Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-04-04
LONDON rENnnENT HOUSES
Laws That Govern Construction Of These
Dwellings IN THAT cisT.

Dwellings IN THAT CITY.
Mr. Edward Marshall. secretary Of
the New York tenement house commits
sion, contributes an article on Stamp
ing Out the London Sums to Tho
Century Concerning the laws govern
ing the erection Of tenements III Len-
don, Mr.. Marshall says
First OF all should be mentioned the
provisions for tho two great requisites
Of light and air. The buildings Will be
four and five stories high. and each
building must DO separated in all direc-
tions from any opposing building BY an
open space at least equal to its own
height. II was with the greatest difIi
Guilty that the New York commission
secured the passage Of an act limiting
the ground area to DO covered TO 75 per
cent. These official London tenements
will not cover more titan % per cent of
the building lots,
.nu d EqQue must not DO loss ihall
5 feet 9 inches IN hel 0sns Must
have efficient ventilation. the princi-
pie On which back 10 back houses are
built being carefully avoided. This
preoludes the construction Of building
more than two rooms deep. II such a
rule were enforced Ia New York. the
city would be revolutionized. The aim
of tenement house architecture IN Amer
lea is to get at least two, aud perhaps
four, families ON each floor Of 20 feet
width. Tho London houses. as mat
ter of fact. will be only one room deep.
Living rooms in them must be Of nos
less than IA feet superficial floor area
Bedrooms must DO of not less than 90
feet superficial floor area nor less than
feet 8 inches wide Stairenses must
have horizontal ventilation direct 80
the open air. Corridors must be venti
lated ON the open air. Sfaircases and halls
must be lighted day and night. The laat
named regulation is with a Wow Of pre-.
venting the immortality and frequent
accidents which lack Of light IN such
places is known to produce in tenement
houses. A proposed statute calling for
light after q. IN. until 10 p. N.
aroused much opposition in Albany.
After light and air, safety from fire
may be regarded as the next essential a
model tenement house construction. The
London law provides that all walls shall
DO Of fire resisting material. aud that
all staircases must be fireproof, and so
separated from apartments that they
will not afford fiue for the conduct Of
fire from one floor 10 another, as has 10
often occurred IN the tenements 81 New
York. But the county council has learn
cd that it win pay to gobeyond the law.
and to plaka the buildings absolutely
fireproof. The first cost will be very lit
tie greater, and will be far more than
offset BY the decreased cost of repairs
and che greater permaneuce Of the build
ings. Without going into technical de-
tailso Of construction, It may DO said that
stairways are Of iron. Stone and cement;
that floors are built with iron girders
| and brick arches; that the wooden sur
face il laid on solid cement that as lit
| tie woodwork Is used in the rooms -
possible, and that the plasser, even 81
/ the partitions between rooms Of the
same apartment, Is laid en- iron on wire
instead Of Oh wooden lathing OF the
/ buildings completed it Is no idle honsb
for the architect 70 say that a fire might
be started in any room without endan-
gering any other room. The cost Of re-
pairs is thus redrced to m1nimum, and
the life Of the buildings ia increased IN
I'll it il estimated a. $50 years simply
because il seems absurd to name q longer
period. As q matter Of fact, the fmisd-
ings, If undisturbed, will practically last
forever.