Component System itqy Cut Construction Time by 50%

A component building system which may be 50/o f.aster than conventional construction was recently previewed at Champaign, Illinois. The occasion was the erection of a research-demonstration house sponsored by Douglas Fir Plywood Association, Lumber Dealers Research Council, and Plywood Fabricators Service.

Purpose of the house, which has been called a "component showcase," was to demonstrate the economy and practicality of combining several new plywood componeuts with standard Lu-Re-Co wall panels and trusses. It was designed to show the advantages of building a house with standardized, sub-assembled building parts, fabricated in local plants.

Officials from the Federal Housing Administration and representatives from building materials firms were on hand to see the plywood box beams, stressed skin panels, rigid frames, panelized floor system, and Lu-Re-Co wall panels go into place.

Contractor Richard Fackler, who built the house, says : "This was a research, prototype structure, and naturally it takes the construction crew a while to become familiar with the new system. Ifowever, if my men were accustomed to the system and the fabricator made a few modifications in assembling the components, we could build this house in about half the time required for conventional construction."

Observers who watched the demonstration house take shape included Neil Connor, director, Architectural Standards Division, FHA, Washington, D.C.; Albert Harris, structural engineer, FHA; Raymon Harrell, executive vicepresident and research director, Lu-Re-Co ; Robert Payne, public relations director, National Retail Lumber Dealers Association, and D. B. Sedgwick, merchandising director, DFPA.

Flouse Design

The Research-Demonstration House was designed by Laurence S. Higgins, A.I.A., of the Lumber Dealers Research Council. The new components were designed by David Countryman, DFPA's chief of applied research.

Since it isa demonstration project, the house shows a group of construction features which would not normally be grouped into one design. Therefore, the plan is divided into separate wings or zones, each utilizing a different framing method for cost control and comparison features. The continuity of the siding and pitch of the roof help tie the design together.

Floor Plan

The floor plan is in the general shape of an "A," with the bedroom wing and garage at the feet of the A, and the living wing at the tip. The 768-square foot living wing has a dining room, living room, and an "informal" or family room with a large fireplace.

The bedroom wing has 816 square feet of space, and inclucles three bedrooms. a bedroom-studv. bath. and dress- ing room. This "quiet wing" is separated from the, busy activity of the othel areas. Between the living and bedroom wings, more or less in the arm of the "A," is a 416-square foot zone which includes the kitchen, entry area, pantry, laundrv. and a half-bath.

A bisement under the living wing has space for recreation facilities, a utility and storage room, and a work shop.

Construction

The house provides an imaginative but practical merger of known component construction methods with new component techniques. Here is a summary of the components used in its construction:

One of the most distinctive features of the new house is an unusual "InstantFloor" system designed by DFPA's David Countryman. Pre-assembled floor panels made up with f" plywood nailed to 2x4 frarning are supported by olvwood box beams. ^

The beams are hollow, lightweight structural units which are four feet on center and span either 12 or 24 feet. They are fabricated with 3/s" frr plywood webs, glued to 2x4 top and bottom flanges. Depth of the beams ranges lrorn 12" to 16", depending upon span.

The floor panels rest on top of the box beams. The plywood extends beyond the 2x4 framing and is nailed to a separate 2x4 spline running along the top of the beam. This spline supports the plywood edge and ties the panels together.

This nerv componentized floor system is easily fabricated, and was uut down bv four men in onlv six hottrs. There is