Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-10-27
CONSTRUCTION IN COLD
WEATHER
By Frederic j. Haskin

er do u~p-to-date contractors stop
work during cold weather, dismiss
their gang and wait for sunny days
of spring to renew building opera
lions. The custom Of disseminating
building construction during the
cold months has been recognized as
poor business. Cold reasoning has
routed cold weather and as a re-
suit many progressive builders in
all parts of the country keep right
at the job of erecting skyscrapers
and apartments, hotels, bungalows
and bridges, straight through the
wintry months of December, jan
uary and February.
Although winter construction has
been carried on for a number of
years on q small scale in some To-
calities, it has only been during the
last two or three years that a wide
spread interest has been taken. Vol
umes could be written about the
building projects carried out during
the winter months since the war;
of how the construction of an 10
story reinforced concrete building;
of New York was carried on with
the temperature below freezing; of
how the Lake Placid Club building
in New York state was built in zero
weather; of how apartments in
Chicago and Milwaukee, a hotel in
FIT. Wayne, a church in Toledo a
theatre in Minneapolis, and scores
of other buildings were ready for
occupancy much earlier than was ex-
pected because a little matter like
a cold spell was not permitted to
interfere with the actual construc7
ton work.
No doubt the acute housing
shortage following the war years
had something to do with a~rousing
interest in winter construction.
Buildings had to be erected. Con-
tractors and builders were face to
face with a situation they could moi
dodge. There were many ramifca-
tons to The problem; many o5stac-
les to overcome. The idea cf winter
work WIS given the carefui consider
alton of many prominent men IN the
various branches of the construction
industry, and the results have plac-
ed cold weather construction in the
regular program OF commonplace
events.
The seasonal nature of the con-
struction industries has been re-
SPplioiPiC AoI lihhy h4iitNdlllCo. ~ mas
created a peak demand for many
materials, resulting In overtaxed
railroad facilities during certain
months, while at other times-dur-
ing cold weather there was scarcely
any demand. Contractors, after or
ganizing efficient crews of workmeE
have been forced to disband them
with the coming of cold weather. In
the spring 1t was necessary to break
In q new organization. Winter idle
ness in the construction industry
meant idleness of thousands of work.
men during the cold months. Oper-
ating on a basis of eight or nine
months a year it was necessary to
pay labor a wage that would permit
three or four months of idleness.
All of these facts resulted in a tre-
mendous waste, and the only relief
was seen in the dwelling of the vol
ume of construction carried on
through the year. In other words, it
was necessary to make the Jconstruc-
ton year a period of twelve months
instead of the customary eight or
nine.
Through the Department of COM
merce, the government is cooperat-
ing in the widespread campaign to
lengthen the construction season. A
committee was recently appointed by
Secretary Herbert Hoover to make a
study of the situation. On this
committee are prominent business
men and manufacturers, contractors
and engineers. Previous surveys
have indicated that most construc-
tional activity is concentrated in
seven months of the year. The COM
h1ittpn VV1S formal 70 avnroinA fhna
facts and propose remedies and to
suggest sound solutions. 1t is the
general impression that seasonal
building has been due perhaps more
to custom than weather and it is, ex-
pected that the investigation viii
throw light on this and other impor-
tant matters.
The interest taken by big contract
ing firms is shown by the numerous
on winter construction
methods appearing in engineering
and technical magazines during the
past few years. Examples of cold
weather work have been described,
with detailed Information as to the
methods used. The men who do the
work are unanimous in their decis-
ion as to the feasibility of building
cold spells, and the economy
of such operation in the long run.
= II
One of the chief drawbacks of
winter work has been the general
impression among builders that the
cost is out of proportion to the bene-
derived. However, a careful study
has shown this impression to be n
wrong one. The owner of ~flnancier
consider the advantage of
occupancy of the structure.
BY securing an income on the money
invested, from three to five months
in advance of the general practice,
is obtaining the maximum re-
turns for his Investment. Another
is the supply of labor avail
able during the winter. Cold wealth
er and unemployment have gone .
hand in hand for years. BY maxi
ing it possible to continue construc-
ton through the winter, this situa-
would be relieved.
Under present day methods of con-
struction it is possible for the con-
so to protect his work at a
minimum expense to the wne that
the increased cost due to cold wealth
is insignificant when compared to
benefits received. Methods have
provided whereby 1t is possible
to construct reinforced concrete
buildings with little or nc danger in
to freezing. The placing of
in cold weather necessitates
methods somewhat different from
those used in summer months. Al
understanding of the hardening pro-
in concrete makes the funda-
nentals of winter construction easier
% comprehend. The hardening pro-
cess is not a drying out as commonly
snnnnsed hut q chernlcal reactinn ].