6
3000.004
Chesney, Daniel R. and William D. Middleton
U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps Bulletin
Article
Bureau of Yards and Docks, Department of the Navy
1952
July, Vol. 6, No. 7
188-189
N
A school building for children of U.S. Naval personnel was required at Port Lyautey, Franch Morocco. Because of scarcity and high costs of structural steel and lumber, masonry was chosen as the building material.For roof and wall construction it was decided to experiment with a locally available building material known as Durisol. The headquarters of this company is located in Switzerland and the Moroccan plant is located at Temara, 30 miles from Port Lyautey. Durisol consists of wood chips and portland cement, chemically treated for fire resistance, made into building blocks of various sizes and types. For wall construction a Durisol block approximately 8 by 8 by 16 inches was used. These wall blocks are manufactured to close tolerances with tongue and groove ends so they can be erected without mortar. The blocks are laid as in a concrete block wall. Durisol blocks contain two cells, and when laid in place, the left cell of one block is directly below the right cell of the upper block. After four courses are in place concrete is poured into the cells. Thus upon completion of the wall there is an uninterrupted concrete column from the top of the wall to the footing, assuring a rigid wall. For roof construction a Durisol slab known as “Hourdis” was used with over-all dimensions of 20 by 60 by 6 inches, shaped to provide a concrete joist and slab roof similar in cross-section to the old-fashioned “tin-pan” system of concrete construction. The depth of the joist was 5 inches and the center-to-center spacing 20 inches. The minimum slab thickness was 3 inches, thus making an 8 inch thickness at the joist section. After the concrete was poured the Durisol remained in place, providing a flat ceiling of pleasing appearance with good insulating and acoustical qualities, requiring only pointing of the joists and painting. Cells in the “Hourdis” provided the space for electrical wiring.