Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
surface: the Cornish Unit - Type 1
with narrow (less than 1 foot) infill
panels on the ground floor only and a
mansard first floor; and Type 2,
having both ground and first floors
with taller 2 foot high panels. The
Type 1 is the easiest of all systems to
identify at a glance (Figure 3.17).
Cornish Unit also built some three-
storey blocks (Figure 3.18).
Of the other four systems in this
group which have the frame enclosed
- Mac-Girling, Unity, Woolaway
(Figure 3.19) and Orlit - the Orlits
with flat roofs are the easiest to
distinguish, but unfortunately for the
aspiring detective, some had pitched
roofs.
Several hundred variants -
Blackburn Orlits - were built in
Scotland, and these had shallow
pitched aluminium covered roofs.
The Mac-Girlings have vertical flutes
on the panels, which distinguish the
system from Unity, while the Smiths
are faced in brick slips. It is usually
fairly easy to distinguish a Smiths
from a traditional brick house since
the mortar joints defining the panels
are usually visibly different.
Reema low-rise dwellings are
perhaps one of the most easily
distinguishable systems since they
9 in x 4 in precast concrete posts
at 40 in or 36 in centres morticed
into plinth
Concrete ring beam
Conventional timber floor
carried on stirrups sitting
on r ing beam
9 in x 3 in
precast concrete
panels laid with dry
horizontal joints, and held in the
vertical grooves in the posts
1
/
2
in
diameter
steel rods
Figure 3.17
The construction of the Cornish Unit
system external wall
Concrete ring beam
HT twisted square
reinforcing bars
4 ft x 2 ft x 2 in
aerated precast
concrete panels
A very large number of systems
exist where the frame and panel were
left exposed externally. These may be
conveniently divided into two groups
- those with horizontally spanning
panels and those with vertical
spanning panels, usually of storey
height.
In the first group of systems,
having horizontally spanning panels,
there is only one system which has
the frame left proud of the wall
External render
Precast concrete kerb units
Figure 3.19
Details of the Woolaway system
Figure 3.18
A Cornish Unit three storey block
