Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-14
TERRA GOTTA GETS
MORE RECOGNITION
AMENDMENTS PROPOSED TO THE
BUILDING LAWS
Committee Of Architects Chapter Asks
Council to Revise Ordinances
Governing Use Of Thing
Industry Products

Proposed amendments to the building
ordinances of Los Angeles have been
prepared after weeks of study as recon-
mended by the Southern California
chapter, Architects Institute of America.
Architects r. b. Young, A. F. Rosen-
helm and Theo G. Elsen, as a committee.
have submitted them to the city council.
Some of the changes deal with hard
burned terra Gotta and hollow terra Gotta.
the changes being principally with refer
ence to that industry.
The term masonry will, If the amend
ments are adopted. hereafter be defined
as brick, stone, concrete, reinforced con-
crete or hard burned terra Gotta.
Tests Required
Hollow terra Gotta blocks used in the
construction of any buildings shall con-
form to the following tests:
A sharp metallic bell-like ring when
struck and a clean close fracture are
good proof of homogeneousness, COM
pactness and strength.
Hard burned terra Gotta shall have an
ultimate crushing strength of not less
than 1000 pounds per square inch of shell
bearing surface laid vertical with a
factor of safety of 8.
Hollow terra Gotta blocks may be used
for the exterior walls of buildings not
more than 80 feet in height.
When or wherever wood construction
is allowed in the interior construction
of class c buildings, under ordinance
IL, $780, new series, it. shall be permissible
to use reinforced hollow terra Gotta, tile
or concrete floors, supported on reinforced
tile partitions, provided they will sustain
10 in section
SO of ordinance 1880. new series.
Must Be Wet
Hollow terra Gotta blocks for bearing
partitions must be thoroughly wet on
their ends, and reinforced with metal
laths or three-mesh hardware cloth, one
half inch narrower than the thickness
of the partition.
This metal reinforcement to be laid on
each horizontal bed the full length OF
the wall and to have one inch splice
at jennings and doubled at each corner.
| After the reinforcing metal is in place
the entire surface of each course of the
wall shall be covered completely with
Portland cement mortar in proportions
of three parts sand to one of cement, no
lime being used, thus insuring a perfect
bed for the course of terra Gotta.
When said walls exceed u feet in
QelSnL ana ZUU IeeI III leHBtu liicy
be reinforced with pilasters. Said pill
asters to be not more than 20 feet centers
and shall have projection of inches on
each side of wall and a width of 16 inches
| and to be increased at ratio of inches
| in thickness for every feet in excess
| of II feet in height or fraction thereof.
Bonded in Partitions
The tile in bearing partitions shall be
| SO bonded together that the vertical webs
! on each course will come directly over
each other throughout the entire par
| tition.
The thickness of hollow terra cott'
/ bearing partitions for class building
shall be equal to 1-20 the height of tn
story in which 1t occurs.
Non-bearihg partitions may be built o
the following sizes: Six-inch partitions
20 feet high; four inch partitions, 16 fee
high; three inch partitions IL feet high
Hollow terra Gotta building blocks ma.
be used as curtain or filler walls for al
exterior and interior courts.