The Arcon Permanent House, Cranford Park, Southall, Middlesex : article from Architectural Review, May 1948 : 3
During wartime condiitons and due to the vast number of homes destroyed a programme of constructing prefabricated houses was begun in the UK in an effort to start to deal with displaced persons housing needs in a way that was efficient to deliver. In the post-war years of austerity this need was even greater, allied to a shortage of materials such as steel and of skilled workers, and the idea behind pre-fabrication as a constructional technique was heavily promoted. The idea of being able to easily assemble housing units, largely works built and including basic interior finishes and components, appeared compelling as it allowed a uniformity of construction standards and a lesser need for 'wet trades' to fit them out. I recall this debate continuing to this day in London Underground where the search for 'standardised components' for construction and finishes continues as it does on the railways.
The idea was sound and indeed many Continental countries and to an extent the US perservered, whereas in the UK many were constructed but seemed destined to problematic life span and constructional issues, such as around insulation. Indeed, the programme of tower block construction using a similar 'panel' construction in the 1960s and '70s came to an abrupt end given the massive structural failure following the blast at Ronan Point, in east London, where defective and poor workmanship played a major part in the disaster.
This article in the May 1948 issue of Architectural Review, and of very period appearance in terms of typography and graphic design, looks at the Arcon permanent home that seems to have been a continuation of the construction of the Arcon pre-fabricated home. As can be seen this two-story home, in terrace, used a mix of on-site wet trades and supplied components. I'm sure Taylor Woodrow were the company behind this, but I'm not sure. The article shows a prototype group at Cranford Park, Southall, Middlesex. I can find little mention of the Arcon permanent method so I'm not sure how may were constructed or if this group survive? They appear to have used relatively lightweight materials (no doubt to eke out materials and construction time) and also used asbestos in various forms, the latter history of which we are all to sadly aware.
The Arcon Permanent House, Cranford Park, Southall, Middlesex : article from Architectural Review, May 1948 : 3
During wartime condiitons and due to the vast number of homes destroyed a programme of constructing prefabricated houses was begun in the UK in an effort to start to deal with displaced persons housing needs in a way that was efficient to deliver. In the post-war years of austerity this need was even greater, allied to a shortage of materials such as steel and of skilled workers, and the idea behind pre-fabrication as a constructional technique was heavily promoted. The idea of being able to easily assemble housing units, largely works built and including basic interior finishes and components, appeared compelling as it allowed a uniformity of construction standards and a lesser need for 'wet trades' to fit them out. I recall this debate continuing to this day in London Underground where the search for 'standardised components' for construction and finishes continues as it does on the railways.
The idea was sound and indeed many Continental countries and to an extent the US perservered, whereas in the UK many were constructed but seemed destined to problematic life span and constructional issues, such as around insulation. Indeed, the programme of tower block construction using a similar 'panel' construction in the 1960s and '70s came to an abrupt end given the massive structural failure following the blast at Ronan Point, in east London, where defective and poor workmanship played a major part in the disaster.
This article in the May 1948 issue of Architectural Review, and of very period appearance in terms of typography and graphic design, looks at the Arcon permanent home that seems to have been a continuation of the construction of the Arcon pre-fabricated home. As can be seen this two-story home, in terrace, used a mix of on-site wet trades and supplied components. I'm sure Taylor Woodrow were the company behind this, but I'm not sure. The article shows a prototype group at Cranford Park, Southall, Middlesex. I can find little mention of the Arcon permanent method so I'm not sure how may were constructed or if this group survive? They appear to have used relatively lightweight materials (no doubt to eke out materials and construction time) and also used asbestos in various forms, the latter history of which we are all to sadly aware.