loads assumed on the floors of dwellings. Article 4 on Classification of Build¬ ings is a new article dividing buildings ac(:ording to occupancy into public buildings, residence buildings and busi¬ ness buildings, and according to con¬ struction into fireproof, non-fireproof and frame. Fire Limits. Article S, entitled "Restricted Areas," covers the fire limits and also a new restricted zone designated as Suburban Limits. The fire limits in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens have been extended, and the new limits are clearly defined. The suburban limits section applies to Manhattan, where it includes all that part of the borough not within the fire limits; the Bronx, in which two large sections are defined, and Brooklyn. Queens has no suburban limits because of the large areas as yet unimproved, and for a similar reason Richmond has been omitted from both restrictions. One amendment has been made since this ordinance was passed last year, re¬ moving the limitation of time within which a frame building may be moved from one lot to another within the fire limits. Article 11, Partition Fences and Walls, contains little that is new, but codifies and clarifies the situation created by the three sets of ordinances heretofore ex- istin.g on the subject and applying dif¬ ferent parts of the city. The President of the Borou.gh, and not the Alderman of the district, is made the arbiter in the event of a dispute as to the necessity for a retaining wall, or the division of the cost. In Article 12 on Excavations and Foundations, the old code has been closely followed. The provisions, how¬ ever, for taking care of neighboring buildings when an excavation is made, have been strengthened so that the parties responsible for the care of the