THE HAREWOOD HOTEL, MARYIEBONE, LONDON, ENGLAND.

This hotel is an example of the use of loadbearing masonry.

A thick reinforced concrete raft foundation is used to distribute the column loads from the cast-in-place concrete framework that goes up to the first accommodation floor, 16ft (4.88m) above street level. The beams in the floor at this level support loadbearing brick cross walls, generally at 10ft 3in (3.13m) centres; these walls form the divisions for the bedrooms on the six floors above.

The concrete frame takes all vertical and horizontal loads including moderate wind forces. At the accommodation levels the brick cross walls transmit vertical loads and wind forces in their own plane. Because the walls are placed in two quite different directions, here they are at right angles, any possible lateral movements are resisted. Rotational movements are resisted too. Wind forces in buildings less than about ten storeys high are small and the necessary overall lateral resistance is easily provided. However the stability of the individual wall elements needs checking; this is almost completely dependent on the slenderness ratio, the effective height to the effective width of the wall. It is this, the sound insulation, accuracy of construction and workmanship that determine the thickness of the wall rather than the compressive strength of the masonry. The building incorporates slender reinforced concrete columns at some corners within the thickness of the brick walls to limit the area of damage and prevent progressive collapse should a substantial part of a loadbearing wall be damaged. For this purpose, return and intersecting walls can be valuable.

Construction of a loadbearing masonry building such as this requires the careful co-ordination of those who lay the bricks for the walls and those who pour the concrete for the floor slabs. A principle is that only the minimum number of walls be constructed that are necessary to support the floor, these are the loadbearing walls, the other walls, the non-loadbearing ones, then become part of the finishing work. This building took a total period of 20 months to complete.

Notes:

accuracy n. точность

collapse n. потеря устойчивости

co-ordination n. координация

rotational adj. вращательный

slenderness ratio коэффициент гибкости

substantial adj. значительный

valuable adj. зд. полезный

workmanship n. качество (выполнения работ)

Ответьте на вопросы к тексту

1. What kind of foundation is used?

2. What is it used for?

3. Which part of the structure is made of masonry?

4. How are lateral and rotational movements resisted?

5. What determines the thickness of the wall?

6. Why does the building incorporate reinforced concrete columns at some corners?

7. Why should only the minimum number of walls that are necessary to support the floor be constructed?

8. How long was the total period of construction?